THE FINTON NAME

BY KENNETH HARPER FINTON>

Finton and Fenton and Fintan are used interchangeably in many places. Fenton is English, going back at least to the Domesday Book as Fentonne. The spelling of names often depended on the pronunciation and dialect. I have see Finton and Fenton used interchangeably referring to the same people in early colonial history. Thos who lived in Ireland also had a preference for the spelling FINTON of FINTAN because the ancient mythology and history has made it a famous and coveted name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fintan_mac_Bóchra

In Irish mythology Fintan mac Bóchra, known as "the Wise", was a seer who accompanied Noah's granddaughter Cessair to Ireland before the deluge. Bóchra may be his mother, or may be a poetic reference to the sea.

He was one of only three men in the expedition, along with fifty women, so he, Cessair's father Bith, and the pilot, Ladra, had sixteen wives each. Fintan's wives are named: Cessair, Lot, Luam, Mall, Mar, Froechar, Femar, Faible, Foroll, Cipir, Torrian, Tamall, Tam, Abba, Alla, Baichne, and Sille. He married Ebliu later. His only son was Illann. His wives and children were drowned when the flood arrived but he survived in the form of a salmon, remaining a year under the waters in a cave called Fintan's Grave.[1] He then turned into an eagle and then a hawk then back to human form. He lived for 5500 years after the Deluge, becoming an advisor to the kings of Ireland. In this capacity he gave advice to the Fir Bolg king Eochaid mac Eirc when the Tuatha Dé Danann invaded, and fought in the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh.

He survived into the time of Fionn mac Cumhail, becoming the repository of all knowledge of Ireland and all history along with a magical hawk who was born at the same time as him. They meet at the end of their lives and recount their stories to each other. They decide to leave the mortal realm together sometime in the 5th century, after Ireland was converted to Christianity.

They all eventually landed on Ireland at the same time, and sent messengers to each other to meet up in the centre of Ireland at Tara.  Then they all assembled there and decided to divide out the land equally between the five brothers into the provinces of Míde, Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught.

There they lived peacefully enough for many years until the coming of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the first Battle of Magh Tuiredh - 'The Plain of Props' was fought.  They were conquered by the Tuatha Dé Danann but were allowed to choose a portion of Ireland to live in and Sreng chose Connaught and the western islands.  They built many forts on the Arran Islands off Galway coast, Dún Aonghus, Dún Onaght and Dubh Cathair 'Black City' to name a few.

Celtic and Old English Saints 21 October

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• St. Fintan Munnu of Taghmon
• St. Tuda of Lindisfarne
• St. Wendelin of Tholey

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St. Fintan Munnu, Abbot of Taghmon in Ireland
(Called Mundus, Finian, Fintan)
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St. Fintan died October 31, c. 635. Saint Finton, born into the noble Ui Niell clan, forsook the world as a youth to become a monk first under Saint Comgall (f.d. May 11), then under Saint Sinell at Cluain Inis, Ireland. After 18 years of monastic life, he left to become a monk for a time on Iona. On his arrival in 597, he found that Saint Columba (f.d. June 9) had died (though one tradition has him living at Iona or a daughter abbey at Kilmore until Columba died). He was told by the new abbot, Baithene, that Columba had left instructions that Finton not be admitted because his destiny was to found another abbey.

Whether he returned to Ireland because his desired master had died, or whether Columba actually left instructions, Finton returned to Ireland. There he founded and became abbot of a monastery at Taghmon (Tech Munnu) in County Wexford, which he developed into an outstanding monastery. He was a firm supporter of the Celtic liturgical practices at the synod of Magh Lene in 630 in opposition to Saint Laserian (f.d. April 18) and others.

Reputedly, Finton contracted leprosy in the later years of his life in response to his prayers to add to his penitential practices. Finton Munnu was mentioned in the "vitae" of Saint Canice (f.d. October 11), Mochua (f.d. January 1), and Molua (f.d. August 4). Several churches in Scotland are dedicated to Finton, which may be due to the work of his disciples rather than his own evangelistic efforts (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Farmer, Husenbeth, Montague).

Fintona (from Irish: Fionntamhnach meaning "white field") is a village located in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second largest settlement in the Omagh District Council area, after Omagh itself. Its population as of 2010 is estimated to be 1,410.[1]
This area has known human habitation for around 4,000 years and there are numerous examples of burial places, standing stones, stone circles and graves in the area around the town. The O'Neills built a fortress here in the fifteenth century, but eventually the town passed in 1668 into the possession of the Eccles family.