OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Author: Michele Ainley

  • 'The Conspicuous One out of Africa': The Feast of Saint Augustine on the Irish Calendars

    August 28 is the feast of the great Doctor of the Western Church, Saint Augustine. Not surprisingly, since he was himself a monastic of the Augustinian order, the twelfth-century Irish calendarist, Marianus O’Gorman, notes the feast on his Martyrology:

    28. b.
    Augustin ind eccna,epscop uasal amra. 

    Augustinus the wise,
    a noble, marvellous bishop.

    This Martyrology further records the octave day of the feast at September 4:

    4.b.
    D’ Augustin octauus, 

    The octave of Augustinus.

    The feast at August 28 is also recorded in the earlier Martyrology of Oengus:

    in t-airdirc a hAfraic. 

    (Augustine) the conspicuous one out of Africa.

    The scholiast notes comment:

    iin arrdraic a hAfraic .i. Augaistin .i. comad hé Augustin sapientissimus librorum sein.  L .i. Augustinus sapientissimus uir Affricorum. 

    the famous one out of Africa, i.e. Augustine, i.e. that may be Augustine sapientissimus librorum.- i.e. the wisest of the Africans.

    The Martyrology of Tallaght simply records 

    Augustini.
    episcopi. [in marg. magni.]

    In Irish popular devotion, Saint Augustine’s Day might be marked with a pattern day centred around a holy well, as for example at Kilshanny, County Clare. Augustinian monks founded a monastery here in 1189 and their patron seems to have displaced the native Irish saint to whom the well was originally dedicated.  There is a picture of the well here. Whilst, in this case, an earlier indigenous saint has been displaced, it needs to be remembered that in other cases the Augustinans were responsible for commissioning the Lives of the native holy men and women and for promoting their claims of association with religious foundations. 

  • 'The Lord's chaste apostle, Bartholomew to whom I pray'

    August 25 is the feast of Saint Barthlomew the Apostle, whom tradition says met a particularly gruesome death by being flayed alive. His feast appears on the Irish calendars with the Martyrology of Tallaght simply noting ‘Passio Bartholomei apostoli‘, at this date. The Martyrology of Oengus has a rather fuller entry:

    F. viii. cal. Septembris.
    Ro sreth scél a chesta cech leth co sál srúamach, iar mórchroich ro rígad in Bartholom búadach. 

    25. The story of his suffering has been declared on every side even to the streamy sea: after a great cross he has been crowned, the triumphant Bartholomew.

    The scholiast notes add:

    25. Bartolom. Bartholomeus in Indiam perrexit et in ea passus est sub Astrige rege eorum .i. gladio decollatus est, uel uiuus sepultus est, post pellem rasam suam de corpore toto ante, et sic uitam finiuit. 

    25. Bartholomew proceeded into India etc. i.e. he was beheaded with a sword, or he was buried alive, etc. 

    The twelfth-century Martyrology of Gorman also notes the feast at the beginning of its entries for the preceding day:

    24. E.

    Apstol cáid in Coimdedh
    Bartholom fris mbenaimm 

    The Lord’s chaste apostle, Bartholomew to whom I pray:,..

    Canon O’Hanlon also notes the feast in Volume 8 of his Lives of the Irish Saints:
    Festival of St. Bartholomew, Martyr. 

    The festival of St. Bartholomew, Martyr, was observed in the early Irish Church, on the 25th of August, as may be found in the “Feilire” of St. Aengus. There his name takes the Irish form Parrthalon. To this, the scholiast has added an explanatory note in Latin.  Wherefore it seems we are to regard him as St. Bartholomew, the Apostle, and whose Acts are fully set forth by the Bollandists, at this date. These Acts have a previous learned commentary by the editor, Father John Stilting, SJ.; and they are followed by a narratives of the posthumous honours, translations, relics and miracles of this celebrated Apostle of the Indies.

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2017. All rights reserved.

  • Saint Seighein, August 24

    Another saint known only from the recording of his name on the Irish calendars is Saint Seighein, whose feast is recorded on August 24, as Canon O’Hanlon explains:

    St. Segin or Seighein.

    Scant justice has been meted to many of our holy men, in human records; although their careers were not unnoted by traits of a sublime and noble character, during their life-time. The Martyrologies of Tallaght and of Donegal register Segin or Seighein, as having been venerated at the 24th of August; but, without giving further information regarding him.

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2016. All rights reserved.