Any series of articles about the people involved with the introduction of Christianity to Ireland must, of course, start with Palladius. Wait, what? Not Patrick? No, the first bishop of the Christians of Ireland was Palladius, the scion of a prominent family in Gaul. His father held the office of praefectus praetorio Galliarum (“Praetorian prefect of the Gallic provinces”) but he pursued a life in the church, and was ordained as a priest around AD 415.

Traveling to Rome, he rose through the ranks under the sponsorship of Germanus of Auxerre, who was sent by the Pope to Britain, and is now known as Saint Germanus. In Rome Palladius probably became a Deacon of Rome, a position with influence and power. According to the Irish Annals, in 431 “Palladius, having been ordained by Pope Celestine, is sent as first bishop to the Scotti believing in Christ.”

The term “Scotti” refers to a particular tribe in the north of Ireland who were already migrating across the narrow channel separating them from Scotland, and would later lend their name to that nation. But the Romans used the term for the entire island of Ireland.

This brief reference to Palladius in the Annals tells us something more: there were already Christians in Ireland. The island was never occupied by Roman legions, and was never under Rome’s control. But there is archeological evidence attesting to the contacts between Irish merchants and the Roman empire. These mercantile connections led to at least some cultural exchange, and apparently this led to some in Ireland adopting the official religion of the Empire. They were mostly constrained to the merchant class, and spread very thin, but they were there. It was Palladius’s job to minister to them and increase their numbers.

He landed in the south of Ireland, and began his work. But apparently, he didn’t do very well. In the Book of Armagh (admittedly written a few centuries later) it says: “God hindered him… and neither did those fierce and cruel men receive his doctrine readily…” He may even have retreated to North Britain for a time.

Histories written in the following centuries would often confuse Palladius with Patrick. Some, such as the Annals of Ulster, refer to “the elder Patrick”, which is almost certainly Palladius. As the memory of Patrick became more prominent, accomplishments of Palladius would be attributed to Patrick. For example, the start of Patrick’s mission to Ireland is said to be AD 432- just one year after Palladius started. Some modern historians believe that the date was intentionally pushed back, in order to minimize Palladius’s contribution and glorify Patrick.

The introduction of Christianity to Ireland effectively introduced literacy to the island. Therefore, in this dawn of Irish literature, there are very few documents we can use to understand the life of Palladius in Ireland. The later trend to strip his accomplishments and attribute them to Patrick doesn’t help. We will likely never know the full impact of Palladius on Irish history.

---