Saint Muiredach mac Echdach, also known as Murtagh, was the founding

Bishop of Killala The Bishop of Killala () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bish ...

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 ...

in the 6th century. Muiredach is described as an old man of Patrick's family, and was placed at the head of the Church of Killala by

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 ...

, patron saint of

as early as 442 or 443.Healy, John. "Killala." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 21 Mar. 2013
/ref> He was connected to the royal family of King

Lóegaire mac Néill Lóegaire (''floruit'' fifth century) (reigned 428–458 AD, according to the Annals of the Four Masters of the Kingdom of Ireland)(died c. 462), also Lóeguire, is said to have been a son of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The Irish annals and king ...

. He allegedly met with

St. 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 ...

in the year 575, in a town called

Ballysadare Ballysadare (), locally also Ballisodare, is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. It is about 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Sligo town. The town developed on an important crossing of the Owenmore River. History Toponymy The Ox Mountains () are ...

. He probably resigned after a few years, and retired to an island off the

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 ...

coast in Donegal Bay. The uninhabited island,

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 ...

, bears his name. He may also be the patron of the monastery that was on that island. He died there as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

, and 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 12 August.

References

Bishops of Killala 6th-century Christian saints Canonizations by Pope Leo XIII 5th-century Irish priests 6th-century Irish bishops Medieval saints of Connacht Disciples of Saint Patrick {{Ireland-saint-stub