Person

Ciarán of Saighir

Also known as Ciarán the Elder, Ciarán of Saigir, Saint Kieran

Ciarán of Saigir, also called Ciarán the Elder, was an early Irish saint, traditionally regarded as the first bishop of Ossory and as active even before Saint Patrick. He founded a monastery at Saigir, now Seir Kieran in County Offaly, which became the burial place of the kings of Osraige. He is the patron saint of Ossory, and some traditions identify him with the Cornish Saint Piran.

Ciarán of Saighir
Image: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Corcu LoigdeKingdom of Osraige

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ciarán of Saighir. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ciaran-of-saighir
MLA
“Ciarán of Saighir.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ciaran-of-saighir. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ciarán of Saighir.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ciaran-of-saighir.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ciarán of Saighir’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ciaran-of-saighir (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻