Ruadhán of Lorrha facts for kids

Saint Ruadán (also called Rowan or Rodan) was an important Irish Christian leader. He lived a long time ago, in the 500s. He was an abbot, which means he was the head of a monastery.

Ruadán started a famous monastery in a place called Lorrha in County Tipperary, Ireland. He was also known for making prophecies, which are like predictions about the future. After he died on April 15, 584, people honored him as a saint. He is even considered one of the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland", a group of early Irish saints.

Ruadán's Life Story

The ruins of Lorrha Priory, founded by Saint Ruadán.

Ruadán was born in a place called Tara in Ireland. He went to school at Clonard, where he was taught by another famous saint, Saint Finnian. Ruadán is remembered as one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

It is believed that Ruadán took over from Saint Brendan (a famous navigator) at Lorrha. Saint Brendan then moved to start his own monastery in Clonfert. Ruadán built a large monastic settlement at Lorrha. He guided about 150 monks there.

Life at the Monastery

The monks' settlement would have had a large ditch or mound around it. This helped keep animals in and protected the monks from outsiders. You can still see parts of these old boundaries today.

Life for the monks was simple and sometimes hard. They woke up very early. Their beds were often just rushes or straw on the ground. They spent their days praying, fasting, and doing chores. The monastery was self-sufficient. This means they grew their own food, made their own clothes, and built their own shelters.

Villages often grew around monasteries. People came for trade and safety. The village of Lorrha started this way, thanks to Ruadán's monastery. Saint Ruadán is said to have died at the Lorrha monastery on April 15, 584. His special day is celebrated every year on this date.

The Prophecy of Tara

Ruadán is famous for a story called the "Curse of Tara." This story involves King Diarmait mac Cerbaill. In 556, Ruadán visited King Diarmait at Tara, which was the king's royal home.

The legend says that King Diarmait had broken a church rule. He took someone who was under the church's protection as a hostage. Because of this, Ruadán is said to have caused the downfall of Tara. Tara was once a busy royal place, but it became deserted after this event.

The King's Fate

Ruadán made a prophecy that King Diarmait would die from the roof beam of his own hall at Tara. To try and avoid this, Diarmait had the roof beam thrown into the sea.

King Diarmait then asked his wise men, called druids, how he would die. They told him he would die by being killed, drowning, and burning. They also gave him strange signs: a shirt made from one flax seed, a wool cloak from one sheep, ale from one corn seed, and bacon from a pig that had never had piglets.

Later, King Diarmait was traveling around Ireland. He came to a hall belonging to a man named Banbán. There, all the prophecies came true! Banbán had found the roof beam from Tara in the sea and used it in his hall. The special shirt, cloak, ale, and bacon were all there for Diarmait.

When Diarmait tried to leave, a man named Áed Dub attacked him and set the hall on fire. Diarmait crawled into a barrel of ale to escape the flames. But then, the roof beam fell and killed him. So, all of Ruadán's prophecies came true.

The Bell of Saint Ruadán

A bell believed to belong to Saint Ruadán was found in a well named after him. This bell is now kept in the British Museum. The well is located across the road from the local Church of Ireland today.

A Vision of Saints

There is an old story from around 1149 called the Visio Tnugdali. It tells about a man named Tundale who had a vision. In this vision, Saint Ruadán appeared to Tundale.

Ruadán welcomed Tundale warmly and hugged him. He told Tundale that his visit was a blessing. Ruadán said that Tundale could look forward to a good end to his life. He reminded Tundale that he had been his patron saint and that Tundale should show him respect.

After Ruadán spoke, Tundale looked around happily. He saw Saint Patrick of Ireland, dressed in bright robes, along with many other bishops. They were all joyful. Tundale recognized four of these bishops. They were good men, including Saint Cellach and Malachias O'Moore, who were both archbishops of Armagh. These leaders did many good things for God and helped the poor.