OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Female Saints

  • Saint Columba, daughter of Baoit, March 25

    March 25 is the feast of yet another of our obscure Irish female saints of whom only the record of her name and her feast day survives. The details of Columba, daughter of Baoit, have been preserved in the earliest of the Irish calendars, the 8th/9th-century Martyrology of Tallaght and repeated in one of the latest, the 17th-century Martyrology of Donegal, as Canon O’Hanlon explains:

    St. Columba, Daughter of Baoit

    A notice appears, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at this date, of ” Columb inghen Buiti.” The Bollandists only note down this entry. The festival of Columba, daughter of Baoit, also occurs, in the Martyrology of Donegal, on this day.

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  • 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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  • Saint Deghitche, March 22

    On March 22 we have the commemoration of yet another of our enigmatic holy women. The feast of Saint Deghitche is recorded on all of the Irish calendars from the 8th/9th-century Martyrology of Tallaght, through to the 12th-century Martyrology of Gorman and finally to the 17th-century Martyrology of Donegal. Despite her feast being so well-attested, however, no other details have survived. Canon O’Hanlon tells us that the 17th-century hagiologist, Father John Colgan, suggested that she might be the same person as a saint mentioned in the Life of Saint Farannan:

    St. Deghitche, or Deghitghi, Virgin.

    The Martyrology of Tallagh records a Saint Deghitghi, but without further designation at this day. We find mentioned, also in the Martyrology of Donegal, a saint named Deghitche, as having a festival celebrated, at the same date. The Bollandists – alluding furthermore to Marianus O’Gorman – have Saint Degithea, a Virgin, at the 22nd March. Colgan offers a passing conjecture, that the present holy woman may be identical, with a St. Geghia, of Inis Geghe, who is mentioned, in the Irish Life of St. Farannan.


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