Ernan
Encyclopedia
Ernan is the name of four Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 saints.

St. Ernan, Son of Eogan

Ernan, Son of Eogan, died around 640. Mentioned in the Martyrology of Tallaght
Martyrology of Tallaght
The Martyrology of Tallaght, which is closely related to the Félire Oengusso or Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee, is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/or Óengus the Culdee at Tallaght Monastery, near Dublin...

on 1 January, he was a nephew of St. Columba. He is thus confused with Ernan of Hinba, an uncle of St. Columba.

His monastery in Ireland was at Druim-Tomma in the district of Drumhome, County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...

. He is venerated as the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

 of Killernan, though he may not have visited Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and also as patron of the parish of Drumhome, where a school has been dedicated to him. Kilviceuen ("church of the son of Eogan") in Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....

, and of Kilearnadale in Jura
Jura, Scotland
Jura is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. Part of the island is designated as a National Scenic Area. Until the twentieth century Jura was dominated - and most of it was eventually owned - by the Campbell clan of Inveraray Castle on Loch...

, may have been dedicated in his honor. In the Scottish Kalendars, his commemoration is assigned to 21 and 22 December.

St. Ernan, Abbot of Hinba (Ernan of Hinba)

Ernan, Abbot of Hinba lived in the sixth century. An uncle of St. Columba, Ernan was one of the twelve who accompanied Columba from Ireland to Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...

. He was appointed head of the community which Columba had established on the island of "Hinba" -which may have been Canna
Canna, Scotland
Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles archipelago, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It is linked to the neighbouring island of Sanday by a road and sandbanks at low tide. The island is long and wide...

, about four miles northwest of Rùm
Rùm
Rùm , a Scottish Gaelic name often anglicised to Rum) is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber, Scotland...

, but it may also have been Jura or Eileach an Naoimh
Eileach an Naoimh
Eileach an Naoimh, also known as Holy Isle, is an uninhabited island in the Inner Hebrides of the west coast of Scotland. It is the southernmost of the Garvellachs archipelago and lies in Firth of Lorne between Mull and Argyll. The name is Gaelic for "rocky place of the saint".About 542, St...

, one of the Garvellachs
Garvellachs
The Garvellachs or Isles of the Sea form a small archipelago in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Part of the Argyll and Bute council area, they lie west of Lunga and northwest of Scarba and have been uninhabited since World War II.The islands include Garbh Eileach, Dùn Channuill and Eileach an...

, between Scarba
Scarba
Scarba is a small island, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, just north of the much larger island of Jura. The island is owned by Richard Hill, 7th Baron Sandys and has not been permanently inhabited since the 1960s. It is now covered in heather and used for grazing animals...

 and Mull. St Ernan's Kirk, Aridhglas
Aridhglas
Aridhglas is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland....

, Isle of Mull
Isle of Mull
The Isle of Mull or simply Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute....

, is dedicated to him.

St. Ernan of Cluvain-Deoghra

St. Ernan of Cluvain-Deoghra lived in the sixth or seventh century. Cluvain-Deoghra may have been in Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

 or in County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...

. His feast day falls on 11 January in the Martyrology of Tallagh.

St. Ernan of Torach

Ernan of Torach died on August 17, ~650. He is considered by some scholars one of the disciples of St. Columba. Columba had founded a church and monastery on the island of Torach or Tory, off the northwest coast of Donegal. He may have accompanied Columba initially to Torach. He was chosen to be its abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

. He has been identified with Ernan of Cluvain-Deoghra, perhaps erroneously. Of him, the Catholic Encyclopedia
Catholic Encyclopedia
The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...

states: "It has been conjectured that this Ernan is identical with the Ernan whose name appears in the epistle of John, the pope-elect
Pope John IV
Pope John IV was elected Pope of the Catholic Church, after a four-month sede vacante, December 24, 640.Pope John was a native of Dalmatia . He was the son of the scholasticus Venantius. At the time of his election he was archdeacon of the Roman Church, an important role in governing the see...

, to the prelates of North Ireland in 640. If this be so, he must have been a person of some importance."http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05523a.htm

External links

  • Ernan at the Catholic Encyclopedia
    Catholic Encyclopedia
    The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK