School of History, UCC

Br Colmán Ó Clabaigh, Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick

Thursday 11 November, 2021, 16.00 (4 PM)

The paper will be delivered through MS Teams. Please, contact Dr Jérôme aan de Wiel, School of History, UCC, to obtain a Teams link: j.aandewiel@ucc.ie

Paper Devotion to the saints was one of the defining features of religious devotion in late Medieval Ireland, as elsewhere in Europe. The saints were neighbourly presences, 'helpers close at hand in times of distress' whose intercession was sought in a myriad of situations. This paper explores this aspect of medieval spirituality by presenting the Irish evidence for devotion to St Zita of Lucca (d. 1272), the patron saint of serving women and household chores. It also examines devotion to the 'Holy Helpers' whose intercession was sought for personal crises including childbirth, toothache and plague. Dr Colmán Ó Clabaigh is a monk of Glenstal Abbey, Co. Limerick, and a medievalist specializing in Irish religious and monastic history.