Saint Conleth (; sga, Conláed ; Modern Irish: ''Naomh Connlaodh''; also ''Conlaeth; Conlaid; Conlaith; Conlath; Conlian, Hugh the Wise'')"Churches of county Kildare", County Kildare Heritage
/ref> was an Irish hermit and metalworker, also said to have been a copyist and skilled illuminator of manuscripts. He is believed to have come from the Wicklow area.

Life

While living in seclusion at Old Connell on the River Liffey in what is now Newbridge Conleth was persuaded by

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 ...

to make sacred vessels for her convent. Conleth,

Tassach St. Tassac (also Tassach; died c. AD 497) was an Irish people, Irish saint, born in the first decade of the 5th century, died c. 497 and whose feast day falls on the 14 April. Life He was one of Saint Patrick's disciples, and when St Patrick f ...

of Elphin (Saint Patrick's craftsman), and Daigh (craftsman of Kieran of Saigher) were acclaimed the "three chief artisans of Ireland" during their period. Conleth was head of the Kildare school of metal-work and penmanship. According to Brigid's biographer,

Cogitosus Cogitosus (fl. c. 650) was an Irish monk, who wrote the ''Vita Sanctae Brigidae''. Life Cogitosus was a monk of Kildare, an important monastery in Ireland, who wrote the oldest extant vita of Saint Brigid, '' Vita Sanctae Brigidae'', around 6 ...

, a community of monks grew up which, under his guidance, excelled in the making of beautiful chalices and other metal objects needed in the church, and in the writing and ornamentation of missals, gospels, and psalters. A product of Saint Conleth's metalwork for which he is noted is the

crozier A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...

that he fashioned for Saint Finbarr of Termonbarry.Duffy, Patrick. "St. Conleth", Caitlicigh Ar An Ngreasan
/ref> The Diocese of Kildare appears to have been founded around 490, by Conleth who, with the assistance of St. Bridget, then presiding over the monastery, erected the cathedral and became first bishop.

, in his ''Life of Brigid'', calls him "bishop and abbot of the monks of Kildare". Conleth died when he was attacked by wolves in the forests of Leinster on pilgrimage to Rome on 4 May 519 and was buried nearby. In 799 his relics were transported and laid beside Brigid's in the great cathedral in Kildare. His relics were finally laid to rest in Connell in 835 to protect the inhabitants from invading Danes.

Veneration

Conleth is the patron saint of the Roman Catholic St Conleth's Parish, which includes Newbridge and the surrounding areas. Old Connell – the site of Conleth's original cell, which is now a graveyard – is within the parish limits. Conleth's feast day is 4 May. Every year on the Sunday after St Conleth's Day a pilgrimage takes place from the parish church in Newbridge to Old Connell, about two miles outside the town.

Legacy

St. Conleth's College is located in Dublin. His tale and community are briefly described in Sabine Baring-Gould's "A Book of Cornwall" (now in the public domain,) in which his name is spelled "Conlaeth."

St. Conleth's Park St Conleth's Park ( ga, Páirc Naoimh Conlaith) is a GAA stadium in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the county ground of Kildare's Gaelic football and hurling teams. It also served as the town's greyhound racing track from 1948 until ...

is the name of Kildare GAA's home stadium, located in Newbridge, County Kildare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conleth 6th-century Irish bishops Irish Christian monks 6th-century Christian saints Medieval Irish saints Canonizations by Pope Leo XIII Irish goldsmiths Irish silversmiths Irish metalsmiths People from County Kildare People from County Wicklow 519 deaths Year of birth unknown Bishops of Kildare Irish artists Deaths due to wolf attacks