Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Carthach (d.636)
CARTHACH, Saint, the younger (d. 636) called also Mochuda, the founder of the famous monastery at Rahen, and bishop of Lismore, was the son of Finnall (Annals Four Masters, sub an. 631). According to his legendary life, which, however, seems to have preserved much that is historical, he was born in Kerry, of the race of Fergus, ‘qui fuit fortissimus heros Ultorum,’ but had been driven from his native place by Oidell, king of Connaught. His father's name, according to this account, was Fingen of Kerry, his mother's, Mead, ‘de gente Corcoduidne’ (? Corcaguiny in Kerry). Fingen, swineherd on the Mainne, a man of some position under the king or ‘duke’ of Kerry, employed his young son; and while serving in this capacity the boy found favour with the king, Moeltule, and his wife, who was granddaughter to the king of Munster. His time was now divided between court service and pasturage, till one day, being ravished by the chanting of his namesake, Carthach the elder, he insisted on forsaking his worldly employment for that of God. It was in vain that Moeltule called the young enthusiast into his presence and made him offer of sword and shield and kingly robes if he would only undertake his father's duties and position. After having received the priesthood, Carthach was once more brought before the king, whom he blessed, and to whose descendants he promised long rule in Kerry, ‘all which things,’ says his biographer (Vita, ii. 379), ‘are being fulfilled according to that prophecy.’ From his cell in Kell-Tulach, ‘between the Mainne and Mount Mysis,’ Carthach set out for North Ireland, the home of his race, and spent a year with Comgall at his great monastery of Bangor (in co. Down), on leaving which place he acted as bishop in Kerry. Later on, passing through the southern parts of Leinster, he came to Clonfert, where he dismissed all his companions and proceeded on his journey alone, having on his shoulders two lethæ full of books. By the advice of St. Colman-Ela he constructed himself a cell at Raithin—now Rahen in King's County—somewhere about A.D. 590. This expanded into the great Irish monastery over which he ruled for forty years, and whither disciples—to the number of 867—flocked from all parts of Ireland and Britain. His rule appears to have been very strict, and we are told in his life that he forbade his monks to use cattle in their agricultural works till, at the request of St. Fintan, he relaxed the severity of this order. Carthach appears to have retained the bishopric of Kerry (Vita, ii. c. iii. 24, with which cf. 14), returning at times to his home at Rahen, where we read that he was visited by St. Columba. Great possessions were heaped upon the saint by Cathal, king of Munster (d. 620). Meanwhile, Rahen was growing in fame as an ecclesiastical school, and among the crowd of Carthach's scholars twelve names stood out with special prominence—‘the twelve disciples of Mochuda.’ Of these the most important are Mochemog, Ædan, and Mochua or Cronan.
After forty years of quiet, Carthach was driven from Rahen with his company of monks about the year 631 (A. F. M., but cf. Chr. Scot. &c. for a slightly different date). The causes of this movement are hard to fathom, but it seems that the jealousy of a certain section of the clergy in Meath urged Blaithmac and Diarmit, the sons of Ædh Slane, to expel the whole community. Carthach now commenced a wandering life. From Rahen he passed to Fircall (in King's County), and from Fircall to Roscrea in Tipperary, where his former pupil, St. Cronan, entertained him. Thence he journeyed southwards to King Failbhe Flann at Cashel (633, A. F. M.), from which place he traversed the district of Decies in Waterford as far as Lismore, where Failbhe's son-in-law, Melochtrig, gave him a site for a new monastery (c. 632). Here Carthach seems to have dwelt for a few years, till at last, as age drew on, he retired to a neighbouring retreat to the east of his chief foundation, and here lived for eighteen months. At last, feeling that death was upon him, and pitying the older members of his flock whose weak limbs could hardly bear the toils of a journey to his secluded cell, he gave orders to be carried from the valley to a place of easier access. On the way he grew weaker, and called to his bearers to set him down in the valley. There he received the communion, gave his last injunctions to his brethren, and so died ‘by the fountain where the cross of migration (crux migrationis) has been erected’ (14 May 636; but cf. Tighernac, 637, and Chr. Scot. 636). Of Carthach's writings none seem to be extant now, excepting perhaps the rule for his monastery of Rahen, which Ussher saw ‘in codice antiquiore … Hibernico sermone antiquissimo exarato’ (Antiq. p. 476). A long poem, ascribed to this saint, is still preserved in the library of Trinity College, Dublin (MS. H. ii. 16; Reeves, Culdees, p. 8; with which cf. O'Curry's Lectures on Manuscript Materials for Irish History for an account of a verse ‘Rule’ ascribed to Carthach, pp. 374–5). Carthach is more generally known by the name of Mochuda, his real name having probably been Chuda ( = Cuddy), to which the endearing prefix ‘mo’ ( = my) has been added, as in the case of so many other Irish saints (Lanigan, pp. 350–1).
[Carthach's name seems to occur first in the so-called Catalogue of Tirechan, seventh and eighth century (Haddan and Stubbs, ii. part 2), the Stowe Missal, of perhaps the ninth century (Warren's Liturgy of the Celtic Church, p. 238), and the Martyrology of Œngus the Culdee (ed. Stokes), tenth century. His name is also to be found on the same day (14 May), according to the Bollandist editor, in the Tamlacht and other early Irish Martyrologies. Two ancient lives are printed in the Bollandist Acta SS., one from a MS. Salmanticense at Brussels, the other from an ancient Irish manuscript, which seems, if we may judge from Dr. Reeves's description of the latter, to correspond with that contained in ff. 94–100 of the so-called Codex Kilkenniensis (or Codex Armachanus) in Primate Marsh's library at Dublin. Of these two lives the second, which is by far the longer, appears to contain the larger amount of historical details, though mixed with much fable. It is noteworthy that the name of St. Carthach the younger does not seem to occur in the lives of any of the contemporary saints of Ireland.]