ABSTRACT
The early historic period in particular saw the Irish engaged in raiding in Britain, and the establishment of settlements in areas as far afield as western Scotland, Dyfed in Wales, and the Devon–Cornwall peninsula. Patrick's mission to Ireland was preceded by a Roman one, however, and in fact it was to continental Europe, as well as to Britain, that the fledgling Irish Church turned. Both areas were similarly the focus for the activities of Irish peregrini whose reputation as missionaries and wandering scholars in the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries is well established. Some understanding of the international perspective of the medieval Irish elite may be gleaned from an examination of their portrayal of all things foreign in the rich corpus of written material which has come down to us. In any event, some texts contain detailed description of the particular group of outsiders whose impact on the Irish political stage was considerable.
