Saint Manchán mac Silláin (died 664), ''Manchianus'' in Latin sources, is the name of an early
Irish saint, patron of Liath Mancháin, now
Lemanaghan, in County Offaly.
[Stalmans and Charles-Edwards, "Meath, saints of (act. ''c''.400–''c''.900)". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''.][Breen, "Manchán, Manchianus, Manchíne". ''Dictionary of Irish Biography''.] He is not to be confused with the scholar
Manchán or Manchéne, abbot of Min Droichit (Co. Offaly).
There are variant traditions concerning the saint's pedigree, possibly owing to confusion with one of several churchmen named Manchán or
Mainchín.
The most reliable genealogy makes him a son of Sillán son of Conall, who is said be a descendant of
Rudraige Mór Rudraige may refer to:
*Rudraige mac Dela, son of Dela, legendary High King of Ireland in the 16th or 20th century BC
* Rudraige mac Sithrigi, son of Sitric, legendary High King of Ireland of the 2nd or 3rd century BC
*Rudraige, in medieval Irish m ...
of Ulster, and names his mother Mella.
Foundation of the monastery
Manchán's church, Liath Mancháin, was located in the kingdom of
Delbnae Bethra and its remains now lie approximately two kilometres from
Pollagh. The foundation was never able to compete with that of St
Ciarán
Ciarán ( Irish spelling) or Ciaran (Scottish Gaelic spelling) is a traditionally male given name of Irish origin. It means "little dark one" or "little dark-haired one", produced by appending a diminutive suffix to ''ciar'' ("black", "dark ...
at
Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise ( Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th ...
, to the west of Lemanaghan.
Manchán is said to have founded his
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 whic ...
in c. 645 AD after being provided land by Ciarán. In 644,
Diarmuid, high king of Ireland, stopped at Clonmacnoise while on his way to battle
Guaire, the king of
Connacht. There he asked for the monk's prayer and when he emerged from battle victorious Diarmuid granted St. Ciarán the land of "the island in the bog," now known as Leamonaghan. The only condition was that St. Ciarán was to send one of his monks to Christianize the land, that being St. Manchán. St. Manchán went forward in converting the people and established a monastery.
About 500 meters from the monastery is a small stone house built by Manchán for his mother Mella. The structure is known locally as Kell and the ruins of the house can still be visited today. Legend says that one day the saint was thirsty and the monastery was absent of water. Upon striking a rock a spring well bubbled up, and the area is now known as St. Manahan's well. It's been visited by people from all over the world, commonly on 24 January every year. It is said that many people have been cured of diseases after visiting the well. The saint is also credited with writing a poem in
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
, that describes the desire of Ireland's martyrs. He died from the
yellow plague
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
in 664. He was known for his generous nature, wisdom and his knowledge of sacred scripture.
An
Old
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
* Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...
or
Middle Irish
Middle Irish, sometimes called Middle Gaelic ( ga, An Mheán-Ghaeilge, gd, Meadhan-Ghàidhlig), is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from AD; it is therefore a contemporary of late Old Eng ...
nature poem described as a ''comad'' and beginning "I wish, O Son of the living God ... a hidden little hut in the wilderness" is attributed to him. The language has been variously dated to the late 8th or early 9th century,
or even the tenth.
Death and veneration
Several sources, notably Irish annals, relate that Manchán was one of the churchmen to meet in 664 for a communal prayer and fast to God, in which they insisted that God would send a plague on Ireland. The purpose was to bring death to a large segment of the lower classes of the Irish population (see also
Féchín of Fore
Saint Féchín or Féichín (died 665), also known as Mo-Ecca, was a 7th-century Irish saint, chiefly remembered as the founder of the monastery at Fore (''Fobar''), County Westmeath.
Sources for his life and legend include Irish annals, marty ...
). Manchán was one of the saints to die in the event.
According to the Irish martyrologies, his feast day is commemorated on 20 January.
What remains of Manchán's foundation at Lemanaghan are monastic ruins and a graveyard.
St. Manchán's shrine
Perhaps St. Manchán is best known for
Saint Manchan's Shrine
Saint Manchan's Shrine is a large (60-cm wide) 12th-century Irish house-shaped shrine dedicated to Manchán of Lemanaghan (died 664), now in Boher Roman Catholic Church, outside Ballycumber, County Offaly. Built to hold human remains, still in ...
which containing his relics, and is now preserved in the Catholic Church at Boher,
County Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hon ...
.
[Murray, Griffin.]
St Manchán's Shrine: Art and Devotion in Twelfth Century Ireland
. Offaly History, 17 May 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021 The shrine was created in 1130 at Clonmacnoise and still contains some of the saint's remains. It is considered a masterpiece of
Romanesque metalwork
Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...
.
[Murray (2003), pp. 178, 180]
Notes
References
Primary sources
*Irish annals:
**''
Annals of Ulster
The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín ...
''
**''
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or mediev ...
''
**''
Annals of Inisfallen
Annals ( la, wikt:annales, annāles, from , "year") are a concise history, historical record in which events are arranged chronology, chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
Scope
The natur ...
''
**''
Annals of Clonmacnoise
The ''Annals of Clonmacnoise'' ( ga, Annála Chluain Mhic Nóis) are an early 17th-century Early Modern English translation of a lost Irish chronicle, which covered events in Ireland from prehistory to 1408. The work is sometimes known as ''Mag ...
''
*Irish martyrologies:
**''
Félire Óengusso''
**''
Martyrology of Tallaght
The ''Martyrology of Tallaght'', which is closely related to the '' Félire Óengusso'' or ''Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee'', is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/o ...
''
**''Martyrology of Gorman''
**''
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 n ...
''
*Anonymous poem beginning ''Duthracar, a Maic Dé bí'' ("I wish, O Son of the living God"), preserved in a 16th-century MS, RIA MS 23 N 10, p. 95.
**
**
**
Secondary sources
* Retrieved 6 February 2010.
*
* Murray, Griffin. "Lost and Found: The Eleventh Figure on St Manchan's Shrine". ''The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland'', volume 133, 2003.
* Retrieved 30 April 2008.
* Accessed: 14 December 2008
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Offaly Heritage Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manchan
7th-century Christian saints
664 deaths
Medieval Irish poets
Irish Christian monks
Deaths from yellow fever
Infectious disease deaths in Ireland
7th-century Irish writers
Medieval saints of Meath
People from County Offaly
Year of birth unknown
Irish male poets
Irish-language writers