Nynia or Uinniau?

The few available historical sources about Ninian’s life have recently been the subject of scrutiny by scholars.

What now seems possible is that the fifth century saint remembered as Ninian, about whom so little is really known, was actually a historical figure called Uinniau or in Irish, Finnian, who died around 589.

The change in name from Uinniau to Ninian may simply be a mistake made by an Anglo-Saxon scribe dealing with unfamiliar material. Letters n and u look almost identical in early insular calligraphy.

Who was Uinniau?

Uinniau was a great scholar and founder of monasteries. He was a Briton who worked in south-west Scotland and in Ireland, where he taught the young Columba. His name appears repeatedly in place names and church dedications in the Galloway area and in Ayrshire.

Looking at the stories about Ninian together with those of Uinniau may uncover the real man behind the legends:

• Uinniau probably came to Galloway in Scotland to minister to an existing Christian community. Whithorn was already a trading centre, which developed close links with Ireland around this time.
• Uinniau’s diocese may have spanned the Irish Sea.
• He may have built a church at Whithorn, probably of timber although it could have had lime-washed white walls.
• When he died, he was probably buried in the church and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage.

Nynia or Uinniau or Ninian?

It makes no difference to the generations of pilgrims who believed that by travelling to Whithorn they could seek divine help from God’s chosen one – whom they knew as Saint Ninian.