Martyrology of Tallaght

The Martyrology of Tallaght, which is closely related to the Félire Oengusso or Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee, is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/or Óengus the Culdee at Tallaght Monastery, near Dublin. The Martyrology of Tallaght is in prose and contains two sections for each day of the year, one general and one for Irish saints. It also has a prologue and an epilogue.

The prologue contains a famous verse on the declining pagan faith in Ireland:

Senchatraig na ngente/iman roerud rudad/itfossa can adrad/amail Lathrach Lugdach.

Ind locáin rogabtha/dessib ocus trírib/it rúama co ndálib/co cétaib, co mílib.

which reads in translation as

The old cities of the pagans to which length of occupation has refused are deserts without worship like Lugaid's House-site.

The little monastic sites that were settled by twos and threes are Romes with multitudes, with thousands.

The earliest mention of the Martyrology of Tallaght by that name is in the 12th-century Martyrology of Gorman (Félire Uí Gormáin), written between 1166 and 1174 by Mael Muire Ua Gormáin, abbot of Knock, County Louth. Ua Gormáin attributes the Martyrology of Tallaght to Mael Ruain and says that Óengus based his work on it: "...because it was thus in the Martyrology of Tallaght of Mael Ruain, out of which he [Óengus] composed his félire".

The 17th-century scholar Michael O'Clery made a copy of the Martyrology of Tallaght, and headed it "Here begins the Martyrology of Oengus mac Oibleain and Mael Ruain", but he did not give a source for this statement.

The Franciscan John Colgan, another 17th century scholar, pointed out that Óengus and Maelruain could not have completed the Martyrology of Tallaght as it stands, as several entries are from periods after the death of both, but he also formed the opinion that the later entries had been made at Tallaght, where Óengus and Maelruain worked together, so justifying Ua Gormáin's use of the name Martyrology of Tallaght.

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