Cellach of Killala (
fl.
''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
mid-6th century) is supposed to be an early
Bishop of Killala, in Ireland.
Cellach appears among the saints of the
Uí Fiachrach
The Uí Fiachrach () were a royal dynasty who originated in, and whose descendants later ruled, the ''coicead'' or ''fifth'' of Connacht (a western province of Ireland) at different times from the mid-first millennium onwards. They claimed descen ...
in ''Genealogiae Regum et Sanctorum Hiberniae'', where Walsh suggests he may have been the ''Cellan Ua Fiachrach'' who appears under 1 May. It is not certain if he ever existed, as the only source, ''Betha Chellaig'', is a much later
pseudo
Pseudo- (from , ) is a prefix used in a number of languages, often to mark something as a fake or insincere version.
In English, the prefix is used on both nouns and adjectives. It can be considered a privative prefix specifically denoting '' ...
-historical account found in
Leabhar Breac.
The account states he was the eldest son of
Eogan Bel, King of Connacht, was taught by
Ciarán of Clonmacnoise
Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise (c. 516 – c. 549), supposedly born Ciarán mac an tSaeir ("son of the carpenter"), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and the first abbot of Clonmacnoise. He is sometimes called Ciarán the Youn ...
. Ciarán made him a monk, and Cellach stayed with him until Eogan Bel was killed in the battle of Slicech (
Sligo
Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...
) against the northern
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill (; meaning "descendants of Niall") are Irish dynasties that claim descent from Niall Noígíallach (Niall of the Nine Hostages), a historical King of Tara who is believed to have died around c. 405. They are generally divided ...
, dated at 543, 546 or 547. He succeeded his father but under a curse from Ciarán, who foretold a dire fate.
Cellach was eventually ousted and returned to Ciarán, with whom he remained until elevated to bishop of Killala in the reign of
Tuathal Maelgarb. He later fled to a hermitage on
Lough Conn,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
. He was said to have been murdered by
Guaire Aidhne, who had him killed by four of his students who dumped his body in a hollow tree. Cellach's brother, Muiredach, is said to have avenged his death, and the four murderers buried under the
Dolmen of the Four Maols, outside Ballina.
The account has many chronological discrepancies.
References
*
* ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', pp. 446–47, Cambridge, 2010.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cellach of Killala
6th-century Irish bishops
Bishops of Killala