St. Fiacc of Sleaty, Co. Laois. By Seán Murray Nestled on a low hillock approximately 500m west of the River Barrow, near Carlow Town, is the site of St. Fiacc’s monastery, in the townland of Sleaty or Sleibtach (House near the mountains) County Laois. Fiacc was undoubtedly a highly influential figure during the period of transition from Paganism to Christianity on the island. He was born to a son of a Prince from the ancient kingdom of Hy-Bairrche, mainly located in the modern-day barony of Slievemargy in the Irish midlands. This kingdom was associated with the Ui Bairrche family which is a generic form of the surname O’Gorman. His mother…