Manchán of Min Droichit (
a.k.a. Manchéne, Manchianus died c. 652) was an Irish scholar and
Abbot.
Biography
ManchánLatin: 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]
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.
Death
The death of Manchán falls between 648 and 652 according to the
Irish Annals-
Annals of UlsterLatin: "A.D. 651, Dormitatio Maencha in Abbatis Menodrochit. Imarie Cuile coire, in qua cecidit Culene ac Forindain, Maeldeich et Onchu victores erant.[6]
Carrigan, William (1905).
The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory(PDF). Internet Archive is non-profit library of millions of free books, and more.: Dublin : Sealy, Bryers & Walker. p. 334. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
Bambury, Pádraig; Beechinor, Stephen (2000).
"The Annals of Ulster" (Electronic edition compiled by the CELT Team (2000) ed.). CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork College Road, Cork, Ireland—
http://www.ucc.ie/celt. pp. U536.3, U539.1, U545.1.
Mac Niocaill, Gearóid (2010).
The Annals of Tigernach. CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.: Dublin : Printed for the Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society by A. Thom. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
Further reading
Breen, Aidan (1984). "Some seventh-century Hiberno-Latin texts and their relationships". Peritia. 3: 204–214.
doi:
10.1484/J.Peri.3.64.
McNally, E., ed. (1973). Scriptores Hiberniae Minores. Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 108 B. Edition of the Irish commentary on the Catholic Epistles.
Pseudo-Augustine, De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae, ed. J. P. Migne, Patrologia Latina 35: 2149–200 (2152 and 2176).