Conan, Saint, Bishop of the Isle of Man, d. January, 684; an Irish missionary, also known as Mochonna. He not to be confounded with St. Conindrius, who is said to have been a disciple of St. Patrick, and to have lived to a very advanced age (17 November, 560). The Bollandists place St. Conan amongst the early bishops of Man, and Colgan gives an account of his life and labours. Unfortunately the history of the Isle of Man in the fifth and sixth centuries is very obscure, and it is difficult to get at definite facts, yet St. Conan, or Mochonna, who is also described as “Bishop of Inis-Patrick” left a distinct impress of his zeal for souls in Manxland. Some authorities give the date of his death as 26 January, but Colgan, quoting from the ancient Irish martyrologies, gives 13 January, on which day St. Conan’s feast is observed. There are also several minor Irish saints of the same name, including St. Conan of Assaroe (8 March), and St. Conan of Ballinamore (26 April).
Butler, Lives of the Saints (London, 1857-60), I; Colgan, Acta SS. Hib. (Louvain, 1645); O'Hanlon, Lives of the Irish Saints (Dublin, 1875), I, 446 sqq.; KNox, Notes on the Diocese of Tuam (1904).
W. H. Grattan-Flood.