Finbarr or Finnbarr
Bishop and Abbot
Born	550 Templemartin, north of Bandon, Ireland
Died	620 Cellnaclona (Cloyne) in Ballineadig, County Cork, Ireland
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church
Major shrine	Gougane Barra, Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral (Anglican cathedral, Cork)
Feast	25 September
Patronage	Cork, Diocese of Cork

Saint Finbarr or Finnbarr, in Irish Fionnbarra, very often abbreviated to Barra, (c. 550–25 September 623) was Bishop of Cork and abbot of a monastery in what is now the city of Cork, Ireland. He is patron saint of that city and of the Diocese of Cork.^[1]

Life[link]

Gougane Barra

Born in Templemartin, near Bandon, and originally named Lóchán (modern form, Loan), he was the son of Amergin of Maigh Seóla. He studied in Ossory, corresponding approximately to the present County Kilkenny. He was renamed "Fionnbarra" (Fairhead in Irish), reportedly when, on being tonsured, the presiding cleric remarked: "Is fionn barr (find barr, in the Irish of the time) Lócháin", meaning, "Fair is the crest of Loan"), and he then became known as "Findbarr" ("Fionnbarra" in modern Irish).^[2]

On completion of his education he returned home and lived for some time on an island in the small lake then called Loch Irce.^[3] The island is now called Gougane Barra (the little rock-fissure of Finnbarr). He is reputed to have built small churches in various other places, including one in in Ballineadig, County Cork, called Cell na Cluaine, anglicized as Cellnaclona and sometimes referred to as Cloyne, causing it to be confused with Cloyne (Cluain Uamha) in east Cork. It was in Cell na Cluaine that, years later, he happened to die.^[2]

Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral

He settled for about the last seventeen years of his life in the area then known as "an Corcach Mór" (Great Marsh), now the city of Cork, where he gathered around him monks and students. This became an important centre of learning, giving rise to the phrase "Ionad Bairre Sgoil na Mumhan"^[4] ("Where Finbarr taught let Munster learn"), chosen for motto by today's University College Cork.

His church and monastery were on a limestone cliff above the River Lee, an area now known as Gill Abbey, after a 12th-century Bishop of Cork, Giolla Aedha Ó Muidhin.^[2] It continued to be the site of the cathedral of his diocese. The present building on the site, owned by the Church of Ireland, is called Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral. The people of Cork often refer to it as the South Cathedral, distinguishing it from the North Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne.^[5]

Finnbarr died at Cell na Cluaine, while returning from a visit to Gougane Barra. He was buried in the cemetery attached to his church in Cork.^[2]

Other Saint Finnbarrs[link]

Portal of Cille Bharra on Barra Island

There are five Irish saints named Finnbarr.^[1] One scholar has theorized that the Cork saint is identical with Finnian of Moville, a teacher of Colm Cille.^[3]

Scotland has place names that refer to Saint Finnbarr, perhaps due to devotion to him having been carried there by disciples.^[3] One such place is the Gaelic-speaking island of Barra, where there is a ruined church called Cille Bharra (Church of Finnbarr).^[6][7] Tradition identifies that Finnbarr with the Cork saint, but it has been argued that he was Scottish.^[8]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Finbarr of Cork

• History of Saint Fin Barre's cathedra
• Overview with links to other sites

The Shore is an American rock group founded in Silver Lake, CA by frontman Ben Ashley. The Shore are heavily influenced by psychedelic bands like The Byrds, The Beatles, Coldplay,^[1] and The Beach Boys as well as Britpop groups Oasis and The Verve.

Biography[link]

In the spring of 2002, Ashley wrote a series of songs with producer Rick Parker. Parker assembled a group of local musicians, including Kyle Mullarky (bass), Cliff Magreta (guitar), and John Wilmer (drums), to record a series of demos. The demos came to Scott Austin, a Maverick A&R Executive, and the band was given a major contract only a few months after their initial recordings. The Shore returned to the studio with Parker to record their first album. The Shore recorded the album over a period of three months. The Shore EP was released on New Year's Day of 2003. Their full length album, The Shore, was released in August 2004.^[2] After guitarist Wayne Faler toured with the band, he was added as a permanent member in December 2005. It was about this time that The Shore parted ways with Maverick Records to pursue a better record deal.

The Shore released their second album, "Light Years," in October 2009 initially as a digital-only release on outlets such as Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody and a few other sites. A CD version was released the following year.

The band has also recently resumed touring, playing San Francisco and LA, most notably with another psych outfit, The Parties.

The Shore's song "Coming Down" was featured on the Long Way Round soundtrack, a documentary detailing the journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York on motorcycles.

Style[link]

Filter magazine describes the band as having "rock solid songwriting" and credits it with a "passionate commitment to music."^[1] According to Spartan Daily, "the band portrays a very neo-psychedelic pop sound and mixes it up with lush keyboards to have a modern sound."^[3]

Discography[link]

Singles and EPs[link]

• 2003 - The Shore EP (Maverick)

Albums[link]

• 2004 - The Shore (Maverick)
• 2011 - Light Years (The New Black Records)

References[link]

External links[link]

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External links[link]

• Official website
• Facebook page
• Myspace page