OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Female Saints

  • The Seven Virgins of Armagh, October 8

    On October 8 the Irish calendars commemorate a group of holy women within the diocese of Armagh. The entry in the Martyrology of Oengus does not specify the number of these saints but the (rather unfortunate) translation by Whitley Stokes describes them as ‘a bevy of virginal girls’:
    A. viii. idus Octobris.
    Lécsit lúth co nani
    ar bithaittrib rígi
    trét ingen co nógi
    la paiss find Faustíni.
    8. They left power with splendour
    for eternal possession of the Kingdom,
    a bevy of virginal girls
    at the white passion of Faustinus.
    The scholiasts’ notes, however, introduce the idea of ‘septem filiae’, seven girls:
    8. a bevy of girls, i.e. in Cell na nóebingen ‘ the Church of the holy girls’ in the precinct of Armagh, i.e. septem filiae. Or maybe they are the holy virgins who are in Cell na n-ingen to the east of Armagh.
    The later Martyrology of Donegal refers on this day to:
    THE SEVEN HOLY VIRGINS, of the Termon of Ard-Macha.
    This is but one instance of saints occurring in sevens within the Martyrology, there are, for example, commemorations of the Seven Bishops of Cluaincua on October 3 and of the Seven Sons of Stiallan, on October 27.
    I assumed that the present seven virgins of Armagh are connected to the hagiography of Saint Patrick and wondered if they may be connected to this episode from the Tripartite Life:
    “Once on a time there came nine daughters of the King of the Lombards, and a daughter of the King of Britain on their pilgrimage to Patrick. They stayed at the east of Armagh in the place where Coll na n-Ingen (the Maidens’ Hazel) stands to-day. They sent to Patrick to ask if they might go to see him (to Armagh). Patrick said to the messengers, ‘Three of the virgins will go to heaven, and do ye bury them in the place where they are — namely, at Coll na n-Ingen. Let the rest of the virgins go to Druim Fendeda (or the Champion’s Ridge), and let one of them go as far as the hillock in the east.’ – and this thing was done.”
    The reference in the Martyrology of Oengus that they ‘left power with splendour for eternal possession of the Kingdom’ would certainly seem to tie in with the idea of princesses becoming nuns. Although the Tripartite Life talks of nine daughters of the King of the Lombards plus a daughter of the King of Britain, Saint Patrick prophecies that three will go to heaven which would reduce their number to seven. I will have to do some further research and see if recent scholarship can cast any more light on this enigmatic group.

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.

  • Saint Sínech of Crohane, October 5

    The Martyrology of Oengus commemorates a holy woman of County Tipperary, Sínech daughter of Fergnae, on October 5:

    E. iii. nonas Octobris.
    Blog dond liic lógmair
    la slóg martir namrae,
    Sínech ingen Fergnae
    Crúachan Maige Abnae.
    5. A fragment of the precious stone,
    with a host of marvellous martyrs,
    Sínech Fergnae’s daughter,
    of Cruachu Maige Abnae.
    Scholiast Notes

    5. A fragment of the precious stone, i.e. Sínech daughter of Fergnae, or good (ergna) is she herself, in Cruachan Maige Abna in Eoganacht of Cashel. Sínech, i.e. Fergna is her father’s name. Or she is ergna, i.e. good, from Cruachan Maige Abna, etc.

    Saint Sínech is also remembered in the later Martyrology of Donegal:
    5. E. TERTIO NONAS OCTOBRIS. 5.
    SINEACH, daughter of Fergna, of Cruachan Magh-Abhna, in Caenraighe. She was of the race of Eoghan Mor, son of Oilioll Olum, according to the Naomh-Senchas.
    According to this website Saint Sinech is the patroness of Crohane, County Tipperary and the writer helpfully provides information from Canon O’Hanlon:
    St Sinech is given as the Patroness of Crohane. The Mart. of Donegal commemorates her on Oct. 5th. says she was the daughter of Fergna of Cruachan Magh Abhna and of the race of Eoghan More, son of O. Olum according to the genealogical history of the Irish saints. The book is wrong in placing Magh Abhna in Co. Limerick.
    O’Hanlon says “she is mentioned also on Oct 5th by the Feilire of St Aengus, and as the daughter of Fergna of Cruachan Muige Abnae in Onacht Cashel”. Maurice Lenihan says “the virgin is likely the sister of St Senachus, Bishop, who was with St Ruadhan and St Columba of Terryglass among the pupils and disciples of St Finian of Clonard”. Crohane must be identified with the Cruachan of St Sinech he says, and the denomination of Magh Abhna has been reformed into Mowney a neighbouring parish in the barony of Slieveardagh. Her acts are not known to exist. Up to 1810 says O’Hanlon, her festival was remembered in Ballingarry on Oct 5th.
    Crohane-Cruachan Muighe Abhnae. Church ruins are in Drangan parish. In the Feilire Aenguis, Crohane is given as the round hill of Moy-Owney. This parish is bounded on the west by the parish of Killenaule, on the east by the parish of Mowney, on the north and north east by the parishes of Lickfinn and Ballingarry. The parish is in Slieveardagh Barony, and an amount of its land would be at present in Ballingany parish, though the old church ruin is in Drangan. This is the place called Cruachan Muighe Abhnae i.e. Croghane Mowney in the Festiology of Aengus, at Oct 5th for the glossographer places it in the territory of Eoghanacth Chaisil. This is rendered absolutely certain by the existence of the well of the Patron Saint and of other names of places in its vicinity, which the ancient authorities place in Eoghanacth Chaisil as Doire na bFlann etc. The name signifies the round hill in the plain of Abhna, which may be interpreted the plain of the river. Magh Abhnai, the name of the plain is still retained in that of the parish of Moy-Owney which bounds Crohane on the east.

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.

  • Saint Baluíne, October 4

    On October 4 our early Irish calendars present us with something of a mystery surrounding a female saint with the name of Baluíne. The Martyrology of Oengus begins:

    D. iv. nonas Octobris.
    Áil Marcellum nepscop
    co nhaidbli a bríge,
    la céssad na hóige
    in ballgel Baluíne    .
    4. Beseech Marcellus the bishop,
    with the vastness of his vigour,
    at the suffering of the virgin,
    the bright-limbed Balbina.
    The phrase ‘suffering of the virgin’ would imply a female martyr, yet as we know, the vast majority of the early Irish saints who suffered martyrdom did so contending for the faith in other countries. It is clear from the scholiast notes on this entry that later commentators were perplexed and sought to find a local identity for the ‘bright-limbed Balbina’:
    4. Baluina .i. tair ata, nó isi Bicsech ó Chill Bicsige i nHuaib macc Cuais Midhe. R1 . in marg. Baluina uirgo et martir. Nó commad hí Baluina .i. Bicsech o Chill Bicsechi i nHuib Maccuais Mide, sed non est uerum. R1
    4. Balbine .i. in the east she is. Or it is Bicsech of Cell Bicsige in Hui mace Uais in Meath. in marg. Baluina virgin and martyr. Or maybe Baluina is Bicsech of Cell Bicseche in Hui Macc-uais of Meath; sed non est uerum.
    Bigsech of Kilbixy is an Irish female saint whose feastday is commemorated on June 28. In Canon O’Hanlon’s account of her, which I posted here, he remarked that ‘this saint appears to have had another festival, at the 4th of October.’ But did she? For Balbina was not an Irish woman at all, despite the attempted Gaelicization of her name, but one of the early Roman martyrs. There seem to be two saints of this name, the first, commemorated on March 31, is said to have been the daughter of a Roman official called Quirinus and is linked to the discovery of Saint Peter’s chains. There is a second Balbina, however, whose name is attached to one of the Roman catacombs, and inevitably the identities of both have been the subject of some confusion over the centuries. In Volume 5 of his work The Sacramentary: Historical and Liturgical Notes on the Roman Missal, Ildefonso, Cardinal Schuster, records at October 4 ‘Saint Balbina, Martyr’ and it would seem that this is the second Balbina, who gave her name to the Roman cemetery and who was commemorated on this day, even in Ireland!

    Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.