The Life of Saint Ita: Foster Mother of Irish Saints
In the year 476, during a time when Ireland was divided into territories ruled by chiefs and clans, a remarkable child was born. On May 1st, in the territory of the Decies along the River Suir in present-day County Waterford, King Kennfoelad and Princess Necta welcomed a daughter. They named her Dorothea, though she would later become known as Ita, meaning “thirst for God,” due to her extraordinary devotion.
At fourteen, Ita’s life took a decisive turn when Prince Loe Ghuire sought her hand in marriage. Though her father approved of the match, Ita firmly declared her intention to become a nun. The prince’s reaction turned from gentleness to violent anger, and he vowed revenge for this rejection. Fearing for her safety, King Kennfoelad had her hidden in a remote wooded mountain where craftsmen built beehive huts. Despite initial loneliness, Ita embraced this opportunity for prayer and meditation.
During her time at Kill, Ita established herself as both a healer and teacher. She became an accomplished horsewoman and learned sword fighting, earning recognition as a warrior princess. A pagan chief even presented her with a silver sword after she helped his child. Her reputation grew when she successfully healed a wounded warrior, gaining the trust of a local chief who subsequently converted to Christianity.
Following a divine vision directing her to Cleann Glass in West Limerick, Ita’s journey was interrupted by tragedy. Prince Loe Ghuire returned with an army to attack her father, King Kennfoelad, who was fatally wounded and died in Ita’s arms. Twenty-three warriors, including the king, were buried at Clashmore Cross.
Ita’s path led her through Youghal and Cork to Crossbarry during a tumultuous period following St. Patrick’s death, when Ireland was divided between Christian converts and those maintaining pagan traditions. At Crossbarry, amid a hostile druid culture, she performed another miracle by saving a chief’s wife and newborn child. When offered any reward, she requested only that a church be built at the fort.
Her journey continued to what would become Kilmeedy, where she faced conflict between local druids and British druids. Through her diplomatic skills and healing abilities, she managed to bring peace between the warring factions and establish a convent, church, and school. Her act of mercy in tending to a wounded British druid leader led to many conversions to Christianity.
At Killeedy, Ita was reunited with her sister Eannaigh, a skilled herbalist and midwife. Together they established a monastery that became renowned as a centre of learning and healing. Among her most famous students were St. Brendan the Voyager, who would later sail to what many believe was America, and St. Pulcherius, who established his own monastery near Thurles.
Throughout her life, Ita demonstrated remarkable abilities to bridge divides between the old and new religions. When confronted by the hostile chieftain Eochuid Capail, she transformed his anger into devotion by healing his dying son. The chief later invited her to teach Christianity to his people, and within twelve months, they had built a stone church.
Ita’s monastery flourished as a junior seminary. She fostered many children who would become important figures in Irish Christianity, including St. Cummian, who was found as a baby in a basket floating on a stream. Her influence extended across Munster, where she was known for her healing abilities and teaching.
Eannaigh’s death from pneumonia at age 51 deeply affected Ita, but she continued her work despite her grief. In her final years, she suffered from chronic pain in her right side. Her former students gathered to pay their respects, and many whom she had helped throughout her life came to give their blessing. The Abbot of Rosscarberry, whom she had once cured of blindness, administered her Last Rites.
Ita died peacefully in 556, having transformed the religious landscape of southwestern Ireland. Her remains lay in state for three days in the monastic chapel, visited by countless mourners before being buried within the monastery grounds. The monastery she established continued as a place of learning until its destruction by Danish invasions in 845 and 857.
Today, Ita’s legacy lives on through the places that bear her name and the continuing devotion of the people of Killeedy and surrounding areas. Her feast day is still celebrated on January 15th, drawing large crowds to commemorate the woman who became known as the “Foster Mother of the Saints of Ireland.”