Eamonn Holmes

Famous Paddies

16/03/2012

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, notable for supposedly ridding the country of Snakes, introducing the Shamrock as an Irish symbol and claiming to have spoken with ancient Irish ancestors who were alive long before his birth. He spent time as a missionary in the 5^th Century and his date of death, 17^th March, is still widely celebrated today, both in a religious sense and as a celebration of Ireland as a nation. But what’s in a name? Are all Patricks as mythical and revered?

Here are some profiles of other famous “Patricks.” Have they achieved the same saintly status as their famous namesake?

PAT BOONE

FAMOUS FOR: Being a popular American singer really, having sold over 45 million albums and having 38 top 40 hits in his homeland. Born Charles Eugene Boone in 1934, he remains notable for having the longest consecutive stretch at on the charts at 220 weeks. Also a competent actor, Boone attempted to heal racial tensions by covering numerous African-American songs, bring them to a wider audience.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint

PAT CASH

FAMOUS FOR: Becoming Wimbledon Tennis champion in 1987, beating Ivan Lendl in the final. The Australian Cash also reached the final of his home Grand Slam twice, and is now best known as a commentator on television and radio

SAINT OR SINNER? Despite his questionable dress sense and fondness for earrings, definitely a Saint.

PATRICK HILLERY

FAMOUS FOR: Serving as the sixth President of Ireland between 1976 and 1990. Despite being regarded as somewhat lacklustre and being embroiled in a sex scandal, Hillery is positively remembered for bringing stability to Irish politics.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint, just about.

PATRICK KLUIVERT

FAMOUS FOR: Scoring goals for fun at Ajax, Barcelona and Holland. In his prime, Kluivert was unplayable, mixing physical strength with natural ability. His career nosedived when he arrived at Newcastle United (where have you heard that before?) where fans questioned his lack of effort. Lacklustre spells at Valencia, PSV Eindhoven and Lille followed and he retired from football in 2008.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint for his goal scoring exploits early on in his career. Sinner for evidently going to Newcastle for the money where his performances were dire.

SIR PATRICK MOORE

FAMOUS FOR: One of the great living eccentrics in Britain, Moore is an undoubted national treasure. He is well known for his eloquent speech, use of a monocle, and perhaps most famously for his love of astronomy, presenting the BBC’s The Sky at Night for over 50 years. Moore’s enthusiasm and wit has won him fans the world over, and he still remains very much in demand, despite being nearly 90.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint. No argument needed.

STEVEN PATRICK MORRISSEY

FAMOUS FOR: Okay, so not strictly speaking a Patrick, but middle names count! Best known as simply Morrissey, he was the frontman and lyricist of 80’s indie band The Smiths. Morrissey’s morose, depressing, yet honest lyrics earned him a legion of devoted fans, but also many enemies as well. He has been outspoken on numerous issues, including politics and vegetarianism, and his most iconic look was perhaps wearing flowery shirts and sporting a quiff hairstyle.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint on the whole, but he could keep some of his more outspoken opinions to himself.

SIR PATRICK STEWART

FAMOUS FOR: Being regarded as one of the great living stage, screen and television British actors. He is perhaps best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men series of films. Stewart has also been a prolific actor for the Royal Shakespeare Company and received a knighthood in 2010.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint

PATRICK SWAYZE

FAMOUS FOR: Those two iconic films really, Dirty Dancing and Ghost. Swayze won millions of fans, largely female, thanks to his good looks and tough guy roles and was named by People magazine as “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1991. Swayze sadly died at the age of 57 in 2009 after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint

PATRICK VIEIRA

FAMOUS FOR: Bossing the midfield of numerous football clubs in the 90’s and 00’s, most notably Arsenal, whom he captained to their remarkable unbeaten 2003-04 campaign. Noted for his strong tackling skills and ball retention, the Frenchman remains one of the most influential midfielders of the Premier League era. A World Cup winner in 1998, Vieira spent the remainder of his career in Italy with Juventus and Inter, before seeing out his career at Manchester City where he remains as a Football Development Executive.

SAINT OR SINNER? Sinner for the amount of red and yellow cards he received throughout his career, and for the fact that he played for Arsenal. However, his outstanding leadership for Arsenal and charity work make him something of a saint.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON

FAMOUS FOR: Winning three Major Golf titles: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008, and the PGA Championship in 2008. He is one of the most talented Irish golfers of all time, and his talent is all the remarkable when it transpired that he suffers from poor eyesight.

SAINT OR SINNER? Saint.

ROBERT PATTINSON

FAMOUS FOR: Okay, perhaps these are getting a little tenuous now. But, yeah, this guy. Ever seen the Twilight movies? You don’t want to, trust me. Pattinson is largely known for his work in these series of movies about a vampire who falls in love. But like all of these large film franchises, it has amassed a huge following particularly from teenage girls who are attracted to Pattinson’s good looks.

SAINT OR SINNER? Sinner! If this smacks of jealousy, then you’re right. Don’t we all wish we could look like him?

Back to Blog List