OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Author: Michele Ainley

  • An Irish Poem in Praise of the Blessed Sacrament

    This beautiful poem in praise of the Blessed Sacrament was written by a 12th-century poet who may also have been an abbot, Donnchadh Mór Ó Dálaigh, described in The Annals of Clonmacnoise as “Chief of Ireland for poetry.” The Annals of the Four Masters recorded his death in the year 1244 with this entry: “Donagh More O Daly, a poet who never was, and never will be surpassed, died, and was interred in the abbey of Boyle.”  The Irish text is followed by a translation below:

    Here is the literal translation [by Professor O’Looney] of the foregoing, which was written in the twelfth century by Donogh Mór O’Daly, Abbot of Boyle, in the county Roscommon, called for the sweetness of his verses, not for the nature of their themes, the Ovid of Ireland : —
    1. Not more numerous the angels in heaven under the hand of the king; not more numerous the blessed names which are upon the saints; not more numerous the things which God hath created on the face of the world, than the praises of each tongue upon the Sacrament.
    2. Not more numerous the drops which are in the great tidal sea; not more numerous the fishes that swim in the bosoms of all waters; not more numerous the grasses of the world or the sands of the strand, than the praises of the holy Body of the only Son of the Father of grace.
    3. Not more numerous the years in the eternal perpetuity of the King; not more numerous the divine gifts which Christ hath [in store]; not more numerous the lights which are in the King’s high Paradise, than the praises to God which are truly given in the Sacrament.
    4. Not more numerous the radiant stars which appear in the skies; not more numerous the words [of praise] which his clergy read for Christ; not more numerous the small streams which flow into the great sea, than the praises unceasing of the divine, blessed Body of Christ.
    5. Not more numerous the letters to be seen in the Book of the Law; not more numerous the leaves of all the woods by the King made to grow; not more numerous the melodious voices which shall be heard in his kingdom for ever, than the praise of the Son of Mary oft-repeated in the Sacrament.

  • Saint Colman Steallan of Terryglass, May 26

    May 26 is the commemoration of Saint Colman Steallan, a saint of the monastery of Terryglass, County Tipperary. This foundation produced a number of notable holy men including Saint Colum, one of the ‘12 Apostles of Ireland‘ and Maeldithruib the anchorite. The manner in which the name of today’s saint has been recorded in the calendars has given rise to some confusion, not helped by the fact that Colman, Colum, Columb, Colm, Columba are all different ways of transliterating the same name. In the case of today’s saint, some of the later calendars talk of the feast of Steallan, as if we are dealing with two separate people. The latest authoritative guide to the saints of Ireland, Pádraig Ó Riain’s  A Dictionary of Irish Saints (2011), accepts Colmán Stiallán as a single individual and suggests that the epithet Stiallán attached to the name of this particular Colman may perhaps be translated as ‘the little strip’. Canon O’Hanlon records this of the little strip of
    Terryglass, in Volume V of his Lives of the Irish Saints:

    St. Colman Steallan, of Terryglass, County of Tipperary [Sixth and Seventh Centuries.]

    At the 26th of May, we find inserted, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, the name of Colman Stellain, Tirdoghlass, now Terryglass, as having been venerated. The Bollandists also follow this statement, and have some references to Colgan’s work, where allusions are made to our saint. The present holy man is placed in order of succession, after the Abbot Natchoemius or Mochoeminus—said to have been brother to St. Coemgenus, and who died, A.D. 584. The festival in honour of Steallan—as simply entered—of Tir-dá-glas, was celebrated on this day, as we read in the Martyrology of Donegal. In the table, postfixed to this work, we find his name Latinized Stellanus. It would seem, that this record, as published, distinguishes a St. Colman from the present St. Stellan, for there appears a separate entry of both these names. Marianus O’Gorman follows the Martyrology of Tallagh, in uniting both names, apparently for one person, who was venerated on this day, at Terryglass, on the eastern border of Lough Dearg. Other writers—such as Archbishop Ussher and our annalists—call him by the name of Colmanus Stellanus. However, there can hardly be any doubt, that this latter must be the proper entry, for in the “Annals of the Four Masters,” we read, that St. Colman Stellan of Tir-da-ghlas, died on the 26th of May, A.D. 624. With this agrees, likewise, the entry of his departure, in the “Chronicum Scotorum.” Other accounts place his death at 625; while Archbishop Ussher has it so late as 634. The festival of Stellan was observed on the 25th of May, as we find it in the “Feilire” of St. Aengus; and, appended to this notice is an Irish comment, in that copy, contained in the “Leabhar Breac,” which is followed by a Latin one, giving the series of Abbots, for Tir-da-glas and Cluain eidnech. It seems doubtful, notwithstanding, whether Colman should be separated from Stellan; but, many writers regard them as one and the same person.

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  • Names of Irish Saints

      I recently ended a series on Irish saints’ names published in the Australian press in 1914, links to which can be found here. There is another example below, this time from 1918, where a selection of ‘euphonious names of
    Irish saints which one hardly ever hears’ are brought to the attention of prospective parents. A sense of regret that traditional names were falling into disuse
    was often expressed during the Irish national revival and immigrants in particular were encouraged to do their patriotic duty by bestowing historic saints’ names on their offspring.  How realistic it was to expect people already facing the challenges of the immigrant experience to assume the responsibility for reviving archaic names, no matter how euphonious, is another question.
     
     
     

     
     
    Names of Irish Saints.
     
    His
    Eminence Cardinal O’ Connell, Archbishop of Boston (U.S.A.), on a
    recent occasion said that the Irish people are returning to the laudable
    practice of giving the beautiful names of Patrick and Brigid in baptism
    to their children, and he cited several instances from his own
    experiences where even converts to the Faith gave their children the
    names of the Apostle and Patroness of Ireland. Apropos of this movement,
    we append a few other euphonious names of
    Irish saints which one hardly ever hears:
     
    For women— Adine, Avine,
    Eileen, Naala, Orla, Reinalt, Saiv, Una, Ita, Colma, Ethne, Faela,
    Aglen, Macha, Melle, Brona, Lassair, Laurenn, Eina, Richelle, Aniltine,
    Feidela. 
     
    For men — Albenan, Alvan, Cathal, Cahal, Cahir, Finn, Bran,
    Colman, Connell, Conor, Dermot, Donal, Flann, Nial, Rury, Art, Frill,
    Fridolin, Conan, Ultan, Angus, Kiran, Meil, Sheirl, Fintan, Bevin,
    Oran, Slevin, Gilnary, Gilchrist, Gilbride, Senan, Falry, Cuthbert,
    Caerlan, Fergus, Oisin, Brendan, Erc, Bron, Columbkille, Carroll, Lon,
    Rumould, Melmary, Kevil, Kilian, Cormac, Blan, Felimy, Loard, Danouhgh,
    Rial, Fergal, Gornan, Lonan, Lurcan, Siris, Oilan, Aleran.
     
     
    Freeman’s Journal (Sydney, NSW: 1850 – 1932), Thursday 16 May 1918, page 17

     
     

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