OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Category: Irish Saints

  • Saint Sinchell of Killeigh, March 26


    March 26 is the feast of an early monastic founder, Saint Sinchell (Sincheall, Sinell, Senchell) associated with Killeigh, County Offaly. Tradition records that there were two saints of this name, the younger Sinchell being nephew to the elder. The Martyrologies preserve two separate feast days for Sinchell of Killeigh, that of the elder on March 26 and that of the younger on June 25. Below is an account of the saint’s life and locality from the Father M. Comerford’s Collections relating to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin:

    The parish of Killeigh is situated partly in the barony of Upper Philipstown, but chiefly in that of Geashill. It consists of the union of the former parishes or ecclesiastical districts of Killeigh, Ballykeane and Geashill. This district is noted in both the secular and still more in the ecclesiastical annals of Ireland. The name of Killeigh is common with another ecclesiastical establishment which, according to Colgan, was situated in East Breifny. The Killeigh with which we are at present concerned is situated in Ofalia, and is always distinguished from the other by the addition droma foda. Achadh-droma-foda signifies the field of the long ridge, and Cill was prefixed after St. Sinchell had erected his church there. The name, as Dr. O’Donovan adds (Note to Four Masters) is very descriptive of the locality, for a remarkable, long, low druim or ridge extends south-west-wards, immediately over the village of Killeigh. The entire of the ancient Ofalia, from Slieve Bloom to the Hill of Allen, and from the Sugar-loaf hill to the Great Heath is a plain nearly as level as the surface of a tranquil sea, and the droma-foda, though not high, becomes a remarkable feature in so level a district.

    St. Sinell, or Senchell, one of the most distinguished ecclesiastics of his time, founded a Monastery of Killeigh at the beginning of the sixth century. This monastery became afterwards known as the Priory of the Holy Cross of Canons Regular of St. Augustine. St. Senchell, who is stated to have been St. Patrick’s first convert, was the son of Kennfinnain, and grandson of Inchad, or Finchada, of the royal blood of Leinster (Colgan, Trias. Thaum.) The father of the saint was ninth in descent from Cathair Mor, monarch of Ireland. In both the Martyrology of Tallaght and the Feiliré, St. Aengus notes the 5th of April as the Feast of the first Baptism conferred by St. Patrick in Ireland: —“Baptisma Patricii venit ad Hiberniam.” (Mart. Tall.) “Excellent Patrick’s baptism was kindled in Ireland.” (Feiliré.) On this latter the gloss in the Leabhar Breac adds, “i. Sinell, son of Finchad of the Ui-Garrchon, he is the first person Patrick baptised in Ireland.” It is related that St. Ailbe, of Emly, presented him a cell, in which he had himself lived for some time, at Cluain Damh (now Clane, County Kildare). We find St. Senchell afterwards at Killeigh, where he founded a monastery, which in course of time became very celebrated. In order to distinguish him from another St. Senchell, a relative of his, who lived with him at Killeigh (and who is styled Bishop in the litany of St. Aengus), he is usually called senior. Having lived to a good old age, he died on the 26th of March, AD 549, in his monastery at Killeigh, and was interred there. Petrie states that St Kieran and the two Senchells died of the Plague which raged in 549. In the litany of St. Aengus Ceile De, written in AD. 799, we have evidence of the celebrity and holiness to which this religious establishment had attained. “Thrice fifty holy bishops with twelve pilgrims, under Senchell the elder, a priest; Senchell the younger, a bishop; and the twelve bishops who settled in Cill Achaidh Dromfota in Hy Failghi. These are the names of the bishops of Cill Achaidh: —Three Budocis, three Canocis, Morgini, six Vedgonis, six Beaunis, six Bibis, nine Glonalis, nine Ercocinis, nine Grucimnis, twelve Uennocis, twelve Contumanis, twelve Onocis, Senchilli, Britanus from Britain, Cerrui, from Armenia. All these I invoke unto my aid through Jesus Christ.” And again: —“ The twelve Conchennaighi, with the two Senchells in Cill Achaidh, I invoke unto my aid through Jesus Christ.” (IE. Record, May, 1867.) The learned editor of this litany (which he copied from a MS. in the archives of St. Isidore’s at Rome), in a note on the eight monastic rules of the early Irish Saints extant, writes as follows “We may add that we have ourselves discovered another, some-what different from these, in the St. Isidore MS. from which this litany is published, and we regret that want of space alone prevents us from laying it before our readers. It is entitled— The Pious Rules and Practices of the School of Senchil. This was Senchil, surnamed the Elder. The Rules and Practices are 38 in number. When we say that an ardent desire of hearing, and offering up the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and frequent confession were amongst the rules and practices of a school which was celebrated in the first half of the sixth century, we have said enough to prove under what system of education Ireland became ‘another name for piety, and learning in most of the languages of Europe.”

    ANNALS OF KILLEIGH

    AD. 548. St. Senchell the Elder, son of Ceanannan, Abbot of Cill-Achaidh-Droma-foda, died on the 26th day of March. Thirty and three hundred years was the length of his life. (Four Masters.) Colgan (AL SS., p. 747), thinks this number should be one hundred and thirty. In the Mart. Tal. we find at 26th March, “Sinchelli, Abb. Chilli Achaidh; and at 25th June, “Sinchell Cilli Achaidh.” The former refers to St. Senchell, Senior, the latter to St. Senchell, Junior.

    The Feiliré makes the 26th of March the “Feast of the two perennial Sinchells of vast Cill Achid;” to which entry the gloss in the Leabhar Breac adds

    “Three hundred years—fine satisfaction!
    That was (the elder) Sinchell’s lifetime
    And thrice ten years brightly
    Without sin, without sloth.”

    26 March. Sincheall, Abbot of Cill-achaidh-dromfota, i.e., the old Sincheall. It was of him this character was given after his death: –

    “The men of heaven, the men of earth,
    A surrounding host,
    Thought that the day of judgment
    Was the Death of Seancheall.

    There came not, there will not come from Adam,
    One more austere, more strict in piety;
    There came not, there will not come, all say it,
    Another Saint more welcome to the men of heaven.”

    —(Mart. Don)


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  • A Litany of Irish Female Saints

    Marking International Women’s Day with The Litany of the Virgins, a lorica-type prayer which invokes the protection of twenty-eight Irish women medieval saints. Among them are the four female saints with written Lives – Brigid, Íte, Moninne and Samthann. I note that Our Lady, the Holy Virgin of Virgins, heads the list followed by her Irish equivalent, Saint Brigid, the Mary of the Gael. This Litany is number eleven in the collection Irish Litanies published by the Rev. Charles Plummer a century ago. The original was preserved in the twelfth-century Book of Leinster. Below is the Irish text followed by Plummer’s translation.

    Litany of the Virgins

    [1] [No]m churim ar commairge
    Maire ogi ingini,
    Brigti báne bruthmaire,
    Cua[che] mor-glaine,
    Moninni is Midnatan,
    Scire, Sinchi, Samchaine,
    Caite, Cuacae, Coemilli,
    [C]raine, Coppe, Cocnatan,
    Nessi ane Ernaigthi,
    Derbfhalen is Becnatan,
    Ceire is Chrone, is Chailainne
    Lasrae, Lochae, is Luathrinni,
    Ruind, Ronnait, [R]ignaige,
    Sarnat, Segnat, Sodeilbe,
    Is na nóg i noen-baile,
    Tuaid, tess, tair, tiar.

    [2} Nom churim ar commairgi
    Na Trinoite togaide,
    Na fádi, na fir-apstal,
    Na mmanach, na mmartirech,
    Na fedb is na foismidech,
    Na nog is na nirisech,
    Na noem is na noem-aingel,
    Ar cach nolc dom anacul,
    Ar demnaib, ar droch-doenib,
    Ar dornom, ar droch-aimsir,
    Ar galar, ar gu-belaib,
    Ar uacht is ar accorus,
    Ar anaeb, ar escuni,
    Ar dígail, ar dairmitin,
    Ar dinsem, ar dercháine,
    Ar mi-rath, ar merugud,
    Ar theidm bratha borrfadaig,
    Ar olc iffirn il-phiastaig
    Co nilur a phian.

    Translation

    I place myself under the protection
    Of Mary the Pure Virgin
    Of Brigit, bright and glowing,
    Of Cúach of great purity,
    Of Mo-ninne and Midnat,
    Of Scíre, Sinche and Samthann,
    Of Caite, Cúach and Coímell,
    Of Craine, Cop and Cocnat,
    Of Ness the glorious of Ernaide,
    Of Derfáilind and Becnat,
    Of Ciar and Cróine and Coílfhind,
    Of Lasair, Lóch and Luaithrinn,
    Of Ronn, Rónnat, and Rígnach,
    Of Sarnat, Segnat, and Soidelb,
    And of the Virgins all together
    North, South, East, West.

    I place myself under the protection
    Of the excellent Trinity,
    Of the prophets, of the true apostles,
    Of the monks, of the martyrs,
    Of the widows, and the confessors,
    Of the virgins, of the faithful,
    Of the saints and the holy angels;
    To protect me against every ill,
    Against demons and evil men,
    Against thunder (?)and bad weather,
    Against sickness and false lips,
    Against cold and hunger,
    Against distress and dishonour,
    Against contempt and despair,
    Against misfortune and wandering,
    Against the plague of the tempestuous doom,
    Against the evil of hell with its many monsters.
    And its multitude of torments.

    Rev. C. Plummer, ed. and trans., Irish Litanies: text and translation. Edited from the manuscripts. (Henry Bradshaw Society, London, 1925)92-3; 121-3.

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  • Some Miracles of Saint Brigid

    At my blog dedicated to the Three Wonderworking Patrons of Ireland I have been looking at some of the wonders worked by Saint Brigid where bishops are mentioned. The opening episode is particularly interesting as its shows her unafraid to speak her mind in the presence of senior male clerics:

    Brigid is credited with an epigrammatic mode of speech and a certain imperiousness of manner, even with bishops. Once a bishop, with some companions, came to  her convent to deliver a sermon. They had come a long journey and greeted her with the news that they were hungry.“So are we hungry—for instruction,” she answered. “Go into church and speak first, and then you shall eat.”

    Other miracles offer more standard hagiographical fare. The miraculous provision of plenty is one of the most common tropes found in the lives of medieval saints. These miracles testify to the faith of the saints, to their trust in God’s providence and to their status as God’s favoured servants. Saint Brigid’s reputation in hagiography is one of generosity, as the following episode recounted by Alice Curtayne testifies:

    Once seven bishops together went to visit her, and they have gone down into fame as the Seven Bishops of Cabinteely. Do you suppose that Brigid was disturbed by this invasion of the episcopacy? It would not appear so. She sent one sister to the cows that had already been milked twice that day; and another sister to a larder that was as deplenished as Mother Hubbard’s; and another sister to an ale-vat that was drained dry. Yet the bishops feasted adequately, for food was a commodity Brigid never failed to find for her guests.

     The monastic virtue of hospitality is also on display in this miracle involving Bishop Bron of Killaspugbrone, County Sligo. 

    There is a charming story told of one Bishop Bron, who, journeying to Brigid with some companions, lost his way. Finding themselves stranded in a wilderness at nightfall, they were forced to sleep in the open. Then all were comforted by the same dream. They thought (as they drowsed in exhausted and chill discomfort) that through the darkness and wild weather they beheld the lights of Brigid’s settlement and that, stumbling to it, they saw her come smiling to the cashel gates to lavish upon them the hospitality for which she was famous. First the feet of the footsore guests were washed and then, installed in repose, warmth, security, they were given good food in that delightful atmosphere of solicitude that was peculiarly Brigid’s. So restful was this dream, the pilgrims suffered not in the least from their night’s exposure. They were even refreshed, and with daylight they hopefully resumed their trudge. And lo! at a turn of the road, their hearts soared to see the familiar figure in white driving towards them. Brigid, having been supernaturally warned, had come out to rescue them from their plight.

     Bishop Bron featured in another miracle involving Saint Brigid, which Alice Curtayne does not recount in her book, but which you can find on the blog here.  

    Alice Curtayne ends her chapter on Brigid and the Bishops with this tribute: 

    Brigid’s achievements and power, when contrasted with her total lack of training, stand out most singularly. In this display of creative genius, she had plainly divine gifts.The bishops did not wait for a decree of canonisation to acclaim what was so manifest to all men. But when it was discovered that she possessed, too, a genuine discernment of souls, people began to flock to her from all sides. Not the bishops only, but all the great in the land, pagans and Christians, and the humble, too, sought her out.

    Alice Curtayne, St. Brigid of Ireland (Dublin, 1933). 

    https://triasthaumaturga.blogspot.com/2026/02/brigid-and-bishops-ii.html

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