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Díchu
Irish saint
SaintResearchedDate unknown
Feast: 29 April (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
—
unknown
Died
—
unknown
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
—
not on record
Who they were
Dichu, son of an Ulster chieftain and lord of Lecale, opposed St Patrick's landing in 432 and even attacked him, but was touched by grace and became his first convert in Ireland.
After his baptism he gave Patrick the barn (Sabhall) at Saul for a church, his first Irish foundation, where Patrick later died. From a man of war Dichu became a man of peace and a model of holiness.
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 Patrick's first convert in Ireland, who turned from war to peace.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Dichu
- Wikidata Q4162576 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Díchu (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.