A "saintly heavenly figure" or a "biblical shepherd of the flock".
While both Catholic and Protestant traditions honour and respect St. Patrick as the founder of Christianity in Ireland, there are differences in their perception. Catholics see him as "a saintly heavenly figure" while to Protestants he is the "biblical shepherd of the flock".
Brian Turner, curator of the Down County Museum believes a lot of Irish people do not know enough about St Patrick, putting him in the same category as St George and the dragon or Arthur and the round table.
Unionist politician Ian Paisley tells RTÉ News that he knows St Patrick was a Protestant, and that St Patrick's Day should be a national holiday in Northern Ireland.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 17 March 1995. The reporter is Brendan Wright.
