We do not know, with any certainty, at what time the island was
converted to Christianity. The accepted opinion is that Christianity was
established in Man by St. Patrick about the middle of the fifth century.
The story goes that the Saint of Ireland was on a voyage thither from
England, when a storm cast him ashore on a little islet on the western
coast of Man. This islet was afterwards called St. Patrick's Isle. St.
Patrick built his church on it. The church was rebuilt eight centuries
later within the walls of a castle which rose on the same rocky site. It
became the cathedral church of the island. When the Norwegians came they
renamed the islet Holm Isle. Tradition says that St. Patrick's coming
was in the time of Mannanan, the magician, our little Manx Prospero. It
also says that St. Patrick drove Mannanan away, and that St. Patrick's
successor, St. Germain, followed up the good work of exterminating evil
spirits by driving out of the island all venomous creatures whatever. We
sometimes bless the memory of St. Germain, and wish he would come again.