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List of saints of Ireland

In Christianity, certain deceased Christians are recognized as saints, including some from Ireland. The vast majority of these saints lived during the 4th–10th centuries, the period of early Christian Ireland, when Celtic Christianity produced many missionaries to Great Britain and the European continent. The exact number of Irish saints is not known but the Martyrology of Donegal lists 1000 saints, male and female. For this reason, Ireland in a 19th-century adage is described as "the land of saints and scholars".

Christianity was introduced into Ireland toward the end of the 4th century. The details of the introduction are obscure, though the strict ascetic nature of monasticism in Ireland is said to be derived from the practices of the Desert Fathers. Although there were some Christians in Ireland before Patrick, who was a native of Roman Britain, he played a significant role in its full Christianisation.

Some of the best-known saints are Saint Patrick, Colmcill, Brigid of Kildare and the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

After 1000, the process of recognizing saints was formalized, after which fewer people were named saints. Those canonized in the modern era include Oliver Plunkett (d. 1681, canonized 1975 by Pope Paul VI) and Charles of Mount Argus (d. 1893, canonized in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI).

Veneration

The medieval Irish saints were venerated locally in the areas in which they lived or established churches. With the Viking invasions, Irish churches were frequently ransacked and saints' relics and shrines were often destroyed.

Early saints

Early Irish martyr saints

Later saints

Later saints include:

Pope Leo XIII's canonisations

In 1902, Pope Leo XIII added a group of 25 medieval Irish male saints to the Roman Martyrology, giving them a greater significance to the majority of other Irish saints who were not officially canonised by the pope. They are as follows:

Blesseds

Venerables

Servants of God

Irish people, described as Servants of God, include:

Other holy people

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links