Scuithin

Scuithin
Old church ruins-Freynestown
Old church ruins at Freynestown, County Kilkenny
Born	6th century
Residence	Freynestown - County Kilkenny
Died	7th century
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	2 January
Patronage	Castlewarren County Kilkenny
Influences	St. David of Wales
Tradition/Genre	St. Scuithin monastery, Johnswell hills, County Kilkenny

St. Scuithin (fl. 6th/7th century) also known as Scolan, Scothin or Scuitin was a medieval Irish saint with strong Welsh connections. Sometime in the 6th century Scuthin left Ireland to pursue a life of cenobitic monasticism at Tyddewi^[1] in Wales founded by St. David, whom at a later date he is reported to have saved from poisoning.^[2]

According to the "Irish Ecclesiastical Record" ^[3] St. Scuithin, having attained advanced ascetic virtues, returned to Ireland c. 540 to live the life of a hermit monk, building himself an austere and isolated cell.^[4] This cell was located at Freynestown, on the Johnswell hills in the ancient barony of Slieve Margy,^[5] Kingdom of Ossory.^[6] This habitat would become known in Irish as tigh scuithin and evolve into Tiscoffin monastery as noted in the List of monastic houses in Ireland.

In the Irish language tigh scuithin means the house/abode of Scuithin. This has been anglicised as Tiscoffin and preserved as one of the Civil parishes in Ireland within the Kilkenny Barony of Gowran.^[7] The county Kilkenny town of Castlewarren in the Diocese of Ossory also preserves his name with the church of St. Scuithin. The townland of Freynestown is closely associated with St. Scuithin.^[8]

St. Scuithin of Bed-Yscolan

There exists an apparently significant historical reference to St. Scuithin in the ancient annals of Wales. The eminent Celtic scholar, William Forbes Skene, in the "Four Ancient Books of Wales," (Edinburgh, 1868) while reviewing poems in the “Black Book of Carmarthen” makes an intriguing reference to this saint. This involves a poem in which St. Scuithin, described as Yscolan, is confronted by the figure of Myrddin Wyllt, a legendary Welsh prophet considered to be the archetype for Merlin of Arthurian legend. A portion of the poem reads:

Black thy horse, black thy cope, black thy head, black thyself, Yes, black art thou, Yscolan.

I am Yscolan the scholar, slight is my clouded reason, there is no drowning the woe of him who offends a sovereign…. <ref name="Skene1868>William Forbes Skene (1868). The four ancient books of Wales [Black book of Carmarthen, Book of Haneirin, Book of Taliesin, Red book of Hergest] containing the Cymric poems attributed to the bards of the sixth century, by W.F. Skene. pp. 318–. </ref>

Skene further states….the same name occurs in the lives of St. David, when he is said to have met an Irish ecclesiastic called Scuthyn, at a place later called Bed-y-Scolan.

William Jenkins Rees ^[9] in his “Lives of the Cambro-British Saints," states: St. Scothin had also another name, that is Scolan and on a certain Easter Day and on the spot where he conversed with St. David, an oratory was erected which in after times was called Bed-y-Scolan, i.e., St. Scuithin's cell.^[10]

Asceticism of St. Scuithin

It is recorded that St. Scuithin led a life of austere self-discipline and on being quizzed by his contemporary - St. Brendan,^[11] how he was preserved from temptation, he responded that whenever he slept, two heavenly virgins, i.e., divine hope and charity, kept watch by his side to protect him from evil attack. He was so spiritualized by his constant penance, and so unconcerned with worldly attractions, that he is said to have been able to walk on water.

Legend states that once while performing this act on the waters between Ireland and Wales he met St. Finbar in his boat. St. Scuithin grasped a variegated flower - a scuitliin from the water and threw it to St. Finbarr^[12] saying: “See how, by the mercy of God, it is in a flowery meadow that we are journeying." To which St. Finbarr replied: “This is not a flowery meadow, but the sea;" and plunging his hand into the water, he caught a salmon which he tossed to St. Scuithin, saying: "See how richly it is supplied by God to minister to our wants."

The note in the Felire of St. Oengus adds, that it was on account of that variegated flower that our Saint received his name of Scuithin.^[13]

St. Scuithin of Slieve Margy & St.Gobban of OldLeighlin

The ancient habitat and personae of St. Scuithin is often confused with that of St.Gobban^[14] of Old Leighlin which is some seven kilometres distant. St.Gobban founded his monastery in the early 7th century: it would later evolve into St. Laserian's Cathedral, Old Leighlin, County Carlow. Unfortunately a lot of confusion exists regarding the various holy men named St. Goban.

The close proximity of these two ancient ecclesiastical sites, plus the passage of time, distortion of language and dialect has entwined and confused the true identities of these Saints of early Celtic Christianity. However despite the confusing composited nature of their history and location St. Scuithin and St. Goban were two distinct and different historical persons.

St. Scuithin in the Annals

Described in the "History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory." as:

Scothin, son of Setnae. son of Trebthach, son of Dal, son of Laidir (Cu-corb's charioteer), son of Imrossa Nith, son of Fertlachtga, son of Fergus mac Roig.^[15]

He is also entered January 2, in "The Martyrology of Donegal" as:

Sguithin of Tech-Sguithin, in Sliabh Mairge, in Leinster.^[16][17]

Two ancient manuscripts in the Bibliothèque Royale, Brussels preserves St. Scuithin's memory in poetry:

And on Scoithin of great Slieve Margy – known for his holy rigour.^[17]

References

v t e Saints of Ireland A–C Abbán Abel of Reims Abran Adalgis Adomnán Adomnán of Coldingham Aidan of Lindisfarne Ailbe of Emly Ailerán Alto of Altomünster Andrew the Scot Assicus Athracht Autbod Baithéne Balin Balther Barrfoin Bean Bécán Bega Benignus of Armagh Beoadh Beoc Berach Blaithmaic Boadin Boethian Brandan Breage Brendan Brendan of Birr Briarch Brigit of Kildare Brogan Bron Brónach Budoc Buriana Óengus of Tallaght Máedóc of Ferns Scuithin Gobhan Saints Portal Ireland Portal

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