Venerable
Venerable Kieran the Younger
ок. 512 — †ок. 549
Venerable Ciarán the Younger of Clonmacnoise — founder of the famous Irish monastery of Clonmacnoise on the River Shannon (544), disciple of Venerable Finnian of Clonard and Venerable Enda of Aran, one of the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland," who died of plague only a few months after founding the monastery, which later became one of the great centers of learning in medieval Ireland.
Venerable Ciarán the Younger was born around 512 at Fuerty, County Roscommon, in Connacht (Ireland), to a chariot-builder's family; as a child he was raised in part under the care of a deacon named Justus. He studied under Venerable Finnian of Clonard, spiritual father of the famous "Twelve Apostles of Ireland." He later joined the community of Venerable Enda on the island of Aran, becoming his most celebrated disciple.
After passing through several monastic sites (including Inishmore and Scattery Island under Venerable Senán), he settled with eight or nine companions on the bank of the River Shannon, founding the monastery of Clonmacnoise in 544, which later became one of Ireland's greatest spiritual and scholarly centers, surviving for about a thousand years until its suppression under Henry VIII.
Venerable Ciarán died of plague only about seven months after founding the monastery, at the age of 33. Several medieval Lives survive, recording numerous miracle stories; his crozier is said to survive to this day. An annual pilgrimage to Clonmacnoise is still held on his feast day.
His feast is kept on September 9/22.
NOTE: not to be confused with Venerable Ciarán the Elder of Saighir (5th century) — a different, earlier Irish saint, a "pre-apostolic" ascetic, commemorated on March 5. Western (Celtic) saints of the undivided Church (before 1054), including Irish ascetics, are regularly included in Orthodox menologies — this is an established practice, not an exception. The date of repose has been corrected: the original stub gave "556," but most sources (including Britannica and the Lives) consistently give c. 549 — corrected, with a note on the source discrepancy.