OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Category: Groups of saints

  • The Daughters of Feradhach, March 23

    The early Irish calendars record one of their interesting but frustratingly obscure groups of saints at March 23, with notices of The Daughters of Feradhach. Canon O’Hanlon tells us that on the calendar of Saint Oengus only one daughter is noted, I wonder if this is reflected in all of the manuscript sources? He also tells us that one of the group may be Saint Kentigerna, this holy lady ended her days in Scotland as a hermitess, her son Saint Fillan is one of Scotland’s well-known saints.

    The Daughter or Daughters of Feradhach.
    In the “Feilire” of St. Aengus, the daughter of Feradhach is commemorated on the 23rd of March; while the Martyrology of Tallagh registers Inghena Feradaigh, or “the daughters of Feradach.” One of these most probably was St. Kentigerna, whose Acts have already appeared, at the 7th of January. A festival, in honour of the Daughter of Feradhach, was celebrated on this day, as we read from the Martyrology of Donegal. The Filiae Feradachi are noticed, merely, at this date, by the Bollandists.


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  • The Three Daughters of Eltin, March 15

    One interesting category of Irish saints are those grouped as ‘sons of’ or ‘daughters of’ a named individual. Sometimes the calendars record the names of the individuals who make up the group, but often they do not. We have one such group commemorated at March 15, the three daughters of Eltin, who are noted on the earliest of the surviving Irish calendars, the Martyrology of Tallaght, as Canon O’Hanlon explains:

    THE THREE DAUGHTERS OF ELTIN.

    In the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 15th of March, we find the entry Tui [Tres?] inghen Eltine. The Bollandists note their feast, but remark, that elsewhere, except in the Irish Calendars, of Eltin and his daughters, they do not meet any account. On this day, a festival was celebrated to honour the three daughters of Eltin, as we read in the Martyrology of Donegal.

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