Dubhthach moccu Lughair

Dubthach Maccu Lugair
Nationality	Irish

Dubthach maccu Lugair (fifth century), is a legendary Irish poet and lawyer who supposedly lived at the time of St Patrick's mission in Ireland and in the reign of Lóegaire mac Néill, high-king of Ireland. In contrast to the king and his druids, he is said to have readily accepted the new religion. This event has played a major part in Hiberno-Latin and Irish sources as representing the integration of native Irish learning with the Christian faith.

King Lóegaire, jealous of the St. Patrick's power, had given orders that when he presented himself next at Tara no one should rise from his seat to do him honour. The next day was Easter day, and it was also a great feast with Lóegaire and his court. In the midst of their festivity, "the doors being shut as in our Lord's case, St. Patrick with five of his companions appeared among them. None rose up at his approach but Dubthach, who had with him a youthful poet named Fiacc, afterwards a bishop. The saint upon this bestowed his blessing on Dubthach, who was the first to believe in God on that day. The Tripartite life of St. Patrick states that Dubthach was then baptised and confirmed, and Jocelyn adds that thenceforward he dedicated to God the poetic gifts he formerly employed in the praise of false gods.

When he had been some time engaged in preaching the gospel in Leinster, St. Patrick paid him a visit. Their meeting took place at Domnach-már-Criathar, now Donaghmore, near Gorey, county Wexford, and St. Patrick inquired whether he had among his "disciples" any one who was "the material of a bishop, whose qualifications are enumerated in the Book of Armagh". Dubthach replied he knew not any of his people save Fiacc the Fair. At this moment Fiacc was seen approaching. Anticipating his unwillingness to accept the office, St. Patrick and Dubthach resorted to a stratagem. The saint affected to be about to tonsure Dubthach himself, but Fiacc coming forward begged that he might be accepted in his place, and he was accordingly tonsured and baptised, and "the degree of a bishop conferred on him".

O'Reilly, in his Irish Writers, erroneously ascribes to Dubthach "an elegant hymn … preserved in the calendar of Oengus". One of the manuscripts of that work is indeed in the handwriting of a scribe named Dubthach, but he was quite a different person from Maccu Lugir. Another poem beginning "Tara the house in which lived the son of Conn", found in the Book of Rights, and also assigned to him by O'Reilly, is there said to be the composition of Benen or Benignus. But there is a poem in the Book of Rights which is assigned to him by name. It relates to "the qualifications of the truly learned poet", and consists of thirty-two lines beginning "No one is entitled to visitation or sale of his poems".

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