Ríoch, early
Irish Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
missionary and
Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
, .
Biography
Ríoch operated in the extreme west of
Conmhaícne Mara
The Conmhaícne Mara or Conmaicne Mara (the Conmaicne of the sea), were an early people of Ireland. Their tuath was located in the extreme west of County Galway, Republic of Ireland, giving their name to Connemara, an anglicised form of Conmh ...
, in what is now
County Galway
"Righteousness and Justice"
, anthem = ()
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg
, map_caption = Location in Ireland
, area_footnotes =
, area_total_km2 = ...
. Surviving traditions state that he was a nephew of
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...
, and an abbot of
Inchbofin in Lough Derg. His relics may lie in Salruck cemetery of Little Killary harbour.
His settlements include Oileán Dá Chruinne, Oileán na Naoinri and Oileán an Bhaile Bhig (the three Crump islands), off the southern mouth of
Killary Harbour. Oilean Da Chruinne contains the remains of a simple, early Christian
oratory on the island's south side, which Ríoch is said to have built. To the immediate east of the church is a small cemetery containing several very ancient headstones, traditionally held to be the graves of forty strangers who accompanied Ríoch from overseas. Their identity is obscure but they are invoked in the
Litany of
Óengus of Tallaght, dating from the 8th century.
See also
*
Macdara
*
Leo of Inis Airc
*
Conainne
*
Seven Sisters of Renvyle
References
* ''A Guide to Connemara's Early Christian Sites'', Anthony Previté,
Oughterard
Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...
, 2008.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rioch
Christian clergy from County Galway
5th-century Irish priests
Medieval Irish saints
People of Conmaicne Mara