OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Saints of Cork

  • Saint Talmach, March 14

    March 14 is the commemoration of Saint Talmach, one of a number of Irish saints of this name found on the calendars. There is a Talmach described as a pupil of Saint Finbarr at his monastic school at Gougane Barra, and it is this holy man who is the subject of today’s entry by Canon O’Hanlon in Volume III of his Lives of the Irish Saints:

    ST. TALMACH, CONFESSOR.

    [Sixth and Seventh Centuries.]

    Some short notices of St. Talmach are given by Colgan, at the 14th of March. At this same date, the Bollandists have even a briefer account. Some casual references to him, especially taken from an old Life of St Finnbarr of Cork, are all we have to draw from. St Talmach was born in the sixth century, as would seem most probable. We are left in the dark, however, regarding his parentage, family and place of birth. This saint appears to have received his ecclesiastical training under St. Barr, at Loch Erce, in the southern and maritime part of Ireland. He flourished in the commencement of the seventh century; and, he had a celebrated school, with many disciples, at the place, so called, in former times. Some have supposed, that Loch Eirce or Irc was identical with the present romantic lake known as Gougane-Barra, said to mean, “the hermitage of St Finbar”, or “Finbar’s rock-cleft”. This retreat is justly esteemed one of the greatest curiosities, in the county of Cork; for, the lake lies embedded beneath vast and hoary perpendicular rocks, enclosing it around. The lake itself is almost circular, and comprises about 200 acres. The River Lee, being the Luvius of Ptolemy, takes its rise here. Shrubs and evergreens grow in the rock-clefts, which are scored throughout with deep fissures and water-courses. Colgan supposes, that our saint must have studied here, under St. Barr, in the time of Pope Gregory the Great, and either before or soon after his death, which occurred A.D. 604. Having been distinguished for his virtues, in common with other fellow-disciples, under the same illustrious master, St. Talmach is said to have built a church, which became subject to St. Barr’s government. Where this church had been erected, we have now no means left for determining.

    The date of St. Talmach’s death is not known; but his Natalis was observed, on the 14th day of March, according to our Irish Martyrologists. Thus the name, S. Talmac, occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh, as also in that if Marianus O’Gorman, where he is styled, a very meritorious and a rigorous virgin. Maguire does not forget to mark his commemoration, in a similar manner. We read, likewise, in the Martyrology of Donegal, about Talmach, as having a festival at this date. Little more is known, regarding this saint.

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  • Saint Gobnait of Ballyvourney, February 11

    Saint Gobnait (Gobnata, Gobnet, Gobnat) is one of those saints whose memory is kept alive in popular tradition, but whose written Life has been lost. The seventeenth-century hagiologist, Father John Colgan, reported that in his time her Acts were extant in the south Munster area but had not been published. Her feast appears on the Irish calendars on February 11:

    The Martyrology of Oengus records:

    11. My Gobnat from Muscraige Mitaine, i.e. a sharp-beaked nun, Ernaide is the name of the place in which she is. Or Gobnat of Bairnech in Moin Mor in the south of Ireland, and of the race of Conaire is she : a virgin of Conaire’s race.

    The later Martyrology of Donegal entry reads:

    11. G. TERTIO IDUS FEBRUARII. 11.

    GOBNAT, Virgin. At Moin-mor, in the south of Erinn, is her church, [and at Baile Mhuirne.] She was of the race of Conaire, son of Modh-Lamha, monarch of Erinn ; she is of the race of Heremon.

    Canon O’Hanlon summarizes the mentions of Saint Gobnait on other calendars:
    ‘The designation, Gobnat Ernaidhe, i Muscraidhe Mitine, occurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 11th of February, The Calendar of Cashel enters, at the same date, St. Gobnata, the nun, of the village of Boirne, or Bairnigh, in Munster, and she belonged to the race of Conaire. Charles Maguire says likewise, at this day, Gobnata, of Ernuidhe—I know not where it is—or Gobnata, of Burneach of Moinmhor, in the southern part of Ireland, and she is of the race of Conaire. Marianus O’Gorman, also, states, St. Gobnata, virgin of Moinmor; her church lies in the southern part of Ireland. In Scotland, too, her memory was revered. The holy virgin Gobnat departed to Christ, on the iii. Ides—corresponding with the 11th—of February, according to the Kalendar of Drummond.’

    Thus the calendar references establish her as being both a nun and of aristocratic lineage. They also concur that she flourished in the Ballyvourney, County Cork area, which is borne out by the survival of ruins of a church and other monuments bearing her name in that location. However, for other information, the only source we have is popular devotion and local folklore. The webpage of the Diocese of Kerry has collected some of this:

    ‘The main centres of devotion to Gobnait are Inis Oírr (Aran Islands), Dún Chaoin in West Kerry and Baile Bhúirne near the Cork/Kerry border. There are a number of other places which carry her name – often as Kilgobnet or Cill Ghobnait – near Dungarvan and Milltown in Co. Kerry for example. All of these sites carry a link to the story of Gobnait and the journey undertaken by her to seek “the place of her resurrection”.

    Tradition records that Gobnait left her native Clare to escape some enemy and went to Inis Oírr where an early medieval oratory dedicated to her is extant on the north side of the island near the shore (cf. Archaeological Inventory of County Galway (West Galway), BÁC, 1993, p.96 No. 552, it is known locally as Cill Ghobnait). While on Inis Oírr an angel appeared to her and told her that the “place of her resurrection” was not to be there but in the place where she would find nine white deer grazing. Gobnait then left Inis Oírr and travelled through the southern, coastal counties – Kerry, Cork and Waterford. The foundations associated with her mark her various stops in her search for the nine deer. These places include Dún Chaoin as mentioned, Kilgobnet near Dungarvan and Kilgobnet (between the MacGillicuddy Reeks and the Laune, accessible from the Killorglin/Beaufort Road on the southern side of the Laune; it is interesting to note that this Kilgobnet is also said to have been the original site of the Lughnasa festival now held in Killorglin – Puck Fair! cf. Máire Mac Neill, The Festival of Lughnasa, Oxford, 1962, 299). At various stages of her journey Gobnait met white deer – three at Clondrohid and six at Baile Mhic Íre – but it was only when she crossed the Sullane river that she found the nine as foretold at Baile Bhúirne. This place, on a rise overlooking the Sullane and looking towards the Derrynasaggart hills was where she settled, died and was buried “to await her resurrection”. She is regarded as the great protector of Baile Bhúirne and is much associated with healing. One story tells of how she cured one of her nuns who was sick and how she kept the plague away from Baile Bhúirne by drawing a line along the eastern borders of the parish with her stick beyond which the plague never came. Many accounts exist of how Gobnait prevented invaders (said to have been O’Donoghues of the Glens) from carrying off the cattle – on their approach she let loose the bees from her hives and they attacked the invaders, forcing them to flee. One version of the tale has the beehive turning into a bronze helmet and the bees themselves turning into soldiers. It is said that it was the O’Herlihys who sought her help and that they handed down the bronze helmet from one generation to the next as a great source of protection. M.T. Kelly, writing in the JCHAS , Vol.III No. 25. (1897), p.102 , suggests that Windele had come across accounts of this helmet but that it had been lost somewhere in Kerry. Another version has the beehive turning into a bell which then became Gobnait’s bell.’

    Another story is told of how, during her lifetime, foreigners came intent on building a castle in Baile Bhúirne, but that the locals opposed this (reminiscent of more recent times and rows over development!). Every night after the builders had left the saint knocked down their building by throwing her bell at the castle. Eventually they gave up, the site, ‘Carraig an Chaisleáin’ is still pointed out as proof of the power of Gobnait. Another version of this tale has Gobnait casting a stone ball at the castle each night. This ball is now said to be the one in the wall of the medieval church and can be seen on the rounds.

    Saint Gobnait is an example of how a saint’s memory and cult was kept alive by the oral tradition, in the absence of written accounts. Today this popular devotion centres around the holy well dedicated to her and there is also an old statue which is exhibited for veneration on her feastday in Ballyvourney. This has a specific ritual attached to it:

    ‘A medieval wooden image of Gobnait, kept traditionally in a drawer in the church during the year, is venerated in the parish church on this day. The devotion is known as the tomhas Gobnatan. People bring a ribbon with them and ‘measure’ the statue from top to bottom and around its circumference. This ribbon is then brought home and is used when people get sick or for some special blessing. The statue is thought to belong to the 13th c.’

    The photograph below shows someone taking ‘Gobnait’s measure’ on her feastday:




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  • Saint Cannera of Bantry, January 28

    Not a great deal is known of Saint Cannera of Bantry, County Cork, commemorated on January 28, apart from the details of an encounter she had with Saint Senan of Scattery Island (Inis Cathaig), recorded in that saint’s Life. The feast of Saint Cannera is recorded at January 28 in the Martyrologies of Tallaght and of Gorman. The latter describes her as ‘dear Cainer’ and notes that she was daughter of Cruithnechan in Cell Cuilinn in Cairbre. The entry in the Martyrology of Donegal reads:

    28. G. QUINTO KAL. FEBRUARII. 28.

    CAINDER, daughter of Cruithneachan, at Cill-Chuilinn, in Cairbre.

    The seventeenth-century hagiologist, Father John Colgan, published her Acts at this day, but it is to the Life of Saint Senan that we must turn for a glimpse into Cannera’s life:

    2416. Canair the Pious, a holy maiden of the Benntraige of the south of Ireland, set up a hermitage in her own territory. There one night, after nocturns, she was praying, when all the churches of Ireland appeared to her. And it seemed that a tower of fire rose up to heaven from each of the churches; but the greatest of the towers, and the straightest towards heaven, was that which rose from Inis Cathaig.’Fair is yon cell’, she saith. ‘Thither will I go, that my resurrection may be near it’. Straightway on she went, without guidance save the tower of fire which she beheld ablaze without ceasing day and night before her, till she came thither. Now, when she had reached the shore of Luimnech, she crossed the sea with dry feet as if she were on smooth land, till she came to Inis Cathaig. Now Senan knew that thing, and he went to the harbour to meet her, and he gave her welcome.

    2426. ‘Yea, I have come’ saith Canair.
‘Go’ saith Senan, ‘to thy sister who dwells in yon island in the east, that thou mayest have guesting therein’.
‘Not for that have we come’ saith Canair, ‘but that I may have guesting with thee in this island’.
‘Women enter not this island’, saith Senan.
‘How canst thou say that?’ saith Canair. ‘Christ is no worse than thou. Christ came to redeem women no less than to redeem men. No less did He suffer for the sake of women than for the sake of men. Women have given service and tendance unto Christ and His Apostles. No less than men do women enter the heavenly kingdom. Why, then, shouldst thou not take women to thee in thine island?’
‘Thou art stubborn’ saith Senan.
‘What then’ saith Canair, ‘shall I get what I ask for, a place for my side in this isle and the Sacrament from thee to me?’
‘A place of resurrection’ saith Senan, ‘will be given thee here on the brink of the wave, but I fear that the sea will carry off thy remains’
‘God will grant me’ saith Canair, ‘that the spot wherein I shall lie will not be the first that the sea will bear away’.
‘Thou hast leave then’ saith Senan, ‘to come on shore’. For thus had she been while they were in converse, standing up on the wave, with her staff under her bosom, as if she were on land. Then Canair came on shore, and the Sacrament was administered to her, and she straightway went to heaven.

    2447. God granted unto Canair that whoso visits her church before going on the sea shall not be drowned between going and returning.

    Whitley Stokes, ed. and trans., ‘Life of Senan’ in Lives of the Saints from the Book of Lismore, (Oxford, 1890), 219-220.

    This encounter between the two saints has ensured the translation of Saint Cannera to our own times as a feminist and supporter of the ordination of women. I find it interesting that people today seem to be very taken with the notion that the early Irish church was influenced by the eastern tradition of monasticism, whilst at the same time completely ignoring the realities of that tradition. I doubt that any Greek monk, for example, would find anything exceptional about Saint Senan’s desire to turn Saint Cannera away, for women are banned from entering the monastic site of Mount Athos to this day.

    It is thus unfair to Saint Senan to brand him as a misogynist for wishing to pursue his monastic vocation without the presence of women, something present in the history of monasticism from the start. We are also told on page 221 of the Stokes translation of the saint’s Life that when his death was approaching, Saint Senan went out of his way to visit a community of nuns to whom he had personally given the veil:

    So he went on that side, and he visited Cell Eochaille to commence with Ner’s daughters who were dwelling there, pious, holy virgins, who had taken the veil at Senan’s hand, and who were under his spiritual direction. Then they entreat Senan that the body of (some) lowly monk of his community might be given to them, to be buried by us, so that his relics may be protecting us. ‘Verily’ saith Senan, ‘this shall be granted to you. Be in no distress as to one from whom your protection shall come’.

    In any case, the account of his encounter with Saint Cannera reads to me as if Saint Senan rather admires her stubborness, and he does grant her request. Her memory as a protectress of those at sea seems to have survived too, and I hope to be able to trace a copy of a 16th-century poem which asks for her blessing on a ship and its crew.

     

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