St. Odran is the first Christian martyr from Ireland—he was killed when an assassin mistook him for St. Patrick.

Patrick’s evangelization of the pagans of Ireland upset the traditional roles for druid priests, who were allied with clan chiefs. Patrick faced fierce opposition, and some threatened his life.

Odran was Patrick’s chariot driver, and he once overheard a plan to kill Patrick. He convinced Patrick to trade places with him in the chariot. Patrick agreed, and before they had travelled very far, a spear intended for Patrick struck Odran and killed him.

Without Odran’s selflessness, St. Patrick would never have completed his work in Ireland. Pictured here (thanks to John Armagh) is St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It sits on an adjacent hill to another St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, which is the seat of the Anglican Church of Ireland. The Anglican cathedral was built over the ruins of a monastery founded by St. Patrick in 445. The congregations of the two cathedrals are on good terms with one another today.

St. Odran, you were mistakenly assassinated and preserved the life of St. Patrick, pray for us!