We have received five inquiries as to who and what was the Saint Macartan and the St. Fergus after whom the Cathedral Church of Enniskillen is to be named: and we regret to say that we are in the same position as the general public – we know very little about either, and are unable to obtain any reliable information on the subject.

The building of the original Christian church in Clogher was attributed to a Bishop Macartan of the Church of Rome, and ‘Saint’ Fergus had some connection with the original parish of Innishkeene, which includes the modern parish of Innishkillen [or anglicised, Enniskillen].

But why the parish of Enniskillen should trouble itself about either, except for fanciful reasons, is not apparent.

Both of these clergy belonged to the Roman Catholic church in this country at a time when the Pope of Rome exercised Sovereign spiritual jurisdiction in Ireland; and they must have done something worthy of recognition when their Church endowed their names with sainthood.

The early church preserved anniversaries of its distinguished bishops, often martyrs; and the Church of Rome, going farther, during the centuries introduced the order of beatification and canonisation of those whom it deemed worthy of honour.

The title of Saint was given to the Apostles, such as Saint Matthew, then conferred on other notables of the early church; and subsequently on hosts of others in all lands, of which a notable example was furnished lately in creating the wonderful girl, Joan D’Arc, the maid of Orleans, who had been ordered to be burnt at the stake by the Bishop of Beauvais, a saint, created a saint by the very church which had been a party to her death!

The United Church of England and Ireland brought connection with this country, and the saints of the Church of Rome were adopted by the episcopal church of Ireland, the same as in England.

Hence we have Saint Macartan and ‘Saint’ Fergus, of whom little or next to nothing is known.