Erc mac Dega (; ), also known (incorrectly) as Herygh, was an Irish

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

. He was active in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. Tradition ascribes the foundation of the original monastery on the Hill of Slane to him.

Early life

Erc, son of Dago, is believed to have been 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 ...

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

and the only member of King Laoghaire's retinue to pay homage to

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

during the latter's confrontation with the druids at the Hill of Slane in 433. Dubhthach maccu Lugar was also a druid who paid tribute to St. Patrick and converted. Erc mac Dega was converted to Christianity by St. Patrick and appointed the first Bishop of Slane. St. Erc's foundation at Slane stayed active for at least six hundred years. Hill of slane 1

Erc may have arrived in Kerry soon after the mission of St. Benignus, who was sent by St. Patrick to preach to the tribes of West Munster in 450. Benignus's visit was comparatively short since he was called away to North Clare and

Connaught Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine ...

. St. Patrick sent Erc to complete the conversion of Kerry. Erc had spiritual charge over Kerry and a wide range of southwest

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

(in the heart of which lay the convent of Ita at Killeedy).O'Connor, Denis. "Diocese of Kerry and Aghadoe." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 9 May 2013
/ref> Before Saint Patrick died in 461, he sent Bishop Erc south to

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

. Around the year 484,

Brigit of Kildare Saint Brigid of Kildare or Saint Brigid of Ireland (; Classical Irish: ''Brighid''; ; ) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish ...

was his travelling companion to his native province. Erc was the friend and tutor of St.

Brendan the Navigator Brendan of Clonfert (c. AD 484 – c. 577) is one of the early Celtic Christianity, Irish monastic saints and one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. He is also referred to as Brendan the Navigator, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the Anchorite, ...

, the patron of Kerry. Erc is said to have trained the young Brendan at his church in

Ardfert Ardfert () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. Historically a religious centre, the economy of the locality is driven by agriculture and its position as a dormitory town, being only from Tralee. T ...

in 512. Erc established the school at Slane where King

Dagobert II Dagobert II (; ; died 679) was a Merovingian king of the Franks, ruling in Austrasia from 675 or 676 until his death. He is one of the more obscure Merovingians. He has been considered a martyr since at least the ninth century. None of the narrati ...

is said to have received his early education. In the nineteenth century, historian

Dean Cogan Dean Anthony Cogan (1826–1872) was a nineteenth-century Roman Catholic Irish priest (awarded the religious title of '' dean''), born in Slane, who wrote a history of the Diocese of Meath in Ireland. Published in two volumes in 1862 and 1867, C ...

(a native of Slane) called Erc a man of great sanctity and usefulness. St. Patrick is reputed to have said: "Bishop Erc – Everything he judged was just; Everyone that passes a just judgement – Shall receive the blessing of Bishop Erc". In the 16th century, the hilltop monastery became a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

supported by the Flemings. In the grounds of Slane Castle are the ruins of St. Erc's Hermitage. This consists of a late fifteenth or early sixteenth century chapel and an earlier dwelling. The 12th century

martyrology A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

of Gorman called him: ''"Erc of Slane, bishop of Lilcach and from Ferta Fer Feic beside Sid Truim from the West"'' (''Ferta Fear Fiac'' means "the Graves of the Men of Fiac"). The Cornish Saint Erc is generally believed to be the same man. He was the brother of Saints

Uny Uny or UNY, may refer to: Groups, organizations * UNY (Uny Co., Unicorn Co.), a supermarket and department store chain from Japan * Yogyakarta State University (UNY; ), Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia * Yacambú University (UNY), Barquisimeto, Venezu ...

and Ia. He crossed from Ireland to

, where a church and the

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

St Erth St Erth () is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. St Erth takes its name from Saint Erc, one of the many Irish saints who brought Christianity to Cornwall during the Sub-Roman Britain, Da ...

were dedicated to him. His feast in Cornwall is held on 31 October and his feast in Ireland is held on 2 November. Little is recorded of him apart from what

William of Worcester William Worcester (c. 1415 – c. 1482) was an English antiquary, author, and historian known for his detailed writings on medieval England. He served as the secretary to Sir John Fastolf, a prominent military commander during the Hundred Year ...

wrote in 1478: "Saint Herygh, the brother of Saint Uny, a bishop, lies in a certain church situated under the cross of the church of Saint Paul in London; his day is kept on the vigil of All Saints, that is, the last day of October ... Saint Hya ... the sister of Saint Herygh ..." (quoted in

Doble, G. H. Gilbert Hunter Doble (26 November 1880 – 15 April 1945) was an Anglican priest and Cornish historian and hagiographer. Early life G. H. Doble was born in Penzance, Cornwall, on 26 November 1880. His father, John Medley Doble, shared his enthu ...

(1960)). The statement about St. Paul's may be due to a mistaken identification with St Erconwald. A chapel of St Ercus was built at Trevessa in the parish of St Erth in 1403.

(1960) ''The Saints of Cornwall: part 1''. Truro: Dean and Chapter; pp. 95–96, (1960) Erc finally returned to Slane and lived out the rest of his life in prayer and solitude at a quiet hermitage beside the Boyne. Erc died on 2 November 514, at age 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erc 5th-century Irish bishops 5th-century Christian saints Medieval Irish saints of Cornwall People from County Meath 514 deaths Year of birth unknown Medieval saints of Meath Bishops of Slane