No More Learning

2° well be the exercise of his func- 455, may questioned. During episcopal
tions, Jarlath continued his former practices of penitential works and constant
21
Notwithstanding his great age and growing infirmities, he suffered no day to elapse, without making three hundred pious genuflections, and as
portion. andthechurchfoundedtherewasdedicatedinthenameofSt.
1? The See of Tuam is said to have been founded, about the beginning of the sixth century. Its prelates are sometimes called by the Irish annalists, bishops, or
prayer.
many during each night.
22
St. Jarlath was said, also, to have been distin-
Connaught.
18 In the the ancient See of Enach- year 1324,
Tuam and Metropolitan," chap, xxx,, pp. 207. 208.
^ It is somewhat remarkable, that after St.
Patrick, Benin, son of Seisgnen, succeeded
in the See of Armagh, and died a. d. 467,
when St. Jarlaithe, son of Treana immedi-
ately followed, and died A. D. 481. See Rev.
Robert " Memoir to the King's introductory
cap. v. , p. 309.
I "Some writers place it so early as A. D. 18 See James Godkin's " Ireland and
501. See Hely Dution's "Statistical and her Churches," part second, chap, xxx. ,
Early History of the Primacy of Armagh/' p.
68. We fear there may be some confusion
between the holy men thus named, in con-
nection with Armagh, and those similarly ni. e," xi. Februarii. Vita S. Hierlatii, named as connected with Tuam.
Agricultural Survey of the County of P- 363-
"
Galway," chap, v. , sect, xxv. , p. 479.
9 On the authority of Conry, Archdall states, that an Abbey was founded here, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, so early as A. D. 487, and that St. Jarlath con- verted it into a Cathedral Church, in the
19 See Hely Dutton's
Statistical and
beginning of the sixth century. See " Life and Times of the Most Rev. John
" Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 297.
Mac Hale, Archbishop of Tuam and Metro-
politan," chap, xxi. , p. 205.
21 See "Acta Sanctorum "Colgan's
Hibernia;," xi. Februarii. Vita S. Hierlatii, cap. vi. , p. 309.
10
Eleventh of his Life. See
This may be seen, by referring to the
Chapter
Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xi. Februarii,
be thus
played on the Index County Map of Galway.
" n.
Colgan's
17, p. 310. 11
22 This is stated
They may
described,
as dis-
St. Cumineus of Connor, in hi—s work, on the Virtues of the
The Parish of Tuam
is skirted on the north
by
Capap lApbAiie uajwL,
CbetpeAc nic ccleAC-OATJ gAirme Cpi cex> rLeacotnn jjac ncrace, Cpi ceo pLeAcoum 54c peapg-aip.
Calendar of
and east by the parishes of Liskeevy, Dunmore and Clonbern ; on the south, by Killererin and Cummer parishes ; and, on the west, by Belclare, Killower and Kilbennan parishes.
'3 This name is written CeampAilt n<\
— "
" In Irish na pap-airce Scpme.
Rev. Dr. Matthew
Irish Saints," pp. 168, 169.
Archiepiscopal city,
Scpme, in the Irish.
14 In Irish pAp<yipce lApLacA.
15 In Irish, written CeampAill 1ar\- La6a.
16
See "Letters containing Information
relative to the Antiquities of the County of
Galway, collected during the Progress of the
Ordnai. ce in vol. i. Thomas Survey 1838,
O'Conor's Letter, dated Tuam, September
3rd, 1838, p. 31.
17 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Agricultural Survey of the County of Gal-
way," chap, v. , sect, xxv. , p. 478.
80
in Very Rev. Ulick J. Buurke's List of Tuam Bishops and Archbishops, appended to his
This is the date assigned for his election,
Irish Saints
:
Kelly's
Jarlath.
2o8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 6.
guished, for the spirit of prophecy ; and to have predicted the names, order of succession, and good and bad qualities of his successors in the See of Tuam. Colgantellsus,hehadacopyoftheseprophecies; yet,hewouldnotunder- take to vouch for its antiquity and genuineness. 23 He supposes they were not free from the suspicion of novelty. A copy of these pretended prophe- ciesSirJamesWarehadinhiscustody. Hethinks,however,thattheywere falsely ascribed to Jarlath, and he rather looks on them to be the fictions of a much later age. 24
The exact year of our saint's death is not very well known. 2s Be- cause it is recorded, in the Catalogue of the three orders of Irish Saints, that Jarlath belonged to the second order, and is said to have lived about the end of King Tuathal's reign, who died about the year 538, 543, or 547, according to some accounts,26 or a. d. 544,27 according to Ussher 23 Colgan
;
is of opinion our saint lived, after the year 535, and that he probably died 2
before, or about, a. d. 540. 9 This latter year has been pretty generally accepted, as not far from the true date of his release from this world, admit-
ting that he attained a great age. 3° It is supposed,31 however, that Jarlath died before that year, since it is stated, he was an old man, in the commence- ment of the sixth century, when his disciple Brendan left him, and returned tohisformerinstructor,theBishopEricorEre. 32 TheMartyrologyofTallagh places his Natalis, at the 25th of December; the Calendar of Cashe! , and the Martyrologies of Maguire and Donegal record it, on the following day. It has been supposed, 33 that the great festivals of the Nativity of our Lord, and of St. Stephen, observed on either of these days, caused a transference of St. Jarlath'sfeasttothe6thofJune. 34 Onthislatterday,heiscommemoratedin Tuam Archdiocese, of which he is the principal patron. But, there appears to have been no better reason, for Colgan placing his Acts at the nth of February, than the circumstance of an undetermined St. Jarlath then occur- ring,insomeofourMartyrologies. 35 Itisalmostevident,thiscanbenoother than that St. Jarlath, Archbishop of Armagh, whose Acts are set down by Colgan, on the same day. In the copy of the Irish Calendar, preserved among the Irish Ordnance Survey Records, we find no mention whatever of a St. Jarlath, at the hi. of the Ides, or nth of February. The observation will apply to the entries at the viii. of the Ides or 6th of June, as also at the 25th ofDecember. However,hisfestivalistherenoticed,withsomelengthened observations, on the day immediately following. 36 St. Jarlath's day is still remembered in Tuam Parish, and it is observed with great devotion, by the
23 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xi.
Februarii. Vita S. Hieilatii, cap. vii. ,
p. 309.
24 See Harris Ware, "Writers of Ireland,"
book i. , vol. iii. , p. 14, and "Archbishops of Tuam," vol. i. , p. 603.
as See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's "Fasti
Ecclesiae Hiberniae," vol. iv. The Province
of Connaught, p. 4.
36
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 180 to 1S2, andn. (z).
37 See A. D. DXLIV. , "Tuathalo Maelgarb jugulato successit in regno Hiberniae Dermi- tius I. Cervailli filius. "— Ussher's Index
pp. 309, 310.
3° See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti
Eccleske Hiberniae," vol. iv. , p. 4.
3 ' By Colgan.
3a His death has been assigned to A. D.
512, supposing him to have been the first bishop of Slane.
33 By Colgan.
Chronologicus, p, 530. *8 "
See Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xvii. pp. 490, 494.
a> See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xi. Februarii. Vita S. Hierlatii. viii. ,
34
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernian,'' xi.
Februarii, n. 23, p. 310.
35 In the Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition of the
Martyroloyy of Tallagh, we discover the
"
Jarlaithi" at the iii. of the Ides, or nth of February. There is no no- tice of a St. Jarlath, at the viii. of the Ides
"
or 6th of June. See Calendar of Irish
Saints," pp. xv. , xxvi.
& See, in the Twelfth Volume of this
work, at the 26th of December,
» See Rev. C P. Median's " Rise and
simple entry,
Jume 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 209
Catholic inhabitants. The relics of St. Jarlath 37 were religiously preserved
after his death, in a certain chapel, called Temple na Serin,=% where his body
is said to have been buried. 39 This appears to have been included, within
the parochial bounds of Tuam city. 40 Its position was pointed out in 1838,
as standing in Bishop-street, Tuam, and where Mr. Alexander O'Conor, a
saddler, then kept a shop. To the rere of this house is Curraghskreen town-
land 41 and, at the distance of 40 perches, in the same direction, the fine ;
Catholic Cathedral of Tuam now stands. The old Irish inhabitants called a street in Tuam Bothar na Serine, 42 or, "the Street of the Shrine. " There Avas
an Abbey, in this ancient city, at an early period ; and, in the ninth century, wefindthenamesofitsAbbotsrecorded. 43 Thetraditionwas,thattheDanes of Limerick and of Cork plundered Tuam, and carried off the silver shrine from TeampallnaSerine,inwhichtheremainsofSt. Jarlathweredeposited. 44 The relics of other saints were also preserved, in this same chapel, while they were held in great respect and veneration. 4*
Many interesting remains of antiquity are to be found in Tuam, and especially are these to be met with, in connection with the old cathedral, now used for Protestant service. By the clergy and people of this ancient city, it appears, that the Cathedral of Tuam was formerly called Tempull Jarlaith,46 or the " Church of Jarlath.
" The local name for the present Protestant Cathedral of Tuam is St. Mary's ; because, according to the general impression, it formerly belonged to St. Mary's Abbey. At the east endofthecathedral4? wasplacedastonecross,theshaftofwhichhadbeen broken off, nearly as far as the arms. 48 On the side of it, now facing the east, is the figure of a bishop, in relief, holding a crosier. It was probably in- tended to represent St. Jarlath. The crook of the crosier in his left hand has been destroyed. The figure wears a cap of nearly a conical shape. Two figures are placed, one on either side of the Bishop. The crucifixion is repre-
sented on the back of this cross. 4° The entrance to the cathedral is sin-
gularly magnificent. It is a perfectly circular arch, built with red grit stone. It is 22^ feet broad at the base, and no less than 16 feet high, from the ground to the key-stone. The door inside this is likewise perfectly circular. On each side of it, there is a window of similar form. It exhibits a beautifully ornamented construction. Inside the church a pointed arch, springing from the ground, is to be seen, arising over the organ. These are said to be rem- nants of the original establishment, adapted to the work of the present
Fall of the Irish Franciscan Monasteries," on which the old and new Catholic College &c. "The Irish Hierarchy of the Seven- of St. Jarlath now stands. A local tradition
teenth Century," chap, iii. , pp. 125, 126, to this effect prevails,
*6 the from the Colgan quotes following
Catalogue of the Churches of Tuam Dio-
" Ecclesia Cathedralis Tuamensis, " According to an account in the Catalogue sita Tuamias vocatur Tempull Jarlaithe :
and
38 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiberni-
Appendix, p. 310.
cum," p. 298. cese
of Churches, belonging to the Archdiocese of Tuam, which had been furnished to Colgan. 40 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xi.
Febiuarii, n. 22, p. 310.
•
In Irish Curiae |-cj\in.
* In Irish written bocArv ha ferine.
43 See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiberni- cum, p. 298.
44 " See
'
4s t
it is thought to have occupied the site,
:
dicata S. Hierlatio primo Episcopo Tuamensi, antequam hrec sedes Archiepis- copalem erigiretur. Dies festus ejus cele-
Letters containing Information re- lative to the Antiquities of the Coumy of Galway, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol. i. Thomas O Conor s Letter, dated Tuam, September
• "* \' u"
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nice," xi. Februarii, n. 21, p. 310.
» Near the wall enclosing the ground about it, lay the body of this cross.
48 it is as as a moderate-sized tomb- large
stone, and has a tenant on one end, indica-
ting its having been heretofore placed on a
pedestal.
4» It was for a long time used as a market
cross in the town, being set up at the market'
house and it was removed thence gate;
by the mob, to mark the grave of Bishop
bratur 6
Junii. "—
210 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 6.
building. Standing against the west gable, close to the entrance, and on the north side of it, is the shaft of a cross, 50 which is \\ feet high, 1 1 inches
broad, and 8 inches on the sides, exhibiting inscriptions, in Irish characters, on the north 5I and south 52 sides. In can be ascertained from the inscrip-
tion, that it had been erected in memory of a former Archbishop of Tuam,
Hugh 0'Hoissein,53 who departed this life, in the year ii6i. 5* It should be well worthy of enquiry, to ascertain upon what memorable occasion this cross 55 had been erected as a testimonial to that Archbishop, and to the KingToirdelbuchorTurloghO'Conor. TheProtestantcathedralofTuam had been somewhat dilapidated,56 until it lately underwent restoration.
the church.
s1 The north side exhibits an
Old Cross at Tuam.
name, Teampul Jar- latha,58 "the Church
of St. Jarlath," to
this building. These manifestations of honour were subor- dinated to a devotion, with which the inha- bitants were accus-
tomed to regard the memory of their principal patron. *?
The new Catholic cathedral of St. Jarlath, cruciform in shape, is an im-
Sing, who was well liked by them.
s° The cross was found sunk underneath, where the communion table is now, inside
through whom this cross has been made.
53 See the following notice at A. D. 1161 :
"Hugh(Aedh) O'Hoissein, Archbishop of
1 uam, head of the of Leith- pietyandchastity
cuinn, died. "—Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 140, 141.
s« The O'Hoissins are still in the living
neighbourhood of Tuam.
5S It
interesting inscription, in Irish characters, but partially
effaced.
s
3
On the south side, as it stands at present
is the following Irish inscription : Oil t)0
probably belonged to the Priory of
chom<Mib4 i*xul<Mche "oo -Aet) u St. John the Baptist, of which, according to
OSS1U (effaced) WOeiWKVO 1U ChllOSSx\. Archdall, Tordebac O'Conor, King of Ire-
The meaning is :
A for the Comar-
Prayer land,
was
ban or successor of Jarlaithe Aed O'Ossin, See M Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 298.
The fine cross of Tuam has been set up under the window —on the outside— of the choir, and it is an object greatly ad- mired by all visitors, on account of the in- tricate lacings of its Celtic ornamenta- tion. » Inachurch- yard, close to the north-east of this cathedral, there was an ancient abbey. The ruins of a church, it is said, which had formerly been a paro- chial one, were still to be seen there, in
1838. The people
applied
the Irish
the founder, about the year 1 140.
June 6. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
211
60 in size and situation is none of the purest or most perfect.
while Gothic in
posing building,
design,
style
it was deemed to be a bold undertaking, and a vast improvement on the wretched chapels, that then existed throughout Ireland. 61 Commenced by the
in 62 it is dedicated to the local 1827,
Most Rev. Oliver Archbishop
Kelly,
Patron. 63 However, it remained for the Most Rev. John MacHale, his distin-
guished successor in the See of Tuam, to carry out and complete this monument
of zeal and piety, on which large sums of money must have been expended.
Not only durable and choice materials from the adjoining quarries have been
used ; but, even some blocks of marble have been brought from Italy, to serve
6
for its adornment. * It is ribbed with graduated buttresses, pierced with
mullioned windows, and it bristles on the summit with carved pinnacles, in a Saracenic fashion, which has its grandest ecclesiastical development in the great Cathedral of Milan. A quadrangular tower, from the intersection of the nave and transepts, surrounds it, and that, too, is terminated with parapets and pinnacles. The Catholic College, dedicated to this saint, has been erected beside the cathedral. Both are convenient to the town, and a fine park ex- tends around them ; while other religious institutions are grouped together,
and they are approached from the grounds. The 6th of June is annually enjoyed as a holy day, by the students of the college ; and, it is observed with suitable devotions in the cathedral, as also among the various religious com- munities. St. Jarlath's well lies about one-half mile from the town of Tuam, in a south-eastern direction, being situated about a quarter of a mile from the Dublin road, and to the south-western side of it. 65 In the year 1838, people frequented it, on the festival day of St. Jarlath. At that date, this spring was nearly dried up, while around it some white thorn bushes and briars grew. It was situated in the corner of a field, at the north end of Tobar Jarlatha town- land, to which it gave name. 66
s5 On the east side of the tower of the cathedral, is inscribed externally :
57 The
face as this. "—
6*
to 167.
63 An —and a correct architec- engraving
"Jac°, 2 . Rege Joh°Vesey Archiepiscopo
Tuamensi 1688. "
tural— description
so far as in completed
annexed illustration—
1834 willbefoundinthesameperiodical.
See vol. No.
i. , 20, pp. 201 to 203.
6* "
See the Parliamentary Gazetteer of
—from a
copied photograph, by
faithfully Frederick
Mares has been drawn on the wood, by Ireland," vol. iii. , p. 401.
William F.
by Mrs. Millard.
and it was
6s In a
Irish scholar, and dear friend, the Very Rev. Canon Ulick J. Bourke of Tuam, he writes under date of August 3rd, 1863: "There is a holy well, sacred to St. Jarlath, just at tne outskirts of the town. Many miracles
are reported to have been wrought there, through the intercession of the saint. Un-
s
8
Wakeman,
engraved
Letter received from a distinguished
Written in Irish, Ce&mpaU I^aIaca. 59 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise,"xi. Februarii. VitaS. Hierlatii. cap. ix. ,
P- 319-
The plan and architectural details of
Tuam Cathedral had been formulated by
_
60
Peter Madden, Architect, and a native of fortunately, the field in which it is situate
the county of Galway. See Very Rev. has fallen into Dr. Plunkett's hands, and
Ulick J. Canon Bourke's " Life and Times
of the Most Rev. John MacHale, Archbishop
of Tuam," chap, x. , p. 89.
61
Even in times long subsequent, the well-known writer (Rev. Caasar Otway) of
"
these 15 years the place has been stopped up. I trust that spot shall soon again be available to the public, and that the well shall be re-opened. "
66 See "Letters containing Information
relative to the of the of Antiquities County
Galway, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. " Thomas O'Conor's Letter, dated Tuam, September
3rd, 1838. p. 46.
6? See Very Rev. Michael Canty's " Pur-
Tour in Connaught," observes
the
whole Established Church, with its tithes and church-lands, with all the machinery of its ecclesiastical boards, nay more, with all the private and public influence of its valuable clergy, could not raise such a splendid edi-
:
•' The
its
; but,
At the time of its erection, however,
viii.
See a portrait and the brief biography of
Chap.
,
p. 179.
"
Catholic Penny Magazine," vol. i. , No. 17, pp. 165
this distinguished prelate, in the
'
The other chief Islands
tomus i. , lib. Hi. , num. 255, p. 153. 6"
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 6.
Having thus brought together those few records bearing on the life of the
holy Patron, so greatly venerated where he lived, and where he is so regularly invoked ; we agree with the observation of a learned writer, that it is not unusual for historians to draw moral conclusions from those facts they relate, for the instruction or imitation of their readers. 67 Our inferences must be, that holy servants of God, while specially commemorated in their several localities, deserve to be held in great respect elsewhere, on account of their virtues and the services they have rendered to religion, while on earth ; nor can they prove unmindful of that devout veneration, which exalts them in the esteem of individuals, living remote from the scene of their labours, and who, as Catholics invoking them, share in the communion of saints now glori- fied in Heaven.
Article II. —St. Colman, or Colmoc, or Colmus, Bishop of the OrkneyIslands,Scotland. [SaidtohavebeenoftheTenthandEleventh Centuries? ^ Off the extreme northern mainland of Scotland, and separated from Caithness by the Pentland Frith, lies that group of Islands, known as the
of which Pomona « is the and where Kirkwall the is Orkneys, chief, capital
situated. At an early period, the Faith was established in these bleak, barren
and desolate 2 some thousands of to Islands, where,however, peoplemanage
live, chiefly through the fisheries, and partly by means of tillage and pasturage. Already, at the 9th of March,3 allusion has been made to a St. Colman, or Colmus, or Colmoc, who is stated to have been a Bishop in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Again, at the 4th of May,* a St. Colmoc, called Bishop of Banff, is venerated. 5 It is said, that a St. Sylvester was Patron of the Orkney
8 Itisstated,thatSt. Palladius'appointedSt. SerforServanus tobehiscoad-
jutor or assistant Bishop, so early as a. d. 443,5 and then to have sent him to the Orkneys to convert the heathens living there. This was many centuries be- fore the time of St. Colman or Colmoc. Some account of this Orkney Bishop
is tobe foundin 10 it is Dempster; but,
"
and that he was honoured
are doubtful, whether the present Bishop be a native of Ireland or of Scot- land; but, he is thought to have lived, during the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries.
Islands,
there,
an
and in a fashion, which leaves it open to the suspicion of doubt. The Bol-
untrustworthy writer, landists have notices " of a St. Colmoc, or Colmus, at this date;" but, they
gatory, Dogmatic and Scholastic ; the vari-
ous Questions connected with it considered
and proved," chap, iv. , p. 10. Dublin,
1886. M. H. Gill and Son, O'Connell- to the 5th of February, a. d. 670. See
street, i2mo. — Article II.
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum,"
here are Westray, Papa Westray, Hoy, Stronsa, Sanda, North and South Ronald-
See Rev. Alban Butler's Lives of the
Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints,"
sha, Egleshay, Rousay, Eda, Shapinsha, vol. ii.