Born in Ireland; died c. 493. Saint Moeliai was baptized by Saint
Patrick, who appointed him abbot over Nendrum, where he had Saints
Finian and Colman among his disciples
(
Benedictines).
St Mochaoi has been anglicised as St Mahee pronounced Mah hee with the
stress on the ee.
His monastic site is at Nendrum on Mahee Island. Mahee island is now
linked to another island and to the mainland by
causeways that can take a single car. It is a lovely drive there, the
hedgerows are in bloom with wild flowers and fuscias and the clear water
of Strangford lough was smooth and windless.
The Nendrum monastic site has a small carpark for about 8 cars. The
first thing you realise is how high it is up the island which is itself
a submerged drumlin - the advancing iceflows rounded the landscape to
make this part of Ireland look like a basket of eggs - and this egg
along with others got flooded.
The monastery is on the highest peak and is surrounded by an outer wall
or cashel and an inner cashel. There is a causeway bridge up to the
first level between the two cashels and it is believed that this would
have been a hive of activity. Although the monastery is quiet today, in
the 5th century the waterways of Ireland were the main roads so the
monastery was likely to
have been a thriving community.
To enter the inner cashel one has to walk in single file through a small
passageway, probably this was some form of defence as was the round
tower of which only the stump remains. The remains of the church are
clearly seen and face due east. At the South west corner the old sundial
has been reconstructed. There is a graveyard just beyond the west door
and if you go beyond the inner cashel wall again on the west side there
are the foundations of many round monastic cells.
Various photographs of the island and of the church, round tower, etc
http://www.ehsni.gov.uk/nendrum.shtml
http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/product.aspx?ProductID=2877