Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is believed to have died in Saul, County Down. Patrick was the grandson of a priest in England who was captured by Irish raiders and made a slave in Ireland for a time. After getting back home he was ordained a priest and returned to Ireland to evangelize and convert the Irish to Christianity.
Two texts survive which are strongly believed to have been written by Patrick himself: an autobiography and a protest against the slave trade. Because of Patrick's work Ireland experienced a time of increased literacy and learning while the rest of Europe went through the Dark Ages.