Saint Ailill the First (also called Ailill the Elder, Ailill I, Ailiell, Ailild, Ailid, Alild, Ailillus, Alellus, Alildus, Oilill, Oileal, Oileald, Olildus, Olild, Elias, Eulalius, Helias) born c. 460 – died 13 January 526, was the
Bishop of Armagh
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
from 513 to 13 January 526.
Genealogy and birth
St. Ailill was a member of the Úi Bressail, a clan from the south side of
Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh ( ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake in the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It has a surface area of and supplies 40% of Northern Ireland's water. Its main inflows come ...
. He was born in Drum Cád in the Barony of
Oneilland East,
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of an ...
, like his successor and kinsman
Ailill the Second.
[The Ancient List of the Coarbs of Patrick, by Rev. H. J. Lawlor and R. I. Best in PRIA, Vol. XXXV (1919), p. 319, No. 9.] He is sometimes confused with either or all of St. Ailill, Abbot of Moville; Ailill son of Trichem, St. Patrick's disciple &
Ailill the Second of Armagh.
Bishop of Armagh
On the death of Saint
Dubthach the First Dubthach is a masculine personal name in early Ireland. It may refer to:
* Dubthach Dóeltenga, a character in the Ulster Cycle, ally of Fergus
* Dubthach maccu Lugair, legendary Irish poet and lawyer in the time of St Patrick
* Dubthach the Fir ...
, the Bishop of Armagh, in 513, St. Ailill was appointed as the 8th Bishop in succession to
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints b ...
. Saint Ailill reigned as Bishop for 13 years.
Death
St. Ailill died 13 January 526. The Annals of Ireland give the following obits-
* Chronicon Scotorum 518- "''Ailill, Abbot of Ardmacha, slept''"
* Annals of Tigernach 520- "''Ailill abbot of Armagh''"
* Annals of Clonmacnoise 522- "''Aillill abbott of Ardmacha, dyed''"
* Annals from the Book of Leinster 523- "''Ailill, the first, abbot of Armagh''"
* Annals of the Four Masters 525- "''Ailill, Bishop of Armagh, who was of the Ui Breasail, died''"
* Annals of Ulster 526- "''Ailill of the Uí Bresail, bishop of Ard Macha, rested''"
Feast day
After his death St. Ailill was venerated as a saint and his feast was celebrated each 13 January, the day of his death. The Calendars of the Saints have the following entries-
* Martyrology of Gorman 13 January- "''Ailill, bishop of Ard Macha''"
* Martyrology of Tallaght 13 January- "''Ailill Epis''"
* Martyrology of Donegal 13 January- "''Ailell, Bishop, of Ard-Macha, A.D., 525''"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ailill the First
460s births
526 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Bishops of Armagh
6th-century Irish bishops