St Erc was from Ireland. He is probably, though this is not certain, the brother of saints Ia and St Euny. He is remembered in the village of St Erth on the old crossing point of the Hayle estuary near St Ives.
He may be the same St Erc who baptised and ordained the famous St Brendan the navigator,
St Erc was made priest and then bishop of Slane Co Meath by St Patrick, the reason given that he supported St Patrick in his confrontation with the druids on the Hill of Slane.
The hill itself is in an important place occupying a commanding position though whether the incident of St Patrick’s Easter fire infuriating the high king took place here and at that time is open to debate. St Erc established an important school at Slane. In the grounds of the castle is St Erc’s hermitage, tomb shrine and holy well (now dry).
If all this is true of the same person it shows how much some of these saints packed into their lives.
