OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Saints of Westmeath

  • Saint Connla of Rúsgach, December 30

     

    December 30 is the feast of Saint Connla, described in the Martyrologies as a Bishop of Rúsgach. Unfortunately, apart from discovering that this locality was identified by 19th-century scholar John O’Donovan as Rooskagh, a townland in the barony of Moycashel, County Westmeath, I have been unable to find out any further details. The Martyrology of Donegal  records:

    30. G. TERTIO KAL. JANUARII. 30.
    CONNLA, Bishop of Rúsgach.
    Our saint is not the only one associated with this locality to be recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal, for on August 20 one of the saints commemorated is:

    MOTRENÓG, son of Aenghus, Abbot, of Rúsgach.

    These commemorations indicate that there must have been a religious foundation at this locality, about which I hope I may be able to find out some further details.Content Copyright © Omnium Sanctorum Hiberniae 2012-2015. All rights reserved.

  • The Twelve Pilgrims of Inis Uachtair, December 23

     

    Among the saints commemorated on December 23 is a group of twelve pilgrims from an island in Lough Sheelin, County Westmeath. The Martyrology of Gorman describes them as:

    Pilgrims whom thou shouldst know, two hexads, with a vigorous career.

    whilst the Martyrology of Donegal records them quite simply as:

    THE TWELVE PILGRIMS, of Inis Uachtair.

    The Irish name Inis Uachtair translates as ‘Upper Island’ and as Father Anthony Cogan’s diocesan history of Meath explains, a monastery had existed on the Lough Sheelin site since the sixth century:

    Inisvachtuir.

    This is an island in Lough Sheelin (upper island), bordering on the half barony of Fore. St. Carthagh the elder, grandson of Aengus, King of Cashel, erected an abbey here in the sixth century. In the Martyrology of Donegal the festival of St. Carthach, bishop, is marked at the 5th of March, and it is stated there that “Inis-Uachtair, in Loch-Sileann, belongs to him.” The festival of the “Seven Sons of Dreitell, of Inis-Uachtair”, is set down in the Martyrology of Tallaght at December the 21st, and in the Martyrology of Donegal at December the 22nd. The festival of “The Twelve Pilgrims of Inis-Uachtair” is commemorated in the Martyrology of Donegal at December the 23rd.

    Rev. A. Cogan, The Diocese of Meath Ancient and Modern, Vol. III, (Dublin and London, 1870), 572-573.

    Unfortunately, I have not been able to find out any more about our saintly pilgrims. It would have been interesting to know of the purpose of their pilgrimage and especially of their destination. Although we hear of Irish saints going on pilgrimage to places like Rome or Tours, many Irish pilgrimages were undertaken to less exotic destinations here at home. Peter Harbinson’s book ‘Pilgrimage in Ireland – The Monuments and the People’ is packed with fascinating details about this subject, one which I hope to post about in the future.

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  • Saint Maeldubh Beg of Fore, October 2

    [Photo credit: An Ancient Cross at Fore in James Woods, Annals of Westmeath, ancient and modern (Dublin, 1907), facing page 278).

    On October 2 the Irish calendars commemorate an abbot of the monastery of Fore, County Westmeath, Maeldubh, who has the epithet ‘the little’ attached to his name. Fore is the monastery founded by the seventh-century Saint Fechin. The Irish calendars and annals have preserved the names and feastdays of some of his successors, including Saint Maeldubh, but I was unable to find a date recorded in the annals for this particular Abbot’s repose. Although I thus do not know the exact period in which he flourished, our small-statured saint is recorded in the earliest of the calendars, the ninth-century Martyrology of Tallaght, as Maelduib Bic, ‘Maeldubh the little’. He is introduced in the 12th-century Martyrology of Gorman as Maeldub organ orda, ‘Mael dub a golden instrument’ to which the note Mael dubh Becc, ab Fobhair, ‘Mael dub the Little, abbot of Fobar’ has been added. The same information appears on this day in the 17th-century Martyrology of Donegal Maoldubh becc, abb Fobhair, ‘Maeldubh Beg, Abbot of Fobhar’.

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