St. Fedlimid, or Felimy, Bishop of Kilmore, Confessor in Ireland

HE lived in the sixth century, and is said to have been brother to St. Dermod, 1 abbot of Iniscloghran. He died on the 9th of August, and seems the same whom the registry of Clogher styles bishop of Cluain or Clunes, near Lough-Erne, and says he was buried there near St. Tigernagh, first bishop of that see. These two brothers were contemporary with St. Kiaran of Clonmacnoise, who died in 549, and with St. Senan, who died in 544. St. Fedlimid was bishop of Kilmore, which name signifies great church or cell, though the bishopric was only fixed at Kilmore in the great church of St. Fedlimid there, (which was before only parochial, but is now the cathedral,) by the confirmation of Pope Nicholas V. in 1454, and is often styled Brefiniensis or Triburnensis, because it was before settled at Brefiny or Brefne, and afterwards at Triburna, now an obscure village. St. Fedlimid’s festival is kept with great solemnity throughout this diocess with an octave and indulgence. See Colgan in MSS. ad 2 Aug. and Ware, p. 226.

Note 1. This Dermod is called by Colgan (Act. Sanct. p. 51,) Naoimb Dhiarmuit, i. e. Dermod the Just, or Holy. Iniscloghran is an island in Loughree in the river Shannon between Connaught and the county of Longford. [back]

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