OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Category: Saints of Waterford

  • Saint Mocelloc of Magh-Scethe, March 7

    Today the Irish calendars record a hermit who is credited with being among the first Christian believers in Ireland, and who features in the hagiography of Saint Declan of Ardmore. Saint Declan, along with saints Ailbe, Ciarán of Saighir and Ibar is part of the tradition of pre-Patrician saints of Munster. Whilst modern scholars are sceptical, nevertheless we know that Saint Palladius was sent in 431 ‘to those Irish believing in Christ as their first bishop’ which indicates that there was a community of Christians already present in Ireland. Unfortunately, the problems with trying to work out the chronology of the mission of Saint Patrick in relation to that of Palladius leaves the whole question of pre-Patrician saints an open one. The Life of Saint Declan dates to the later medieval period, by which time Saint Patrick was firmly established as the apostle to the Irish. It was also a time when the reform of the Irish Church presented an incentive for the Munster dioceses to assert their claims to precedence. Thus it is uncertain just how far back the tradition of pre-Patrician saints actually goes. Canon O’Hanlon takes up the story of Saint Mocelloc, who is claimed to predate the Palladian mission by almost a century:

    This saint, originally called Celloc—or perhaps Cellan- had the endearing appellative, mo, prefixed to his name, according to a custom of our ancestors, when they wished to express great veneration for a person. He was one of the first converts to our holy faith in Ireland, having flourished before St. Patrick’s time, according to our ancient records. It is said, our saint was baptized, so early as A.D. 347 and in common with six other holy men, constructed separate cells in a place, called Magh-Scethe, which signifies,”the Plain of the Buckler,” near the present site of Lismore. Mocelloc lived as a hermit, in his cell or oratory, according to tradition, many years before the Gospel had been preached in these parts, by Saints Declan, Ailbe and Kieran. In common with other religious eremites of the place, Mocelloc is said to have had a vision, on the night of St. Declan’s birth, and that, in consequence, he predicted this infant’s future greatness, by declaring that the country and people around should one day be subject to his spiritual rule. After this prediction, the Acts of St. Declan state, that seven just men were baptized, in the name of the most Holy Trinity; and, afterwards, having constructed cells, they lived there in a religious manner. From whom they received baptism, or at what exact time, we are not informed. On St. Declan’s return from Rome, these seven eremites—among whom our saint was included—waited on him, and placed their cells, with their own persons, under his rule and direction. St. Declan’s habitation was at Ardmore, at present, the head of a parish, in the barony of Decies within Drum, in the county of Waterford…

    To conclude this account, the Martyrologies of Tallagh, of Marianus O’Gorman and of Cathal Maguire, at this date, [March 7] have inserted the festival of Mocelloc. Besides, on this day was venerated Mocheallog, as we read in the Martyrology of Donegal.

    In the extracts below from Canon Power’s translation of the Life of Saint Declan which feature Saint Mocelloc, we find some standard hagiographical tropes. We first meet him in connection with the birth of Saint Declan, attended by celestial phenomena. Mocelloc and his fellow hermits then prophesy the future greatness of the newborn saint who they will later serve. In both extracts we see the use of sacred numbers – the hermit group numbers seven and this is the number of churches founded in their locality. Saint Declan, also in an echo of the scriptures, spends forty days in his birthplace:

    There were seven men dwelling in Magh Sgiath, who frequently saw the fiery globe which it has been already told they first beheld at the time of Declan’s birth. It happened by the Grace of God that they were the first persons to reveal and describe that lightning. These seven came to the place where Declan abode and took him for their director and master. They made known publicly in the presence of all that, later on, he should be a bishop and they spoke prophetically:—‘The day, O beloved child and servant of God, will come when we shall commit ourselves and our lands to thee.’ And it fell out thus (as they foretold), for, upon believing, they were baptised and became wise, devout and attentive and erected seven churches in honour of God around Magh Sgiath….

    ….Once on a time Declan came on a visit to the place of his birth, where he remained forty days there and established a religious house in which devout men have dwelt ever since. Then came the seven men we have already mentioned as having made their abode around Magh Sgiath and as having prophesied concerning Declan. They now dedicated themselves and their establishment to him as they had promised and these are their names:—Mocellac and Riadan, Colman, Lactain, Finnlaoc, Kevin, etc. These therefore were under the rule and spiritual sway of bishop Declan thenceforward, and they spent their lives devoutly there and wrought many wonders afterwards.

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  • Saint Cronan/Mochua of Clashmore, February 10

     

     

     

     

     

     

    On February 10 the Irish calendars commemorate a spiritual son of the great Saint Carthage of Lismore, Cronan or Mochua of Clashmore, County Waterford. Mochua is a diminutive form of the name Cronan. As Canon O’Hanlon records in one of his footnotes to the entry for today’s saint, it is not an uncommon name:

    Colgan says, that in our Menologies there are eight Cronans, and eighteen Mochuas, whose feasts are distinct; and, in almost all instances, the same saint is at one time named Cronan, and at another place, Mochua. Thus, in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, Marianus Gorman and Donegal, at the 28th of April, St. Cronan of Roscrea is called Mochua. In like manner, at the 22nd of June, St. Cronan, Abbot of Ferns, is called Mochua. Likewise, at the 30th of March, Mochua, Abbot of Balla, and at the 6th of August, St. Mochua of Clondalkin, are called by the name of Cronan. St. Oengus the Culdee, in his Homynomous Saints, book i., chapter xix., numbers more than fifty saints, bearing the designation Mochua, many of whom are called by the name of Cronan, in the aforesaid martyrologies. See Colgan’s “Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae,” X. Februarii, n. 2, p. 304.

    Colgan also appears to have believed that Saint Cronan/Mochua of Clashmore may have been martyred by the Danes, at Swords, County Dublin. He is not alone in this, as the calendar of Cathal Maguire records for February 10th:

    Cronanus, vel est Mochua de Miliuc, id est, Cronanus filius Mellani de Glaismor in Desiis Momoniee, & Lismorioe colitur : vel Glaismor est Ecclesia juxta Surdum ad austrum.” A comment is added, that Glasmor was a church, near Swords, to the south, and that the Northmen came from Inbhear Domnann one night, and slaughtered St. Cronan with all his cenobites, so that not one of his family escaped.

    However, O’Hanlon believes this martyred Cronan to be another saint, distinct from Cronan/Mochua of Clashmore. Confusion arose due to the confounding of Clashmore in County Waterford with Glassmore near Swords, County Dublin on some of the later calendars. O’Hanlon believes that our Saint Cronan/Mochua flourished within the County Waterford area, where he first embraced the monastic life under Saint Carthage:

    The Life of St. Carthage states, that our present St. Cronan or Mochua had been, from his youth, a monk at Rathan. Our saint is said to have been the first, who made his religious profession, under St. Carthage, in the famous monastic establishment of Rathen ; and, it is on record, that eight hundred and seventy-seven monks were at one time subject to this very distinguished abbot’s spiritual supervision. Here, deriving every advantage from the training of this great saint, Cronan made considerable progress in virtue. At length, he was placed by St. Carthage, over an establishment, near Rathen. This place is called Cluain Dachran. We are told, this locality is identical with Clonrane, in Westmeath county. When Cronan was there appointed, he had been informed, that Cluain Dachran would neither be the place of his death, nor of his resurrection.

    At the same time, or subsequently, he was placed in charge of Glassmore church, about four miles north of Youghal, in the barony of Decies within Drum, and in the present county of Waterford. It was situated, not far from the noble Blackwater River.

    The saint’s feast on the 10th February is well attested in the Irish calendars. The Martyrology of Oengus records:

    “Bright star, victorious offspring,
    A glowing mass of gold, a radiant guest,
    Is Cronan the chaste without reproach,
    The white sun of Glass Mor.”

    The later Martyrology of Donegal, however, while associating Saint Cronan with the Waterford area and Lismore, also mentions Glassmore, near Swords, and the massacre by the Vikings:

    CRONAN, of Glais-mor in Deisi-Mumhan, and of Lis-mor. Or Glais-mor, a church that was by the side of Sord to the south, until the foreigners of Inbher Domhnann came to him and killed him and all his people in one night, so that not one of them escaped without being destroyed; and thus were they martyred.

    The Calendar of Cashel also connects him both with Lismore and Swords, whereas the earlier Martyrology of Tallagh notes on this day Cronan, son of Mellain, of the Decies, and in Lismor.

    Finally, Canon O’Hanlon notes the presence of the feast of Saint Cronan on the Scottish calendars:

    This saint was venerated, likewise, and on the same day, in Scotland. There, however, he is not classed with the martyrs. The holy confessor, Cronan, in Ireland, is set down at the 10th of February in the Kalendar of Drummond, as having departed to Christ.

    The memory of Saint Mochua is still commemorated in Clashmore today, and popular devotion centres around the holy well dedicated to the saint, as shown in the photograph above.

     

     

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