Iarlaithe mac Loga (; ''fl.'' 6th century), also known as Jarlath, was an Irish priest and scholar from

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

, remembered as the founder of the monastic

School of Tuam The School of Tuam was founded by Jarlath. During the eleventh century, it rivaled Clonmacnoise as the centre of Celtic art. It was founded when Brendan told Jarlath to go eastward from Cluainfois (now Cloonfush) and where his wheel of hi ...

and of the Archdiocese of Tuam, of which he is the patron saint. No medieval biography of Jarlath is extant, but sources for his life and cult include genealogies, martyrologies, the Irish ''Lives of St Brendan of Clonfert'', and a biography compiled by John Colgan in the 17th century.

Background

The Irish genealogies record the existence of two saints named Jarlath: Jarlath son of Lugh (''Iarlaithe m. Loga''), founder of Tuam, and Jarlath son of Trian (''Iarlaithe m. Trena''), bishop of Armagh.Mac Giolla Easpaig, ''Early Ecclesiastical Settlement Names of County Galway'' (1996), pp. 802–03. Jarlath of Tuam is said to have belonged to the Conmhaícne, who ruled over the greater part of what would become the parish of Tuam. The other saint is said to have belonged to the

Dál Fiatach Dál Fiatach was a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic dynastic-grouping and the name of their territory in the north-east of Ireland, which lasted throughout the Middle Ages until their demise in the 13th century at the hands of Normans in Ireland, Normans ...

in east

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

. He is identified as the third Bishop of Armagh, that is after Patrick's heir Benignus and the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' () are annals of History of Ireland, medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luin� ...

'' and '' Innisfallen'' record his death in the year 481. In the two Irish ''Lives'' of Brendan, possibly of the 12th century, Jarlath is called a son of Lug, son of Trén, son of Fiacc, son of Mochta, and the First ''Life'' in the Book of Lismore continues the pedigree by calling Mochta a son of Bresal, son of Siracht, son of Fiacha the Fair.First Irish ''Life'' of St Brendan, ed. and tr. Stokes, ''Lives of saints'', pp. 105–06, 251.Second Irish ''Life'' of St Brendan, ed. and tr. Plummer, ''Bethada náem nÉrenn'', vol. 1: 47–8, vol 2: pp. 47–8 (ix §§ 21–2). Both ''Lives'' substitute Imchada for Mochta and on this basis, Séamus Mac Mathúna argues that they go back to an original which conflates the genealogy of Iarlaithe mac Loga with that of his namesake in Armagh.Mac Mathúna, ''The Irish Life of Saint Brendan'', p. 134 note 40. Dónall Mac Giolla Easpaig suggests that the saints could refer to one and the same person:

..both are given as the third bishop of
Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
..placename evidence from the Tuam area would tend to corroborate
his His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, ...
view ..the evidence suggests that there was a strong Patrician and, consequently, a strong Armagh influence in the Tuam area from the earliest
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
period ..the fact that Iarlaithe was a bishop like Benignus of Kilbennan and Felartus of Donaghpatrick, would further indicate that Tuam ..would have predated Brendan of Clonfert by almost a century.

Brendan's Irish ''Lives''

Jarlath appears briefly as a prominent figure in the medieval Irish ''Lives'' of Brendan of Clonfert.Charles-Edwards, "Connacht, saints of (act. ''c''.400–''c''.800)." Brendan is said to have visited Connacht to study under the famous Jarlath. One day, when Jarlath was in his old age, Brendan advised his mentor to leave the school and to depart in a newly built chariot until its two hind shafts broke, because there would be the place of his resurrection (''esséirge'') and that of many after him. Because Jarlath acknowledged the divinity and superior wisdom of his pupil, saying "take me into thy service for ever and ever", he gladly accepted his advice. His travel did not take him very far, as the shafts broke at ''Tuaim da Ghualann'' ("Mound of two shoulders"), that is, at Tuam. Jarlath died, "full of days", on 26 December, circa 540, aged about 90 years old. In attributing a leading role to St Brendan in the foundation of Tuam, the ''Lives'' suggest that the see of Tuam was united with but subordinate to that of Annaghdown.Mac Mathúna. ''The Irish Life of Saint Brendan'', pp. 157–58. Tuam achieved the status of the principal see of Connacht only in 1152 at the

Synod of Kells-Mellifont The Synod of Kells (, ) took place in 1152, under the presidency of Giovanni Cardinal Paparoni, and continued the process begun at the Synod of Ráth Breasail (1111) of reforming the Irish church. The sessions were divided between the abbeys o ...

, while Annaghdown became an independent diocesan seat at the Synod of Dublin in 1192. In this light, the assertion in the ''Lives'' has been read as reflecting circumstances in the 12th century.

Foundation of Tuam

John Colgan drew up a memoir of the saint in his '' Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae'' (1645). Jarlath is said to have studied under St Benignus at Kilbennen, disciple of St Patrick. Afterwards, he founded his first monastery at Cluainfois ( Cloonfush), near

Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...

, while his principal seat came to be at Tuam. His monastic school is said to have attracted scholars from all parts of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, including such students as Brendan of

Ardfert Ardfert () is a village and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Kerry, Ireland. Historically a religious centre, the economy of the locality is driven by agriculture and its position as a dormitory town, being only from Tralee. T ...

and Colman of

Cloyne Cloyne () is a small town located to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic dioce ...

. On the significance of the place-name Tuam, Dónall Mac Giolla Easpaig posits:

" e first element in the placename ''Tuaim Dá Ualann/Ghualann'' referred to a
pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
burial-ground similar to that designated by the second element of ''Cluain Fearta'' (see
Clonfert Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert (Roman Catholic), Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedr ...
). If so Tuam offers another example of an early church being built on or near a pre-Christian sacred site."

Despite his fame, Jarlath left Cloonfush to study under Enda of Aran around 495. Originally in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1910). Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company. In the 520s, he retired to Tuam. He chose Tuam because the wheel of his chariot broke there. Jarlath is included in the second order of Irish saints, which implies that he must have lived prior to the year 540. A poem ascribed to Cuimmín of Coindeire, which is also cited in Ó Cléirigh's ''

Martyrology of Donegal A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

'', states that Jarlath was known for his generosity and devotion to prayer ("three hundred genuflexions every night, and three hundred genuflexions every day").''Martyrology of Donegal'', ed. Todd and Reeves, pp. 348-49 (26 December). In the ''Martyrology of Donegal'', he is credited with having predicted the names of his successors, including those of three 'heretical' bishops and one Máel. Similarly, his

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...

in the ''"Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church"'' records that as a result of his great

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

and devotion to prayer he was granted the gift of prophecy.

Feast-day

Saint Jarlath's feast day is 6 June, which is the date of the

translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...

of his

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s to a church specially built in his honour next to the Cathedral of Tuam. His remains were encased in a silver shrine, from which the 13th-century church gained the name ''Teampul na scrín'', that is the "church of the shrine", a perpetual vicarage united to the

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

of Kilmainemore in 1415. In a note added to the '' Félire Óengusso'' and in other martyrologies, Jarlath's feast-day was recorded as 25 or 26 December.

Jarlath in the 21st century

The first St Jarlath's Festival in Tuam, organised by the Energise Tuam community group, was organised for Saturday 7 June 2008. This included a pageant/parade from Tuam Cathedral through the streets of the town, a school's art competition to raise awareness of the saint and local cultural heritage, and street entertainment. St Jarlath's broken wheel is a heraldic symbol of Tuam, and is included on the crest of many local organisations, including Tuam Town Council. St Jarlath Road, a residential street in Cabra in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

7 is named in his honour.

Parishes named after St Jarlath

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

: Yarragon, Australia : Jos,

Plateau State Plateau is a northern states of Nigeria, Nigerian state. It is located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Th ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

:The church of St Jarlath in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

was demolished in 1969. https://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2013/01/heavens-to-purgatory-imploding-churches.html>

References

Primary sources

* *''Martyrology of Donegal'', ed. J.H. Todd and W. Reeves, ''The Martyrology of Donegal, a calendar of the saints of Ireland''. Dublin, 1864. p. 348–9 (26 December)*Poem ascribed to Cuimmín, ed. and tr. Whitley Stokes, "Cuimmín's poem on the saints of Ireland." ZCP 1 (1897). pp. 59–73. * Colgan, John. '' Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae''. Leuven, 1645. 308–10. *The First Irish ''Life'' of St Brendan **ed. and tr. Whitley Stokes, ''Lives of Saints from the Book of Lismore''. Anecdota Oxoniensia, Mediaeval and Modern Series 5. Oxford, 1890. pp. 99–116, 247–61. Based on the Book of Lismore copy. **ed. and tr. Denis O’Donoghue, ''Brendaniana. St Brendan the Voyager in Story and Legend''. Dublin, 1893. Partial edition and translation, based on the Book of Lismore as well as copies in Paris BNF celtique et basque 1 and BL Egerton 91. *The Second Irish ''Life'' of St Brendan (conflated with the ''Navigatio''). Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique 4190–4200 (transcript by

Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Mícheál Ó Cléirigh (), sometimes known as Michael O'Clery, was an Irish chronicler, scribe and antiquary and chief author of the ''Annals of the Four Masters'', assisted by Cú Choigcríche ÓCléirigh, Fearfeasa ÓMaol Chonaire, and Pe ...

) **ed. and tr. Charles Plummer, ''Bethada náem nÉrenn. Lives of the Irish saints''. Oxford: Clarendon, 1922. Vol. 1. pp. 44–95; vol 2. *Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church:
Ὁ Ἅγιος Ζαρλάθιος Ἐπίσκοπος Τούαμ Ἰρλανδίας
'' 6 Ιουνίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

Secondary sources

* *Charles-Edwards, T.M. (2007).
Connacht, saints of (act. ''c''.400–''c''.800)
, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press, Sept 2004: January 2007; accessed 14 December 2008. * Mac Giolla Easpaig, Dónall (1996). "Early Ecclesiastical Settlement Names of County Galway", ''Galway: History and Society. Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish county'', ed. Gerard Moran. Dublin: Geography Publications. pp. 795–815. *Mac Mathúna, Séamus (2006). "The Irish Life of Saint Brendan: Textual History, Structure and Date", ''The Brendan Legend. Texts and versions'', ed. Glyn Burgess and Clara Strijbosch. Leiden, Boston: Brill, pp. 117–58.

External links

* ''Archive of'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Loca, Iarlaithe mac 445 births 540 deaths 5th-century Irish Christian clergy 6th-century Irish Christian clergy 6th-century Christian saints Medieval saints of Connacht People from County Galway Prophets in Christianity Religion in Tuam Roman Catholic monks People of Conmaicne Cuile Toladh