Comgall

Saint Comgall (c. 510–520 – 597/602), an early Irish saint, was the founder and abbot of the great Irish monastery at Bangor in present-day Northern Ireland.

Life

Saint Comgall was born sometime between 510 and 520, according to the Irish annals, in Dál nAraidi (Dalaradia) in Ulster, near the place now known as Magheramorne in present-day County Antrim. Comgall's father was Setna, a Pictish warrior; his mother's name was Briga. After serving as a soldier in his early life, he was educated under St. Fintan at Clonenagh, and also studied under Finian at Clonard and Mobi Clairenach at Glasnevin, and at Clonmacnoise with Saint Ciaran. He was ordained deacon and priest by Bishop Lugidius, either at Clonmacnoise or Connor. He lived for a while in Ulster on an island on Lough Erne, accompanied by a few friends who followed a severe form of monastic life. The regime was so austere that seven companions died of cold and hunger.