Canice, also known as Cainnech or Kenneth in Scotland is one of the greatest Irish ascetics and most venerated saints in Ireland after St. Patrick and St. Brigid. He was ascetic in the sence that he live as a hermit in solitude on islands doing penance. He is patron of Kilkenny, as sometimes he is referred simply as Kenny. Canice was a man of great eloquence and learning, he wrote a commentary on the Gospels, known for centuries as ‘’Glas-Chainnigh’’, or the “Chain of St. Canice”. He established monasteries in Ireland and Scotland.
Canice was born in 515 or 516, at Glengiven, in present day Co. Derry and died at Aghaboe, in Laoise in 600. He was descended from Ui-Dalainn, a Waterford tribe (at Inis-Doimhle on the Suir). The father was a bard who settled at Glengiven with his mother Maul in Cinachta under its chief. The early years of Canice were spent tending to the chieftain’s flocks. God then called Canice to pastor His faithful elect. Soon Canice became a disciple of St. Finnian of Clonard and studied at his monastery, a centre of ascetics. Later Canice lived at Glasnevin Monastery near present day north Dublin city where he became friends with the great ascetics Sts. Ciaran and Comgal under the tuition of St. Mobhi.
When a plague broke out in Ireland the saint moved for a while to Wales where he stayed at Llancarvan Monastery under St. Cadoc. There he continued his religious formation and in c. 545 he was ordained priest. Canice went to Rome for a blessing from the reigning pontiff. He then returned to Ireland and established an important monastery at ‘’Aghaboe’’ in County Laois. ‘’Aghaboe” means “the little field of a cow.” Under St. Canice, Aghaboe became the chief monastery and spiritual centre of Ossory. After 562 St. Canice moved to Scotland, where he is known as St. Kenneth. There he built a great monastery on Inchkenneth (“Kenneth’s Isle”) to the north of Iona in Argyl and Bute. He made the monastery of Inchkenneth his mission centre. St. Kenneth became a friend of St. Columba of Iona, and together they travelled through the country, preaching and baptizing Picts. Columbia and Kenneth visited King Brude of the Picts and performed successful missionary work. St. Kenneth’s name is recalled in the ruins of an ancient church, Kil-Chainnech on Tiree Island.
The saint liked to live as a hermit on small islands. He loved to communicate with nature and animals. Thus, once he ordered mice to go away when they nibbled his shoes; on another occasion he rebuked birds for making a loud noise on a Sunday – and they instantly obeyed their master. A deer solicitously held the saint’s personal copy of the Bible on its horns while he was reading it. That was clever use of his time, doing spiritual reading while in transit. We could take a leaf of out his book, and perhaps while in transit we could read a spiritual book, or listen to a spiritual lecture while driving from A to B.
St. Canice died at the monastery of Aghaboe in the 600. He is celebrated in Ireland on the 11th October, as well as being celebrated in Scotland and Wales.
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