Partholón (modern spelling:
Parthalán) is a character in medieval Irish Christian pseudo-history. According to the tradition, he is the leader of the second group of people to settle in
Ireland, the
Muintir Partholóin (people of Partholón). They arrive on the uninhabited island about 300 years after
Noah's Flood and are responsible for introducing such things as farming, cooking, brewing and buildings. After some years, they all die of plague in a single week. The tale is probably an invention of the Christian writers. 'Partholón' comes from the Biblical name 'Bartholomaeus' or 'Bartholomew' and he may have been borrowed from a character of that name who appears in the Christian pseudo-histories of Saint
Jerome and
Isidore of Seville.