Venerable Ninnidh ‘Laobh Dearc’, Abbot of Inishmacsaint

Inishmacsaint Monastery, County Fermanagh

Today on the new calendar in the Orthodox Church is the feast-day of Saint Ninnidh of Inishmacsaint, sometimes called Ninnidh ‘the One-Eyed’ to distinguish him from the Ninnidh who attended Saint Brigid on her deathbed. Saint Ninnidh is another of the great missionary saints of Ireland, and like Saint Breandán he often voyaged by coracle to be of service to armly folk and to preach the good news of Christ.

Saint Ninnidh was high-born, possibly the grandson of the Irish High King Lóegaire, but born among the Cenál Conaill in Tír Conaill around the turn of the sixth century. He had an interest in religious matters from a young age, and was thus duly given to be educated by Saint Fionnán of Clonard. There he became friends with Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Saint Laisrén of Devenish and Saint Máedóc of Ferns. He subsisted on the milk from Saint Ciarán’s dun cow, and upon the words of the Lord as they were spoken by Saint Fionnán.

Ninnidh took to the nautical life early. He preached the Gospel, as mentioned above, by coracle all around the southern end of Lough Erne, settling himself and a few monastic disciples on the isle of Inishmacsaint in 532. Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise would visit him at his new monastery two years later and give it his blessing. (The monastery at Inishmacsaint is now a craft brewery which claims to be following in the tradition of monastic brewers going back 900 years.) He went ashore frequently to visit the sick and give alms to the poor, and he established a church at Glenwinny. A number of toponyms nearby indicate the importance of Saint Ninnidh to this corner of Fermanagh: Knockninny, for example; and Ninnidh’s Well at Knockninny Quay, whose water is said to be able to cure blindness and diseases of the eyes. The well was apparently at one point also a scenic spot where local boatmen and their families would go for recreation. As one hagiographical account has it:

A route led from Inishmacsaint Island to Maherahar and Inishway; thence to Glenwinny where there was a small church; through Urros and Beagh along what was later to become the old coach road from Dublin to Ballyshannon through Magho. The route then turned to Ninnidh’s Hill above Roscor where a small church was established and then through Killybig to another little church at Kilcoo. This route was probably used by St. Ninnidh and the early Christians of the area during rough weather when it was dangerous to go by Lough Erne.

Saint Ninnidh was accustomed to going into Knockninny by coracle, and fasting in solitude on the hilltop there during the forty days of Great Lent. The first time he did this seems to have been the year 530. He was also given a precious bronze bell, cast by Senach the smith of Derrybrusk, which was in existence and written memory at least until 1877, when it vanished from an auctioned museum collection. This bell was a relic on which local people would swear solemn oaths as needed. The missionary saint reposed in the Lord on the eighteenth of January in an unknown year, probably sometime in the middle of the sixth century. Venerable Ninnidh, lake-faring witness to the love of Christ, pray for us sinners unto Him who loves mankind!