Fintan of Clonenagh (c. 526 – 603) was an Irish

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

and

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

. He was an abbot and disciple of

Columba of Terryglass Columba of Terryglass (Colum) (died 13 December 552) was the son of Ninnidh, a descendant of Crinthainn, King of Leinster. Columba was a disciple of Finnian of Clonard, St. Finnian of Clonard. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. Life ...

Life

Fintan was born in about 526, the son of Christians Gabhren and Findlath. The monastery at Clonenagh was founded in the 6th century by Fintan of Clonenagh who entrusted it to his disciple Columba when Colum moved on to

Terryglass Terryglass () is a village in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the north-eastern shore of Lough Derg (Shannon), Lough Derg, near where the River Shannon enters the lough, on the R493 road. Terryglass is also a civil parish ...

around 548. Fintan received his religious formation under the Abbot Colum, and was deeply influenced by his penitential practices and the severity of his Rule. Under his direction Fintan developed a reputation for austerity."St. Fintan of Clonenagh", Catholic Ireland
/ref> Fintan gave his monks very strict rules not to consume any animal products. The community did not have even one cow and so they had neither milk nor butter. The monks complained they couldn’t do hard work on so meagre a diet. A deputation of local clergy headed by Canice of Aghaboe came to urge him to improve it. He agreed for his monks, but he elected to keep to the strict diet himself. Fintan was reported to have lived on only "bread of woody barley and clayey water of clay". His disciples included Colmán of Oughaval, and Comgall of Bangor."History of Bangor Abbey", Parish of Bangor Abbey
He has been compared by the Irish annalists to St. Benedict, and is styled "Father of the Irish Monks". Fintan of Clonenagh is regarded as one of three patron saints of

county Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

which include Colman Mac ua Laoise and Mochua of Timahoe. He died in 603. His feast day is 17 February. Though he is sometimes confused with Fintán or Munnu, abbot of

Taghmon Taghmon (; ) is a village in County Wexford, Ireland. It lies on the R738 regional road, west of Wexford town and east-southeast of New Ross. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. History It can be established, ...

, they are distinct.

St. Fintan's Tree, Clonenagh

This tree, an ''

acer pseudoplatanus ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of maple native to Central Europe and Western Asia. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tolerant of wind an ...

'', was planted in the late 18th or early 19th century at the site of the Early Christian monastic site of Clonenagh. The tree is dedicated to Saint Fintan and it became custom to insert coins into the tree from which the tree suffered and was believed to be dead until the tree started to recover with some new shoots. It was blown down in a storm in 1994."Clonenagh", Ask About Ireland
/ref>

Life

St. Fintan's Tree, Clonenagh

References

Further reading