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
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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