Picts and the martyr

SIR – Your empathy for the mysterious Scythians (leading article, July 15) is well-placed.

Many of the people in these islands could be their descendants. In his book The Problem of the Picts, F T Wainwright makes the following intriguing observation: “Bede tells us that the Picts are said to have come from Scythia.”

Bede reported that this assertion was based on tradition. In another curious note, Bede stated that Saint Andrew preached to the Picts in Scythia. Could this be the origin of the Scots’ decision to adopt the extremely well-travelled Saint Andrew as their patron saint? Dr Clifford Smyth

Belfast