No More Learning

Art. VI. p. xii.
'
'
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
January 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 131
Abbot of Cluain-eidhneach, He is venerated at the 3rd of March. It is not clearly understood, which of them is spoken of in the Cain, as we cannot find the years of their deaths recorded in our books of Annals.
ArticleVII. —St. Saran,ofCuil-creamha. Saran,ofCuil-cremha,is recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal/ on this day. Nor is his name omitted in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ which has a similar entry, on the 8th of January. The time and place of this saint do not appear to have been determined.
Article VIII. —St. Molibba, Bishop of Glendalough, County of
WicKLOw. [Seiienth Century^ St. —Libba,' better known, however, with the
—cestors to a IrishprefixMo^whichsignifiesMy'^ asappliedbyouran person
for whom great love or reverence had been entertained was born of re- spectable parentage. 3 His father's name was Colmad'* or Colraan, as he is differently named;5 his extraction had been derived from the family of Messin-corb, that ruled over a district of country within bounds of the Leinster province. His mother was named Coeltigerna, the daughter of Coemlog, and she was descended also from the Messin-corb family, accord- ing to one account. ^ Yet this statement regarding the saint's parents is contradicted by another : his father being called Arad of Dalaradia, and his motherCoemoca,thesisterofSt. Kevin. 7 Heretherewouldseemtohave beensomeambiguityinnamingthepresentsaint'smother. However,besides a sister named Arbhinnia or Coemola, Coeltigerna had three distinguished saints, who classed as brothers ; namely, Saints Kevin,^ Abbot of Glenda- lough,9 Mochemius, othenvise called Natchchaoimhe, Abbot of Tirdaglass," and Coeman, Abbot of Annatrim, Queen's County. " In addition to our saint, his parents had three other sons. All of these were distinguished for their sanctity: and they were named respectively, St. Dagan," Bishop of Achad- Dagan, or Inverdaoile,^^ St. Menocus, or Enanus^^ of Glennfaidhle,'s and St. Mobaius, whom it appears difficult to identify with any known saint of this name, to be found in our calendars. St. Molibba is said to have flourished during the early part of the seventh century, and most probably he spent
Art. VII. —'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, 11. 9
'
'
Art. VIII. The Calendar of Cashel
applies this name to him.
Glendalough was an ancient episcopal see, and a well-inhabited city, till about 1214, when the see was annexed to the diocese of Dublin, and the city, memorable for its religious edifices, not only suffered decay, but insensibly became a receptacle for
^
His name is found Latinized Molibbeus.
"
Edited by —Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii.
3 See Colgan's
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nice," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbte, and outlaws and robbers. " Eraser's "Statistical
nn. I, 2, p. 43.
^ St. ^ngus and the Martyrology of Tal-
lagh have Colmad. Again, under the head of Glenn-da-locha, Duald Mac Firbis enters Molioba, son of Colmadh, from Glenn-da-
Siu-vey of the Coimty of Wicklow. " Part i. , sec. 7, p. 36.
'°
See his Acts at the ist of May.
'' See his Life at the 3rd of November. " See his Life at the 13th of September,
locha, at January the 8th. See Proceed- ings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 112, 113.
'3 gee Joseph Nolan's History and An- tiquities of Glendalough," cap. iii. , p. 20. The author, with many other writers, sup- poses it to be in the county of Wexford. It
^ See his Life at the 3rd of June.
"
""
5 In the Genealogy of St. Dagan, he is
called Colman. "Menologic Genealogy," is, however, the present Ennereilly on the
south-eastern coast of the county of Wick- See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- low.
cap. XX. ^''
nise," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbse, p. 43.
'^His feast occurs at the 29th of Decem- ber.
^ In the tract of St. Mothers of the Irish Saints. "
"On the
'S Now in the Glenealy,
low.
county
of Wick-
. ^Engus,
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 8.
132
some time under the direction of his holy uncle St, Kevin, at Glendalough. There, even at the present day, may be seen a great number of ecclesiastical rums, some of which in all likelihood date back to the sixth or seventh
Old Archway and Round Tower, Glendalough.
century. '* Theirsituation,inreferencetoeachseparatecellorchurch,isone of curious interest to the explorer of past history. '^ After the death of his
uncle, St. Kevin, which took place in the year 6i8, or 622, according to Usher,*^ our saint is believed to have succeeded him in the see of Glenda- lough. Such is the statement of Colgan ; but Dr. Lanigan seems inclined to think, that Molibba was the first bishop over this see, '9 St. Kevin having only been an abbot. Molibba ruled over his charge with great prudence
and virtue,'" and he departed this life—or at least he is honoured—on
the 8th
day of January. We are not told the exact year of his death, by Colgan.
He intended, perhaps, to state this in notes, which he designed appending
to his short notice regarding this saint.
These comments, numbering fourteen or fifteen, were lost through ac-
cident ;=' yet, it would appear, Colgan had hopes of recovering them, since he directs the reader's attention to addenda, at the close of his work. The omitted notes are not to be found there, however ; and most certainly they
'* The annexed engraving by Mrs. Millard
is from a photograph taken by Frederick
W. Mares, of Dublin. ''
p. 366.
*> Harris says, that "Molibba, being con-
secrated a bishop, succeeded his uncle St. Kevin in the see of Glendaloch, A. D. 612, six years before St. Kevin's death. " Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Ireland," p. 373. Yet Harris gives us no authority for this statement.
"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," viii. Januarii, p. 43, n. 4, and perhaps
'' See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
of the County of Wicklow," sheet 23. '^See Usher's "Index Chronologicus,
**
p. 537, and Britannicarura Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 495.
'9 See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , c. xiv. , § xvi. , p. 364, and n. 228,
"
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 133 must be regarded as important, in elucidating some particulars, relating to
January 8. ]
ovu: saint's
meagre biography.
="2
we shall have occasion to record
5. Errors of the press are of frequent oc-
After fifteen entries of foreign saints,
Irish Hagiology.
" There were two other saints bearing this
name, Molibba, in the Irish calendar. One of these was venerated at Enach-elte, in Ulster, on the i8th of February, at which day his Acts may be seen. The other was celebrated at a place called Gortchirb, where his festival was kept on the 5th of August.
=3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p.
r I. A commentator adds in the table his
Tallagh Martyrology, the first notice of an Irish saint is -pin Am epi. Besides three legible there are five other entries ; but too much effaced to be decipherable.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. II.
• See O'Donovan's Edition, pp. 268 to 271, and n. (q) iMd.
s See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta
Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , p.
490.
* remarks that St. son of Colgan Finan,
"
Elsewhere,
We read in the Martyrology of Donegal,^3
the acts of his sainted relations.
that Molibha, of Glenn-da-locha, bishop, had a festival on this day. This
saint is entered likewise in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^^ on the 8th of
Januar}', under the designation of Molibha Mac Colmadha. Frequently hereafter, we shall have an opportunity to introduce notices of saints con- nected with the ruined city of Glendalough.
Article IX. —St. Finan, Son of Rimhidh, Bishop. {Seventh Century. '] Finan is recorded in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,' on the 8th of
January. There he is distinguished as belonging to the episcopal order. * On this day is mentioned, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 Finan, son of Rimhidh, bishop. In a. d. 659, according to the Annals of Ulster and of the Four Masters, he departed to everlasting life. ^ Colgan has classed him among the disciples of St. Columba, at lona ;5 but it is not probable he lived there under the great archimandrite. ^ His Acts seem more properly
referable to the succeeding day, when they are given.
Article X. —St. Dagain of Glinn-da-locha, County of Wicklow.
\Posstbly in the Seventh Century. ] Unless this saint be St. Dagan of Enne-
reilly, in the barony of Arklow, and county of Wicklow, it would seem to be a difficult matter to determine the time of his connexion with Glendalough. Ifanidentitycouldbeestabhshed,hewasnephewtoSt. Kevin. Thename Dagain of Glinn-da-locha occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 8—th
In the —of his January. supposition being
saint of
patron Ennereilly
of
a matter by no means certain two other festivals were assigned him
feast at the 12th of March, and the other at the 13th of September,' when he died A. D. 639. 3
Article XL—St. Cillein, Abbot. The happy death of the just man opens to him the light of Heaven, when that of earth fades from his view.
'
currence throughout this great work on at this date, in the Franciscan copy of the
opinion of this Saint Mo-Liobha being Rimid, was otherwise called Finanus Sax-
Livinus, while this word is a diminutive onicus. " See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
from Livius. See Hid. pp. 452, 453. See nise," ix. Januarii.
Appendix ad Acta S.
Duffus
Hardy's "Descriptive Catalogue
of
Finani, cap. i, p. 46.
Materials relating to the History of Great
Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p.
254.
— xii,
"
' Edited
Rev. Dr.
by Kelly, p.
xii.
»* Edited— Rev. Dr. by
See his Life at this date.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 256, 257, and n, (d) Md.
xii.
Art. IX. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p.
'
Kelly, p.
the
Art. X.
:
one
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 9.
So must it Have been when Cillein, abbot, recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal,' departed this Hfe. To-day his festival was celebrated, and this seems established from a similar entry occurring in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 8th of January. His period or locality has not been deter- mined.
^uttft I3ap of Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FOILAN, FELAN, OR FILLAN, ABBOT, IN SCOTLAND. {SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CEN7URIES. \
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—NAME AND PARENTAGE OF ST. FOILAN—HIS BIOGRAPHIES—NARRA- TIVES REGARDING HIS BIRTH, BAPTISM, AND EARLY EDUCATION—HIS RELIGIOUS LIFE UNDER THE THE ABBOT MUNDUS.
people of Scotland, as well as those of Ireland, have an ecclesias-
THE
tical and a civil of which
they may justly
feel This proud.
history,
might be allowed, although episodes in the course of narrative are often
clouded and infelicitous. A saint, connected with so great a military event as the victory at Bannockbum—attributed to his intercession—must excite
an interest, beyond that occasioned by narrating the facts of his Hfe. Through the virtues and miracles of this holy abbot, Hibemia and Albania acquired new glories. Ireland and Scotland combine most interesting historic asso- ciations. The
" Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, Land of the mountain and the flood,'"
has received no inconsiderable amount of Christian blessings and missionary benefit from the Major and older Scotia.
This holy missionar/s name is variously spelt, according to the different authorities cited by Bishop Forbes. ^ It is found ^^Titten Felanus,3 Foelanus,*
Faelan,5 Foilanus,^ Fillanus, Filanus,? Filane,^Phillane,9Fulanus. '° Foilan or FaolanisthemoreIrishmodeofwTitingthissaint'sname. " InScotlandhe
Art. XI. —' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. See pp. 10, 11.
' Edited Rev, Dr. xii. In by Kelly, p.
Donegal, as hkewise St. ^ngus.
*Colgan.
"> Camerarius " De Statu Hominis veteris
the Franciscan copy we can decipher simul ac Novae Ecclesiae et Sanctis Regni CitLeAn. . . . The latter addition is nearly Scotise," lib. i. , cap. iii. , § 2, pp. 120 to 122,
"
altogether obliterated. and Dempster, Article i. —Chap, r. —' Sir Walter Gentis Scotorum. "
"« Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel," Canto
Historia Ecclesiastica
vi. , § ii.
»
King,
9 The Retours of the seventeenth century. '"Some Charters.
" In the Irish language our saint is called,
See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 342.
3 The "
" Breviary
a transmutation of the at one diphthong,
of Aberdeen" and the Kalendarium Drummondiense. "
by
time, Faolan, again Faelan, and also Foelan. Hence, in Latin, he may be called Failanus,
*The "Sanctorale" of the Aberdeen Breviary.
and more correctly still, Foelanus. See "
5 The of Martyrologies Tallagh
and of
Colgan's
"Acta Sanctorum ix. Hibemiae,
January 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
is known more generally as Fillan, and there likewise his memory is greatly held
in regard.
The most detailed narrative of his Acts we can find is that contained in
the Breviary of Aberdeen, and in additions to it by Camerarius, Dempster, ColganandBishopForbes. " TheBollandists'3andRev. AlbanButler^4in- sert, likewise, some short notices of St. Filan, Felan or Foelan, abbot in Scotland. The father of our saint was named Feradach,^s Colgan supposes him to have been a prince in the Ulster province, or of some place adjoining. At least, he belonged to the family of Fiatach Finn. "^^ His mother was St. Kentigema, whose acts and origin have been already treated, at the 7th day ofthismonth. Theirson,whohasacquiredsuchcelebrityinScotland,was a native of Ireland. In this island he was bom, probably towards the close of the seventh century. '7
The Breviary of Aberdeen recounts a curious story, regarding the saint's earliest infancy. But, we may well question the truth of a prodigy, which is found related in the Chronicle of ^^ and afterwards Camerarius. '9
Paisley, by
His father, as the legend tells us, considering his child to be a monster, had ordered him to be thrown into a neighbouring lake. There he remained for a whole year, during which time he was sustained by angels. Through a Divine revelation, Foelan was found by a holy bishop, named Ybarus or Ibar,whiletheinfantwasplayingwiththeseministersofGod, Liftingthe child carefully from the lake, Ibar took charge of Foelan's maintenance and instruction in the knowledge of holy things. Where this lake was situated
does not appear from the narrative. FoillanwasbaptizedbythisholymanIbar. HecouldnothavebeenSt.
Ibar, who, according to some accounts, flourished in Ireland, before the ar-
rival of St. in the fifth ^° and to other state- Patrick, century, who, according
ments, died A. D. 500. ^' Equally futile is the conjecture of Colgan, that he might have been St. lomhar or Imar Ua h-Aedhagain or O'Hagan,^^ who lived in the eleventh century. Yet, the context of our saint's acts seems to favour a supposition, that all we have hitherto described took place in Ireland, where likewise he made a religious profession, under the direction of another holy instructor, called Mundus.
When the saint grew up, he was transferred from the care of Ibar, and he was given in charge to this good abbot, named Mundus. ^3 Under their joint
Januarii. Vita S. Foilani, n. 3, p. 50.
Januarii, n. i. , p. 49.
" See "Kalendars of Scottish 34110346,
'^ See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
Saints," pp.
•3 In seven paragraphs. See "Acta v,, p, 49,
Sanctorum Januarii," tomus i. , ix, Januarii, Vita S. Filani seu Felani, pp. 594, 595.
"*See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol, i,, ix. January,
'^See " De Statu hominis Veteris simul ac Nov£e Ecclesiae," &c. , lib, i. , cap. iii,, § 2, pp. 120, 121,
^^ This appears, it is said, from the Life of St, Kieran of Saigir (cap, 7), from the 'S Camerarius has the false reading, Life of St. Declan (cap. 12 and 23), and Feriath. Perhaps he meant Feredachius, from the Life of St. Brigid, by St, Ultan
of the family of Fiatach Finn. See " De
Statu hominis Veteris simul ac Novae Ec-
clesise," &c,, lib, i,, cap. iii. , § 2, p. 120, recte.
'^ Thus his race was Ultonian.
'7 This may be collected from the facts of
his mother's death, A,D, 728, and of his
grandfather's, which occurred A,D. 713,
Wherefore, Camerarius falls into an error,
when this saint died A, D, See stating 649,
Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," ix,
(cap, 22),
^' ''
nise," ix. Januarii. Vita S. Foilani, cap. iv,,
See Dr, O'Donovan's Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i,, pp, 162, 163. The Acts of this saint are given ^at the 23rd of
April,
^- See notices of him at^the 13th of August,
However, it must be allowed, Colgan thinks the baptizer of St, Foillan should be dis- tinguishable from both those just mentioned,
'-"^ Forbes seems to consider him as Bishop
identical with St. Mun, or Fintan Munnu
136 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 9.
direction, St. Foilan made great spiritual progress. A conjecture has been offered, that St, Mundus was brother to St. Foilan. The disciple's fame for
extraordinary sanctity was not only known to his brethren in the monastery, but it was soon diffused over all the country. Having received the monastic
rule and habit from Abbot Mundus, desiring to indulge more in heavenly contemplation, our saint built a cell near the monastery. '"'^ On a certain oc-
casion, when supper was ready in the refectory, a little messenger was des- patched to announce this news to Foilan. Peeping through a chink in the cell, the servant was surprised to see the blessed monk writing in the dark, while his left hand afforded a clear light to his right hand. This he told to
the monastic brethren. Foelan had a supernatural knowledge regarding this secret information ; and, by Divine permission, an accident happened to
the servant. Although displeased respecting the servant's want of secrecy, yet Foilan was afterwards moved with compassion, and he restored the use of that sight which the messenger had lost. ^s
A great deal of doubt prevails with regard to the St. Mundus, who was the master of our saint. In one passage, Colgan seems to regard them both as the sons of Feredach. ^* But again, he inclines to an opinion, that the baptizer must have been St. Fintan Munnu, and the son of Tulchan. '? Camerarius more widely errs against chronology, when he makes this St. Mundus,'^ an abbot in the territory of Argyle, in Scotland, and who died a. d. 962. ="9 In this latter case, it is easy to understand, that St. Foilan could not have been his disciple, much less, that he could have succeeded Mundus3° as the ruler of a monastery. A Scottish authors' says Fillan was brought up in virtue and literature, in the Monastery of Pittenweem,3^ and that a short time before his death he retired to the solitary desert of Tyrus.
venerated on the 21st of October, at Kil- mund, and Dissert, and Teach Munnu, now Taghmon, county of Wexford. See "Ka-
lendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 344, 415, 416.
* According to the Rev. Alban Butler, this was not far from St. Andrew's in Scot-
to have presided over a holy community of 234 disciples. The Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 2 1st October, enumerates two or three
Foilans amongst them, when expressing theirindividualnames. However,thetime in which this St. Mundus flourished hardly admits of supposition, that our saint could have been his disciple. St. Kentigema, mother to this saint, and who died in the year 728, must have lived to a very gieat age, if her son Foilan were a disciple to this St. Mundus, who died in the year 634.
'^Camerarius places the death of St. Foilan or Fillan at a. d. 649. See "De Statu hominis Veteris simul ac Novae Eccle- siae," &c. , lib. i. , cap.