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In the Company of St. Patrick

Ten major Irish saints

St. Patrick Related Links Christian Saints Patron Saints Index Ireland Canonization Saint Patrick's Day Quiz: Irish Literature and Folklore

Did you know? Although St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland—and certainly no other saint has the stature of St. Patrick in Ireland—the beloved holy man wasn't actually Irish. Born somewhere in western or northern Britain, he was brought to Ireland as a slave when still a teenager. After six years he escaped to the Continent, where he became a monk. Eventually, following a vision, he returned to Ireland to Christianize it.

But Ireland, which was once known as the land of saints and scholars, has bred numerous saints, many of whom left their native country to Christianize the rest of Europe. Here are but a few.

St. Aidan Feast day: Aug. 31 The founder of a great center of Celtic Christianity. St. Brendan Feast day: May 16 Patron of boatmen, sailors, travelers, and whales. St. Brigid Feast day: Feb. 1 Patron of babies, blacksmiths, cows and dairy workers, Ireland, midwives, poets, sailors, scholars, and travelers. St. Columba Feast day: June 9 Patron of bookbinders, Ireland, poets, and Scotland St. Columban Feast day: Nov. 23 It is no wonder that this saint's emblem is the bear, as he seems to have had a knack for causing trouble.

St. Ita Feast day: Jan. 15 The revered teacher of St. Brendan. St. Kevin Feast day: June 3 Patron of blackbirds, the archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland, and Glendalough, Ireland. St. Kieran Feast day: Sept. 9 A visionary who founded a great Irish monastery. St. Malachy Feast day: Nov. 3 The first Irish saint to be canonized by a pope, in 1199. St. Oliver Plunket Feast day: July 11 The last Catholic martyr to die at Tyburn, he was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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