active 6th century Bishop of Sletty Saint Fiech

“ Fiech, the author of the above Hymn, was a disciple to Duvhach, poet laureate of Laoree, monarch of Ireland. He was converted by St. Patrick, who taught him the elements of the Latin language, in which he was enabled to read the bible after fifteen days' study. Fiech was appointed bishop of Leinster by his holy master, upon which he founded a celebrated monastery, called from him Domnach-Fiech, on the mountain of Sletty, about a mile to the north of Carlow, in the territory of Leix, now in the barony of Slieve- Margey, and Queen's county. ”

“ Some verses of the 28th and 31st stanzas, neither the editor nor some literary friends (of whose observations he has availed himself in translating other parts of the Hymn) could make any tolerable sense; he at the same time acknowledges, that he is far from being satisfied with the Latin translation. He thinks it necessary to observe here, once for all, that the Hymn has been faithfully collated with, and printed word for word, according to Father Colgan's edition. ”

“ Patrick was six years in slavery, during which he eat not the food of the (heathenish) people. For this reason he was called Cathraige, because he served four masters." Now, as Cothraighe may also mean a supporter, maintainer, protector, &c. this last import of the word is adopted in the English translation.
(4) Instead of St. Patrick's running over the Italian "Alps," as the Latin translator affirms here, he travelled over all the mountains from the north to the south of Ireland, whence he took shipping for his native country; for Ealpa uile denotes all mountains in general. ”

“ Patrick's life: of whom, though there were many lives written and published during his existence, yet it is uncertain whether Fiech obtained his account from written or oral documents, for either may be denoted by the Irish word Scealaw (stories.) The term by which the translator of this hymn into Latin has rendered it, may also denote either oral or written information. In English, too, the word history often imports oral narration: thus Pope says:
"What histories of toil could I declare,
But still, long-wearied nature wants repair." ”

“ In this translation, the literal meaning, and idiomatic expression of the words and phrases, are adhered to in all such stanzas as the editor (with the aid of some members of the Gaelic Society, particularly conversant with subjects of this sort) could fully understand: for he acknowledges that neither he nor these gentlemen are so vain or disingenuous as to pretend that they comprehend the whole of this very ancient composition. ”

“ In order to obviate any objection which may be made against the passages in which the editor differs from the author of the version of this hymn, in Colgan's collection of our patron saint's lives, the Latin translation adopted in his edition, is also subjoined to the poem, at the bottom of each page. ”

“ So contradictory does this appear to the Latin translator, that he has totally mistranslated the 17th and 18th verses, in which Letha again occurs, by his omitting the word altogether. The editor's reason for deviating from the Latin translation may be seen, at full length, in the preceding work.
(2) Colgan, from the psalter of Cashel, traces back St. Patrick's pedigree to the 17th progenitor, thus:
From the names of the above list, if they could be depended on, it would appear that St. ”

“ Lux potiori jure concedenda erat in mort hujus sancti.
XXXI.
Clerici enim Hiberniæ confluebant
Ad celebrandas exequias Patricii undique
Sonus concentus superni
Reddebat ipsos sopore irruenti ubi humi decumbantes. ”