Saint Carthage the Elder (or Carthach) was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
bishop
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 ...
and
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
in the sixth century. His
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is 5 March.
The
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Å , holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
is mainly known as a disciple and successor of
Ciaran of Saighir (''the Elder'') and the tutor and fosterer of his greater namesake, Saint Carthage of Lismore (also known as
Saint Mochuda).
Carthage was of the
Eóganacht Chaisil
Eóganacht Chaisil were a branch of the Eóganachta, the ruling dynasty of Munster between the 5th and 10th centuries. They took their name from Cashel (County Tipperary) which was the capital of the early Catholic kingdom of Munster. They were d ...
and son, or, more probably, grandson of
Óengus mac Nad FroÃch
Óengus mac Nad FroÃch (430-489) was an Eoganachta and the first Christian King of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady (called daughter of the King of Britain). In Geoffrey Keating's ''History of Ireland'' ...
whom
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 ...
baptized. He was sent by St. Ciaran upon a penitential pilgrimage, when he spent seven years abroad, visiting Gaul and Rome. On completion of his canonical penance, Carthage was reinstated as a member of the religious brotherhood of
Saighir
Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir.
History
According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
. Afterwards he founded the
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
of Druim Fertain in Carberry and another monastery in the upper island of
Lough Sheelin
Lough Sheelin (), in standard Irish ''Loch SÃleann'', is a limestone freshwater lough (lake) in central Ireland. The lake is a part of the River Inny course, and ultimately of the Shannon system.
Geography and geology
Lough Sheelin lies at ...
,
County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na MÃ or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...
.
"Carthach", ''The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature''. (James Strong and John McClintock, eds.) Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880
/ref>
In the barony of Clanmaurice is a townland called Monument on which are some scant remains of an ancient church called ''Cill Cartaig'' (Carthage's Church).
There is a short paragraph about St. Cartha in ''The Martyrology of Donegal: a Calendar of the Saints of Ireland'' (1864) by James Michael O'Clery, page 65:
Carthach, Bishop, alumnus of Ciaran of Saighir
Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir.
History
According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
. One of his places was Druim-fertain, and in Cairbre Ua Ciardha is Druim-fertain; and to him belongs Inish Uachtair in Loch Sileann, and Cill Charthaigh in Tir Boghaine in Cinel Conaill. He was son of Aenghus, son of Nadfraech king of Munster, &c.
Cill Charthaigh is Kilcar
''Cill Charthaigh'' (anglicised as Kilcar) is a Gaeltacht village on the R263 regional road in the south west of County Donegal in Ireland. It is also a townland of 233 acres and a civil parish in the historic barony of Banagh.
The village it ...
.
See also
* Ciarán of Saigir
Ciarán of Saigir (5th century – ), also known as Ciarán mac Luaigne or Saint Kieran ( cy, Cieran), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and is considered the first saint to have been born in Ireland,''Catholic Online''St. Kier ...
* Saighir
Saighir (''Seir Kieran''; also named ''Seirkieran'', in Irish ''Saighir Chiaráin''), is a monastic site in Clareen, County Offaly, founded by Ciarán of Saigir.
History
According to his hagiographers, Ciarán was born in pagan Ireland and ...
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory ( ga, Deoise OsraÃ) is a Roman Catholic diocese in eastern Ireland. It is one of three suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Dublin.
* Osraige
Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraà (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of t ...
* Óengus mac Nad FroÃch
Óengus mac Nad FroÃch (430-489) was an Eoganachta and the first Christian King of Munster. He was the son of Nad Froich mac Cuirc by Faochan, a British lady (called daughter of the King of Britain). In Geoffrey Keating's ''History of Ireland'' ...
References
*
External links
Photo of Kilcar village as seen from the ruins of St. Cartha's Church and more information about Carthach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carthage The Elder
People from County Tipperary
People from County Meath
6th-century Irish bishops
6th-century Christian saints
Medieval Irish saints
6th-century Irish abbots