Modan

ON ST. MODAN, PERHAPS A BISHOP,

IN ULSTER OF IRELAND.

Perhaps in the sixth or seventh century.

Modan, perhaps bishop, in Ulster, a province of Ireland (St.)

J. P.

In Colgan's Acts of the Saints of Ireland, on the IV day of February, page 253, this is found: Now there are mentioned in our Irish Festilogies two men of this name of outstanding sanctity: We give this Saint one abbot of Kill-Modain and bishop of Carnfurbhuidbe in Connaught; the other bishop of Aregal-Muodain in Ulster. The former Modan flourished in the year DLXI, and according to the same Festilogies his birthday is celebrated on the VI day of March; the latter's on the XXX of August. And although the date of the year DXXII (which on page 252, on whatever authority of Camerarius, he had assigned to a St. Modan of the same name, who according to the same Camerarius is said to have been abbot of Dryburgh) and the dignity of abbot seem to fit St. Modan of Kill-Muodin: yet since I see, he says, that the birthdays of each are different, I have no ground for asserting that either he or St. Modan of Airegal is to be confounded with the present one — that is, with him of whom in the same place, on the authority of the said Camerarius, he treats expressly. There may also be consulted in Colgan the notes on page 253, in which the same Festilogies are cited for the bishop of Airegal-Muadain, whom on his authority we give on this XXX day of August. And this is added in the same notes: So Marianus Gorman on the same day: "Muodanus," he says, "bishop of Airegal-Muadhein." The same is handed down on the same day by Cathaldus [] Maguire, the Martyrology of Tallaght, and that of Donegal; but Tallaght and Maguire do not call him bishop.*

[2] from the Martyrologies cited by Colgan. For the rest, the Modan given by Colgan on the IV of February is found among us with the title of abbot in Scotland, as may be seen on the same day, page 497. Concerning Muadan or Modan, abbot of Kill-Modain and bishop of Carnfurbaidhe, as Colgan would have it above, consult the Passed Over among us on the VI day of March, where we also indicated that we are not certain of his sanctity. Today's Modan I have judged should be inserted into our Work, even though he is otherwise unknown to me, on account of the sacred Calendars indicated by Colgan: of whose age the same hagiographer writes in the first volume which he published of the Acts of the Saints of Ireland, on the 1st day of that month, pages 4 and 5. I have placed him — or rather left him as placed by Colgan — in Ulster, which is a province of Ireland to the north. The title of bishop, which Marianus Gorman and the Martyrology of Donegal attribute to him, as Colgan indicated, but which those of Tallaght and Maguire do not have, I have set above upon today's St. Modan as doubtful. But since I have sought in vain for the time of his death, and see the Modan of the same name attached above by Colgan to the sixth century, today's Saint perhaps lived in the same century or the next following.

. Perhaps Carolus*.