St. Finbarr was born in Connaught. He was the son of an artisan, called Amergin of Maigh Seóla, a skilled craftsman from Galway. Finbarr’s mother was a lady of the Irish royal court. He was baptized Lochan and was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny. Finbarr later trained in monastic school and was ordained. The monks named him Fionbarr (fair head) because of his light hair. He was called Finbarr by some and Bairre or Barr by others. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St. David in Wales on the way back
Hermitage at Gougane Barra
He evangelized Gowran, Coolcashin and Aghaboe. Finbarr founded a number of schools, one on an island at Loch Irce, a beautiful place at the source of the river Lee. The island is now called Gougane Barra (Guagán in Irish means “little fissure”) in West Cork and South Kerry. Finbarr lived as a hermit on this small island. It is one of the best-preserved historic hermitage monuments in the diocese of Cork & Ross. The old walls are 4.2 metres thick. There are numerous cells, each 2 metres wide by 3 metres deep. The cloister is 15 metres square.
The marshlands of Cork
In 606 Finbarr founded a monastery near the mouth of the river Lee. This area is marshland, where Cork gets its Irish name. His monastery became famous in province of Munster and attracted many disciples. The City of Cork sprawled out around Finbarr’s monastery, as a town grew and became prosperous. The motto for University College, Cork, is “Where Finbarr taught, let Munster learn”. It’s a generous paraphrase from the origins text in Gaelic. “Ionad Bairre Sgoil na Mumhan” = Finbarr’s foundation, the School of Munster. Finbarr’s monastery is believed to have been situated close to the Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Finbarr.
The passing away of the fair haired Saint
Around the year 623 AD St. Finbarr died at the monastery of his friend, St Colman, at Cloyne in East Cork. His body was returned to Cork city and his remains were encased in a silver shrine. In 1089 they were seized by Diarmait Ua Briain, who later ruled as King of Munster. The shrine and the remains have never been recovered.
St Finbarr’s feast day is celebrated on 25th September. As a Cork city’s patron saint, he is greatly revered. Tradition holds that when he died the sun did not set for two weeks.
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