Marnock or Marnock of Kilmarnock (died AD 625), also known as Marnan of Narnach, Marnanus, Marnocalso or originally Ernin () was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

monk, bishop 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

Details on the life of Marnock that have survived to the present day are limited, though some facts are known. Marnock was born in Ireland, most likely in the late 6th century. He became a monk on the abbey at

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...

where he became a student and disciple of

Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

. He later left the monastery to become a missionary bishop on the Scottish mainland. It is widely accepted that Marnock died at Annandale in 625, however at least one account gives his place of death and burial site as ''Inchmarnoch'' near Aboyne in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

Veneration and legacy

A strong cult of veneration developed for Marnock after his death, particularly in the region of the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

. Marnock's head was kept as a

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

, where a tradition emerged where it was washed each Sunday, with the resulting wash water given to the sick to effect miraculous cures. The strength of Marnock's cult in the centuries that followed his death is demonstrated in the great number of locations, in Scotland as well as in Ireland, named in his honour, including: * Ardmonoch, a locality within

Kilfinan Kilfinan is a hamlet on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Located on the eastern side of Loch Fyne, the hamlet is northwest of the village of Tighnabruaich. Kilfinan is the burial place of the clan chiefs of the Lamonts, in the ...

in Argyll and Bute * Dalmarnock a district within Glasgow * Dalmarnock, a farmsteading near Dunkeld, and the adjacent ''Dalmarnock Beat'', a salmon fishery on the

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates ...

* Inchmarnoch, an island on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire where Marnock established a chapel and, by some accounts, died and was buried * Inchmarnock, an isle at the northern end of the Sound of Bute *

, a town in Ayrshire * Portmarnock, a coastal hamlet in Fingal, Ireland * Naomh Mearnóg CLG, a GAA club in Portmarnock * Marnoch, a parish in Aberdeenshire * Marnock Oil Field, at the centre of the Eastern Trough Area Project, 150 miles east of Aberdeen under the North Sea.

References

Scottish Roman Catholic saints Medieval Irish saints Medieval Scottish saints Irish Roman Catholic saints 6th-century Christian saints 7th-century Christian saints 625 deaths Year of birth unknown Christian_missionaries_in_Scotland {{ireland-saint-stub