: ''For another saint of the same name, see

Íbar of Killibar Beg Íbar is the name of a very obscure early Irish saint, after whom Killibar Beg - noted in the Episcopal Rental of Clonfert, c. 1351 - in County Galway is named. The original form would have been ''Cill Íbar'' ('the church of Íbar'). Killibar B ...

. For other uses, see Ibar.'' Ibar mac Lugna, whose name is also given as Iberius or Ivor, was an early

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

saint, patron of Beggerin Island, and bishop. The

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

is sometimes said to have been one of the ''"Quattuor sanctissimi Episcopi"'' ("The four most sacred bishops") said to have preceded

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(see also the saint Ailbe, Ciaran and Déclán), although possibly they were just contemporaries. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

is 23 April.

Life

According to the Annals of the Four Masters, Ibar was of noble birth, and descended from the tribe of Ui Echach who occupied east

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. His sister Mella married Hua-Carbmiac, king of Hy-Kensellagh, a kingdom which consisted of all current county Wexford and a considerable part of Wicklow and Carlow.Odden, Einar. "The Holy Ibar of Begerin (d. 500)", Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo
/ref> Much obscurity attaches to his early training, but it is said that his early education took place in an important druidic school. When followers of

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...

began to appear in Ireland, Ibar traveled to

Armorica Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; br, Arvorig, ) is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic Coast ...

to learn more of this new teaching. He spent some time at

Lérins Abbey Lérins Abbey () is a Cistercian monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands, on the French Riviera, with an active monastic community. There has been a monastic community there since the 5th century. The constructio ...

where he must have met Ciarán of Saigir. When Ibar returned from Lérins, he was accompanied by some companions, who constituted the first community that Ibar established on one of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. But his stay in the West did not last very long, for he moved his monastery to plain Geshille in County Offaly. He then settled at Beggerin, where he built an oratory and cell. In the ''Life of Saint Abbán'' it is stated that Saint Ibar's retreat was soon peopled with numerous disciples from all parts of Ireland, and the 'Litany of Aengus' invokes the three thousand confessors who placed themselves under Ibar's direction. Although at first not disposed to yield to Saint Patrick (or his successors), he afterwards submitted and became his disciple. However accounts of this may originate in the interest of Armagh to claim precedence over the other religious centers in Ireland, which could also demonstrate early bishops. Ibar's nephew, St

Abbán Abbán moccu Corbmaic ( la, Abbanus; d. 520? AD), also Eibbán or Moabba, is a saint in Irish tradition. He was associated, first and foremost, with Mag Arnaide (Moyarney or Adamstown, County Wexford, near New Ross) and with Cell Abbáin (Kil ...

, as a boy of twelve, came to Beggerin in Ibar's old age and accompanied him to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Moninne Saint Moninne or Modwenna of Killeavy was one of Ireland's early female saints. After instruction in the religious life, she founded a community, initially consisting of eight virgins and a widow with a baby, at Slieve Gullion, in what became Co ...

is said to have travelled to Leinster to become the disciple of St Ibar before founding her monastery in Killeavy. He preached in the present

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

. Ibar's death has been chronicled in the year 500 on 23 April, on which day his feast is observed.

Legacy

Ibar is regarded as the patron of Beggerin Island (Begerin), in Wexford harbour. (Although Beggerin was formerly an island in the north of Wexford harbour, it has long since been reclaimed).Grattan-Flood, William. "St. Ibar." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 19 Jul. 2013
/ref> He is also to patron saint of the town of Wexford. The Church of Ireland church in Wexford town is dedicated to St Iberius, and is believed to be built upon a site Ibar used for an oratory. He also gives his name to St. Ibar's–Shelmaliers Camogie Club, a

camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...

team based in

Wexford Town Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...

Life

Legacy

References

Further reading