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Saint Columbanus and The First Christmas Tree
Henry van Dyke, The First Christmas Tree (1897)I was somewhat amused to find the following article from a 1913 Australian newspaper attributing the origins of the Christmas tree to our own Saint...
View ArticleSaint Iarlaithe of Tuam, December 26
December 26 is one of the feasts of a great saint of the west - Iarlaithe (Jarlath) of Tuam. The Martyrology of Donegal makes mention of his reputation for ascetic spiritual practices as well as for...
View ArticleThe Birth and Baptism of Saint Mogue
BIRTH AND BAPTISM OF ST. MOGUE.Saint Killian, on a day of the days missed his oxen which he pastured at Fenagh in Cavan, and set off in quest of them. He came up with them on the edge of Templeport...
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How Saint Odhrán saved Saint Patrick's Life
February 19 is the feast of Saint Odhrán (Odran, Odhran, Oran) whom tradition records as the faithful chariot driver to Saint Patrick. The vignette below recounts how he was faithful to his saintly...
View ArticleSaint Cathaldus of Taranto, May 10
May 10 is the feast of an interesting Irish saint whose memory is still cherished today in Italy - Saint Cathaldus of Taranto. I have previously published Father J.F. Hogan's account of his life which...
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Saint Carthage of Lismore, May 14
On May 14 we commemorate Saint Carthage (Mochuda) of Lismore, County Waterford. I have previously posted an introduction to his life by Father John Ryan S.J. here, but below is a paper by a resident of...
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The Deer-Stone: A Legend of Glendalough
Saint Kevin of Glendalough, whose feast is celebrated on June 3, is one of the Irish saints whose cult has taken on a new lease of life due to the modern 'Celtic Christianity' movement. There he is...
View ArticleThe Martyrdom of Saint Blathmac of Iona
July 24 is one of the feast days of Saint Blathmac of Iona, martyred whilst attempting to defend the relics of his beloved founder Saint Colum Cille from Viking marauders in the year 825. His other...
View ArticleThe Irish Saints: 'a light to foreign and distant lands'
"there was no desert, no spot, or hiding-place in the Island, however remote, which was not peopled with perfect monks and nuns; so that, throughout the world, Ireland was justly distinguished by the...
View ArticleSaints Marinus and Anianus, November 15
I have already posted on the feast of the two Irish missionaries, Marinus and Anianus, on August 16 here. This date arose from the fact that the seventeenth-century hagiologist, Father John Colgan,...
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Saint Adamnan of Iona, September 23
September 23 is the feast of Saint Adamnan, a saint whose reputation continues to grow among modern scholars. Below, however, is a paper from 1901 by Canon E. Maguire, a Donegal priest who produced a...
View Article'The saints whom I have loved': Feast of All the Saints of Ireland
To mark the feast of All the Saints of Ireland, celebrated today, I return to the hymn in their praise by Saint Cuimmin of Connor. I have previously published the translation by Eugene O'Curry here and...
View ArticleSaint Beoin, February 1
February 1 is of course the Feast of Saint Brigid, but one our patroness shares with a number of other holy women, something to which Canon O'Hanlon alludes in his entry for Saint Beoin:St. Beoin or...
View ArticleSaint Colmán, February 2
The entries for two separate Saints Colmán at February 2 in the Irish calendars present us with a perfect illustration of some of the difficulties faced by hagiologists. First, the name at its root,...
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Saint Colman of Kilmacduagh, February 3
February 3 is one of two feast days found in the Irish calendars for Saint Colman of Kilmacduagh, County Galway. As I have already posted an account of this important monastic founder on his main feast...
View ArticleSaint Cota of Druim Lomain, February 4
February 4 is the feast day of two saints whose names are linked together in the Irish calendars. I have previously posted on the first of the duo, Saint Corc, here and now turn to the saint with whom...
View ArticleMarianus Scotus of Donegal
February 9 is the feast of the Blessed Marianus Scotus, an eleventh-century Irish scholar and monastic who went from his native Donegal to Germany, following in the footsteps of much earlier Irish...
View ArticleIrish Saints in Germany
As we have just commemorated the memory of Blessed Marianus of Ratisbon and Saint Darlughdach of Kildare, whose cult extended to Bavaria, this seems like an opportune moment to reflect on some of the...
View ArticleThe Festival of Saint Julian, February 16
It is worth remembering that our Irish calendars contain entries not only relating to the feast days of our homegrown saints, but also to those of the Universal Church. Following on from yesterday's...
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Holiday Customs in Ireland: Saint Patrick's Day
To celebrate the feast of our national apostle, below is an extract from an 1889 paper on 'The Holiday Customs of Ireland'. Interestingly, unlike the holidays associated with the feasts of Saint Brigid...
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