The Old City of Jerusalem has within its walls holy places central to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These include the Western Wall, built by King Solomon in the tenth century BCE as a retaining wall to support the Temple Mount; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, commenced in the fourth century CE under the Emperor Constantine; and the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, built after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Caliph Omar in the seventh century. The proximity of these sites reflects the close historical and doctrinal relationship between the three monotheistic religions.

Jews have lived in the land of Israel for nearly 4,000 years, going back to the period of the biblical patriarchs (c.1900 BCE). The story of the Jewish people, Israel, its capital, Jerusalem, and the Jewish Temple there, has been one of exile, destruction and rebirth. In its 4,000 years of history Jerusalem has been destroyed many times and many times reborn. There has always remained a Jewish presence in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem, and the Jewish people as a whole always dreamed of returning to and rebuilding it, a longing reflected in the concluding words of Israel’s national anthem, ‘Ha Tikvah’ (‘The Hope’):

Saint Patrick, who lived during the fifth century, is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16. He later escaped, but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people. In the centuries following Patrick’s death (believed to have been on March 17, 461), the mythology surrounding his life became ever more ingrained in the Irish culture:

Working hard did not change your status. Your clothing, food, marriage, homes, etc., were determined for you. After the rank of king, the hierarchy was the nobles, the knights, the clergy (religious people), the tradesmen and the peasants.

You were born into a class of people and generally stayed in that class for your entire life.

profoundly affected by the rulings of the church.

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