Chapter 2 Origins and Early Cult in I reland C entral to any appreciation of the cult of relics is an understanding of its inherent hierarchy. is structure was both sacrosanct and changeable. Fluidity was a necessary feature of the evolution of the cult, for while clearly defined theories and structures are trademarks of any stable and influen- tial institution, adaptability is also imperative. As we have seen, the adaptable nature of the early Church was one of its key strengths. Within the hierarchy of relics, the tomb and body of the saint is at the apex. With this knowledge at the forefront, the next couple of chapters investigate the role of corporeal relics in the early Irish Church. The final resting place of a saint was the primary locus of his power. Con- sequently, this was the most important site in the cult of relics of the saint. Pilgrimage to these sites became a lasting cornerstone of popular devotion in the Church and, indeed, is an important feature of devotional activity in gen- eral, religious or otherwise. 1 This is reflected in the comprehensive analyses of pilgrimage provided by other scholars for Ireland and elsewhere, and need not be revisited here. 2 In order to circumvent the logistical issues arising from the desire to venerate the body of the saint, contact relics were created and circulated around the Christian world. In this way, the potentia of the saint could be accessed at a distance from the location of the actual body of the 1 See Coleman and Elsner, Pilgrimage Past and Present. 2 See, for example, Elsner and Rutherford, Pilgrimage in Antiquity; Webb, Medieval Euro- pean Pilgrimage; Turner and Turner, Image and Pilgrimage. For Ireland, see, for example, O’Sullivan and Ó Carragáin, Inishmurray; Harbison, Pilgrimage in Ireland; Herity, ‘ e Anti- quity of an Turas’; Hughes, ‘ e Changing eory of Irish Pilgrimage’.