Todd says at this word Dubblainn : "
Probably
an error of the MS.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
,August10,p.
112.
*»
According
l8 " 2 SeeColgan's ActaSanctorumHiber-
_
nice," i. Februarii, Vita Catani sive Cad-
dani, and nn. 9, 10, II, 12, 13, pp. 233, 234-
sAccordingtoThomasDempster,inhis Ecclesiastical History of Scotland,
'» See "Lives of the
edited Rev. Wm. by
and other principal Saints," vol. viii. ,
August x.
ao
His life has been published in the Fif—th Volume of this work, at the 10th of May the date for his feast. Art. i.
31 His feast occurs, at the nth of October.
32
See "Dictionary of Christian Bio- graphy," edited by Rev. Dr. William Smith
27 See Bishop Challenor's Sancta," part ii. , p. 79.
"
Britannia
de Passe-
Fathers,
Martyrs,
Christian Biography,"
Smith and Professor Wace, vol. i. , p. 319.
26 "
Known as Cathanus Sti. Blaani edu-
cator sive magister. "—" Dictionary of
a3 to the " According
Registrum
let," p. 15.
"9 According to Pennant's " Tour in
Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, vol. ii. , p. 102.
144 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August io.
A rude built passage, which seems to have been underground, runs from it to a smaller and lower enclosure of 124 feet in circumference, and locally knownastheNunnery. Thiswasused,apparently,asaburialgroundfor females. On the north, the Church is approached by a flight of steps leading from a neighbouring wood, in which there is a circular
This stands at the base of a
building. 3°
about feet
rocky ridge, 50 high. 3
1
^ Afterwards, St. Blane was judged worthy of being promoted to the episcopal dignity. Being consecrated a bishop, he remitted nothing of his former habits j but, still he continued to live in the midst of his Religious, as one of themselves, practising all the exercises of regular discipline. He is
Cathedra) of Dunblane, Scotland.
thought to have selected a site for a monastery, on the banks of the River Allan, and nearly equi-distant from the German and Atlantic Oceans. It was sheltered. on most sides by the Grampian and Ochils hills. The River flows beautifully clear, through a rocky channel, in a rapid and turbulent stream. 32 His convent was afterwards erected into a Bishop's See ; but, when this occurred has not been ascertained. From him, that place was called Dunblane, or, as sometimes written, Dumblaine. Its Cathedral was dedicated to God in his name ; and, he was honoured of old, as a patron of that whole diocese. The See comprehended portions of Perthshire and Sterlingshire. The mediaeval cathedral is said to have been founded by a
benefactor of the Church, David 33 of Scotland, in and the I. , King 1142,
great
same monarch is supposed to have nominated its first bishop. It was
restored, however, or rather rebuilt, by Clemens, Bishop of Dunblane, about
the year 1240.
The greater part of the cathedral has been unroofed, and it is other-
30 This is sometimes styled the Devil's Cauldron. It is composed of rude stones, 10 feet in height, 30 feet in diameter, with walls nine feet thick, and an entrance nine
31 From each end a wall runs out, and
this is supposed to have marked out the
limits of a sanctuary, forming perhaps the
remains of the mede certic ct apparctitcs, at-
feet wide. See " New Statistical Account tributed to St. Blane. According to Blaeu's
of Scotland. " Bute.
"
Scotia," the church and nunnery are
August io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 145
wise in a ruinous state. 34 However, the chancel is tolerably preserved, and it is still used as a parish church. The eastern window and a few of the entrances have been partially renewed. Some of the choristers' seats, with thoseofthebishopanddean,areyettobeseen. Theseareofoakandquaintly carved. In the nave, most of the prebendal stalls are entire ; the entrance and the fine western window have suffered little injury. The roof has fallen in, however, and the building is otherwise much decayed. 35
CHAPTER II.
THE MISSIONARY CAREER OF ST BLANE—HIS MIRACLES—HIS DEATH—FESTIVALS AND COMMEMORATIONS—CONCLUSION.
The Church of St. Blaan in Cenngaradh is described in that commen- tary, attached to the Leabhar Breac copy of the Feilire ^Engus, at the 10th of August, as being in Gallgaedelaib, or Galloway, in Alba or Scotland ;* while
2 It has been stated,
that St. Blaan laboured among the Picts in Scotland. 3 Having been raised
to the episcopal dignity,4 he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, to obtain a
greater knowledge of Christian discipline, and an accumulation of spiritual
graces. When he had been thus instructed and exercised, receiving the
Pontifical blessing, he returned homewards, taking his way through England. On this journey, he did not use horses, but he travelled on foot. During his progress, he is said to have entered a city in the northern part of Anglia, where men and women were lamenting the death of a certain ruler's son. Moved to compassion, St. Blaan offered up prayers, and the youth was miraculously restored to life. 5 For this miraculous benefit, he received the
Dumblane is there stated to have been his chief
city.
6 These manors remained the property of the See of Dunblane,? to the
lordships of Appleby, Troclyngham, Congere, and Malemath, in England.
8
At length, St. Blaan most holily and most happily ended his days
fourteenth century.
marked as Kilblain and Marg-na-heglish. See "Origines Parochiales Scotia;," vol. ii. , part i. , pp. 211, 212.
part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxx.
3 See Les Petits Bollandistes "Vies des
32 See the " Scotland," vol. i. , p. 442.
Gazetteer of
tome xe d'Aout, Saints," ix. , Jour
Imperial
p. 429.
4 Camerarius calls him " Episcopus Sido-
33 His reign commenced in 1 124, and rensis. "
having governed with justice his people, and s The rest of this legend, as found in the
increased the prosperity of Scotland, he Breviary of Aberdeen, is manifestly ridicu-
died A. D. 1 153, when he was succeeded by lous and fabulous. " Sed quia erat una oc-
his grandson Malcolm IV. See Rev. Dr. culorum privatus, iteium puerum vita "
James Taylor's Pictorial History of privavit, Deumque deprecabatur, ut simul
Scotland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , pp. 6oto 68.
34 The accompanying illustration, from an approved engraving, may serve to give
vitam cum occulo restitueret, qua; et ejus nutu peracta sunt. Verum quia in natura puerum peccantem invenit, denuo eumdem
the reader a good idea of its style. The respirare et spiritum emittere coegit, terti- drawing on wood is by Wm. F. Wakeman : oque orans, puerum ter mortuum, ter occulo the engraving is by Mrs. Millard. privatum, et in natura deformem, sanum,
35 See the "Imperial Gazetteer of incolumem, clarissimis videntem occulis, ac
Scotland," vol. i. , pp. 442, 443.
Chapter ii. —« See Dr. O'Donovan's
" Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n.
See TransactionsoftheRoyalIrish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
facie venustissima parentibus restauravit ;
— Deum in Sanctis suis
pro quibus glorifica-
Breviarum Pars bant. " " Aberdonense,"
/Estiva, Augusti x. Lect v. vi. 6See"OriginesParochialesScotiae,"vol.
i. The preface, p. xxiv. , n. 2.
(p. ) 269. a"
K
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August io
among the Scots. Some writers assert, that he died during the time of King KennethIII. , in the tenth century. 9 Other accounts, however, place him at a much earlier period. Thus, it has been stated, that St. Blann died a. d.
10
This, however, is far antecedent to his time.
His name and festival are entered in most of the Scottish kalendars
446.
atthisday,viz. : intheKalendariumDrummondiense,"intheMartyrologyof
12 in Adam
Kalendar,'3 in the Scoticum of Menologium
Aberdeen,
Thomas Dempster, * as also in the Scottish Entries in the Calendar of David
1
King's
Camerarius. 1 * The of 16 at the 10th of Martyrology Tallagh registers,
August, Blaan, Bishop of Cinngaradh, in Gallghaedelaibh Udnochtan. This latter word is evidently a misplaced addition to the original text. In the anonymous
Calendar of Irish Saints, as published by O'Sullivan Beare, the name of Blanius occurs, at the 10th of August. On the authority of Floratius, a
—identical with the Blavius, Bishop present
His name is entered in the of Martyrology Donegal,
Bishop, of Ceann-garadh. It is added, likewise, in Gall Ghavidhelu, T
Dubblann 9 was his chief city. In the Table postfixed to this Martyrology, it is observed, that no notice had been taken of him in the Roman Martyr-
20 Under the head of Cind-Garad, Duald MacFirbis records Blaan,
ology.
Bishop,fromCinnGaradinGallGaeidhela,Dunblane,itschiefcity. Heis named Blaan, and called the virtuous ofBritain, at August 10th. 21
Several churches were dedicated to St. Blane, in Bute and Argyleshire. One of these was known as Kilblane, a parish in the diocese of Argyle, and
——
of 22 Thebell of St. Blane a small hand-bell is still
Deanery Kintyre.
preserved at Dunblane. It is marked H. ^B. It was customary to ring it
at the head of all funeral
in the
23 This
processions
bishop lived to perform works, which gave edification to those subjects
formerly,
placed under his rule,, while he laboured to render himself deserving of the
7 So states John Fordun, in his " Scoti-
chronicon," lib ix. , cap. 21.
8 In this age flourished John Fordun, who
furnishes such a statement. See an account the Book of Leinster copy it reads, DlAAm
of him and of his writings in the " Diction-
ary of National Biography," edited by Leslie
Stephen, vol. xix. , pp. 430, 431.
9 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. , pp. 50, 52.
Sancta, part ii. , p. 79.
10
See Rev. Dr. J. F. S. Gordon's "Scoti- chronichon," vol. i. Episcopal Succession, p. 25. Also, "Circle of the Seasons, p. 223.
214, 215. — I9 In a note Dr.
Todd says at this word Dubblainn : " Probably an error of the MS. for Dunblaan. The gloss in Marianas also
11 Thus iv. Idus
" In Bri- reads Dubblann, while that on has Aengus
Dura Blaan, a form which is found in many
There, also, he is said to have had con-
nection with Dubhblann, in [Gall] gaoidlnl.
Augusti.
tannia Confessoris Blaain"— Bishop Forbes'
:
"
Thus, at iiij. Idus Augusti. In Insula dc Boi—t Sancti Blani episcopi et confes-
An-
Scotch authorities. "
Kalendars of Scottish Saints, p. 21.
12 "20
soris. " "Proceedings
tiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 267.
"
ibid, pp. 366, 367.
of of the Society
See 2I
S. Blane, bischop and con-
See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part
13 Thus :
fess. in Scotland quhom fra domb—lane is
named vnder kink kennst 3. " Bishop "See an account of it, in Origines Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
159.
14 He thus enters this saint at August loth: "In Scotia Blaani episcopi et con- fessoris qui circa—annum millesimum vive- bat. K. B. T. Ibid. , p. 208.
,s Thus : "10 Die. Sanctus Blanus Epis- copus Sodorensis. Ab illo ciuitas ilia cui
2J See Notes on the Buidhean, or Bell of
Strowan and other Primitive Kcclesiastical
Bells of Scotland, by Dr. Daniel Wilson,
in of the of "Proceedings Society
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. i. , n. 3, p. 21.
saint—is
at this same 1 ? given day.
18 at this date, as
Blaan,
holy
Dumblan nomen in Scotia indigitatur. "—
Ibid. , p. 239.
,6 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi. In
i. , pp. 98, 99.
"
parish.
(
epi Cin-ogaruyo in ^AllgAet).
* 7 See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historise Ca-
tholicse Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. ,
,8
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Parochiales Scotia? ," vol. ii. , part i. , pp. 9,
10, and part ii. , Appendix, p. 820.
August io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
responsibilities unwillingly assumed as superior. To his flock, he broke the bread of life, and preached the words of wisdom, so that when called from earth his virtues were eternally rewarded in the companionship of God's faithful servants.
Article II. —St. Cuimmin, Abbot of Drumbo, County of Down. Men should love each other, as Jesus Christ hath loved us, according to His particular and specific injunction. He would commend this precept to
1 The love of God, —and the dying legacy. therefore,
us all, as a last and
love of our neighbour are of one and the self-same essential nature so con- nected in theory and so intertwined in the souls of faithful men, that they cannot be separated. There was ever a union of both degrees of love in the souls of the saints. The present holy man was one among a band of
saintly brothers, a who were the sons of Derinilla, surnamed Cethuir- ""
chicheach, or of the four provinces. Her holy progeny is noticed by St. ^Engus the Culdee. 3 These various brothers are called St. Domangart,4 St.
6 St. Muran,? and St. Cillen. 8 uterine Although
St.
brothers, these were not all children by the same father, for Derinilla is said to have married four different husbands. 9 His place of habitation was Drumbo, Drumboe,10 or Druimbo, and as Jocelin called it " oppidum Druimbo," we have sufficient authority for placing a town here, in or before the twelfth century. It is situated within the present County of Down. In the grave-yard stands a considerable portion of a Round Tower, " which had the following measurements : viz. , 34 feet, 2 inches in height ; the diameter at top 8 feet, 5J inches in the clear ; 15 feet 6 inches, out to out ; the dia- meter at the base 8 feet 8J inches; and 16 feet 8£ inches, out to out. Towards the close of the last century, this Round Tower appears to have
beentoitsfullheight; atleast,nocontraryobservationismadebyRev. Daniel
hearing near it several gentiles constructing a rath or wall, on a Sunday.
Articleii. —'St. John,xiii. ,34,35. stone. Thereisanentranceonitssouthern
2
See what has been already stated, at the side, i. e. , an opening about 5 feet from the observations in connection with St. ground. This opening is about 3 feet in
Aillean,s
Aidan,
12
sented as visiting this place, which we learn from his ancient Lives, ** and as
Augustus Beaufort, LL. D. , who had then seen it.
St. Patrick^ is repre-
Machumma ^or Documma, Bishop of Inis Mahee,atth*e3istofJanuary,Art. ii.
3 In his Tract " On the Mothers of Irish Saints. "
4
See his Acts, at the 24th March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
5 Also called Ailleoc or Oilleoc, venerated
on the 24th of July. See at that date, the
6
height, and one foot broad ; and the bottom oftheTower,thatis thegroundinside,is one foot below the sill of the entrance. In the interior there are holds in the wall, commencing at about 5 feet from the bot- torn, continuing above each other in three lines, and distant about 5 feet. They are
irregularly placed with respect to their dis-
tances from each other laterally, but they The date of his festival is not known. are all on the same level. There is a small
Seventh Volume of this work, Art. v.
7 Abbot of Fahan. See an account of him at the 12th of March—the date for his feast—in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
8
His festival day has not been discovered. 9 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," xii. Martii. Vita S. Muri, sive
Murani, nn. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, p. 587.
10 To it allusion is made in " Hiberniae
Antiquse et Novae Nomencletura," published in I77 1 -
opening in its eastern side, about 2 feet below its present top. Such is the substance of a description given by Lieutenant Bordes of the Royal Engineers, in a paper in- tituled "Statistical Returns of Drumbo Parish," belonging to the Tower.
"See "Memoir of a. Map of Ireland," &c. Sect, iv. , p. 139.
I3 See his Life, in the Third Volume ot this work, at the 17th March, Art. i. , chap. xxi.
""
It is built of rough Greywacke stone: on one side of the entrance—on the right going in—there is a piece of white sand
,4 See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. "
Vita Tripartita S. Patricii,J pars, hi. , cap. 62, p. 161.
i 4S
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [Auoust ia.
This a being clay
of rest and devotion for him,15 he the labourers prohibited
from prosecuting their work. ' 6 They mocked him, however, and would not cease. An abbey or a church is said to have been founded here, during the lifetime of the great Irish Apostle. The printed survey of Down, by Walter Harris, describes the old church ruins at this place, as they were before the middle of the last century. '? However, careless copyists of monastic story
Martyrology
Tallagh,
Marianus, Donegal,
18 that the ruined church there was the
of an
founded
by
John O'Donovan has written : "This Fretum is now Belfast Lough, then called after Drumbo, the nearest and most celebrated town in this part of Uladh. Belfast, after which- this strait is now called, was not in existence for centuries afterwards. "* 2 This place was near the sea, as we are told, at a port in the northern part of Ireland, and opposite the town of Drumbo, called in Latin " Collis Bovis. "a3 It has been 2* that the Drumbo, in the
assert,
St. Patiick,^ and in the beginning of the seventh century presided over by St. Mochumma. 20 In the Book of Armagh, the patron saint of Ireland is saidtohavebeennear"Fretum CollumBovisvocatur. "21 Wefind
quod
thought, present
Barony of Upper Castlereagh, can hardly be die spot there alluded to, and it is supposedtobeprobable,thattheinnerbayofDundrummayhavebeen intended. 2 s A festival was celebrated at this date, as we find registered in the 26 of 2? and of 28 in honour of
of
Cuimmin, Abbot of Druimbo, in Uladh.
Article III. —St. Malchus, Bishop of Lismore. {Eleventh and
Twelfth Centuries^ We learn most about this holy Bishop, through the
writings
Already
2 onwhich
of St. Bernard. 1
we have treated about at some him,
hewas
to some Calendarists. Colgan intended publishing a Life of St. Malchus, at the ioth of August, as would seem from his posthumous list. 3 The Bollandists have given his acts,* in three paragraphs, at this date. He is noticed, likewise, in the work of Rev. S. Baring-Gould. 5 St. Malchus was born in Ireland, about the middle of the eleventh century. He became a monk at Winchester. From that religious house, he was drawn to preside over the See of Lismore, in the Southern part of Ireland. He was probably the immediate successor of Mac Mic who died A. D. 6 In or
length,
attheiothof
April,
day
venerated, according
•s Joceline states : " Sed ibidem navi q—uiescens eandem devotione solemnizavit. "
Ibid. , cap. clx. , p. 100.
16 See Sir William Bctham's " Anti-
quarian Researches. " Appendix, p xi.
17 See " Ancient and Present State of the
2 * By the Rev. William Reeves, D. D.
25 See "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of
Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix
s. pp. 235, 236, and Appendix LL, p. 379. "Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi.
*»
According
l8 " 2 SeeColgan's ActaSanctorumHiber-
_
nice," i. Februarii, Vita Catani sive Cad-
dani, and nn. 9, 10, II, 12, 13, pp. 233, 234-
sAccordingtoThomasDempster,inhis Ecclesiastical History of Scotland,
'» See "Lives of the
edited Rev. Wm. by
and other principal Saints," vol. viii. ,
August x.
ao
His life has been published in the Fif—th Volume of this work, at the 10th of May the date for his feast. Art. i.
31 His feast occurs, at the nth of October.
32
See "Dictionary of Christian Bio- graphy," edited by Rev. Dr. William Smith
27 See Bishop Challenor's Sancta," part ii. , p. 79.
"
Britannia
de Passe-
Fathers,
Martyrs,
Christian Biography,"
Smith and Professor Wace, vol. i. , p. 319.
26 "
Known as Cathanus Sti. Blaani edu-
cator sive magister. "—" Dictionary of
a3 to the " According
Registrum
let," p. 15.
"9 According to Pennant's " Tour in
Scotland and Voyage to the Hebrides, vol. ii. , p. 102.
144 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August io.
A rude built passage, which seems to have been underground, runs from it to a smaller and lower enclosure of 124 feet in circumference, and locally knownastheNunnery. Thiswasused,apparently,asaburialgroundfor females. On the north, the Church is approached by a flight of steps leading from a neighbouring wood, in which there is a circular
This stands at the base of a
building. 3°
about feet
rocky ridge, 50 high. 3
1
^ Afterwards, St. Blane was judged worthy of being promoted to the episcopal dignity. Being consecrated a bishop, he remitted nothing of his former habits j but, still he continued to live in the midst of his Religious, as one of themselves, practising all the exercises of regular discipline. He is
Cathedra) of Dunblane, Scotland.
thought to have selected a site for a monastery, on the banks of the River Allan, and nearly equi-distant from the German and Atlantic Oceans. It was sheltered. on most sides by the Grampian and Ochils hills. The River flows beautifully clear, through a rocky channel, in a rapid and turbulent stream. 32 His convent was afterwards erected into a Bishop's See ; but, when this occurred has not been ascertained. From him, that place was called Dunblane, or, as sometimes written, Dumblaine. Its Cathedral was dedicated to God in his name ; and, he was honoured of old, as a patron of that whole diocese. The See comprehended portions of Perthshire and Sterlingshire. The mediaeval cathedral is said to have been founded by a
benefactor of the Church, David 33 of Scotland, in and the I. , King 1142,
great
same monarch is supposed to have nominated its first bishop. It was
restored, however, or rather rebuilt, by Clemens, Bishop of Dunblane, about
the year 1240.
The greater part of the cathedral has been unroofed, and it is other-
30 This is sometimes styled the Devil's Cauldron. It is composed of rude stones, 10 feet in height, 30 feet in diameter, with walls nine feet thick, and an entrance nine
31 From each end a wall runs out, and
this is supposed to have marked out the
limits of a sanctuary, forming perhaps the
remains of the mede certic ct apparctitcs, at-
feet wide. See " New Statistical Account tributed to St. Blane. According to Blaeu's
of Scotland. " Bute.
"
Scotia," the church and nunnery are
August io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 145
wise in a ruinous state. 34 However, the chancel is tolerably preserved, and it is still used as a parish church. The eastern window and a few of the entrances have been partially renewed. Some of the choristers' seats, with thoseofthebishopanddean,areyettobeseen. Theseareofoakandquaintly carved. In the nave, most of the prebendal stalls are entire ; the entrance and the fine western window have suffered little injury. The roof has fallen in, however, and the building is otherwise much decayed. 35
CHAPTER II.
THE MISSIONARY CAREER OF ST BLANE—HIS MIRACLES—HIS DEATH—FESTIVALS AND COMMEMORATIONS—CONCLUSION.
The Church of St. Blaan in Cenngaradh is described in that commen- tary, attached to the Leabhar Breac copy of the Feilire ^Engus, at the 10th of August, as being in Gallgaedelaib, or Galloway, in Alba or Scotland ;* while
2 It has been stated,
that St. Blaan laboured among the Picts in Scotland. 3 Having been raised
to the episcopal dignity,4 he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, to obtain a
greater knowledge of Christian discipline, and an accumulation of spiritual
graces. When he had been thus instructed and exercised, receiving the
Pontifical blessing, he returned homewards, taking his way through England. On this journey, he did not use horses, but he travelled on foot. During his progress, he is said to have entered a city in the northern part of Anglia, where men and women were lamenting the death of a certain ruler's son. Moved to compassion, St. Blaan offered up prayers, and the youth was miraculously restored to life. 5 For this miraculous benefit, he received the
Dumblane is there stated to have been his chief
city.
6 These manors remained the property of the See of Dunblane,? to the
lordships of Appleby, Troclyngham, Congere, and Malemath, in England.
8
At length, St. Blaan most holily and most happily ended his days
fourteenth century.
marked as Kilblain and Marg-na-heglish. See "Origines Parochiales Scotia;," vol. ii. , part i. , pp. 211, 212.
part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxx.
3 See Les Petits Bollandistes "Vies des
32 See the " Scotland," vol. i. , p. 442.
Gazetteer of
tome xe d'Aout, Saints," ix. , Jour
Imperial
p. 429.
4 Camerarius calls him " Episcopus Sido-
33 His reign commenced in 1 124, and rensis. "
having governed with justice his people, and s The rest of this legend, as found in the
increased the prosperity of Scotland, he Breviary of Aberdeen, is manifestly ridicu-
died A. D. 1 153, when he was succeeded by lous and fabulous. " Sed quia erat una oc-
his grandson Malcolm IV. See Rev. Dr. culorum privatus, iteium puerum vita "
James Taylor's Pictorial History of privavit, Deumque deprecabatur, ut simul
Scotland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , pp. 6oto 68.
34 The accompanying illustration, from an approved engraving, may serve to give
vitam cum occulo restitueret, qua; et ejus nutu peracta sunt. Verum quia in natura puerum peccantem invenit, denuo eumdem
the reader a good idea of its style. The respirare et spiritum emittere coegit, terti- drawing on wood is by Wm. F. Wakeman : oque orans, puerum ter mortuum, ter occulo the engraving is by Mrs. Millard. privatum, et in natura deformem, sanum,
35 See the "Imperial Gazetteer of incolumem, clarissimis videntem occulis, ac
Scotland," vol. i. , pp. 442, 443.
Chapter ii. —« See Dr. O'Donovan's
" Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n.
See TransactionsoftheRoyalIrish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
facie venustissima parentibus restauravit ;
— Deum in Sanctis suis
pro quibus glorifica-
Breviarum Pars bant. " " Aberdonense,"
/Estiva, Augusti x. Lect v. vi. 6See"OriginesParochialesScotiae,"vol.
i. The preface, p. xxiv. , n. 2.
(p. ) 269. a"
K
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August io
among the Scots. Some writers assert, that he died during the time of King KennethIII. , in the tenth century. 9 Other accounts, however, place him at a much earlier period. Thus, it has been stated, that St. Blann died a. d.
10
This, however, is far antecedent to his time.
His name and festival are entered in most of the Scottish kalendars
446.
atthisday,viz. : intheKalendariumDrummondiense,"intheMartyrologyof
12 in Adam
Kalendar,'3 in the Scoticum of Menologium
Aberdeen,
Thomas Dempster, * as also in the Scottish Entries in the Calendar of David
1
King's
Camerarius. 1 * The of 16 at the 10th of Martyrology Tallagh registers,
August, Blaan, Bishop of Cinngaradh, in Gallghaedelaibh Udnochtan. This latter word is evidently a misplaced addition to the original text. In the anonymous
Calendar of Irish Saints, as published by O'Sullivan Beare, the name of Blanius occurs, at the 10th of August. On the authority of Floratius, a
—identical with the Blavius, Bishop present
His name is entered in the of Martyrology Donegal,
Bishop, of Ceann-garadh. It is added, likewise, in Gall Ghavidhelu, T
Dubblann 9 was his chief city. In the Table postfixed to this Martyrology, it is observed, that no notice had been taken of him in the Roman Martyr-
20 Under the head of Cind-Garad, Duald MacFirbis records Blaan,
ology.
Bishop,fromCinnGaradinGallGaeidhela,Dunblane,itschiefcity. Heis named Blaan, and called the virtuous ofBritain, at August 10th. 21
Several churches were dedicated to St. Blane, in Bute and Argyleshire. One of these was known as Kilblane, a parish in the diocese of Argyle, and
——
of 22 Thebell of St. Blane a small hand-bell is still
Deanery Kintyre.
preserved at Dunblane. It is marked H. ^B. It was customary to ring it
at the head of all funeral
in the
23 This
processions
bishop lived to perform works, which gave edification to those subjects
formerly,
placed under his rule,, while he laboured to render himself deserving of the
7 So states John Fordun, in his " Scoti-
chronicon," lib ix. , cap. 21.
8 In this age flourished John Fordun, who
furnishes such a statement. See an account the Book of Leinster copy it reads, DlAAm
of him and of his writings in the " Diction-
ary of National Biography," edited by Leslie
Stephen, vol. xix. , pp. 430, 431.
9 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. , pp. 50, 52.
Sancta, part ii. , p. 79.
10
See Rev. Dr. J. F. S. Gordon's "Scoti- chronichon," vol. i. Episcopal Succession, p. 25. Also, "Circle of the Seasons, p. 223.
214, 215. — I9 In a note Dr.
Todd says at this word Dubblainn : " Probably an error of the MS. for Dunblaan. The gloss in Marianas also
11 Thus iv. Idus
" In Bri- reads Dubblann, while that on has Aengus
Dura Blaan, a form which is found in many
There, also, he is said to have had con-
nection with Dubhblann, in [Gall] gaoidlnl.
Augusti.
tannia Confessoris Blaain"— Bishop Forbes'
:
"
Thus, at iiij. Idus Augusti. In Insula dc Boi—t Sancti Blani episcopi et confes-
An-
Scotch authorities. "
Kalendars of Scottish Saints, p. 21.
12 "20
soris. " "Proceedings
tiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 267.
"
ibid, pp. 366, 367.
of of the Society
See 2I
S. Blane, bischop and con-
See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part
13 Thus :
fess. in Scotland quhom fra domb—lane is
named vnder kink kennst 3. " Bishop "See an account of it, in Origines Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
159.
14 He thus enters this saint at August loth: "In Scotia Blaani episcopi et con- fessoris qui circa—annum millesimum vive- bat. K. B. T. Ibid. , p. 208.
,s Thus : "10 Die. Sanctus Blanus Epis- copus Sodorensis. Ab illo ciuitas ilia cui
2J See Notes on the Buidhean, or Bell of
Strowan and other Primitive Kcclesiastical
Bells of Scotland, by Dr. Daniel Wilson,
in of the of "Proceedings Society
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. i. , n. 3, p. 21.
saint—is
at this same 1 ? given day.
18 at this date, as
Blaan,
holy
Dumblan nomen in Scotia indigitatur. "—
Ibid. , p. 239.
,6 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi. In
i. , pp. 98, 99.
"
parish.
(
epi Cin-ogaruyo in ^AllgAet).
* 7 See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historise Ca-
tholicse Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. ,
,8
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Parochiales Scotia? ," vol. ii. , part i. , pp. 9,
10, and part ii. , Appendix, p. 820.
August io. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
responsibilities unwillingly assumed as superior. To his flock, he broke the bread of life, and preached the words of wisdom, so that when called from earth his virtues were eternally rewarded in the companionship of God's faithful servants.
Article II. —St. Cuimmin, Abbot of Drumbo, County of Down. Men should love each other, as Jesus Christ hath loved us, according to His particular and specific injunction. He would commend this precept to
1 The love of God, —and the dying legacy. therefore,
us all, as a last and
love of our neighbour are of one and the self-same essential nature so con- nected in theory and so intertwined in the souls of faithful men, that they cannot be separated. There was ever a union of both degrees of love in the souls of the saints. The present holy man was one among a band of
saintly brothers, a who were the sons of Derinilla, surnamed Cethuir- ""
chicheach, or of the four provinces. Her holy progeny is noticed by St. ^Engus the Culdee. 3 These various brothers are called St. Domangart,4 St.
6 St. Muran,? and St. Cillen. 8 uterine Although
St.
brothers, these were not all children by the same father, for Derinilla is said to have married four different husbands. 9 His place of habitation was Drumbo, Drumboe,10 or Druimbo, and as Jocelin called it " oppidum Druimbo," we have sufficient authority for placing a town here, in or before the twelfth century. It is situated within the present County of Down. In the grave-yard stands a considerable portion of a Round Tower, " which had the following measurements : viz. , 34 feet, 2 inches in height ; the diameter at top 8 feet, 5J inches in the clear ; 15 feet 6 inches, out to out ; the dia- meter at the base 8 feet 8J inches; and 16 feet 8£ inches, out to out. Towards the close of the last century, this Round Tower appears to have
beentoitsfullheight; atleast,nocontraryobservationismadebyRev. Daniel
hearing near it several gentiles constructing a rath or wall, on a Sunday.
Articleii. —'St. John,xiii. ,34,35. stone. Thereisanentranceonitssouthern
2
See what has been already stated, at the side, i. e. , an opening about 5 feet from the observations in connection with St. ground. This opening is about 3 feet in
Aillean,s
Aidan,
12
sented as visiting this place, which we learn from his ancient Lives, ** and as
Augustus Beaufort, LL. D. , who had then seen it.
St. Patrick^ is repre-
Machumma ^or Documma, Bishop of Inis Mahee,atth*e3istofJanuary,Art. ii.
3 In his Tract " On the Mothers of Irish Saints. "
4
See his Acts, at the 24th March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
5 Also called Ailleoc or Oilleoc, venerated
on the 24th of July. See at that date, the
6
height, and one foot broad ; and the bottom oftheTower,thatis thegroundinside,is one foot below the sill of the entrance. In the interior there are holds in the wall, commencing at about 5 feet from the bot- torn, continuing above each other in three lines, and distant about 5 feet. They are
irregularly placed with respect to their dis-
tances from each other laterally, but they The date of his festival is not known. are all on the same level. There is a small
Seventh Volume of this work, Art. v.
7 Abbot of Fahan. See an account of him at the 12th of March—the date for his feast—in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
8
His festival day has not been discovered. 9 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," xii. Martii. Vita S. Muri, sive
Murani, nn. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, p. 587.
10 To it allusion is made in " Hiberniae
Antiquse et Novae Nomencletura," published in I77 1 -
opening in its eastern side, about 2 feet below its present top. Such is the substance of a description given by Lieutenant Bordes of the Royal Engineers, in a paper in- tituled "Statistical Returns of Drumbo Parish," belonging to the Tower.
"See "Memoir of a. Map of Ireland," &c. Sect, iv. , p. 139.
I3 See his Life, in the Third Volume ot this work, at the 17th March, Art. i. , chap. xxi.
""
It is built of rough Greywacke stone: on one side of the entrance—on the right going in—there is a piece of white sand
,4 See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. "
Vita Tripartita S. Patricii,J pars, hi. , cap. 62, p. 161.
i 4S
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [Auoust ia.
This a being clay
of rest and devotion for him,15 he the labourers prohibited
from prosecuting their work. ' 6 They mocked him, however, and would not cease. An abbey or a church is said to have been founded here, during the lifetime of the great Irish Apostle. The printed survey of Down, by Walter Harris, describes the old church ruins at this place, as they were before the middle of the last century. '? However, careless copyists of monastic story
Martyrology
Tallagh,
Marianus, Donegal,
18 that the ruined church there was the
of an
founded
by
John O'Donovan has written : "This Fretum is now Belfast Lough, then called after Drumbo, the nearest and most celebrated town in this part of Uladh. Belfast, after which- this strait is now called, was not in existence for centuries afterwards. "* 2 This place was near the sea, as we are told, at a port in the northern part of Ireland, and opposite the town of Drumbo, called in Latin " Collis Bovis. "a3 It has been 2* that the Drumbo, in the
assert,
St. Patiick,^ and in the beginning of the seventh century presided over by St. Mochumma. 20 In the Book of Armagh, the patron saint of Ireland is saidtohavebeennear"Fretum CollumBovisvocatur. "21 Wefind
quod
thought, present
Barony of Upper Castlereagh, can hardly be die spot there alluded to, and it is supposedtobeprobable,thattheinnerbayofDundrummayhavebeen intended. 2 s A festival was celebrated at this date, as we find registered in the 26 of 2? and of 28 in honour of
of
Cuimmin, Abbot of Druimbo, in Uladh.
Article III. —St. Malchus, Bishop of Lismore. {Eleventh and
Twelfth Centuries^ We learn most about this holy Bishop, through the
writings
Already
2 onwhich
of St. Bernard. 1
we have treated about at some him,
hewas
to some Calendarists. Colgan intended publishing a Life of St. Malchus, at the ioth of August, as would seem from his posthumous list. 3 The Bollandists have given his acts,* in three paragraphs, at this date. He is noticed, likewise, in the work of Rev. S. Baring-Gould. 5 St. Malchus was born in Ireland, about the middle of the eleventh century. He became a monk at Winchester. From that religious house, he was drawn to preside over the See of Lismore, in the Southern part of Ireland. He was probably the immediate successor of Mac Mic who died A. D. 6 In or
length,
attheiothof
April,
day
venerated, according
•s Joceline states : " Sed ibidem navi q—uiescens eandem devotione solemnizavit. "
Ibid. , cap. clx. , p. 100.
16 See Sir William Bctham's " Anti-
quarian Researches. " Appendix, p xi.
17 See " Ancient and Present State of the
2 * By the Rev. William Reeves, D. D.
25 See "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of
Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix
s. pp. 235, 236, and Appendix LL, p. 379. "Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi.
