*St Maolrubha                     April 21^st

St Maelrubha, d.722, was almost as popular as Columba himself in pre-Reformation times. He came from Ireland of noble birth, to found a monastery at Applecross, where he was abbot for 50 years.

Gaelic scholars and historians have pointed out that a number of place-names presumed to be in honour of our lady were originally identified with this saint:  Loch Maree is infact dedicated to him, not to St Mary; many places called Kilmory (for example at Arisaig) are truly in honour of Maelrubha rather than Moire.  More than twenty one churches are noted in Dom Michael Barrett’s 1904 Calendar of Scottish Saints as being dedicated to St Maelrubha.  Our new church at Broadford makes twenty two!

Pope Leo XIII restored this feast to the Scottish Calendar in 1898 and his feast was to be celebrated on 27th August.

there may have been some confusion between St Maolrubha and St Rufus.