Muirchú moccu Mactheni

Muirchú moccu Machtheni (Latin: Maccutinus), usually known simply as Muirchú, was born sometime in the seventh century. He became a monk in Leinster, and eventually, an Irish historian. He is best known for his Vita sancti Patricii, known in English as The Life of Saint Patrick, one of the first accounts of the famous fifth-century saint, and which credits Patrick with the conversion of Ireland in advance of the spread of monasticism. This work was dedicated to Bishop Aedh of Slébte, who was also the one who suggested the life be written, and was the patron for the work. Muirchú’s work should not be dismissed as historically inaccurate because, though it cannot positively tell us about the period in which Patrick lived, it does show us a lot about the period in which it was composed, the seventh century. Therefore, most scholars agree that while several miraculous episodes are included, the work is probably as accurate as can be expected given the sources available.

Muirchú was possibly a member of the Tuath Mochtaine clan, who resided on Mag Macha, the Armagh plain. Ludwig Bieler believes this can be seen through Muirchú’s recorded last name, Machtheni. Muirchú, along with Bishop Aedh, is recorded to have been among the ecclesiastics who attended the Synod of Birr in 697 A.D. Their attendance at the Synod suggests that the two were concerned with the unification of the two churches in Ireland, the southern and northern churches, Romani and the Hibernenses, who had various differing customs and some opposing ideas on religious matters.

Muirchú’s Vita sancti Patricii only survives in four copies, none of which are complete versions, and some of which are only fragments. There are three partial versions of the Vita that survive in Europe and one in Ireland. The incomplete copy in Library at Novara (Cap 77) was copied sometime in the thirteenth century, another incomplete copy at Bibliothèque Royal in Brussels (Reg.64) appears to have been copied in the 11th century, and the two fragments at the Nationalbibliothek (Ser. Nov 3642) in Vienna are recorded in insular Anglo-Saxon script dating to the later eighth century. The version that survived in Ireland was contained within a manuscript called The Book of Armagh (Dublin, Trinity College, Ms.52), which contains most important later traditions about Patrick and dates from the second half of the seventh century. The biography about Saint Patrick written by Muirchú is just one of many documents relating to Saint Patrick contained within this book. The manuscript was copied in the year 807, shortly after the Vita Patricii was written, and is likely the most authentic version. However, due to the incompleteness of all four surviving copies, scholars have found it difficult to piece together a comprehensible version of the Vita.

We can summarise from what is written in Muirchu’s prologue to the Vita that it was the Bishop of Sletty, Aedh, who encouraged Muirchú to write, eventually commissioning and sponsoring the writing of the manuscript. Muirchú also informs his readers in the prologue that nobody else had attempted to write a “life of Patrick” except for his father Cogitosus. The term used is that Cogitosus was his “father,” but it is generally agreed upon by scholars that this was a figurative term, meaning spiritual father or spiritual companion. Muirchú is most certainly referring to the same Cogitosus who wrote a hagiographical Life of St. Bridget in the earlier seventh century. If Muirchú is to be believed, this would make him one of the earliest Irish hagiographers of any saint, second to Cogitosus.

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