Manchán of Min Droichit

Manchán Latin: Maencha was an Irish scholar and abbot of Irish: Min Droichit, Meanadroichit, now Mondrehid, in the barony of Upper Ossory, County Offaly. His name is also attached to Dissert Gallen, Co. Laois.^[1]

Manchán twice makes his appearance in Latin sources as a scholar whose authority still mattered after his death. First, he is probably the Manchianus, called pater and sapiens, who is named by an anonymous Irishman in his preface to the De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae ('On the miraculous things in sacred scripture'), written in 655 and so shortly after Manchán's death.^[1]^[2] The author, who uses the nom de plume Augustine and is for this reason known today as the Irish Pseudo-Augustine, appears to have been a pupil of Manchán as well as of one Eusebius.^[2]

Second, Manchán may be the 'M., doctor noster' who is cited in a Hiberno-Latin commentary on the Catholic Epistles for his exegetical views on the Epistle of James. This anonymous work is uniquely preserved in a manuscript now held at Karlsruhe (Germany), but once in the possession of Reichenau Abbey. The glosses also cite a number of 7th-century Irish scholars, including Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig, Breccanus, Banbán and Bercanus mac Áed, who are known to have been associated with Cumméne Fota (Cummianus).^[1]^[2]

He is probably the Manchan referenced as "Patronus de Coolcasheen, S. Manihinns, Conf.. 2 Jau." in the diocese of Ossory, now St. Munchin's Church, who is claimed to be son of Moenacli, according to the 'Book of Lenister'.^[3] The Manchín feast day commemorated on 2 January in Irish martyrologies probably identifies him,^[1] with this feast day shared by the likely identical Manchan of Coolcashin,^[3] and the contemporary Mainchín of Luimnech, whose festival is otherwise recorded on 29 December.

Manchán of Min Droichit

Biography

Death

See also

Notes

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Further reading

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