The Gobán Saor was a highly skilled smith or architect in Irish history and legend. Gobban Saer (Gobban the Builder) is a figure regarded in Irish traditional lore as an architect of the seventh century, and popularly canonized as

St. Gobban Saint Gobhan has long been linked with the parish of Seagoe – recorded for instance as ''Teach dho-Ghobha'' – in County Armagh, Ireland. This saint - ''Gobban find mac Lugdach'' (-639), was primarily known for his abbacy of the monastery ...

. The ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' considers him historical and born at Turvey, on the Donabate peninsula in North County Dublin, about 560. In literary references, he was employed by many Irish saints to build churches, oratories, and bell towers, and he is alluded to in an eighth-century Irish poem, preserved in a monastery in Carinthia. In the "Life of St. Abban" it is said that "the fame of Gobban as a builder in wood as well as stone would exist in Ireland to the end of time." In ''Gobán Saor'' can be seen elements of Goibniu, the

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

god of smithcraft. His name can be compared with the

''gobae'' ~ ''gobann'' ‘ smith,’

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen ...

''gof'' ~ ''gofein'' ‘ smith,’ Gallic ''gobedbi'' ‘with the smiths,’

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''faber'' ‘ smith’ and with the

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

gabija Gabija (also known as Gabieta, Gabeta) is the spirit of the fire in Lithuanian mythology. She is the protector of home and family. Her name is derived from ''gaubti'' (to cover, to protect) or from St. Agatha (russian: Гафия, Gafiya). Gabija ...

'' ‘sacred home fire’ and

''gabus'' ‘gifted, clever’. ''

The Wonder Smith and His Son ''The Wonder-Smith and His Son: A Tale from the Golden Childhood of the World'' is a children's book by Ella Young. It is a collection of fourteen stories about Gubbaun Saor, the legendary Irish smith and architect. The book, illustrated by Boris ...

'' is a retelling of fourteen tales about the Gobán Saor, by Ella Young; illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff (1927). It was a 1928 Newbery Honor Book. Two of Ella Young's retellings were reprinted by Collier in "The Young Folks Shelf of Books." The Goban Saor is described as the son of Tuirbe Tragmar ("thrower of axes"), a figure whose magical axe would hold back the sea after it was thrown on the strand.
n.125 Tráig Tuirbi, in The Rennes Dindshenchas, edited by Whitney Stokes, pages 76-77, Revue Celtiques 16 (1895) His supposed burial site is located next to

Derrynaflan Church Derrynaflan Church is a Medieval church and National Monument located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Location Derrynaflan Church is located on an "island" in Littleton bog, located south of Littleton. History The monastery at Derrynaflan ("Oa ...

, County Tipperary.

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