Killaspugbrone () is an early Christian church on the coast west of

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

town and near the modern resort of

Strandhill Strandhill or occasionally Larass () is a coastal town and townland on the Coolera Peninsula in County Sligo, Ireland. , the population was 1,753, an increase of 10% from the 2011 Census. The old name appears to be Ros Dragnige (see Killaspugbr ...

. Known as Caiseal Irrae in the earliest references. One of the earliest churches in Sligo, it was founded by Bishop Brón mac Icni (d. 512) a contemporary of

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

History

This church was a major pilgrimage site that contained a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

of St. Patrick known as the Fiacail Pádraig, now in the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thre ...

.Moss (2014), p. 292 According to Patricks biographer Tirechán in his Collectanea, Patrick prophesied that the sea would force his heirs to move closer to the river Sligo, now the Garavoge (see

). "And they came to Trácht Authuili into the territory of Ira, Patrick and Brón, and with them Macc Erce Maicc Dregin, to the plain, that is, Ros Dregnige, where there is the chasuble of Brón, and as Patrick was sitting there a tooth fell out of his mouth, and he gave it to Brón as a relic. And he said: 'Behold, the sea will drive us out of this place in the last times, and you will go to the wood by the Sligo River."

Church

The present building dates to the 12th century. The church was the victim of Viking attack, perhaps the same expedition that assaulted

Inishmurray Inishmurray ( or ) is an uninhabited island situated off the coast of County Sligo, Ireland. Geography The island covers . Etymology Inishmurray may be named after the early saint, Muiredach mac Echdach ( fl. early 6th century) of Killal ...

. It is the subject of an ongoing preservation initiative by the Killaspugbrone Preservation Society.

References

Sources

* Crawford, Henry. "A Descriptive List of Irish Shrines and Reliquaries. Part I". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', 6th series, volume 13, no. 1, June 1923. * Moss, Rachel. ''Medieval c. 400—c. 1600'', "Art and Architecture of Ireland" series. London: Yale University Press, 2014. * Wilde, William. ''Lough Corrib, Its Shores Islands: with Notices Lough Mask''. Oxford: Oxford University, 1867 {{coord, 54.28286, -8.60236, format=dms, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title Churches in County Sligo