¹ Bishop Tirechan wrote this from the mouth or book of Bishop Ultan, of whom he himself was adopted and a disciple.

² I found four names written in the book of Patrick that was in the possession of Bishop Ultan of the Conchuburnensians:

³ Saint Magonus, also known as the renowned Succetus, and Patrick, also called Cothirthiacus, because he served for seven years in the houses of magi.

⁴ One of them, whose name was Miliuc Mac Cuboin, a druid, enslaved him. Patrick served him for seven years with all forms of servitude and work. Furthermore, Miliuc placed him in mountainous valleys as a swineherd. After this, an angel of the Lord visited him in dreams on the heights of Mount Scirte near Mount Miss. When the angel’s message was finished, he said, “Behold, your ship is ready. Arise and walk.” Then the angel departed from him into heaven. Patrick arose and walked as the angel of the Lord had instructed him.

⁵ When he was taken captive, he was 16 years old. He was led away and sold into Ireland. WHen he was 22 years old, he was able to leave the labor of the druid. For seven more years, he walked and traveled through the waves, the plains, and the mountainous valleys, through Gaul and all of Italy, and on the islands in the Mediterranean Sea as he himself said in the recollection of his labors.

⁶ He was, however, on one of the islands called Aralanensis for thirty years, as testified to me by Bishop Ultan. All the events that occurred can be found written plainly in his history. These are the final marvels of his life.

⁷ In the fifth year of the reign of Loiguire mac Neill, these things were concluded and happily accomplished. From the Passion of Christ to the death of Patrick, there are counted 436 years. After the death of Patrick, Loiguire reigned for two more years. The total length of his reign was, as we reckon, thirty-six years.

⁸ Patrick, however, came from overseas with the Gauls to the eastern islands, which are called Patrick’s Island. With him was a multitude of bishops, saints, presbyters, deacons, exorcists, doorkeepers, and readers. He also ordained the sons of those he converted. Then he traveled from the sea to the plain of Brega.

⁹ At sunrise, with the blessing of God, when the sun of wondrous teaching rose, illuminating the dense shadows of ignorance, a great light-bringer—Saint Bishop Patrick—arose in Ireland. He was as a perpetual anthem from beginning to end, in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and of Jesus Christ, the Blessed.

¹⁰ This is called in the Irish language: Ochen

¹¹ First, he came to the valley of Sescnani and built his first church there. He ordained the son of Sescnani, a man named Bishop Sescen, and took him with him. He also left there two young pilgrims.

¹² Later, however, he came to the house of Ailbine to visit a good man, and he baptized him. And he found with him a son who pleased him, and he gave him a fitting name, Benignus, because he would hold Patrick’s feet into his hands and chest. And he did not want to sleep with his father and mother but wept unless he could sleep with Patrick.

¹³ When morning came, and after the blessing had been completed over Benignus’s father, Patrick got into his chariot. But the boy’s feet were in different positions: one was in the chariot, and the other was on the ground. And the boy, Benignus, held Patrick’s foot tightly with both of his little hands and cried out, “Let me stay with Patrick, my proper father!” And Patrick said, “Baptize him and lift him into the chariot, for he is the heir of my kingdom.”

¹⁴ Thus, Benignus, the boy, is the bishop and successor of Patrick in the church of Machæ, in Ireland, in the year 450.

¹⁵ Concerning the number of bishops he ordained, or the presbyters, we cannot determine precisely, because he baptized people daily and taught them letters as well as prayers. And from among them, he made bishops and presbyters because they received baptism in their proper age, with sobriety.

¹⁶ The bishops:

¹⁷ Benignus
Bronus
Sachellus
Cethiacus
Carthacus
Cartenus
Connanus
Firtranus
Siggeus
Æternus
Sencaticus
Olcanus
Iborus
Ordius
Nazarius
Miserneus
Senachus
Secundinus
Gosachus
Camulacus
Auxilius
Victoricus
Bressialus
Feccus
Menathus
Cennannus
Nazarius
Melus
Maceleus
Mactaleus
Culeneus
Asacus
Bitheus
Falertus
Sescneus
Muirethchus of Tara, who founded the holy church of Cairce, which the family of Clono Auiss held.
Daigreus
Iustianus mac Hu
Diamene
Oloanus
Domnallus and many others.

¹⁸ The presbyters:

¹⁹ Anicius
Brocidius
Amirgenus
Lommanus
Catideus
Catus
Catanus
Broscus
Ailbeus
Trianus the bishop

²⁰ The names of the Franks:

²¹ Three bishops of Patrick: Inaepius, Bernicius, Hernicius.
Seman the subdeacon
Semen
Cancen
Bernicius the deacon
and Ernicius, with fifteen Franks and between one-to-three sisters
Cassanus
Conlong
Erclang
Brocanus
Roddanus
Brigson
and another Roddanus, who founded a church at Senem Nepotum together with Lello where the monks of Patrick resided Gengen and Sannuch

²² The deacons:

²³ Deacon Justus, who baptized Ciarán, the son of the craftsman, from the book of Patrick
Deacon Coimmanus, dear to Patrick, who was in the great church of Ard Lice
Nachus, a deacon, who was in the great monastery of Muade

²⁴ Two presbyters from among the exorcists we know of: the exorcist Losca in the region of Dairi in the lands of Tuirtri, and another exorcist in the plain of Liffey.

²⁵ Of the churches that he founded in the plain of Breg:

²⁶ The first was in Culmine
The second, the church of Cerne, in which Hercus, who suffer a great illness, was buried The third, on the heights of Aisse
The fourth, in Blaitiniu
The fifth, in Columb, where he ordained Saint Eugenius as bishop
The sixth, another church in Lath Phi
The seventh, in Bridam, where the holy and gentle brother Carthach was
The eighth, above Agetbot, where Bishop Kannanus, whom Patrick ordained, was at the first Easter in Ferta of the men of Feicc.

²⁷ He carried with him the first blessed fire and the first ceremonial lamps of Patrick, which he brought by hand to the house to light the sacred smoke, blessed for the eyes and nostrils of the Gentiles and of the king Loiguire and his magi, because three magi, brothers from one man, by name and lineage Cruth Loch Lethlanu, opposed him. They were of the lineage of Runtir and caused a great conflict against Patrick and Benignus. However, the cloak of one of the magi was set on fire around Benignus and was reduced to ashes. Moreover, the holy man’s son was healed. With firm faith in God, in the presence of the king, men, and druids, Cassula, the son of the nobleman Benignus, stood fast against the druid. The druid was set ablaze in their midst and consumed. The nobleman said, “At this hour, paganism in all of Ireland has been destroyed.” Patrick lifted his hands to God against the druid Loch Letheum and said, “My Lord, strike down the dog who barks against Your face and let him go to his death.” All saw the druid raised into the dark shadows of the night, carried up to the heavens, but then he fell back as a corpse. His body, mingled with hailstones, snow, and fiery sparks, fell to the earth before everyone. To this day, his stone remains in the southern and eastern regions, and I have seen it with my own eyes.

²⁸ On the first day of the week, he came to Tailtena, where a royal assembly was held, to Coirpriticus, the son of Níall, who sought to kill him and scourged his servants at the River Sele. Patrick cursed Coirpriticus, saying, “Because of this, I call you an enemy of God, and I declare to you: Your descendants will serve the descendants of your brothers, and there will never be a king from your line forever. Also, there will never be great fish in the River Sele.” He then went to Conall, the son of Níall, who established a foundation in the place where Patrick’s great church now stands. Conall received him with great joy, was baptized by him, and Patrick confirmed his throne forever. He said to him, “The descendants of your brothers will serve your descendants forever. And you must show mercy to my heirs after me forever, and your sons and the sons of your sons must do the same for my faithful heirs as a perpetual obligation.”

²⁹ He established a church for God at the feet of Patrick, measuring nine feet, and Patrick said, “If this church is diminished, your kingdom will not be long-lasting or strong.” After Easter had ended and the first day of the week had passed, he went to the ford of Mola and there founded the church of Broon. In this place, he left three brothers with one sister. These are their names: Cathaceus, Cathurus, and Catneus, and their sister, Catnea, who milked wild animals for sustenance, as they themselves told me.

³⁰ He continued on to the city of Temro, to Loiguire, the son of Níall, once more, because he had made a pact with him that he would not be killed in his kingdom. But Loiguire could not believe, saying, “Níall, my father, did not permit me to believe. However, I wish to be buried on the heights of Temro, like warriors prepared for battle, since the pagans use armed tombs, with weapons ready, facing one another, until the day of Erdathe, the day of the Lord’s judgment. I am the son of Níall and the son of Dunlinge, immovably hardened by enmity, as this is the way.”

³¹ Nonetheless, Patrick founded a church on the land of Carrick Dagri and another in the territory of Thuath. He wrote the elements of the alphabet for Cerpanus and, entering the royal house, none rose in his honor except one man, Hercus the sacrilegious. Patrick said to him, “Why have you alone risen in honor of my God through me?” Hercus replied, “I do not know; I saw sparks of fire falling from your lips and ascending to my lips.” Patrick said to him, “If you receive the baptism of the Lord, which is with me, it will be yours.” Hercus answered, “I will receive it.”

³² They went to the spring of Loigles, accompanied by a calf of the cities, and there they performed the baptism. And when he had opened the book and baptized the man Hercus, he heard men behind his back mocking him and laughing among themselves at the thought of his actions, for they did not understand what he had done. On that day, he baptized thousands of people. Among the words spoken during the baptisms, he overheard two noblemen conversing behind him. One said to the other, “It is true what you said last year when you came here on those days. Tell me, I pray, your name, the name of your father, your land, your field, and where your home is.” The other replied, “I am Endeus, son of Echu, from the western regions, from the plain of Domnon and the forest.”

³³ When Patrick heard the name of the forest of Fochloth, he rejoiced greatly and said to Endeus, son of Amalgaid, “I will go with you if I live, for the Lord has told me to go.” But Endeus said, “You will not go with me, lest we perish together.” The saint replied, “Nevertheless, you will never reach your homeland alive unless I go with you, and you will not have eternal life, for it is because of me that you have come here, as Joseph came before the children of Israel.”

³⁴ Endeus then said to Patrick, “Give baptism to my son, for he is young. But as for me and my brothers, we cannot believe in you until we have returned to our people, lest they mock us.” Conall, however, was baptized, and Patrick gave his blessing upon him, held his hand, and entrusted him to Bishop Cethiachus. Cethiachus nurtured and taught him. Cethiachus and his brother Mucneus, the brother of Bishop Cethiachus, whose relics remain, were also blessed by Patrick.

³⁵ In the great church of Patrick, in the forest of Fochloth, Cethiachus entrusted his island to Conall, and it has belonged to his lineage to this day, as he became a layman after the death of the holy Cethiachus. Before this was declared, the sons of Amalgaid, six in number, came to dispute with Loiguire and Endeus, who stood against them, along with his young son and Patrick. They interrogated and investigated the matter of their inheritance, and Loiguire and Patrick judged that the inheritance should be divided among them into seven parts. Endeus said, “My son and part of my inheritance I dedicate to the God of Patrick and to Patrick.” For this reason, others say, “We are servants of Patrick to this day”.

³⁶ A pact was made by the hand of Loiguire, the son of Níall, between Patrick and the sons of Amalgaid, along with an assembly of laymen, bishops, and saints. They set out on their journey to Mount Egli, and Patrick also provided a ransom of fifteen human souls, as his inscription affirms, in silver and gold so that no evil men would obstruct them as they passed through the land in peace along the straight path across all of Ireland. Because necessity required them to reach the forest of Fochlith before the beginning of the year of Easter, for the second reason, the cries of the sons were heard, crying out loudly in the wombs of their mothers and saying, “Come, Saint Patrick, save us.”

³⁷ And another church was established over the ford of Segi, the church of Cinnena the holy, over the ford of Carnoi on the Boyne. Another was over the corpses of Raith. Another was over the trench of Dalibronig, which was held by a bishop, the son of Cairthinn, the uncle of Saint Brigid. He founded another in the field of Echredd, another in the field of Taideni, which is called Cell Bile by the family of Scire. Another was in the field of Ech Nach, where Cassnus the presbyter was. Another was among the borders. Another was in the field of Bile near the grave of the head of the dog. Another was on the hill of Carmell in the field of Teloch, where Saint Brigid received the mantle from the hands of the sons of Caill in Uisneach of Meath. He stayed near the stone of Coithrigi, but others who were pilgrims around him were killed by the son of Féchach, son of Niall. To him, he said, “There shall not be a king from your lineage, but you shall serve the offspring of your brothers.”

³⁸ And another church was [established] at the summit of Airt in the regions of Roide, where he placed a stone altar. And another [was established] in Cuil Corræ. He crossed the river Ethne into the two Tethbias and ordained Mel as a bishop and founded the church of Bile. He ordained Gosactus, the son of Milchu mac Cuboin, whom he had raised in servitude for seven years, and sent Camulacus to the people of Cammen in the field of Cuini. With his finger, he pointed out to him the place from the top of Graneret, that is, the church of Raithin. He came into the field of Rein and ordained Bruscus as a presbyter and founded a church for him. Bruscus said, “It is a marvelous thing that, after your death, another saint who will be on the island of the race of Cotirbi will say to you, ‘It is well for you, as long as you have your son.’ But as for me, my death will be burdensome because I am alone in the church, in an unlearned church, a church abandoned and empty, and priests will not offer [sacrifices] near me”.

³⁹ In the nights, a dream occurred, and on the third day, the saint rose and took hold of a ring, a trowel, and an iron tool. He dug the grave of the tomb and carried the bones of Saint Bruscus with him to the island where they remain. He rested there. Patrick, however, sent Methbrain to the barbarian Foasan Slecht, a relative of Patrick, who spoke of the marvels of God. Then Patrick came to the channel of the River Sinone, to the place where Boidmalus, the king of that area, had died and was buried. The place is called Cail Boidmail to this day.

⁴⁰ And thus ends the first book, completed in the regions of the descendants of Niall.