OMNIUM SANCTORUM HIBERNIAE

Tag: Saints of Wexford

  • Saint Colman of Seanbotha, October 27

    October 27 is the feastday of yet another Irish Saint Colman, this one associated with the locality of Sean Botha, which the great 19th-century scholar John O’Donovan identified as the present day Templeshanbo, County Wexford. Father Jerome Fahey gives the following account of Saint Colman in his diocesan history of Kilmacduagh:

    In the Martyrology of Donegal we find the following notice of St Colman Hy Fiachrach: “Colman Ua Fiachrach of Sean Botha in Ui Ceansealaigh. He is of the race of Fiachra.” We find a supplementary notice of the Saint, which casts much additional light on his descent, in the Customs of Hy Fiachrach.

    Here we are told that his mother was Fearamhla, sixth in descent from Dathy, and fifth from Fochaid Breac, ancestor of St. Colman Mac Duagh. “And she was the mother of St. Colman, the son of Elochaid, who is, i.e, lies, interred at Sean Bhotach in Hy Censiolaigh.” And in the Martyrology of Donegal it is added, ” He is of the race of Fiachra.” We also find, on the same authority, that the “three O’Suanaighs,” memorable amongst our early Saints, were his brothers, as were also St Aodhan of Cluain Eochaille and St Dichlethe O’Triallaigh.

    We find in the life of St Maidoc, that he was a contemporary of St Colman of Kilmacduagh. St. Colman Ua Fiachrach was therefore a contemporary as well as a kinsman of Guaire, King of Connaught It is therefore not improbable that he may have built his church at Kinvara for the convenience of his pious relative and his court He afterwards became abbot of the monastery at Seanbotha, in which he was interred.

    The church of Seanbotha is identified by O’Donovan as that now called Temple-Shambo, “which is situated at the foot of Mount Leinster, in the barony of Scarawalsh and county of Wexford.” The monastery of Temple-Shambo was probably founded by himself. His festival was observed there on the 27th October, the exact date on which his feast is fixed in the Martyrology of Donegal.

    Rev. J. Fahey, The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Kilmacduagh (Dublin, 1893), 31.

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  • Saint Cuan of Airbhre, 10 July

    I

    A County Wexford saint, Cuan of Airbhre, is commemorated on the Irish calendars at July 10.  Canon O’Hanlon brings us the details:

    St. Cuain or Cuan, of Airbhre, in Hy Kinsellagh.

    At the 10th of July, the festival of Cuan is found in the “Feilire” of St. Aengus. A commentary annexed states, that he was Cuan Airbre in Ui-Cennselaig, and he is the same as Cuan of Maethail Broccain in Desi of Munster. This latter place, as we are told,  was in the deaconate of Killbarrimedin, in the diocese of Lismore, and where there was a church and a well dedicated to St. Cuan. The Martyrology of Tallagh registers a festival at the 10th of July, in honour of Cuain of Airbir, in h Cendselaigh. The Martyrology of Marianus O’Gorman has a similar identification, according to Father O’Sheerin, when furnishing some particulars regarding the present saint to the Bollandists, who allude to him at the present date. We are informed by Dr. O’Donovan, that Kilquan, in the county of Wexford, takes its name from a church dedicated to the present holy man. Tobar Cuan was situated five chains south-west from the ruins of Kilcowanmore, as we learn from the same gentleman. Notices of a religious man named Cuan are introduced in the Acts of St. Fintan of Dunbleisque, and Colgan thinks he must be identical with the present saint. At this date, in the Martyrology of Donegal, is recorded Cuan, of Airbhre, in Ui Ceinnsealaigh, in Leinster ; and he is the same, we are told, as Cuan, of Maethail Brogain, in Deisi Mumhan. Among many other saints bearing the same name, he is mentioned by Colgan. His place has been identified with Cuain Airbhre, in Hy Kinsellagh, a place now called Ballybrennan, at Kilcowanmore, barony of Bantry, and county of Wexford. This part of Ireland, it would appear, formerly abounded in silver.  The Kalendar of Drummond  has notices of St. Cuain, at the 10th of July.

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  • Saint Mosiloc of Cloonatten, July 13

    At July 13, Canon O’Hanlon has a notice for a County Wexford saint whose name appears on all of the calendars, but of whose life we otherwise have very few details. In the account below of Saint Mosiloc, I have transferred some of the original footnotes citing the calendar entries plus remarks by the Irish Ordnance Survey scholars, John O’Donovan and W. M. Hennessy, on the locality associated with the saint, into the text. There is a website dealing with the study of Wexford placenames here. Finally, please note that the Martyrology of Aengus records the saint at the 13th of July and not June as printed on page 224 of Volume 7 of The Lives of the Irish Saints:

    St. Mosiloc or Mothiolog, of Cloonatten, Parish of Kilmichael Oge, County of Wexford.

    The name of this holy man, as Siloc, is entered in the “Feilire” of St. Aengus, at the 13th of June. There he receives a high encomium. In the “Leabhar Breac” copy we have the following stanza, translated into English by Whitley Stokes, LL.D. :—

    “Sweet the name with splendour
    of Evangelus the sainted,
    with my Siloc of the kings,
    he went into the noble realm of peace.”

    In a commentary added, he is styled and identified as “my Siloc, i.e., of Cell Mo-siloc in Ui-Degad, in Ui-Cennseliag.” Hence, it should seem, that Siloc was simply his name, and it is entered Silog in the Calendar of Cashel. Veneration was given to Mosiloc Cluana Daethcain, at the 13th of July, as appears in the Martyrology of Tallagh. In Rev. Dr. Kelly’s edition of the Martyrology of Tallagh, this place is identified with Clonkeen, Queen’s County. His name and place are elsewhere differently entered. At this same date, we find in the Martyrology of Donegal, Mothiolog, of Cill Mothiolog, in Ui-Ceinnsealaigh, or Mothiolog, of Cluain Aithghin. This place is Cloonatten, in the parish of Kilmichael Oge, in the barony of Gorey, and county of Wexford. A note by O’Donovan says, “Mothiolog now corrupted to Kilmichaelog,” I find another note appended by William M. Hennessy to this ancient denomination, “Kilmokiloge or Kilmichaeloge, near Gorey, County Waterford,”(? Wexford). There is a curious old church in that locality. In the Kalendar of Drummond the feast of this saint is inserted, at the present date. Thus: “13 iii. Idus. In Hibernia Sancti Confessoris Mosiloc.”—Bishop Forbes’ “Kalendars of Scottish Saints”, p. 18. There is an entry of Mosilocus, at the 13th of July, in the work of the Bollandists. Father O’Sheerin supplied them with the notice inserted.

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