__NOTOC__ Saint Donnán of Eigg (also known as Donan;''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'', p.135 died 17 April 617) was a

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, likely from

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, who attempted to introduce

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to the

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of northwestern

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during the

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. Donnán is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

Eigg Eigg ( ; ) is one of the Small Isles in the Scotland, Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the island of Isle of Skye, Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With ...

, the island in the

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where he was killed. The ''Martyrology of Donegal'', compiled by

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in the 17th century, records the manner of his death: Another tradition states that a

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

Pictish queen had him and 150 others burnt. He is thought to be buried at Kildonan, on the

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. Saint Donnán's feast day is 17 April. The

Hiberno-Latin Hiberno-Latin was a learned style of literary Latin first used and subsequently spread by Irish monks during the period from the sixth century to the twelfth century. Vocabulary and influence Hiberno-Latin was notable for its curiously learn ...

account in the

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says: 'Eigg is the name of a spring in Aldasain. And there Donnán and his community suffered martyrdom. This is how it came about. A rich woman used to dwell there before the coming of Donnán and her flocks grazed there. On account of the ill-feeling she had towards Donnán and his community, she persuaded a number of bandits to kill him. When these bandits arrived in Eigg, they found them chanting their

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in the oratory and they could not kill them there. Donnán however said to his community: 'Let us go into the refectory so that these men may be able to kill us there where we do our living according to the demands of the body; since as long as we remain where we have done our all to please God, we cannot die, but where we have served the body, we may pay the price of the body.' In this way, therefore, they were killed in their refectory on the eve of

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. Fifty-four others died together alongside Donnán'.Adomnan of Iona. Life of St Columba, penguin books, 1995

Places bearing his name

* Eilean Donnáin, Loch Alsh * Kildonan,

*Kildonnan,

(site of his monastery - excavated in 2012) *Kildonan, Sutherland *Kildonan Drive, Thornwood, Glasgow *Kildonnan, Kilpheder Parish,

South Uist South Uist (, ; ) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001. The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the ...

*Kildonnan, Little Loch Broom,

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*Kildonnen, Lynedate, Loch Snizort,

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...

*Seipeil Dhonnáin, Kishorn *St. Donnan's Chapel, Little Bernera,

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

* Saint-Donan,

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* East Kildonan,

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* West Kildonan,

* Kildonan, British Columbia,

At least eleven Scottish churches are named for Saint Donnán.

Notes

References

*Cogan, Anthony. ''The Diocese Of Meath''. (Vol.1). Dublin:, 1862. *Farmer, David Hugh. ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints''.

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

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, 1992. *Smyth, Alfred P. ''Warlords and Holy Men, Scotland AD 80-1000''. : Edward Arnold, 1984. {{DEFAULTSORT:Donnan Of Eigg 617 deaths 7th-century Christian martyrs 7th-century Irish Christian clergy Eigg History of Catholicism in Scotland History of the Inner Hebrides Irish expatriates in Scotland Irish people murdered abroad Medieval Irish saints Medieval Scottish saints Colombanian saints Executed Irish people Year of birth unknown Scottish Catholic martyrs

Places bearing his name

See also

Notes

References