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Editions

• J. G. O'Keeffe (ed & tr), 'Colman mac Duach and Guaire', Ériu 1 (1904) 44-48.
• W. Stokes (ed & tr), 'Three Legends from Brussels MS 5100-4', Revue Celtique xxvi (1905) 372-377.
  

Manuscripts

• The Yellow Book of Lecan (col. 796)
  
• Brussels MS 5100-4
  

Date

• 10th century (O'Keeffe)
  

Characters

• Colmán mac Duach, cleric and founder of Cell meic Duach
• Guaire Aidne, king of Connacht from Uí Fíachrach Aidne (d. 663 / 666 AU)
  

Notes

• This is the foundation legend of Cell meic Duach (Kilmacduagh, Co. Galway)
  
• It is part of the Cycle of Guaire Aidne of Connacht.
• A version of this story is also found in Keating's Foras Feasa (Vol. III pp. 64 ff.) and in the Acta Sanctorum (see Kenney p. 456)

Colmán mac Duach and a single cleric go into the Burren together to form their own ecclesiastical community.  There they live off the land for seven years.  One day, after celebrating the Easter service, Colmán and his cleric settle down to dinner in their refectory.  At that very moment in Derlus, King Guaire Aidne is also being served his Easter meal, which is brought out in the Cuach Guairi or “Bowl of Guaire.”  The king wishes he could share his meal with a céile Dé (at least, this seems to be the sense of a difficult sentence).  As soon as he says this, the cuach is taken up by an unseen force, and with Guaire following, it is conveyed to Colmán.  An angel tells the clerics to eat.  The next day, Guaire takes them to Derlus and gives them sixty milch-cows and servants to milk them.  Colmán then builds Cell meic Duach, to which Aidne and all of Guaire’s descendants are beholden.