thesaurus of all known concerning the great apostle of the Hebrides. 85 125* 171 260
Comerford, John, a distinguished miniature painter, was born at Kilkenny, the middle of the 18th century. Settling in Dublin, he obtained a wide reputation, and was ultimately enabled to retire on an
ample fortune. "Comerford was not only a man of genius, but an artist of the highest excellence, who throughout a long career had been maturing his distinctions. His insight into character, and therefore
expression, were as notable as his technical capacity was in all respects consummate." 218 145
Comgall, or Congal, Saint, was born in 516, of a distinguished Dalaradian family. As he grew up, religious yearnings pressed on him; he travelled, and found a home with St. Fintan at Clonenagh. Repressing his dislike to the severity of the discipline, he continued there some time, and was afterwards ordained priest at Clonmacnoise. After retirement on an island in Lough Erne, he settled at Bangor, on the shore of Belfast Lough,in the year 559, and founded the famous monastery and rule with which his name has been ever since associated. Numbers of monks were attracted to the institution, and even Cormac, King of Hy Kinsellagh, retired thither in his old age. In the seventh year after its establishment, he, with St. Brendan and others, visited Columcille in the Western Isles. He died at Bangor in 601, aged about 85. Lanigan says: "St. Coemgall has been justly reckoned among the fathers of the Irish Church; whether he was the author of certain tracts attributed to him, besides his monastic rule, I leave to others to enquire." His festival is the l0th of May. 119
Comou, Cormac (or Cormac Dall, "Blind Cormac"), a celebrated Irish story-teller and bard, was born in May 1703, at Woodstock, County of Mayo. When an infant, small-pox deprived him of sight. He ultimately abandoned the harp for song, and, endowed with a sweet voice and a good ear, earned his livelihood wandering about the country, led by a grandson or other lad, relating legendary tales and reciting genealogies. The monotony of his modulation was varied by cadences introduced with taste at the close of each stanza. He composed several songs and elegies. In person he is described as large and muscular. He was still living in the County of Galway in 1786. 20
Comyn, John, Archbishop of Dublin, an Englishman, appointed to the see in 1181, did not visit Ireland until 1184, when he was commissioned to prepare for the reception of Prince John. In 1190 he commenced and endowed St. Patrick's Cathedral, and enlarged and repaired the choir of Christ Church. He died in Dublin, 25th October 1212, and was buried in Christ Church. One of the canons made by him, and confirmed by Urban III., provides that "All archers, and others who carry arms not for the defence of the people, but for plunder and sordid lucre, shall, on every Lord's-day, be excommunicated by bell, book, and candle, and at last be refused christian burial." In consequence of a dispute with one of the Lords-Justices, he for a time laid an inters diet upon his archbishopric. Ware says concerning him: "Dempster would insinuate that he was bishop of Dunblane, in Scotland, and not of Dublin; but that author has up and down stuffed his catalogue of the writers of Scotland with English, Welsh, and Irish, according to his own unguided fancy, and, to confirm his assertions, has often had the impudence to forge the names of authors, works, places, and times." 339
Con na m-Bocht, "Con of the Poor," as he was called from his devotion to their relief, was a lay brother of Clonmacnoise, in the 11th century, founder and superior of a community of poor lay monks, of the Culdee order, in connection with that great establishment. He died in the year 1059. [See Ængus Culdee.] 260
Con the Hundred Fighter, commonly known as "Con of the Hundred Battles," was King of Ireland, 125 to 145. His reign was bloody and momentous. He early became involved in contentions with Mogh Nuadath concerning the throne of Munster. They ultimately divided the island between them, taking as boundary the Eskir Riada, or chain of gravelly hills running from Tallaght west to the Shannon at Clonmacnoise. Mogh retained the southern, and Con the northern part. Con is said to have procured the assassination of his rival. In the contests between them, Mogh drew many to his standard in times of scarcity by his large stores of provisions. Con was eventually assassinated within the precincts of Tara, by Tibradi Tirech, King of Ulster, and a band of fifty ruffians attired as women. 134 171
Conall Ceamaoh was a Red Branch Ulster Knight of the 1st century, kinsman of Fergus MacRoigh. He avenged the death of Cuchulaind, and is one of the heroes most constantly referred to in the Fenian tales. He received his military education from Fergus MacRoigh, at Emania. One of Ferguson's beautiful lays is "The healing of Conall Carnach." 171 210 267
