Saint Mirin - Our Patron Saint: The name of our patron saint, St Mirin, features often in Paisley. First of all it is the name of the local football team St Mirren "note the different spelling" and also the name of St Mirren Street which runs over the underground St Mirin's burn. These together with St Mirin's Cathedral are all dedicated in the name of this ancient revered saint.

So who was St Mirin and how did he become to be our patron saint. Well one ancient story tells us that Mirin was a native of the city of Patras in Greece. It was in this ancient city that he distinguished himself for his piety and learning. He left Patras in the company of another illustrious holy man, St Regulus.

With other holy men Mirin and regulus helped bring the relics of St Andrew our national patron saint to Scotland. Mirin was appointed as Missionary to the West of Scotland. Mirin arrived at the place where Paisley now stands. Here he passed his latter days beside the banks of the burn which bears his name today working miracles and preaching Christianity.

This legend tells us that the teachings of Mirin attracted many people. In his labours he gained four holy men as disciples, Barchanus, Malcomus, Petrus and Alanus. These four were to found the churches at Kilbarchan, Kilmacolm and Kilpeter and Kilallan (Houston). People came to hear Mirin's wonderful stories, none more so than the prophet Merlin, who lived just up the road on the banks of the Clyde at Govan. This spot is still called merlinford.

The second legend concerning Mirin is more widely accepted by historians. As a young man Mirin was brought by his parents to the great Monastery of Bangor. It had been founded in 558AD on the shore of Belfast Lough by the most revered of Irish saints, Saint Congal. Here Mirin was specially tutored by Congal. After receiving his education Mirin joined the brotherhood of monks and eventually became prior of the monastery. As prior Mirin is on record as having entertained St Finian under whose teaching St Columba was reared. As St Mirin was a contemporary of St Columba and there was constant intercourse between Bangor and Iona, the two must have met. Bangor like Iona was a great missionary establishment and so it was that Mirin left his Irish home to come to Scotland in about 580AD.

He was following in the wake of colonisation of Argyll by the Scots of Dalriada who had established a kingdom in that part of Scotland, in 500AD. Mirin's mission probably began in parts of Argyll and thence to the Lennox in the Kingdom of Strathclyde. At Inchmurrin and island in Loch Lomond he may have established a monastic cell then sailed his way down to Dumbarton the capital of the Britons of Strathclyde. From the Clyde it was a short trip up the Cart to what is now Paisley. Could he have arrived in a curragh, a type of Irish skin boat, reached the Hammills waterfall and stopped there?

It is most likely that he founded a church at paisley in the Seedhills where "full of miracles and holiness, he slept in the Lord". Legend tells us that he 'performed miracles'. When there was no milk in the monastery, he sent a monk in to the cellar. The monk was amazed to find the dish filled with 'The best of milk'. On one occasion Mirin revived one of his fellow monks who had 'died' while working in the fields. On another occasion an astonished fellow monk saw Mirin in his cell during the night bathed in a holy light.

Once Mirin approached the camp of an Irish king and asked to be admitted. he had hoped to convert the king, but instead he was treated with utter contempt and kept outside. As the king's wife was in childbirth and suffering from great pain. Mirin prayed to God that the king might suffer her pains. This immediately happened. The king's pain lasted for three days and nights! Mirin was admitted and "by his holy prayers" freed the king entirely from his pain. Mirin was granted all that he had previously desired!

However wild the legends of St Mirin are, he has left behind his mark in Paisley. Paisley Abbey was most likely built at or as near as the spot where the earlier shrine of St Mirin would have been. As late as 1491 the community of Paisley had to pay an annual sum for sustaining and upkeep of the lights to the altar of St Mirin and his tomb there. Perhaps with the help of a miracle one day the last resting place of Paisley's patron saint will be discovered.

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