Peregrinatio: aNever-Ending Pilgrimage to an Unspecified End

studying this topic is to ascertain the role of the Irish peregrini in the overall development of Christianity. This paper represents my initial foray into the subject matter, consequently, it is neither broad nor deep, it is merely a starting point. Before delving into the potential motivations behind peregrinatio , I am obliged to say a few words about a key challenge in studying this subject: that is the dearth of extant Irish literary sources from late antiquity. Because of this difficulty we often rely on Latin hagiographies typically produced during the medieval period to theorise about the religious practices of the earlier era. There are several pitfalls in using this approach. Firstly, hagiographical texts describe events that usually occurred centuries beforehand, consequently their non-contemporaneous nature casts doubt on their veracity. Secondly, the texts are written in Latin and therefore they may not reflect the socio-cultural context as accurately as if they had been written in the indigenous Irish language. Thirdly, the modern-day a journey a place. a locale that holds special meaning for the pilgrim. the end destination is a place where a significant familial, historical religious event has occurred. an indefinite duration with no express terminus mind. these monastic sojourners themselves from their to return to kith and working paper explores the practice of self-exile and ceaseless wandering— called peregrinatio pays particular attention to the potential motivations behind the actions of these early Irish pilgrims.