OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Saints of Galway

  • Saint Cuan, October 15

    Among the saints commemorated on the Irish calendars on October 15, is a saint Cuan. Although the 12th-century Martyrology of Gorman simply names the saint, the later Martyrology of Donegal identifies him with the Cuan mentioned in the hagiography of Saint Moling, when that saint went to plead for the remission of the tribute paid by the men of Leinster to the King of Tara:
    15. A. IDIBUS OCTOBRIS. 15.

    CUAN. I think this is the Cuan, of Cluain-mór, who went along with Moling to request the remission of the Borumha. Thus Moling himself speaks in the history called the Borumha :

    “Dear the three who faced the difficulty,
    Who will go with me for my welfare,
    Dubhthach, Dubhan, who conceals sorrow,
    And Cuan of Cluain-mor.”

    I think that the Cluain-mor, of which he speaks, is Cluainmor-Maedhog, in Leinster.

    If the commentator is correct, this would place Saint Cuan at the monastery of Cluainmór-Maedhog, anglicized as Clonmore Mogue, County Carlow. It was associated with some well-known saints including Saint Fionnán Lobhair and Saint Onchu. The latter assembled a collection of saints’ relics which remained at the site. The monastery thus attracted pilgrims but sadly also attracted the attention of the Vikings who attacked Clonmore on Christmas night in the year 836. The deaths of the abbots of Clonmore and records of attacks on the monastery ranging from the eighth to the eleventh centuries can be found in the Irish annals.

    The most recent authoritative work on the Irish saints, Pádraig Ó Riain’s 2011 A Dictionary of Irish Saints, however, makes no mention of the Moling/Cluain Mór connection but instead lists Cuán of Ahascragh, County Galway at October 15. The saint is known from the genealogical sources, one of which assigns the nickname caoin, ‘pleasant’ to him. The death of our pleasant holy man is also recorded at the year 770 in one set of Irish annals. Finally, the Ordnance Survey letters of the 19th century record the date of a local commemoration of the saint as October 15 under the anglicized name of ‘Cavan’.

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

  • Saint Sinach Mac Dara, September 28

     

    September 28 is the feastday of an island hermit saint of the west, Sinach Mac Dara. Mac Dara is still used today as a Christian name for Irish males in the Connemara Gaeltacht area. Below is an account of Saint Mac Dara’s life and some interesting folk traditions associated with him, from Volume 9 of Canon O’Hanlon’s Lives of the Irish Saints:

    ST. SINACH MAC DARA, OF INIS CRUACH MAC DARA, COUNTY OF GALWAY.

    OF this holy anchorite little is positively known, and yet his name and veneration have survived for many ages. He is much venerated by inhabitants on the western shores of Galway. He must have flourished at a very early period, however, and most probably at a time, when his remote position secluded him from cognizance of our ancient chroniclers. Tradition asserts, that the name of our Saint’s father was Dara ; and Sinach, his own peculiar name, was placed before Mac Dara, that by which he is now popularly known. However, the St. Mac Dara of the western coasts should be called Sionnach, which was his real name. At the 28th of September, Marianus O’Gorman sets down Sinach in his Festilogy. His commentator has a note appended to his name which states, that he was from Cruach mac Daro. From other Irish Martyrologies regarding this saint, we can glean no particulars.

    On the south-western shore of a peninsula, anciently called Iorrasainteach, lies a small Island, presenting to the sea on all sides rocks which are high and precipitous, except towards the eastern part, where boats can safely touch. The appearance of this Island from a distance, coupled with its relation to our saint, gave it the name of Cruach Mac Dara, which when anglicised means, “The Rick of Mac Dara,” or ”The Island of Mac Dara.” Near the landing place on this Island, St. Sinach Mac Dara is supposed to have built a small stone church, the ruins of which yet remain, and are in a good state of preservation. Besides this ruin, a circular or rather oval stone-house, twenty-four feet by eighteen, with walls seven feet in thickness, is yet to be seen, although in a very dilapidated condition. This was probably our saint’s usual habitation, and the church might have been chiefly in use, as an oratory. At the distance of 300 feet from this church, and on its northern side, a square altar, surmounted by a cross, and a holy well near it, are pointed out to strangers. Both are dedicated to St. Mac Dara. He seems to have led a secluded life on the Island bearing his name, and one devoted to the practice of most austere religious rules and duties. According to a custom, usual in our old Irish churches, the wooden statue of this saint was preserved in his chapel for many centuries subsequent to his death—this image being commemorative of the founder and patron, whose intercession was invoked. However, for special weighty reasons, the Archbishop of Tuam, Malachy Queely, caused its removal during the time of his incumbency, and had it buried under the ground. Besides the veneration paid our saint on this Island, the inhabitants of Moyrus Parish, on the shore of the opposite mainland, point out the ruins of an old parish church, which is dedicated to him. There, in the time of Roderick O’Flaherty, [i.e. the 17th century] “his altar stone, by the name of Leac Sinach,” was kept as a venerable relic… Here, the coast inhabitants, who are principally fishermen, assemble on the 16th of July each year, to celebrate the festival of their patron of Moyrus parish. At this date, however, we find no mention of Sinach Mac Dara, in our Martyrologies. The principal festival of our saint is noted in the Irish Calendar, as occurring on the 28th day of September. This day may probably be assigned, as that for his departure.

    Many miraculous occurrences are recorded, and some superstitious observances are said to have been practised in connection with this saint’s memory by recurring to local tradition. One of the latter practices was the collection of Dunleasg or salt sea-leaf, at low water, by women, in order to obtain the release of some friend in captivity: this reprieve, however, they expected should be obtained chiefly through the intercession of our saint. This practice of gathering Dunleasg has been disused for many years past ; although old people are yet living, who remember its frequent observance.

    In the time of Roderick O’ Flaherty, it was customary for all boats, passing between Mason-head and the Island, to lower their sails three times, in honour of Mac Dara. In the year 1672, a certain captain of Galway garrison, passing without the usual mark of reverence, experienced such a violent gale, that he made a vow of never again sailing by without a proper obeisance; he was shipwrecked shortly afterwards, and never reached his destination. One Gill, a fisherman of Galway, during the prevalence of fair weather before and after the occurrence, was struck dead almost instantaneously, by a stroke from the mast of his own boat, when it fell on his head. This accident, like the former, was attributed to that contempt shown towards our saint by a departure from the time-honoured custom. His altar-stone, called ” Leac Shinac,” was said to have been preserved to the middle of the present century ; but its whereabouts is not now known. The name Mac Dara is a very common prefix to surnames of many Islanders and borderers, on the Galway coast, and even boats and hookers belonging to its fishermen are inscribed with the name, in token of veneration for our saint.

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

     

  • Saint Nem of Aran, June 14

     

    At June 14 the Martyrology of Oengus has an interesting gloss on its entry for the day for a Saint Nem, who appears to share his feastday with the commemoration of a translation of the relics of Saint Benedict:

    14. Both of them meet on the same festival,
    a hostful sea!
    Nem the vigorous descendant of Bern,
    with Benedict the victorious.
    14. Nem, i.e. a pope who is in Aran, and he is a successor of Enda of Aran, and of the Dal Birn of Ossory he is, and a brother of Ciaran of Saiger. Nem great-grandson of Bern. He was called by three names, to wit, Nem and Pupu and Cailbe. Nem primum nomen etc. Whence Senan of Inis Cathaig sang Abbas almus amabilis etc. A successor of Peter and Paul, Cailbe came from the east from Rome, Nem, great-grandson of Bern, a bright brother, whose name is Pupu of Aran.
     I was grateful to be able to turn to the latest reference work, Pádraig Ó Riain’s A Dictionary of Irish Saints, to make sense of this multi-named saint. There I learnt that several chapters of the Life of Saint Enda of Aran, dealing with a sojourn in Rome, feature Pupa (Pupu), a name said to derive from Papa, ‘Pope’ which was also used to describe Irish hermits in Iceland. Another source says that Nem/Pupa had abandoned the papacy to retire to Inishmore, which is a charming notion. As we have seen above, the scholiast on the Martyrology of Oengus portrays Nem/Pupa as the successor to the great Saint Enda and claims that he was a brother to Saint Ciarán of Saighir. The three names mentioned in the Martyrology are thus 
     
    1. Nem – the saint’s original birth name.
     
    2. Pupa – because of his quest for the chair of Peter. 
     
    3. Cailbe – derived from caol-bheo, ‘slender-alive’,  because of his ‘thinness’ during his life. 
     
    Nem/Pupa also features in the Life of Saint Brendan, where he appears, along with Saint Enda, as one of the well-wishers seeing off the Navigator of Clonfert at the start of his famous voyage. As the Martyrology also mentions, Saint Senan is made to declaim a Latin quatrain beginning Abbas almus amabilis, in praise of Saint Nem. Thus is this ‘Pope of Aran’ honoured within the Irish sources, although he seems to be an obscure figure today. 


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