Icon of St Finian

[Robert Hegwood]

I'm looking for an icon of St. Finian of Clonard. I've seen icons of his disciples i.e. Sts. Columbcille, Brendan, Kenneth, etc., but none of him. The best I can find is an online image is that of some stained glass windows and a statue. Perhaps someone knows of an obscure image of him not yet posted or tucked away in a dark cranny of cyberspace.

Thanks

[Olga]

Here he is, though, sadly, the image is blurred ....

http://ocafs.oca.org/GetImageActual.asp?IP=february/0217finanlindisfarne.jpg

He should also be featured in the icon "All Saints of Britain and Ireland", available here:

http://www.sgois.co.uk/40p.html

[Robert Hegwood]

Dear Olga,

Thanks for trying, but the image you provided is St. Finian of Lindisfarne, not St. Finian of Clonard. St. Finian of Linisfarne lived about a century after St. Finian of Clonard.

[Michael Astley]

I can't help either, Robert, but it may be worth contacting Father Deacon Andrew at the SGOIS. He may know where you may get one or may even try to stock them himself if you ask nicely. :-)

Pax,
Michael

[Olga]

My apologies, Robert. Not enough coffee. This is only a small black-and-white scan, from the 2003 St Herman Calendar, which featured as its theme "saints of Ireland". I don't have a provenance for this icon, though it looks to be of a similar style to other icons painted by a Fr Deacon Paul Hommes, formerly of Maastricht, the Netherlands, now at the Joy of all who Sorrow monastery in Diksmuide, Belgium:


http://www.monachos.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=128&pictureid=1061

Here is the accompanying passage from the calendar:


ST FINIAN OF CLONARD
December 12 (+549)


St Finian, known as the "Tutor of the Saints of Ireland", stands with St Enda of Aran at the head of the patriarchs of Irish monasticism. He showed great zeal and piety for God from his youth. He had already founded three churches before he set off for Wales to study at the feet of St Cadoc at Llancarfan (Sept. 25, +577).


In Llancarfan, he became close friends with St Gildas (Jan. 29, +c. 570), another of St Cadoc's disciples. Upon his return to Ireland, he founded the great monastery of Clonard during the very same year the great St Enda (Mar. 21, +530) reposed in Aran.


A multitude of illustrious and holy men studied under St Finian, including the famous "Twelve Apostles of Ireland". St Finian founded many other monasteries during his lifetime, including the famous island monastery of Skellig Michael off the southwestern coast of Ireland.


Hope this helps.

[Andreas Moran]

Now, pay attention, everyone. Yes, that includes you, Robert! Don't do that, Michael.
Alright. Now, there we're going to learn how to spell correctly the names of some saints who lived a very long time ago in Britain. The first is St Finan. This is spelt, F-I-N-A-N. There were FOUR saints called Finan but the one we all know about was the one who succeeded St Aidan as bishop of Lindisfarne in the middle of the seventh century. The second is called St Finnian. This is spelt, F-I-N-N-I-A-N. There were two saints called this but the more famous one is St Finnian of Clonard. For homework, see if you can find a picture of an icon of St Finnian.

[Amy]

Andreas,

Which is the saint that battled with St. Columcille over the copying of a book?

[Robert Hegwood]

Andreas,

Which is the saint that battled with St. Columcille over the copying of a book?

Dear Amy,

That would have been his teacher, St. Finnian.

Dear Andreas,

I've seen several variations of the spelling of his name, including the Irish, the two most common Anglicizations being Finnian and Finian. Regardless of how it's spelled...I can't seem to find an image. There also seems to be some disagreement as to whether St. Finan and St. Finian/Finnian of Clonard are the same person.

Dear Olga,

I don't see a scan attached to your message black and white or otherwise.

[Andreas Moran]

This is the story that when Columcille/Colm Cille (Ir. 'dove of the Church') or Columba (Latinised form of his name) was studying under St Finnian of Moville, Columcille was so taken by the psalter St Finnian had (the book was called the Cathach ('battler') because it was carried into battle) that he made a copy for himself. St Finnian claimed the copy; Columcille refused to hand it over. St Finnian appealed to the High King Diarmaid who ruled in favour of St Finnian, saying, 'to every cow its calf, to every book its copy'. The outraged Columcille provoked war between his clan and the High King. For all this, Columcille was exiled to Iona. One can only assume that Columcille became more dovelike after his exile.

[Andreas Moran]

Dear Robert,

I can't find an icon of St Finnian anywhere, and if Olga can't no one can. 'Finan' is the spelling of that saint's name in Bede and the Oxford Book of Saints. So also with Finnian. I've seen 'Finian' but I think 'Finnian' is to be preferred particulaury since it is close to his Latin name. There were two Finnians: of Clonard and of Moville.

[Anthony]

Now, pay attention, everyone. Yes, that includes you, Robert! Don't do that, Michael.
Alright. Now, there we're going to learn how to spell correctly the names of some saints who lived a very long time ago in Britain.

Sorry to be pedantic (Sir), but Clonard isn't in Britain.

[Andreas Moran]

Sorry to be pedantic (Sir), but Clonard isn't in Britain.

Gold star to Anthony for spotting the deliberate mistake! Clonard is in Co. Meath, Ireland. (Though he did study in Wales . . . )

[Olga]

Dear Olga,

I don't see a scan attached to your message black and white or otherwise.

Hmmm. When I call up the post, the image does show up. Might have something to do with people's web browsers. Technical advice, please?



Now, pay attention, everyone. Yes, that includes you, Robert! Don't do that, Michael. Alright.


Sir! Sir! Shouldn't that be all right? Do I get an elephant stamp?

More on the various saints:

Finan Feb 17
+ 661. Born in Ireland, he became a monk at Iona in Scotland and succeeded St Aidan in the Northumbrian Church. With St Cedd and others he enlightened parts of the south of England.

Finan (Finnian) Apr 7
6th cent. Born in Munster in Ireland, he was a disciple of St Brendan. He founded a monastery at Kinnitty in Offaly of which he is the patron.

Finian March 16
+ ? c 560. A disciple of St Columba and Abbot of Swords near Dublin in Ireland.

Finian (Findbarr, Winnin) Sept 10
c 493-579. Born near Stangford Lough in Ireland, he became a monk in Scotland. He was the founder and first Abbot of Moville in Co. Down.

Finian (Fintan Munnu) Oct 21
+ c 635. A disciple of St Columba at Iona, he later founded the monastery of Taghmon in Co. Wexford in Ireland. In Scotland he is called St Mundus. He bore a terrible skin disease with great patience.

Finian of Clonard Dec 12
+ c 549. Born in Myshall in Co. Carlow, he became a monk in Wales. After a long stay there, he returned to Ireland and founded many churches and monasteries. Clonard was the greatest and it was here that Finian had as disciples many of the so-called 'Twelve Apostles of Ireland', among whom was St Columba. Finian indeed became known as the 'Teacher of the Irish Saints'.

[Paul Cowan]

Sir! Sir! Shouldn't that be all right? Do I get an elephant stamp?


Gold star for the over-achiever down under

[Michael Stickles]

Hmmm. When I call up the post, the image does show up. Might have something to do with people's web browsers. Technical advice, please?

I can't see it either, in IE7 or Firefox. The link for the image is in the page's HTML code, but it looks like a character in the URL for the picture might have been mangled ('&' changed to '&').

In Christ,
Michael

ADDENDUM: Scrap that. I looked at some pages where the picture works (though they're attachments instead of album pictures), and they have '&' too, so that format must be OK.

[Olga]

OK, then, for those folks who can't see the image, I've put it in a pictures folder in my profile. (You're welcome to look at the other pix, too.)

http://www.monachos.net/forum/album.php?albumid=152&pictureid=1062

[Robert Hegwood]

Many thanks. Where is it from again?

[Olga]

http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?p=69472#poststop

[Andreas Moran]

Sir! Sir! Shouldn't that be all right? Do I get an elephant stamp?


Gold star for the over-achiever down under

Who says colonialism was a bad thing? See how we brought education to the farthest reaches of the world! Makes me proud - sniff - to be British.

[Olga]

Who says colonialism was a bad thing? See how we brought education to the farthest reaches of the world! Makes me proud - sniff - to be British.

Is this you in your younger days?

http://a30.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/114/m_30b7ff2a55fb844734767ec1507d9c5d.jpg (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=178436378)

(... with the stirring strains of Land of Hope and Glory swirling in the background ...)

Apologies to our non-Commonwealth citizens who haven't heard of The Goodies. And apologies for derailing this thread.

[John Litster]

This is how the six Fin(i)ans are organized in the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, according to their surnames and places of association.

Finan (of Lindisfarne) Feb 17

Finan (Cam) Apr 7

Finan (Lobhur) March 16

Finian (of Moville) Sept 10

Finian (of Taghmon) Oct 21

Finian (of Clonard) Dec 12

Or, if you're an old-school Gaelic purist, you might call them Fionan and Finnen, as this is how the names are given in the martyrologies.

[Andreas Moran]

Could've been me, Olga!
Ah, yes! The green pastures, distant lowing of the milking herd, sound of bells from the village church, the call of pheasants, cricket on the village green with the sound of leather on willow, nice cup of tea, a smiling bobby helping an old lady across the street, thatched cottages, roses round the door, strains of Elgar and Vaughan Williams, this 'sceptered isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this
England'.

[M.C. Steenberg]

For a brief moment I thought the photo in the post above was your icon of St Finnian, Olga - and was really worried that we were going to have to have a long conversation about iconographical canonicity.

INXC, Dcn Matthew

[Olga]

For a brief moment I thought the photo in the post above was your icon of St Finnian, Olga - and was really worried that we were going to have to have a long conversation about iconographical canonicity.

:eek!: Have another coffee, Fr Matthew. Please. :D