St. Etchen (Etchenius, Ecian or Echen) (490 - 11 February 577) was an

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 ...

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

who founded a monastery in

Clonfad Clonfad () is a civil parish in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located about south of Mullingar. Clonfad is one of 10 civil parishes in the barony of Fartullagh in the Province of Leinster. The civil parish covers . Clonfad civil parish compr ...

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

. Legend states that Etchen ordained

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

into the priesthood, and that he had to stop in the middle of

ploughing A plough or plow (Differences between American and British spellings, US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are draw ...

a field to perform the act.

Veneration

A number of local schools and churches are named after St. Etchen, including: * Church of St. Etchen,

Killucan The villages of Killucan () and Rathwire () are co-located in the east of County Westmeath, Ireland. They have a combined population of 1,370 according to the 2016 census. Killucan is on the R156 road about from Mullingar and from Dublin. H ...

* St. Etchen National School,

Kinnegad Kinnegad or Kinagad () is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is on the border with County Meath, near the junction of the M6 and the M4 motorways - two of Ireland's main east–west roads. It is roughly 60 km from the capital, Dublin ...

Death

Etchen died on 11 February 577AD of natural causes. He was buried at his monastery in Clonfad. His date is celebrated as the Feast of Saint Etchen in Ireland.

References

Medieval Gaels from Ireland People from County Westmeath Irish abbots Medieval Irish saints 490 births 577 deaths Irish Christian missionaries {{Ireland-RC-clergy-stub

Veneration

Death

See also

References