Saturday, 20 September 2014

Saint Doroma, September 20


On September 20 we have a notice of another of our enigmatic female saints, Doroma or Daroma. The Martyrology of Oengus describes her as a 'queen':
D. xii. cal. Octobris.
Attecham na hóga
doairset ar nhdala,
ind rígain Daroma
cona slóg ron-snáda!
20. Let us beseech the virgins,
may they visit our assemblies!
may the queen Daroma
with her host protect us!
although the notes added by a later anonymous commentator describe her rather more prosaically as a 'virgin' and reduce her 'host' to 'five companions':
20. Doroma .i. uirgo. L. cum .u. socis suis.

20. Doroma, i.e. a virgin with her five companions.
I find this notice intriguing and would love to have some further details of this holy lady, but alas, that was a task which defeated Canon O'Hanlon, as he admits below:
Festival of Doroma.
The Feilire of St. Aengus has a festival at the 20th of September, for a queen named Doroma and a commentator in the Leabhar Breac copy has notes, which hardly give any additional intelligence regarding her. Nowhere can I find what might serve to throw light on her name, period or place.


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