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    Commemoration or corruption? The feast-days of Abbán, Lommán, and Ailbe


    Ganly, Ellen (2020) Commemoration or corruption? The feast-days of Abbán, Lommán, and Ailbe. North American Journal of Celtic Studies, 4 (2). pp. 163-188. ISSN 2472-7482

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    Abstract

    A saint’s feast-day represents the date of his/her death. It is recorded under a calendar date in martyrologies and saints’ calendars. The meaning of a feastday is contradicted when a saint is given two feast-days in a martyrology. Why might a second feast-day be recorded for a saint? This article attempts to cast some light on the matter by examining Irish martyrological entries for three different saints: St. Abbán of Moyarney and Killabban, St. Lommán of Trim, and St. Ailbe of Emly, all believed to have lived at some point between the fifth to seventh centuries. The names of these three saints are commonly recorded under two separate calendar dates in most of the Irish martyrologies. This article will compare the different Irish martyrological sources in which their feast-days are recorded. It will also offer some consideration of other genealogical and hagiographical detail on the saints. This approach will demonstrate that the attestation of a second feast-day for each saint dates to a period no later than the eighth century. Lastly, this article argues that reasons for the attestation of a second feast-day can vary, depending on the individual cultural identities of each of the three saints.

    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: saints; feast day; martyrology; genealogy; hagiography; patronage;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > School of Celtic Studies > Early Irish (Sean Ghaeilge)
    Item ID: 14591
    Depositing User: Prof. David Stifter
    Date Deposited: 30 Jun 2021 11:45
    Journal or Publication Title: North American Journal of Celtic Studies
    Publisher: The Ohio State University Press
    Refereed: Yes
    URI:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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