Ard Mhic Nasca

The Irish name Ard Mhic Nasca means "high ground of Mac Nasca," referencing the territorial associations of the Mac Nasca family. The English name Holywood derives from Latin Sanctus Boscus (holy wood), coined by the Normans to describe the woodland surrounding an early monastic settlement. Saint Laiseran, son of Nasca and a local princess, founded a monastery at this site before 640, studying ...