Suffer Little Children

Celtic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church refused to follow Rome, but the Celtic Church was gradually absorbed by Rome between the ninth and eleventh centuries while the Eastern Orthodox Churches have continued to remain independent of Rome. The Celtic Church of Ireland, during Fidelma's time, was much concerned with this conflict.

One thing that marked both the Celtic Church and Rome in the seventh century was that the concept of celibacy was not universal. While there were always ascetics in both churches who sublimated physical love in a dedication to the deity, it was not until the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325 that clerical marriages were condemned but not banned. The concept of celibacy in the Roman Church arose from the customs practiced by the pagan priestesses of Vesta and the priests of Diana. By the fifth century Rome had forbidden clerics from the rank of abbot and bishop to sleep with their wives and, shortly after, even to marry at all. The general clergy were discouraged from marrying by Rome but not forbidden to do so. Indeed, it was not until the reforming papacy of Leo IX (a.d. 1049-1054) that a serious attempt was made to force the western clergy to accept universal celibacy. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, priests below the rank of abbot and bishop have retained their right to marry until this day.

The condemnation of the 'sin of the flesh' remained alien to the Celtic Church for a long time after Rome's attitude became a dogma. In Fidelma's world, both sexes inhabited abbeys and monastic foundations which were known as conhospitae, or double houses, where men and women lived raising their children in Christ's service.

Fidelma's own house of St. Brigid of Kildare was one such community of both sexes in Fidelma's time. When Brigid established her community at Kildare (Cill-Dara = the church of oaks) she invited a bishop named Conlaed to join her. Her first biography, written in a.d. 650, in Fidelma's time, was written by a monk of Kildare named Cogitosus, who makes it clear that it was a mixed community.

It should also be pointed out that, showing women's coequal role with men, women were priests of the Celtic Church at this time. Brigid herself was ordained a bishop by Patrick's nephew, Mel, and her case was not unique. Rome actually wrote a protest in the sixth century at the Celtic practice of allowing women to celebrate the divine sacrifice of Mass.

To help readers locate themselves in Fidelma's Ireland of the seventh century, where its geo-political divisions will be mainly unfamiliar, I have provided a sketch map and, to help them more readily identify personal names, a list of principal characters is also given.

I have generally refused to use anachronistic place names for obvious reasons although I have bowed to a few modern usages, e.g.: Tara, rather than Teamhair; and Cashel, rather than Caiseal Muman; and Armagh in place of Ard Macha. However, I have cleaved to the name of Muman rather than the prolepsis form 'Munster' when the Norse stadr (place) was added to the Irish name Muman in the ninth century a.d. and eventually anglicized. Similarly, I have maintained the original Laigin, rather than the anglicized form of Laiginstadr which is now Leinster.

Armed with this background knowledge, we may now enter Fidelma's world. This story is placed in the year a.d. 665.

Principal Characters

Sister Fidelma of Kildare, a dalaigh or advocate of the law courts of seventh-century Ireland

Cass, a member of the King of Cashel's bodyguard

Cathal, the dying King of Cashel

Colgu, the tanaiste or heir-apparent of Cashel, and Fidelma's brother

At Rae na Serine

Intat, a bo-aire or local magistrate of the Corco Loigde

Sister Eisten, caring for orphans

Cetach and Cosrach, young brothers

Cera and Ciar, young sisters

Tressach, an orphan boy

At the abbey of Ros Ailithir

Abbot Brocc, a cousin of Fidelma

Brother Conghus, the aistreoir or doorkeeper

Brother Rumann, the fer-tighis or steward of the abbey

Brother Midach, the chief physician

Brother Tola, the assistant physician

Brother Martan, the apothecary

Sister Grella, the librarian

Brother Segan, the fer-leginn or chief professor

Sister Necht, a novice and assistant hostel keeper

Men of the Corco Loigde

Salbach, chieftain of the Corco Loigde 

Scandlan, his cousin and petty king of Osraige

Ross, captain of a coastal barc or sailing vessel

Men of the kingdom of Laigin

The Venerable Dacan, the deceased

Fianamail, the king of Laigin

Forbassach, his Brehon or judge

Abbot Noe brother of the Venerable Dacan; abbot of Fearna and advisor to Fianamail

Mugron, captain of a Laigin warship

 Midnat, a Laigin sailor

Assid of the Ui Dego, a merchant and sea captain from Laigin

At Sceilig Mhichil