James O'Leary, The Most Ancient Lives of Saint Patrick… (1874)
“ And the other islands being converted unto the faith, he placed over them bishops from among his disciples—one over some, many over others—and then he returned to Hibernia; for the saint was accustomed to appoint bishops not only in cities, but even in towns and the more crowded places, lest any who had been baptized should be deprived of episcopal confirmation. ”
