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Máel Ruain
Abbot-bishop of Tallaght
SaintResearchedPre-congregation
Feast: 7 July (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
—
unknown
Died
791
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Maelruain founded the monastery of Tallaght near Dublin in 769 and was its first abbot. St Aengus the Culdee came there in hiding as a labourer; Maelruain discovered him and gave him an honoured place.
Together they wrote the Rule of the Céli Dé. He died in 791, called 'bishop and soldier of Christ'.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The founder of Tallaght and teacher of St Aengus.
Connected on this site
- Óengus of Tallaght Saint Pupil
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Maelruain
- Wikidata Q6949556 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Máel Ruain (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.