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St. Assicus was the first bishop of Elphin, Ireland, and was a person friend of St. Patrick . Before his conversion by Patrick, Assicus was a metalworker, especially in copper and brass, and likely continued his craft after converting to Christianity, crafting gold chalices and patens and even brass bells for use in the churches. After his death, his successors founded a school of art in his name, and many of the pieces they produced are well-known to this day. Lifetime:  400s Region:  Ireland Patronages:  Metalworkers; Elphin, Ireland Iconograpy:  Bishop's vestments; Metalworking hammer Feast Day:  April 27

St. Enda is considered the father of Irish monasticism. Even better, his feast day is also my birthday! Lifetime:  ~450 to ~530 Region:  Ireland Patronages: Aran islands; Irish monks Iconograpy:  Cloak (often green); Staff; Stone abbey Feast Day:  March 21 Enda was born an Irish prince in the county of Ulster. As he grew up, he became a fierce warrior, and eventually inherited the throne and became king of Oriel. However, Enda’s sister, St. Fanchea had become an abbess of a convent, and she was growing concerned about her brother and his violent ways. She begged him to lay down his arms and at least be a peaceful king. Enda thought about it, and made an agreement with his sister. He would put aside his sword and his taste for conquest, but only if she would find one of the sisters in her abbey who would marry him. His sister agreed, and found him a suitable bride, but when Enda arrived to receive his wife, he found the girl had died suddenly. His sister took the o...

St. Ita (also spelled Ite, Ida, Eeda, and other ways) is often considered to be the second holiest person to ever live in Ireland - second only to  St. Brigid . She also was foster parent to a number of boys who became saints, including St. Brendan the Navigator , and she was visited by St. Columba for guidance. Lifetime:  480 to 570 Region:  County Limerick, Ireland Patronages:  Limerick, Ireland Iconograpy:  Holding an Irish church; Rosary; Brown cloak Feast Day:  January 15 Ita was originally called Dierdre, but her name was eventually changed, as Ita means "thirst for holiness". Dierdre was born to noble parents who wished her to marry, a common background among saints. However, Rather than defying her Christian parents, Dierdre eventually persuaded them by fasting and praying for three days, at the end of which her father received a vision from God instructing him to allow his daughter to establish a monastery. And so, at the age of 16, Dierdre became...

Along with Saints Patrick  and Brigid , Columba is one of the patron saints of Ireland. Because of his relocation to the island of Iona, and his subsequent evangelization in Scotland, he also has patronage over that country, as well as the Irish city of Derry. He's also considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Lifetime:  521 to 597 Region:  Ireland; Scotland Patronages:  Floods; Bookbinders; Ireland; Scotland Iconograpy:  Celtic tonsure; Dove or seabird; Coastline Feast Day: June 9 Columba was called Colmcille in his native tongue, though he may have had a different name at birth. In Irish, Colmcille means "church dove". He was descended from a legendary high king of ancient Ireland, and was therefore raised as a sort of minor royalty, though he joined a monastery at a young age.  Legends around Columba's life abound, and it's impossible to know for sure what is true about his life, but his impact as an evangelist in Scotland, among the Picts, and ...

St. Dymphna is most well known as the patron saint of mental illness and anxiety, including mental and neurological disorders, depression, and sleep disorder. She's the inspiration behind St. Dymphna's Playbook , an excellent podcast about mental health and the Catholic faith which I recommend to everyone, but especially to those struggling with any mental health issues or with loved ones who do. Lifetime:  600s Region:  Ireland; Belgium Patronages:  Mental illness; Runaways; Anxiety Iconograpy:  Sword; Lily; Crown Feast Day: May 15 Dymphna was born in Ireland sometime in the 600s. Her father was a pagan king (another princess saint!), but her mother was Christian and raised Dymphna with a strong faith. So strong, in fact, that Dymphna took a vow dedicating herself and her body to Christ when she was just 14. Sadly, her mother died very soon after Dymphna's vow, and her mother's death led her father to suffer from extreme mental health issues. Her father's advisors ...

St. Laurence O'Toole recently made the news, even though he's been dead for over 800 years. Why? Because of a strange and kind of spooky caper involving the theft of his heart! But Laurence was quite well-known in his own days as well - in fact he was so respected that after his death, his canonization was speed-tracked to appease his many followers. Lifetime:  1128 to 1180 Region:  Ireland Patronages:  Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland Iconograpy:  Basket of bread; Shield; Dublin architecture Feast Day:  November 14 Laurence O'Toole was known as Lorcán Ua Tuathail in Ireland (and St. Laurent in France, which he also visited, and where he died). He was born as a prince, but was the youngest of four sons, meaning he was not likely to inherit the title. When Laurence was 10, he was held hostage for two years by another king opposing his father. He was kept mostly alone and nearly starved. However, eventually the abbot of a nearby monastery intervened to secure L...

After this, I promise I'm going to take a break from Irish saints for a few months. I'm so drawn to their stories of unabashed hyperbole, oneness with nature, and deep, childlike faith. But the rest of the world has some awesome saints too, and they deserve a spotlight as well! Anyway, today's saint is St. Kevin of Glendalough. As is often the case with Irish stories of the saints, his story stretches the limits of believability while making up for it by being just so heartwarming. Lifetime:  500s Region:  Glendalough, Ireland Patronages:  Blackbirds; Dublin Iconograpy:  Blackbird in hand; Unkempt hair and beard Feast Day:  June 3 Kevin was born to a wealthy noble family, but after converting, gave away his wealth and became a hermit. Kevin went out into the wilderness, the most remote area he could find, which turned out to be a cave tucked away on a cliff, which was too small to even stand in., Oh, and it was an ancient burial tomb, to add in a little extra cr...

St. Brendan of Clonfert, AKA St. Brendan the Voyager, AKA St. Brendan the Navigator, AKA St. Brendan the Abbot is famous for his legendary evangelical journey to the West. There's a lot of speculation as to whether Brendan may have reached the Americas 400 years before the Vikings did, and a thousand years before any other noteworthy Europeans (there may even be some evidence ). Bur regardless whether his voyage made him the first European in the New World, the narrative of St. Brendan is a fascinating tale rife with that famous Irish hyberbole that brings us saints like Muirgen the Mermaid . Lifetime:  ~500 Region:  Tralee, Ireland Patronages:  Sailors; Divers; Whales Iconograpy:  Boat; Whale; Preaching to fish Feast Day:  May 16 St. Brendan was fostered to St. Ita of Kileedy (the Brigid of Munster) when he was a year old. They became close friends and Brendan would visit her frequently between his travels throughout his life. He set up numerous monasteries thr...

St. Patrick is one of the most well-known saints in the world, and rightly so. His humility and boldness spurred one of the most amazing conversion stories. The conversion of Ireland occurred without bloodshed or conquest, and happened so rapidly that slavery (which was commonplace at the beginning of Patrick's mission) was completely eradicated in Ireland within his own life. One of the most well-known legends about Patrick -- chasing the snakes out of Ireland -- probably never happened, but his story is a fascinating tale even without it. Lifetime: ~386 to 461 Region: Ireland Patronages: Ireland; Snakes Iconograpy: Green robe; Miter and crosier; Shamrock; Snakes Feast Day: March 17 Patrick, known as Patricius in his native Latin, was born in Britain in what was then part of the Roman empire. Patrick's family was somewhat wealthy and Patrick would have experienced little hardship in his early life. But then, when he was a teenager, Patrick was captured by Iris...

I recently discvovered that the area where Saint Modomnoc died, Kilkenny, Ireland, is where my own Irish ancestors are from. Sometimes it's those little connections that imbue so much more meaning than even the big, flashy miracles. I first learned about Saint Modomnoc from a children's book which was recommended to me by Amazon. See, sometimes algorithms can be good! The book is called The Saint and his Bees and it's an adorable story with beautiful illustrations. There's not a lot of existing information on St. Modomnoc, so much of my post today will be inspired by this book. Also, as always, I've taken a few creative liberties of my own. Lifetime: ~500 to ~550 Region: Ireland & Wales Patronages: Bees & Beekeepers; Kilkenny, Ireland Iconograpy: Bees or beehive; Green robe; Red or gray hair & beard Feast Day: February 13 Modomnoc was named Dominic during his life (putting "Mo" in front was an Irish way of adding familiarity). He...

Over the next couple months, you're going to notice a bias towards Irish saints, and Saint Brigid of Kildare is to blame. Her story inspired in me a fervent interest in Celtic Christianity, and when I converted to the Catholic faith (in large part due to the influence Brigid and the other Celts had on my own spirituality), I chose her for my patron saint. There's so many stories and legends about St. Brigid that it's hard to know where to start: druidic prophecy, time travel to the nativity, and reclaiming the miracles of a Celtic goddess all make for a pretty compelling narrative, but since I'm taking pictures of kids' toys, I think I'll focus on her childhood for today. Happy Imbolc! Let me know if the hedgehog sees its shadow! Lifetime: 451 to 525 Region: Ireland Patronages: Ireland; Dairy maids; Midwives Iconograpy: Reed cross; Open flame; Green habit Feast Day: February 1 Brigid's father was Dubthach, a wealthy chieftain, but she wasn...

Wait, an actual mermaid? That can't be real. Mermaids aren't real, so they can't be saints! Well, yes and no. Lifetime: 90 to 558 Region: Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland Patronages: People who like mermaids; Storytellers; Converts from pagan faiths (I made these up.) Iconograpy: Water; Otter; She's an actual mermaid Feast Day: January 27 Muirgen was born Li Ban and lived as a princess in her father's palace. But one day, a spring opened up under the palace, swallowing the entire building into a lake. Li Ban's whole family drowned, but Li Ban's room remained intact and continued holding air. She lived trapped in this underwater room for a year with only her dog to keep her company. After a year, Li Ban turned into a mermaid. Her faithful dog was also changed, becoming an otter to keep his master company. As a mermaid, Li Ban's lifespan was lengthened and she swam through the lake, playing with her otter for hundreds of years. Li Ban learn...