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Baithéne mac Brénaind
Irish monk
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 9 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
536
verified
Died
600
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Baithen was one of the monks chosen by St Columba to sail with him in 563, and became Abbot of Tiree. Columba's last words, as he copied a psalm, were: 'Let Baithen write what follows.'
On Columba's death in 597 the monks chose Baithen as his successor. A wise counsellor, he prayed before every mouthful of food. He died about 600.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
St Columba's chosen successor at Iona.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Baithen
- Wikidata Q4848737 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Baithéne mac Brénaind (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.