Declan

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For the album 'Declan' of the same name, see Declan (album) .
Saint Declan
Born 5th century, Ireland
Died 5th century
Venerated in Roman Catholicism
Major shrine Ardmore
Feast July 24
Saints Portal

Saint Declan was an early Irish bishop and abbot. He is sometimes said to be one of four bishops to have preceded Saint Patrick in Ireland in the early 5th century (See also Saints Ailbhe, Ciaran, and Ibar), although he is also made a contemporary of Saint David in the mid-6th century. His feast day is July 24.

Contents

[edit] Life

He converted the people of the Decies, an ancient principality of southern Ireland, to Christianity. There he founded the monastic settlement of Ardmore. Although Ardmore is no longer the seat of a diocese, the local Catholic parish bears Declan's name. His Life is preserved in both a Latin and Irish version; the latter was translated into English by Rev. P. Power in 1914. Rev. Power's translation is available online from Christian Classics Ethereal Library [[1]].

There was much controversy involving which Saint was to become the Patron Saint of Ireland. Since St. Patrick was not of Irish heritage many of the Irish people believed that St. Declan should instead become the country's Patron Saint.[citation needed]

[edit] Pattern

The Black Cross of St. Declan
The Black Cross of St. Declan

Every year on his feast day, locals and people from the region celebrate his pattern. The pattern includes various devotional acts at sites associated with his life.

[edit] Namesakes

Due to popular devotion to the saint, the name Declan has been relatively common in County Waterford for centuries. Its use has since spread beyond Munster, and even outside Ireland.

[edit] In popular culture

The Declan cross is associated with the Ku Klux Klan, neo-nazism, and the Zodiac killer of California during the late 1960s[citation needed].

[edit] External links


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