St. Mogue’s students answer patron’s bell

The students of St. Mogue’s College, Bawnboy had an historic meeting when they answered the call of their patron’s bell and went to Cavan County Museum to learn more of what became of the gilded Breac or healing shrine of Maedoc, or Mogue, or Aidan, as he is variously known. St. Mogue’s College designed their school crest around the legend of their patron saint and his ability to save people from drowning or death by fire. In west Cavan it is a common practice to keep a sachet of clay from the saint’s island sanctuary in Templeport as a safeguard against the risk of injury from fire or water. Many people have a sachet in their car and in the kitchen. It may surprise people for instance to know that the Boolavogue of rebel ballad fame is Buaile Mhaodhóig (Mogue’s Town), near Enniscorthy in County Wexford, where the saint is more commonly known as Aidan and is the patron saint there of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ferns.