Irish Saints

St. Tassach (Asicus) of Raholp, Bishop

Feastday: April 14

Died c. 495. Tassach was a disciple of Saint Patrick, who appointed him as the first bishop of Raholp, County Down, Ireland. He was a skilled artisan who made crosiers, patens, chalices, credences, shrines, and crosses for the many churches Patrick founded.

Tassach's rule is for ever memorable for the fact that he was selected by the national Apostle to be with him in his last moments and to administer the Holy Viaticum to him. This event is thus chronicled in "The Martyrology of Donegall"; "Tassach of Raholp gave the Body of Christ to Saint Patrick before his death in the monastery of Saul".

He is often confused with Saint Asicus of Elphin (f.d. April 27), who had the same skills and is said to have died the same year (Attwater2, Benedictines, D'Arcy, Delaney, Healy, Montague, O'Hanlon).

Troparion of St Tassach tone 5 O holy Hierarch Tassach,/ thou wast one of the first to follow Saint Patrick/ and didst administer the Holy Mysteries to him at the last./ Like Moses' disciples/ adorning the tabernacle/ thou wast a skilled artist and craftsman,/ and art now thyself an adornment of Christ's Church.

St. Tigernach of Clogher, Bishop

(Tigernake, Tierney, Tierry, Terry)

Feastday: April 4

Died 549. Abbot Saint Tigernach of Cluanois (Clones) Abbey in Monaghan succeeded Saint Macartan (f.d. March 26) as bishop of Clogher, Ireland. While the details of his life are unreliable because they were written from tradition centuries after his death, he is said to have had a tragic childhood and to have died blind. They say that he was the son of a famous general named Corbre and Dearfraych, the daughter of an Irish king named Eochod. He was baptized by Bishop Saint Conleth of Kildare (f.d. May 3) with Saint Brigid as his godmother. While still a youth, he was captured by pirates and taken to the British king, who placed him in the monastery of Rosnat. There he learned to serve God with his whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. When he returned to Ireland, he was reluctantly consecrated bishop, and, upon the death of Macartan in 506, took over that see (Attwater2, Benedictines, Encyclopaedia, Husenbeth).

Another life:

As Tighernach, or Tierney, lived in the sixth century and his Life was written some six hundred years later, it is difficult to sort out the history from the legends that have surrounded him. It seems that he was the illegitimate son of a princess of Clogher, by Corib, one of her father's nobles, and was given the name Tighernach, which means "chieftain". At his baptism St. Brigid is said to have been his godmother.

When still a child, Tighernach was kidnapped by raiders from Britain and adopted by a petty king, who put him to bed with his two sons, but his sanctity seems to have had a stifling affect on the boys and in the morning they were found dead. A holy man, St. Morwen, was called in and advised that the holy infant should be put between the two little princes, and this time his sanctity revived them. St. Morwen took Tighernach to his monastery, at a place called Rosnat. This was probably the famous Candida Casa at Whithorn, and the holy man none other than St. Ninian, although some think it was Menevia and St. David. However, in this monastery, Tighernach received his education.

The Life says that he visited Rome and Tours before returning to Ireland, where a prince named Fiachra gave him land in Munster, and he was made a bishop. He had a lot of visitors including Duach, the Bishop of Armagh, who was taken ill on his journey home but was cured by the saint. On this occasion Duach is reported to have said, "Tighernach on earth, Tighernach in heaven", presumably referring to our Lord's teaching that he that would be chief among His disciples must be servant of all.

Tighernach did much to induce a more civilized behaviour by warriors and to dissuade them from mutilating the dead and injured after a battle. He is also credited with many miracles. On the death of St. Maccarthan, he accepted the see of Clogher, and later founded another monastery at Clones, where he resided. For the last thirty years of his life he was blind, and spent most of his time in his cell, in prayer and meditation.

As his end approached, he appointed his beloved disciple Comgall to succeed him as abbot in his principal monastery and retired to die in the other. The date of his death is given as April 4th 550, and he is buried at Clones, where there is a carved High Cross, a round tower and the remains of the monastic church (Baring Gould, Fisher, Bowen, Flanagan, Neeson).

Troparion of St Tigernach Tone l O holy Tigernach, thou didst glorify God as Abbot of Clones/ before being called to the episcopate./ As once thou didst shepherd thy flock on earth so now, in company with the Angels in heaven,/ pray to Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.

St. Tola, Bishop

Feastday: March 30

Died c. 733. This Irish saint was the abbot-bishop of Disert Tola in Meath (Benedictines).

St. Trien (Trienan) of Killelga, Abbot Feastday March 21

5th century. Saint Trien, abbot of Killelga monastery, was one of Saint Patrick's disciples (Benedictines)

St. Trea of Ardtree, Hermitess

Feastday: August 3

5th century. After her conversion to Christianity by Saint Patrick (f.d. March 17), Saint Trea became a recluse at Ardtree in Derry,

Ireland (Benedictines).

Troparion of St Trea tone 3

Angels rejoiced in thy life of prayer, fasting and seclusion/ for the

love of Christ our Saviour, O holy Trea./ Aware of our worldliness and

lack of resolution,/ we turn to thee, O blessed one, beseeching thee to

intercede for us with Christ our God that He will grant us great mercy.

St. Trudpert (Trudbert) of Muenstethal, Abbot

Feastday: April 26

Died c. 644. An Irish pilgrim who, upon his return from Rome, began a solitary life in Muenstethal. Here (or at Neumagen) some day-labourers, paid by the local lord to clear an impossible terrain to establish a foundation for Trudpert, became irritated with their hard work, and killed him. Trudpert, therefore, is venerated as a martyr (Benedictines, Encyclopaedia).

St. Tuathal of Saint-Gall (Tutilo)

Feastday: March 28

When St. Gall, the companion of St. Columbanus, died in Switzerland in 640, a monastery was built over the place of his burial. This became the famous monastery of St. Gall, one of the most influential monasteries of the Middle Ages and the center of music, art, and learning throughout that period.

About the middle of the ninth century, returning from a visit to Rome, an Irishman named Moengul stopped off at the abbey and decided to stay, along with a number of Irish companions, among them Tuathal, or Tutilo. Moengul was given charge of the abbey schools and he became the teacher of Tutilo, Notker, and Radpert, who were distinguished for their reaming and their artistic skills. Tutilo, in particular, was a universal genius: musician, poet, painter, sculptor, builder, goldsmith, head of the monastic school, and composer.

He was part of the abbey at its greatest, and the influence of Gall spread throughout Europe. The Gregorian chant manuscripts from the monastery of St. Gall, many of them undoubtedly the work of St. Tutilo, are considered among the most authentic and were studied carefully when the monks of Solesmes were restoring the tradition of Gregorian chant to the Catholic Church. The scribes of St. Gall supplied most of the monasteries of Europe with manuscript books of Gregorian chant, all of them priceless works of the art of illumination. Proof of the Irish influence at St. Gall is a large collection of Irish manuscripts at the abbey dating from the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries.

Tutilo was known to be handsome, eloquent, and quick-witted, who brought something of the Irish love of learning and the arts to St. Gall. He died in 915 at the height of the abbey's influence, remembered as a great teacher, a dedicated monk, and a competent scholar.

St. Ultan of Ardbraccan, Bishop

Feastday: August 4^th

7th century. Ultan is a popular name among Irish saints; this one is

said to have been the first bishop of Ardbraccan (Meath), Ireland, and

apostle to the Desi of Meath. He had a special place in his heart for

children, especially orphans and foundlings for whom he provided for

founding a school, where he educated and fed them. He is also reported

to have collected the writings of Saint Brigid and wrote her vita. No

life of Saint Ultan has survived, but there is a long notice in the

Martyrology of Oengus and a poem praising him (Benedictines, Farmer,

Husenbeth).

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Through the prayers of St Ultan and of all the Saints of Ireland,

Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us!

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St. Vodalus (Vodoaldus, Voel), Hermit

Feastday: February 5

Died c. 725. Vodalus was an Irish or Scottish monk who crossed over to Gaul and settled near Saint Mary's monastery, which was governed by Saint Adalgard. Following a misunderstanding, Vodalus returned home, but was later divinely guided back to serve as a missionary. He died a recluse near Soissons (Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, D'Arcy).

St. Wigbert of Ireland, Preacher in Friesland

Feastday: April 12

Died 690. Anglo-Saxon Saint Wigbert became a disciple of the Irish Saint Egbert (f.d. April 24). After spending two years bringing the Gospel to Friesland, he returned to Ireland to die(Benedictines).

Information on this page was retrieved from the following sources

Sources:

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Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Delaney, J. J. (1983). Pocket Dictionary of Saints, NY: Doubleday Image.

Encyclopaedia of Catholic Saints, October. (1966). Philadelphia: Chilton Books.

Farmer, D. H. (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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