Dubhán

Dubhán was the founder of the church of Killooaun or Cill Dhubháin ('the church of Dubhán'), Ballymacward, County Galway. All that now exists of the church are ruins, but it was once the centre of a medieval vicarage. It has been suggested that it belonged to a period latter than that of Killamude.

Next to nothing appears to be known of Dubhán, beyond that he seems to have been an important cleric among the Soghain in the early Irish Christian era. While a number of saints of his name are listed in various martyrologies, none can be connected with Dubhán of Killooaun. Numerous legends relate the man to be the founder of a number of medieval signal-fire lighthouses, such as Hook Lighthouse in Wexford.

References

• The Life, Legends and Legacy of Saint Kerrill: A Fifth-Century East Galway Evangelist, Joseph Mannion, 2004. 0 954798 1 3