Saint Mac Cairthinn, also Macartan, McCartan (died 506), is recognized as the first presiding

Bishop of Clogher The Bishop of Clogher is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clogher in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Following the Reformation, there are now parallel apostolic successions: one of the Church of Ireland and the ot ...

from 454 to his death. One of the earliest Christian saints in Ireland, he is known as

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 ...

's "Threin Fhir", or "Strong Man" for his dedication and faithfulness to the fledgling Church. His feast day is 24 March.

Legend

Saint Macartan grew up in the southern part of Ireland, somewhere in

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

. Before his conversion to Christianity by Patrick, the future saint was known by the name Aidus/Aedh, the son of Caerthen (son of the Rowan Tree). The identity of his father is uncertain, but is sometimes associated with a

Dalcassian The Dalcassians ( ga, Dál gCais ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent f ...

prince of Thomond or with the

Uí Maine U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

. Hence the Anglicized later name to come down to us is "Macartan"."Saint Macartan: Our Patron Saint", Saint Macartan's college
/ref> Some sources claim that he was uncle to

Saint Brigid Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...

. Hearing of Patrick's teaching, Aidus traveled from his home to hear him preach in Armagh, leaving behind his wife and child. He first met Patrick at Drumlease, near Dromahair, County Leitrim. Here Macartan was baptized and soon became one of Patrick's official missionary staff. He was spoken of as Patrick's "champion" or "strong man". We are told that when the great Apostle was worn out by his work that Macartan supported his faltering steps over rough roads, marshes and rivers by carrying him. Macartan was initially ordained to the role of presbyter (priest) while Patrick was still living, possible by Patrick himself. He was the "staff of Patrick" in the Irish patron saint's declining years. On one occasion after carrying Patrick over a river, an exhausted Macartan expressed a wish that he might be relieved from further travel and allowed settle down in charge of some church close by his beloved master where he could spend the evening of his life in peace. Patrick, full of sympathy for his faithful companion and friend, agreed that he should establish a monastery in Clogher, and finish out his life there. A monastery was established near the ancient royal fort of Rathmore on the outskirts of the town and one of Ireland's oldest bishoprics was established. To commemorate the occasion Patrick gave Macartan his staff and a number of precious relics contained in a shrine known to tradition as the Domnach Airgid.

Domnach Airgid

The

Domnach Airgid The Domnach Airgid (; also Domhnach Airgid, English: Silver Church or Shrine of Saint Patrick's Gospels)Domnach Airgid
.

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...

. Retrieved 20 June 2021"The Study of Celtic Literature". ''

The Cornhill Magazine ''The Cornhill Magazine'' (1860–1975) was a monthly Victorian magazine and literary journal named after the street address of the founding publisher Smith, Elder & Co. at 65 Cornhill in London.Laurel Brake and Marysa Demoor, ''Dictionary ...

''. Guildford: Cornhill 1993. p. 296 On the cover of the Domnach Airgid is one of the earliest surviving metalwork images of St. Patrick. Traditionally, the book was claimed to be that given by St Patrick himself to his companion St Macartan,Overbey (2006), p. 488O'Floinn (2002), p. 176 making it an object of great veneration.O'Toole (2013), p. 98 Around 1350, the abbot of Clones, John O Carbry, commissioned a substantial remodelling of the Domnach Airgid. The figure of St. Patrick is thought to be at the lower right of the cover. In the lower left St. Patrick may be handing the Domnach Airgid to St. Macartan. The Domnach Airgid is no. 48 in ''

A History of Ireland in 100 Objects ''A History of Ireland in 100 Objects'' was a joint project by ''The Irish Times'', the National Museum of Ireland, and the Royal Irish Academy to define one hundred archaeological or cultural objects that are important in the history of Ireland. ...

'', and can be seen in the National Museum of Ireland."The Domhnach Airgid", Cultural Heritage of Ireland
/ref>The Domhnach Airgid, c. 1350

. Retrieved 20 June 2021

References

Citations

Sources

* Bourke, Cormac. "The Domnach Airgid in 2006". '' Clogher Record'', volume 19, nr 1, 2006. * O'Cróinín, Dáithí. ''The Cathach and Domnach Airgid''. In: Cunningham, Bernadette; Fitzpatrick, Siobhán (eds), "Treasures of the Royal Irish Academy Library". Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2009. * O'Floinn, Raghnall. "Irish Goldsmiths' Work of the Later Middle Ages". ''Irish Arts Review Yearbook'', volume 12, 1996. * O'Toole, Fintan. ''A History of Ireland in 100 Objects''. Dublin:

, 2013. * Overbey, Karen.
Locating the Book: The Domnach Airgid Shrine in Medieval Ireland
. Medford, MA: Tufts University, 2006

External links