Nath Í, or Crumnathy, (''fl''. 6th century) was an early Irish saint who is remembered as the founder of

Achonry Achonry (; ) is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. The old name is Achad Cain Conairi. St. Nath Í ua hEadhra (O'Hara) founded a monastery here. The foundation gave the later diocese its name. The monastery was founded on land granted by the ...

. He is said to have been born in the barony of Leyney, in present-day

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

. In the 17th century,

John Colgan John Colgan, OFM ( Irish ''Seán Mac Colgan''; c. 1592 – 15 January 1658), was an Irish Franciscan friar noted as a hagiographer and historian. Life Colgan was born c. 1592 at Priestown near Carndonagh, a member of the Mac Colgan sept of ...

compiled a Latin ''Life'' of Cormac, published in the ''

Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae ''Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae'' is the abbreviated title of a celebrated work on the Irish saints by the Franciscan, John Colgan (Leuven, 1645). Aided by Hugh Ward, Stephen White, Míchél Ó Cléirigh, and Henry Fitzsimon, White, Fitzsimon, an ...

'' series, which relates that Cormac left his native Munster for Connacht and arrived in the area of Leyney. When Niall, the brother of the local chieftain Diarmait, begged him for a blessing, Cormac revealed that he was to have a son by the name of ''Conamel'', whose descendants would include a number of illustrious saints, such as Náth Í "the priest". 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 ...

'' (9 August), he is described as the priest (''cruimthir'') Nath Í of Achad Cain Conairi. He is said to have studied under Finnián of Clonard. On the instructions of his mentor, he founded a monastery in Achad Cain or Achad Conaire (

) in the district of the Luigne, the land having been granted to him by Cennfáelad, king of Luigne. The foundation gave its name to what in the 12th century would become the diocese of Achonry. Féchín of Fore is said to have studied under him. The

Book of Lismore The Book of Lismore, also known as the Book of Mac Carthaigh Riabhach, is a late fifteenth-century Gaelic manuscript that was created at Kilbrittain in County Cork, Ireland, for Fínghean Mac Carthaigh, Lord of Carbery (1478–1505). Defectiv ...

(fo. 43v) contains a short Irish anecdote relating what happened when Nath Í, called Dathi the Priest, was once visited by

Columba Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...

Comgall Saint Comgall (c. 510–520 – 597/602), an early Irish saint, was the founder and abbot of the great Irish monastery at Bangor in Ireland. MacCaffrey,James (1908). " St. Comgall". In ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Co ...

and Cainnech after the monastic community had finished their meals. He was buried in Achad Cain and his festival is 9 August.Odden, Per Einar. "Den hellige Nathy av Achonry ( -~610)", Den katolske kirke, November 28, 2015
/ref> He is the patron saint of the Irish diocese of Achonry whose cathedral is The Cathedral Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nathy.

Notes

Primary sources

*'' Félire Óengusso'' *''Lives'' of St Féchín of Fore *''Lives'' of St

Finnian of Clonard Finnian of Clonard ('Cluain Eraird') – also Finian, Fionán or Fionnán in Irish; or Finianus and Finanus in its Latinised form (470–549) – was one of the early Irish monastic saints, who founded Clonard Abbey in modern-day County Meath ...

**Irish ''Life'', ed. Whitley Stokes, ''Lives of the Saints from the Book of Lismore''. Oxford, 1890. Vol. 2. **Latin ''Life'' in the ''

Codex Salmanticensis The ''Codex Salmanticensis'' (Brussels, Royal Library 7672–4) is a medieval Irish manuscript containing an extensive collection of Irish saints' Lives, now in the Royal Library of Belgium in Brussels. It was culled by the compilers from various ...

'' (fols. 83r-86v), ed. J. De Smedt and C. De Backer, ''Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae ex codice Salmanticensi''. Edinburgh et al., 1888. Cols 189–210. **Latin ''Life'' in Bodleian, MS. Rawlinson B. 485 (fols. 54–8), and MS. Rawlinson B. 505 (fols. 156v-160v). Unpublished. *

, ''Vita S. Corbmaci, abbatis'' ("''Life'' of St Cormac, abbot"), ''Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae''. Louvain, 1645. 26 March. *''Life'' of St Attracht Christian saints in unknown century Canonizations by Pope Leo XIII Medieval saints of Connacht Christian clergy from County Sligo 6th-century Irish abbots Year of birth unknown {{Ireland-saint-stub