The Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society (IoMNHAS) is holding its annual general meeting on Saturday, March 23.

This will be followed by the latest in its 2023-24 winter programme of lectures with a presentation by Professor Barry Lewis on ‘The Irish traditions of Mac Cuill and St Maughold of Man’.

The afternoon’s programme at the Manx Museum lecture theatre will begin earlier than usual at 2pm.

While St Maughold is known in the Isle of Man for his namesake village, church and early Christian monastic remains, his Irish incarnation ‘Mac Cuill’ is portrayed as a vengeful king and warrior who was a champion of paganism against St Patrick.

However, a 7th-century Life of Patrick tells of the saint making use of his superior miraculous power to convert Mac Cuill to Christianity before setting him adrift in a rudderless, oarless coracle as a penance. When the coracle washed up safely on the shores of the Isle of Man it was then that the Manx tradition of St Maughold began.

Prof Lewis says: ‘The most famous saint of the Isle of Man is St Maughold, the patron of Kirk Maughold, but little or nothing is known about him as a historical individual.

‘He is first mentioned in texts from Ireland, where he appears as “Mac Cuill”.

‘Yet the Irish story of Mac Cuill has been rejected by Manx historians as a bizarre folk legend or as propaganda from the Irish church of Armagh.

‘By re-reading these Irish sources against their proper literary, religious and political backgrounds, we may hope to reach a better understanding of why early Irish writers wrote about Mac Cuill in the ways that they did. The story of Mac Cuill may not be true on a literal level, and may not bring us close to the historical saint of Kirk Maughold, but nevertheless it provides valid evidence for an important religious site at Kirk Maughold.’

For further details visit www.manxantiquarians.com or see the society’s Facebook page.