Saint Conaire (also Cannera, Cainder or Cainnear) (feast day 28 January) 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 ...

holy woman who died in 530 AD. Originally from

Bantry Bay Bantry Bay ( ga, Cuan Baoi / Inbhear na mBárc / Bádh Bheanntraighe) is a bay located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean. It is approximately 3-to-4 km (1.8-to-2.5 mi ...

in modern

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, she was an

anchorite In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...

who lived in a self-imposed

solitude Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without distu ...

and spiritual exile from society.

Life

What little is known about St. Conaire's life comes from the "Life of St. Senan" in which she is mentioned. Reputedly, while nearing the end of her life, she had a vision of all the

monasteries 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 ...

in Ireland, and extending from each upwards to the

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

s was a pillar of fire. The fire-pillar from Saint Senán mac Geircinn's monastery at

Inis Cathaig Inis Cathaigh or Scattery Island is an island in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland, off the coast of Kilrush, County Clare. The island is home to a lighthouse, a ruined monastery associated with Saint Senan, an Irish round tower and the remains of a ...

, in the mouth of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

, was the highest and so Conaire set off in its direction, judging it to be the most holy. When she arrived at the monastery, Senán and his monks refused her admittance - as their chastity vows prohibited contact with women. According to some sources, Conaire argued that "Christ came to redeem women no less than to redeem men. No less did he suffer for the sake of women than for the sake of men. No less than men, women enter into the heavenly kingdom. Why, then, should you not allow women to live on this place?". Senán is reputed to have partially relented and, although not allowed beyond the shore of the island, Conaire was given communion before dying and was buried on the coast of the island. Her grave is marked by a simple flag. St. Conaire was listed in the ancient Irish martyrologies of Tallaght, of Donegal and of O'Gorman under 28 January.

Name variations

St. Conaire is listed in the

Martyrology of Donegal A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

as ''Cainder''. There are several variations of her name including ''Cannera'', ''Canaire'', ''Canair'', ''Cainnear'', ''Cainner'', ''Cainir'', ''Cainer'' and ''Connera''. A likely reason for this is because of a medieval scribe's spelling error at one point, mistaking 'a' for 'o' which was not uncommon. Another reason is because of the lack of

standardisation Standardization or standardisation is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments. Standardization ...

in pronunciation of the Irish language, resulting in the frequent and regional miss-pronunciation and misspelling of the saint's name over the centuries.

O'Mulconry clan

St. Conaire is the namesake of the ancient Irish bardic family

Ó Maolconaire Ó Maolchonaire, more properly Ó Maol Chonaire, sometimes Ó Mhaoilchonaire, Ó Maolconaire, etc., was the surname of a family of professional poets and historians in medieval Ireland. Traditionally it would have been spelled without the 'h', but ...

of Roscommon (descendant of the servant of Saint Conaire) who were ''priomhseanachie'' (

antiquaries An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

) to the kings in

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...

, and ran schools of traditional

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

throughout Ireland.

Legacy and traditions

Catholic churches dedicated to Saint Conaire include St. Conaires in Carrigerry, County Clare in Ireland, and St. Canera's Church in Neosho, Missouri. A national school in

Shannon, County Clare Shannon () or Shannon Town (), named after the river near which it stands, is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It was given town status on 1 January 1982. The town is located just off the N19 road, a spur of the N18/M18 road between Limeric ...

is also dedicated to her and its pupils undertake an annual pilgrimage on her feast day 28 January. Some people believed that anyone who visited St. Conaire's church would not be drowned at sea. Similarly, pebbles from her grave site on Scattery Island were taken by sailors and placed in their boats to protect them from shipwreck.

In popular culture

Thomas Moore, the Irish poet, wrote a poem entitled ''St. Senanus and the Lady'' in which he described the encounter between St. Conaire and St. Senan at Scattery Island. A modern song, titled 'Oró Canaire', was included in the ''Alive-O'' series for primary school religious education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conaire Medieval Irish saints 5th-century Irish people People from County Clare 530 deaths