HISTORY OF SAINT FINBARR

Saint Finbarr, meaning “fair-haired”, came to an area of Cork in Ireland in the sixth century that was being tormented by a serpent. The local people begged him to do something to help them. One night he went to where the serpent slept and sprinkled it with holy water. The angry serpent tore and devoured the land until she slithered into the sea at Cork Harbor. The track she left behind filled with water and became the River Lee and that is why Saint Finbarr is the patron saint of Cork. On the 25th of September in 623, Saint Finbarr died in the presence of his close friends and many disciples who had gathered round him in his final days. It is said that the sun did not set for two weeks after Finbarr’s death. That is why Saint Finbarr’s feast day is September 25th each year but is celebrated on the Sunday closest to that date.