Ireland is one of only a few countries in the world that has no snakes.
Why aren't there snakes in Ireland?
Much of Britain and Ireland’s flora and fauna arrived here after the last ice age.
As the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago, animals and plants were able to recolonise from mainland Europe, to which Britain was connected by a land bridge.
The Irish Sea, though, proved too big an obstacle for the three British species of snake – grass snake, smooth snake and adder – that had made it to Britain, so Ireland remained snake-free. Another reptile did make it though, and is now Ireland's only reptile: the common lizard. Looks like they were a little quicker off the mark than the snakes....
So, although it makes a great story, the legend of St. Patrick driving all of Ireland’s snakes into the sea is just a myth, as they were never there in the first place.
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Main image: the UK's adder © Getty Images