Saint Carláen (also called Cairlan, Carlan, Cairellán, Caurlan, Caerlan, Cáerlan, Cairlaene, Carillan, Cairlén, Ciarlaech, Cayrlan, Cairlani; – 24 March 588) was the

Bishop of Armagh A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, from 578 to 588.

Genealogy and birth

Saint Carláen was a member of the Ui Nialláin clan who were the rulers of the present baronies of

Oneilland West Oneilland West (, the name of an ancient Gaelic district) is a barony in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is also called Clancann (''Clann Chana''), after the Mac Cana clan. It lies in the north of the county on the south-western shore of Lo ...

and

Oneilland East Oneilland East (, the name of an ancient Gaelic district) is a barony in the north-east of County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is also called Clanbrasil (from ''Clann Bhreasail'', "offspring of Breasal"). It lies in the north-east corner of the ...

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

. The patriarch of the clan was Nialláin m. Féicc m. Feidelmid m. Fiachrach Cassáin m. Collai Fochríth, who lived about 370 AD, and Carláen would have been in about the 6th generation of descent from him. Carláen was born c. 530 in a place called Domnach maccu Garba (Church of the tribe of Garba), in Oneilland. This placename is not now known but perhaps may be hidden in the present Oneilland townland names of Donagreagh or Garvaghy."The Ancient List of the Coarbs of Patrick", by Rev. H. J. Lawlor and R. I. Best in PRIA, Vol. XXXV (1919), p. 316–362, No. 14.

Education

Carláen would have been a member of the nobility in Armagh and would have received the best education possible at the time. He was presumably a younger son as he was destined for the church rather than succeeding to the family estate.

Abbot of the Monastery of St. Carláen

After his ordination as a priest St. Carláen founded a monastery in

Oneilland Oneilland () is the name of a former barony in County Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland. It covers the northern area of the county bordering the south-eastern shoreline of Lough Neagh. At some stage the barony was divided into Oneilland East ...

, probably on land owned by his family. The earliest incident we know in his life happened while he was abbot there. According to the Life of Saint

Daig Saint Daig (d. 588?)Also spelled Dageus, Daggeus, Dagaeo, Daigeus, Dega, Daigh, Daghous, Daghaeus, Deghadh, Daygaeus, Dagous, Dagaeus, Dagée, Daganus was an Irish Christian bishop and confessor of Inis-Caoin-Deagha (now Inniskeen, County Mona ...

of Iniskeen, County Monaghan- "''Saint Daig went to the monastery of St. Cayrlan, who happened to have died that very night. However, Daigh restored him to life, for which reason, Cayrlan placed himself and his monastery under the rule of St. Daig''"

Bishop of Armagh

On the death of Fedelmid Find, the Bishop of Armagh on 30 October 578, Carláen was appointed as the 12th Bishop in succession to

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

. The Annals of the Four Masters for 457 AD state- "''Ard Mhacha was founded by Saint Patrick, it having been granted to him by Daire, son of Finnchadh, son of Eoghan, son of Niallan''." So Carláen's appointment was probably due to the influence of his family as the original grantors of the land and several Bishops of Armagh came from this same family. Carláen reigned as Bishop for a decade.

Death

St. Carláen died on 24 March 588. The Annals of Ireland give the following obits- * Annals of Tigernach 586.1- "''The rest of Carillan bishop of Armagh''" * Annals of the Four Masters 587- "''St. Caerlan, Bishop of Ard-Macha, died on the twenty-fourth day of March''" * Annals of Clonmacnoise 587- "''Carlan Bishop of Ardmach dyed''." * Annals of Roscrea 587- "''Quies Cairlain epscoip Aird Macha''" * Annals of Ulster 588.1- "''Repose of Cairlén, bishop of Ard Macha—the bishop of Ard Macha, i.e. Ciarlaech from the territory of the Uí Nialláin''."

Feast day

After his death Carláen was venerated as a saint and his feast was celebrated on 24 March, the day of his death. The Calendars of the Saints have the following entries- * Martyrology of Gorman 24 March- "''Cairlan escop Arda Macha''" * Martyrology of Donegal 24 March- "''Caorlan, Bishop, of Ard Macha, AD. 587''" * Martyrology of Tallaght 24 March- "''Cairlon, Bishop''" * Bollandists "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii., Martii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 473. However what is probably a duplicate entry is listed under 23 March by both the Martyrology of Tallaght "''Cairlaini''" and the Bollandists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlaen 530s births 588 deaths 6th-century Irish bishops Bishops of Armagh