In the middle of the 5th century, St. Patrick missionized in Ireland. He is undoubtedly the most famous figure in Irish history, yet he was not Irish; he came from the Roman province of Britain across the Irish Sea. His quiet life came to a sudden end when he was captured by pirates at a young age and taken to the inaccessible hills of Ireland, where he served as a slave for six years. His return as a bishop twenty years later is all the more remarkable. Highly successful as a Christian missionary, he is regarded as the true patron saint of Ireland and, along with St. Columban and St. Brigid, forms the trio of Ireland's national saints.