page_title: Skerries, Dublin
section_title: Invasions and saints
hierarchical_section_title: Skerries, Dublin / History / Invasions and saints
caption_attribution_description: This picture is a bit grainy as it was taken at great distance and then cropped.
context_page_description: Skerries is a coastal town in Fingal, Ireland. Historically Skerries was a fishing port and later a centre of hand embroidery. These industries declined in the early 20th century however, and it became both a resort town and a commuter town for Dublin.
context_section_description: Early writers tell how an island off Skerries was used as a landing place for an invasion, which happened in the second century C.E. This island was either Shenick or Red Island, which would have been a tidal island at the time. When the invaders landed, they formed ranks and at low tide marched to the mainland, where they were promptly defeated at the ancient settlement of Knocknagin, north of Balbriggan. The islands were previously known as the Islands of Cor possibly after the original inhabitants.
  As noted, in 432 AD, St. Patrick landed on Church Island, and according to the Annals of Inisfallen Saint Mochonna founded a monastery shortly afterwards.
  In 797 AD, the Vikings (or Danes) carried out one of their earliest raids in Ireland when they plundered the monastery on Church Island. As the origin of the name is Norse and many localities have Norse-based names, it is safe to assume the Vikings did settle and occupy the area. Sitric, who was a son of a Dane called Murchard, re-founded the monastery on Church Island in 1120. He dedicated it to St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland. By this time, the Danes who had settled in Ireland had become Christians.
  In 1148, Saint Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, arranged a synod on St. Patrick's island to settle differences between the Irish Christians and the Pope. Fifteen Bishops, two hundred priests and other clergy were present.
caption: Skerries Lighthouse on Rockabill island
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