Saints

Hermit. Born in Leinster, in the 9th century, Fintan was captured and made a slave by Vikings who took him to the Orkneys. He escaped and was protected by a Scottish bishop whose name has been lost. To give thanks for his rescue, Fintan made a pilgrimage to Rome. On his way back he joined a group of Irish hermits on an island in the Rhine near Schaffhausen, where he spent the rest of his life. ... Read More

Archbishop of Dublin. Laurence (Lorcan O Tuathail) was born about 1128 in Co Kildare, of a marriage between the chieftain families O'Toole and O'Byrne. He spent most of his childhood as a hostage of Dermot McMurrogh, King of Leinster. Laurence became a monk at Glendalough and was elected abbot at the age of 25. Besides leading a life of prayer, the community was very involved in famine relief a... Read More

Queen and patron of Scotland. Born in 1046, Margaret was educated mainly in Hungary, where her family were exiled during the rule of the Viking kings in England. As one of the last members of the Anglo Saxon royal family, she was in danger after the Norman Conquest and took refuge at the court of Malcolm II of Scotland. Intelligent, beautiful and devout, she married Malcolm in 1069 and the union... Read More