Mobrigue
and the present St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
BrendantheNavigator, withSt.
Luchtigemus,^3y/ithSt.
Lasreanus,^* not to mention others of her holy relatives,''5 and persons who have been noticed in the preceding pages. So great was her renown, that Ita
had been affectionately styled the Brigid of Munster. And justly was she so-called, for Ita continued in her own province the glorious promotion of female sanctification, which the wonder-v*-orking Abbess of Kildare had in- augurated for the whole of Ireland.
The holy woman Ita suffered a meritorious martyrdom for God ; in the sense, that she bore with great patience a bodily affliction in the most re- signed and exemplary spirit. She loved mortification and self-denial. She was the refuge and solace of sinners ; ever compassionate towards the erring,
and ever charitably disposed towards the poor. May her memory then be in
perpetual benediction among the lowly and humble, as among the high-born and penitent, who implore her intercession. May the inhabitants of her parish and district never forget her admirable character, and her constant patronage over them, that so they may pay her deserved tributes of affection and grateful reverence on every recurring day of her festival.
Article II. —St. Critan, Criotan, or Finncridan, of Craib- HAIGH, OR Crebee. To determine the age or place of this saint seems a matterofsomedifficulty,ifnotofactualimpossibility; becausesomanynames of saints^ agree with his, and so many denominations^ of places accord with the locality which has been assigned to him. In the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 a festival in honour of Finncridan of Craibhigh, is set down at the 15th of
prefix, on this day, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ we find simply entered, Critan, of Crebee. ^ The reader is referred to the notice of St. Dalua, of
or "
"
having reference to the colour of his hair or complexion. Without such a
January.
The
prefix
Finn,"
Fine," relating
to " seems as fairness,"
which places Kihueely, alias Kilmureely (for Kihneedy) in the Deanery of Rathkeale, reports the living as valueless.
i6th of September ; at the i6th of October ; at the i8th of November ; and at the 13th of December.
^°" ^ See Letters containing Information
Over one hundred places, having con-
Relative to the Antiquities of the County of Limerick, Collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. ii. , pp. 163, 164.
nexion with Creevy, simply, or in composi- tion, are named among the Irish townlands.
Dr. P. W. Joyce writes to state, that Cruagh, near Killikee, county of Dublin, is the same as C|\AebAc, "a bushy" or "a branchy place. "
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In
the Franciscan copy we read pnT)ch]MCAn
Ci\ibij;e.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 17. ^ At this word, as we learn in a note to the
family line, are tabulated with their genca-
fogies given in Colgan's "Appendix ad has added here in Roman characters, "Mar.
^' ''^
See his Acts at the 27th of February.
See his Life at the i6th of May.
^3 See notices of this saint at the 28th of
April.
^* See an account of him at the 25th day
of October.
=5 The Decies Saints, belonging to Ita's
Acta S. Ita;," cap. ii. , p. 73.
Art. II. — 'Thus besides the present saint,
(/. t'. . the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman) Adventus filiarum Carbrci (Addit M. Taml. Dormitatio ItcoK [read Itoe], ct filiarum Car-
venerated on this day, we have a St. Critan
er Criotan, commemorated at the 7lh of brei). " The meaning is, that Marianus
"
17th of May ; at the 25th of July ; at the the daughters of Carbrc" (cecc ingen caitd
February
;
one respectively at the nth and O'Gorman adds at this day,
the coming of
published "Martyrology,"amorereccnthand
2l8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
Dun-tighe-Bretan,^ for some allusion to the county of Dublin parish, known as Cruagh or Creevy. This seems to have been the site for an ancient reli- gious establishment from a remote period ; for in the year 1184, Prince John granted Cruagh, with its church, to the See of Dublin, and its subsequent
history is interesting. ? An old graveyard, lately enclosed, and by order of the poor-law authorities disused for interments, is to be seen, embowered with trees, growing around and within the area. ^ Within it stood the antique church, surrounded by the graves and tombs of the dead. It cannot be asserted, however, with any degree of certainty, that the present Creevy is the place specially connected with this saint's veneration. Still a few descrip-
tive particulars regarding it may prove interesting to the antiquarj'. The old church measured 34 feet in length interiorly, while it was less than 20 feet in breadth interiorly. At present only a few fragments remain. It was built of rough granite stones. In the fragments remaining the east wall shows
Ruins of Cruagh, or Creevy, County Dublin.
onlytheturningofacirculardoorwayofarch; whileinthewestgablethere was a window, as one side of it is plainly visible. A nondescript round tower stands at present, partly encroaching on the nave, and it is entered near the ground by a square-headed doorway. A little over this it is arched \vith a stone roof, while above there is a compartment, having small window opes, and these are crowned by a turretted battlement. This structure is a compara- tively modem one, erected within the present century to shelter persons guarding their deceased friends' remains from nocturnal aggressions of the resur- rectionists. The situation is a most superb one ; sheltered on the south, east, and west by the Dublin mountains, and rising on a steep knoll, over a rivulet
and that the
Tamlacht" adds " Dormitatio Itae et filiarum
of Dublin," pp. 794 to 797.
" The accompanying sketch of Cruagh or
Creevy, taken by the author in August, 1873, has been engraved by Mr. Gregor Grey, of Dublin.
Martyrology of See 7th day of January, Article ix.
CTioii\p^e) ; Carbrei. "
'
7 See D'Alton's " of the History
County
"
January 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 219
running towards the river Dodder in a deep valley, and towards the city of Dublin. From the graveyard a noble view of the metropolis, the vale of the Liffey, and far out to sea, may be obtained.
ArticleIII. —SaintsMauraandBritta,Martyrs. Itisremarkedby a great saint, that the soul may escape to God while the world passes away from our view. ^ The Bollandists have inserted notices of Saints Maura and Britta in their great work, at the 15th day of January. '' St. Gregory of Tours has treated about these holy virgins. 3 Saussay, in his supplement to the Gallic Martyrology, has set down their feast for this date. ^ But, as we have already observed at the previous day, a fuller notice must be reserved for another fes- tival of Saints Maura and Britta, also called Brigida, at the 13th of July.
Article IV. —St. Dla. rmaid, Priest. The true priest not alone offers the mysterious sacrifice of the new alliance ; but for the truth of heavenly doctrine and the liberty of God's holy Church, he is ready to offer himself as a living sacrifice, like his Divine Master. Diarmaid, priest, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal' as having a feast on this day. A similar entry occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh^' at the 15 th of January. Among the disciples of St. Patrick, a St. Diermitius is mentioned ;3 but he is called a Bishop of Dromensis, or Druim-choreo-thri, in Meath. He was the son of Restitutus and Darerca, the sister of St. Patrick. 4 By his illustrious uncle he had been set over the church already designated, and which had been founded by the great Apostle. s It seems to us St. Patrick's nephew, the bishop, St. Diermitius, must be distinguished from the present holy priest. The latter is said^ to have been brother to St. Evinus, the reputed author of the Tripar- tite Life of St. Patrick ; while his church is stated to have been Kilmackeon, near Sligo. Altogether, the exact identification of the present saint and his place appears to be yet a matter for speculation and further inquiry.
Article V. —St, Farannan, Abbot of Kildare. \Sevtnth Century. ']
Gentle, firm, and faithful, the holy superior of a religious community sympa- thizes with and becomes attached to the lowliest brother of his happy household. This pious abbot was bom probably in the earlier part of the seventh century. He appears to have succeeded St. Lochenius Menn, who died a. d. 694, in the
of Kildare The government Abbey. ' present
saint had — a short term of only
rule
;
for he is said to have died on the
of on which 15th January
day
his
Art. hi. —'St. Ambrose, "DeFugaSe- "
cap. viii.
' These notices are contained in four para-
graphs. See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i,, XV. Januarii. Vita S. Mauras et Brittse, p. 10 1 8.
3 In his tract, "De Gloria Confessorum," cap. xviii.
xxiii. , p. 266.
Colgan thinks he must have been either
the Diermitius Presbyter, who is venerated
on the isth of January, or possibly another St. Diarmait, a bishop, who is recorded in our calendars at the I2th of December, ac-
cording to the Martyrologies of Tallagh, of MarianusO'Gorman,andofDonegal. See ibid. , cap. iv. , p. 231.
culi,
^ Canisius, Ferrarius, and Molanus, in the thefirsteditionofUsuard,havetheirfestival
at the — of ii. ,
14th day January.
130, and n.
p. 24, p. 173.
Art. IV.
Reeves, pp. 16, 17.
Drs. Todd and
vi. ,
Such is the information
=> Edited Rev. Dr. by
xii. In M
'Tucker, P. P. , and in a Boyle, V. G. ,
pars cap. '*
Edited
by
communicated to the writer by the Very Rev. Joseph
Kelly, p.
the Franciscan copy we find X)iAi\mAic
letter dated—October i6th, 1873. '
Pt\efbecetM.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " nals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 296,
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. 297.
sSeeibid. , "SeptimaVitaS. Patricii,"
Art. v. See Dr. O'Donovan's "An-
220 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
memory is celebrated'—and the year 697 was the last of his life. 3 Reared in all the traditions of the Catholic faith, this prelate seemed from the begin- ning a child of benediction, and full of promise ; and his end was but the continuance and realization of his opening career.
Article VI. —St. Breacc Fele, of Bealach-Fele. [Probably in the
SeventhCentury^ Onthe15thofJanuary,theMartyrologyofTallagh'enters
the name of Brice fheli, of Bealach fheli. He is somewhat differently alluded
to elsewhere ; for we have a clue to his family given in a later calendar. We
find recorded, in the Martyrology of Donegal,'' on this day, Breacc Fele, of
Bealach Fele. He is here said to be of the family of Fiacha Suidhe, son to
FeidhlimidhReachtimhar. Thisholyman,Brecus,asthenameisLatinized,
was the son of Silaus, son to Dubtach, son of Fergna, son to Muredach, son
of Sinell, son to Brecan, son of -. 'Engus Lethain, son to Eugenius Breac, son
of Artchorb, son of Fiach. Thus he had a common ancestor with St. Ita,
and he belonged to the Desii race, in the south of Ireland. 3 He lived three
generations later than St. Ita. The place where he was venerated has eluded
our search, if it be not Ballyfoile, the Anglicized form of the Irish word Bea-
leach " the or road of Foele. " It is now the name of a Foele, i. e. , pass
townland, in the parish of Kilmadum, and county of Kilkenny,^ according to some writer in the local newspapers His further remarks, probably some- what erroneous, may serve to establish an identity between St.
Mobrigue and the present St. Breacc Fele. —His death is thus recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters at a. d. " St. of died. "^ The
730 : Mobrigue,
Bealach-Fele,
name of this saint is said to form part of the name for the next parish, i. e. ,
Kill-ma-de-mogue. ThisprobablymeanstheChurchofmyMogueorMo-
brigue, adds the wTiter, but we believe incorrectly. The site of the original
church of this saint, he continues, which is also most probably the place of
his burial, is well known by the denomination of Kill-Mogue, on Mr. Comer-
ford's land, only a few fields from the old castle of Ballyfoile. 7 It is showm
by the same name on the Ordnance Townland Survey, where it is marked,
"
a burial place for children. "
In the neighbourhood, this ancient cemetery
is said to be used for only
unbaptized
children and — strangers.
We do
not think it
siblybecontractedintoBreacc canatallbesofteneddowntoMogue. He regards St. Mobrigue as the patron of Ballyfoile. ^
as the w— probable, avers,
"
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga, Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. ii. , p. 629.
3 The "Annals of Ulster," and those of the Four Masters agree in this year for his demise.
Art. VI. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy at this date we read b^Mcc pheLi obec.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 1 7.
3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Appendix ad Acta S. Itae, cap. ii. , p. 73.
" Clonmacnoise. " See n.
riter
Mobrigue
may pos-
* See the site of Kilmogue graveyard and
church marked here on the "Ordnance and county of Kilkenny. No ancient burial-
Survey Townland Maps for the County of
ground appears to have been in either. See " Ordnance Townland Maps for the
Kilkenny. "
Sheet
14.
Survey Kilkenny.
s"The
Ilth, 1872, vol. xxxi. , No. 3,883. New
of
" Sheet37.
Kilkenny Journal"
of
September
County
while it
See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. L, pp. 326, 327. The learned editor admits that he could not identify this place. The obit
that
Series.
*
of Mobrigiu is not given in the
Annals of
Ulster," or of (q), ibid.
"
^ The surrounding scenery, its mountain glens, and ways, will be found admirably described in the pages of the national novelist
and poet, John Banim.
*
There are two other to^vnland denomina- tions, Upper Ballyfoile and Lower Ballyfoile, in the parish of Dysartmoon, barony of Ida,
16, 17.
Art. viii.
—
'
See Cicero, Tusc. Quaest.
i. , 10.
' See an interesting article, written by the
Rev. John O'Roorke, in the " Irish Eccle- siastical Record," vol. ii. , May, 1866, p. 380.
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we read tin. nepf niAOtntnA <\|\beb<M5.
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
5 In a note. Dr. Todd says, at this word
* Edited 16, 17.
by
pp.
LIVES OF THE IETSH SAINTS.
January 15. ]
Article VII. —St, Darerca, Virgin, Daughter to Cairbre. The
published Martyrology of Tallagh' records Darerca, virgin, at the 15th of January. With the entry of St. Ita's feast on the same day, it unites that of
the daughters of Cairpre. We only find, however, that a saint called Darerca, virgin, and a daughter of Cairbre, occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal'' on this day. Little besides can be found relating to this religious woman.
Article VIII. —The Seven Bishops of Druimairbhealaigh, now probably Drumreilly, County of Leitrim. From such notices as our ancient litanies and calendars afford us, we may very reasonably infer that chor- episcopal sees and pastors were numerous in the earlier ages of our national Christianity. To find —so many saints, and of the same class, venerated in so
—names of which can
many different places the old scarcely
be identified
exactly with modem localities shows full well the prevalence of holiness
among the shepherds who were Divinely appointed to tend the flocks entrusted
to their care. Among most nations, it has been remarked by an Irish writer,
who has given this subject much attention, seven appears to have been a
peculiar,ifnotamystical,number. IthasbeencalledbyaPaganauthor'
the knot and cement of all things, as being that by which the natural world
and spiritual world are comprehended imder one idea. It was considered
afortunatenumberamongthePersians. Butsevenispre-eminentlyasacred
number. =* In that it must have been referred in connexion with our sense, to,
various groups of saints and ancient churches. As we are informed in the
Martyrology of Tallagh,3 a festival is registered on the 15th of January in honour of Seacht, n-Eps Droma airbelaigh. Their special names do not appeartobeknown. AnequalnumberofsaintsismentionedintheMar- tyrology of Donegal. * It has for an entry the seven bishops^ of Druimair- bhealaigh, as being venerated on this day. It is not easy to ascertain this exact locality, under its present denomination ; but as these holy prelates are
invoked in the Litany of St. -^ngus the Culdee, they probably flourished, and possibly not all of them as contemporaries, before the ninth century. At the 15th of January, under the head of Druim Airbhalaigh, Duald Mac Firbis enters, the seven bishops of Druim Airbhalaigh. It has been identified
with Dnimreilly, in the county of Leitrim. ^ The parish of Drumreilly is situate partly within the barony of Drumahaire,? and partly within the barony of Carrigallen,^ in the county of Leitrim. A part of this parish also lies in
Art. VII. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we have
only OAiNeT\CA tli-p.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part
i. , pp. io6, 107.
" nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Leitrim. " Sheets, 18, 19, 20, 21. It has an area of 16,276 acres. Its western boundary is the River Shannon and Lough
Allen. On the latter, in the small island of Inishmagrath are shown the ruins of an an- cient church and a graveyard. South- eastward from it there is a graveyard, in the adjoining townland of Fahy. Some [old forts and holy wells lie within this portion of the parish.
* This of it is shown on the same portion
Maps, Sheets 22, 25, 26, 29, 30. On Drum- reilly townland proper there seems to be no remains of the church or Ex-
" A more recent hand has added '
graveyard.
bishops,
here, in Roman characters, filii Finnii, cept several old forts, few antiquities can be a/? flj, Fincrittani. '" found in this portion of Drumreilly. Its
•"
See Proceedings of the Royal Irish area consists of 14,218 acres.
^ This of it is shown in the portion
Ord-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
thebaronyofTuUaghagh,inthecountyofCavan. Itisnotcorrecttostate that the chief part of this parish is situated within the barony of Carrigallen,9 in the county of Fermanagh. There is a Drumralla, called by the Four
"
Masters, Druimralach, and Anglicized
the ridge of the oak ;"'° yet it seems
to us the present Drumreilly must mean Reill/s or O'Reilly's ridge, as being connected with family-names very numerous in the locality.
The holy Pope Gregory has remarked in one of his sermons, that as all
time is comprehended under the designation of seven days, universality is rightly typified by the number seven. "
Article IX. —Saints Airechtaigh and Robertaigh, of Inis-mor,
ANDOFAiTHCHE,ViRGiN. Wereadthatvenerationwasgivenonthisday
to Airechtaigh and Robertaigh, in Inis-moir, according to the Martyrology of Tallagh. ^ In a later record, we have another saint united with the two holy
persons just mentioned. Robhartach and Aireachtach, of Inis-mor, with
Aithche, virgin, are entered in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ on this day. This latter holy woman is patron of Cill-Aitche, in the diocese and county of Limerick. The place lies within the barony of Kenry, and there a holiday and station had been held to the middle of the seventeenth century. 3 Inish- more is applied as a denomination to several islands Avithin and around the shores of Ireland ; while Inis or Inish, as a compound, is united to a vast number of Irish localities. * One of those saints has been identified with Robartach, a distinguished scribe or chronographer of Durrow, in the King's County. s Hediedintheyear870. ^ Again,Colganhashimidentifiedwith a Bishop of Kildare, who is said to have been a scribe and Abbot of Achaden. Hediedin873,itissaid,andafterhimInis-Robartaigh,or"the IslandofRobertach,"haditsname. ? Someconfusions^eemstoexistinthese various statements.
»
^I'Vteeaitf) Bay of Sauuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FURSEY, ABBOT OF LAGNY, IN FRANCE. {SEVENTH CENTURY. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—THE VARIOUS CODICES, BIOGRAPHIES, AND WRITERS REFERRING TO ST. FURSEY'S acts—THIS HOLY MAN A NATIVE OF IRELAND—HIS FAMILY AND RACE—CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS.
celebrated saint, whose festival is commemorated on this day,
in his own
Imbued with a true missionary spirit,
* thus there was an Among places called,
Inchmore, or Inishmore, in Lough Rea, on
THE
attained not
only
but even
among
great celebrity, people living in more distant regions.
country,
9 See Lewis' "
of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 520.
'° See Dr. P. W. " Joyce's Origin
History of Irish Names of Places," part iv. , chap, viii. , p. 488.
" " Homil—ia in Evangelia," xxxiii.
'
Art. IX. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. After the entry of nine foreign saints
in the Franciscan copy, at this day, the first
Irish names given are ^ii\echc<M5 ocwf flo-
bA]\CAi5
in
^mx tTlon\.
Topographical Dictionary
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 1 6, 1 7.
3See Table of the Martyrology, ibid. , pp.
360, 361.
and the Shannon. Here an
abbey formerly stood, but the founder's name is involved in
obscurity. See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese
of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. iii. ,
chap. Ixxiv. , p. 573.
"
s See
pendix ad Acta S.
Lasreanus,^* not to mention others of her holy relatives,''5 and persons who have been noticed in the preceding pages. So great was her renown, that Ita
had been affectionately styled the Brigid of Munster. And justly was she so-called, for Ita continued in her own province the glorious promotion of female sanctification, which the wonder-v*-orking Abbess of Kildare had in- augurated for the whole of Ireland.
The holy woman Ita suffered a meritorious martyrdom for God ; in the sense, that she bore with great patience a bodily affliction in the most re- signed and exemplary spirit. She loved mortification and self-denial. She was the refuge and solace of sinners ; ever compassionate towards the erring,
and ever charitably disposed towards the poor. May her memory then be in
perpetual benediction among the lowly and humble, as among the high-born and penitent, who implore her intercession. May the inhabitants of her parish and district never forget her admirable character, and her constant patronage over them, that so they may pay her deserved tributes of affection and grateful reverence on every recurring day of her festival.
Article II. —St. Critan, Criotan, or Finncridan, of Craib- HAIGH, OR Crebee. To determine the age or place of this saint seems a matterofsomedifficulty,ifnotofactualimpossibility; becausesomanynames of saints^ agree with his, and so many denominations^ of places accord with the locality which has been assigned to him. In the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 a festival in honour of Finncridan of Craibhigh, is set down at the 15th of
prefix, on this day, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ we find simply entered, Critan, of Crebee. ^ The reader is referred to the notice of St. Dalua, of
or "
"
having reference to the colour of his hair or complexion. Without such a
January.
The
prefix
Finn,"
Fine," relating
to " seems as fairness,"
which places Kihueely, alias Kilmureely (for Kihneedy) in the Deanery of Rathkeale, reports the living as valueless.
i6th of September ; at the i6th of October ; at the i8th of November ; and at the 13th of December.
^°" ^ See Letters containing Information
Over one hundred places, having con-
Relative to the Antiquities of the County of Limerick, Collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. ii. , pp. 163, 164.
nexion with Creevy, simply, or in composi- tion, are named among the Irish townlands.
Dr. P. W. Joyce writes to state, that Cruagh, near Killikee, county of Dublin, is the same as C|\AebAc, "a bushy" or "a branchy place. "
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In
the Franciscan copy we read pnT)ch]MCAn
Ci\ibij;e.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 17. ^ At this word, as we learn in a note to the
family line, are tabulated with their genca-
fogies given in Colgan's "Appendix ad has added here in Roman characters, "Mar.
^' ''^
See his Acts at the 27th of February.
See his Life at the i6th of May.
^3 See notices of this saint at the 28th of
April.
^* See an account of him at the 25th day
of October.
=5 The Decies Saints, belonging to Ita's
Acta S. Ita;," cap. ii. , p. 73.
Art. II. — 'Thus besides the present saint,
(/. t'. . the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman) Adventus filiarum Carbrci (Addit M. Taml. Dormitatio ItcoK [read Itoe], ct filiarum Car-
venerated on this day, we have a St. Critan
er Criotan, commemorated at the 7lh of brei). " The meaning is, that Marianus
"
17th of May ; at the 25th of July ; at the the daughters of Carbrc" (cecc ingen caitd
February
;
one respectively at the nth and O'Gorman adds at this day,
the coming of
published "Martyrology,"amorereccnthand
2l8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
Dun-tighe-Bretan,^ for some allusion to the county of Dublin parish, known as Cruagh or Creevy. This seems to have been the site for an ancient reli- gious establishment from a remote period ; for in the year 1184, Prince John granted Cruagh, with its church, to the See of Dublin, and its subsequent
history is interesting. ? An old graveyard, lately enclosed, and by order of the poor-law authorities disused for interments, is to be seen, embowered with trees, growing around and within the area. ^ Within it stood the antique church, surrounded by the graves and tombs of the dead. It cannot be asserted, however, with any degree of certainty, that the present Creevy is the place specially connected with this saint's veneration. Still a few descrip-
tive particulars regarding it may prove interesting to the antiquarj'. The old church measured 34 feet in length interiorly, while it was less than 20 feet in breadth interiorly. At present only a few fragments remain. It was built of rough granite stones. In the fragments remaining the east wall shows
Ruins of Cruagh, or Creevy, County Dublin.
onlytheturningofacirculardoorwayofarch; whileinthewestgablethere was a window, as one side of it is plainly visible. A nondescript round tower stands at present, partly encroaching on the nave, and it is entered near the ground by a square-headed doorway. A little over this it is arched \vith a stone roof, while above there is a compartment, having small window opes, and these are crowned by a turretted battlement. This structure is a compara- tively modem one, erected within the present century to shelter persons guarding their deceased friends' remains from nocturnal aggressions of the resur- rectionists. The situation is a most superb one ; sheltered on the south, east, and west by the Dublin mountains, and rising on a steep knoll, over a rivulet
and that the
Tamlacht" adds " Dormitatio Itae et filiarum
of Dublin," pp. 794 to 797.
" The accompanying sketch of Cruagh or
Creevy, taken by the author in August, 1873, has been engraved by Mr. Gregor Grey, of Dublin.
Martyrology of See 7th day of January, Article ix.
CTioii\p^e) ; Carbrei. "
'
7 See D'Alton's " of the History
County
"
January 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 219
running towards the river Dodder in a deep valley, and towards the city of Dublin. From the graveyard a noble view of the metropolis, the vale of the Liffey, and far out to sea, may be obtained.
ArticleIII. —SaintsMauraandBritta,Martyrs. Itisremarkedby a great saint, that the soul may escape to God while the world passes away from our view. ^ The Bollandists have inserted notices of Saints Maura and Britta in their great work, at the 15th day of January. '' St. Gregory of Tours has treated about these holy virgins. 3 Saussay, in his supplement to the Gallic Martyrology, has set down their feast for this date. ^ But, as we have already observed at the previous day, a fuller notice must be reserved for another fes- tival of Saints Maura and Britta, also called Brigida, at the 13th of July.
Article IV. —St. Dla. rmaid, Priest. The true priest not alone offers the mysterious sacrifice of the new alliance ; but for the truth of heavenly doctrine and the liberty of God's holy Church, he is ready to offer himself as a living sacrifice, like his Divine Master. Diarmaid, priest, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal' as having a feast on this day. A similar entry occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh^' at the 15 th of January. Among the disciples of St. Patrick, a St. Diermitius is mentioned ;3 but he is called a Bishop of Dromensis, or Druim-choreo-thri, in Meath. He was the son of Restitutus and Darerca, the sister of St. Patrick. 4 By his illustrious uncle he had been set over the church already designated, and which had been founded by the great Apostle. s It seems to us St. Patrick's nephew, the bishop, St. Diermitius, must be distinguished from the present holy priest. The latter is said^ to have been brother to St. Evinus, the reputed author of the Tripar- tite Life of St. Patrick ; while his church is stated to have been Kilmackeon, near Sligo. Altogether, the exact identification of the present saint and his place appears to be yet a matter for speculation and further inquiry.
Article V. —St, Farannan, Abbot of Kildare. \Sevtnth Century. ']
Gentle, firm, and faithful, the holy superior of a religious community sympa- thizes with and becomes attached to the lowliest brother of his happy household. This pious abbot was bom probably in the earlier part of the seventh century. He appears to have succeeded St. Lochenius Menn, who died a. d. 694, in the
of Kildare The government Abbey. ' present
saint had — a short term of only
rule
;
for he is said to have died on the
of on which 15th January
day
his
Art. hi. —'St. Ambrose, "DeFugaSe- "
cap. viii.
' These notices are contained in four para-
graphs. See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i,, XV. Januarii. Vita S. Mauras et Brittse, p. 10 1 8.
3 In his tract, "De Gloria Confessorum," cap. xviii.
xxiii. , p. 266.
Colgan thinks he must have been either
the Diermitius Presbyter, who is venerated
on the isth of January, or possibly another St. Diarmait, a bishop, who is recorded in our calendars at the I2th of December, ac-
cording to the Martyrologies of Tallagh, of MarianusO'Gorman,andofDonegal. See ibid. , cap. iv. , p. 231.
culi,
^ Canisius, Ferrarius, and Molanus, in the thefirsteditionofUsuard,havetheirfestival
at the — of ii. ,
14th day January.
130, and n.
p. 24, p. 173.
Art. IV.
Reeves, pp. 16, 17.
Drs. Todd and
vi. ,
Such is the information
=> Edited Rev. Dr. by
xii. In M
'Tucker, P. P. , and in a Boyle, V. G. ,
pars cap. '*
Edited
by
communicated to the writer by the Very Rev. Joseph
Kelly, p.
the Franciscan copy we find X)iAi\mAic
letter dated—October i6th, 1873. '
Pt\efbecetM.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " nals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 296,
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. 297.
sSeeibid. , "SeptimaVitaS. Patricii,"
Art. v. See Dr. O'Donovan's "An-
220 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
memory is celebrated'—and the year 697 was the last of his life. 3 Reared in all the traditions of the Catholic faith, this prelate seemed from the begin- ning a child of benediction, and full of promise ; and his end was but the continuance and realization of his opening career.
Article VI. —St. Breacc Fele, of Bealach-Fele. [Probably in the
SeventhCentury^ Onthe15thofJanuary,theMartyrologyofTallagh'enters
the name of Brice fheli, of Bealach fheli. He is somewhat differently alluded
to elsewhere ; for we have a clue to his family given in a later calendar. We
find recorded, in the Martyrology of Donegal,'' on this day, Breacc Fele, of
Bealach Fele. He is here said to be of the family of Fiacha Suidhe, son to
FeidhlimidhReachtimhar. Thisholyman,Brecus,asthenameisLatinized,
was the son of Silaus, son to Dubtach, son of Fergna, son to Muredach, son
of Sinell, son to Brecan, son of -. 'Engus Lethain, son to Eugenius Breac, son
of Artchorb, son of Fiach. Thus he had a common ancestor with St. Ita,
and he belonged to the Desii race, in the south of Ireland. 3 He lived three
generations later than St. Ita. The place where he was venerated has eluded
our search, if it be not Ballyfoile, the Anglicized form of the Irish word Bea-
leach " the or road of Foele. " It is now the name of a Foele, i. e. , pass
townland, in the parish of Kilmadum, and county of Kilkenny,^ according to some writer in the local newspapers His further remarks, probably some- what erroneous, may serve to establish an identity between St.
Mobrigue and the present St. Breacc Fele. —His death is thus recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters at a. d. " St. of died. "^ The
730 : Mobrigue,
Bealach-Fele,
name of this saint is said to form part of the name for the next parish, i. e. ,
Kill-ma-de-mogue. ThisprobablymeanstheChurchofmyMogueorMo-
brigue, adds the wTiter, but we believe incorrectly. The site of the original
church of this saint, he continues, which is also most probably the place of
his burial, is well known by the denomination of Kill-Mogue, on Mr. Comer-
ford's land, only a few fields from the old castle of Ballyfoile. 7 It is showm
by the same name on the Ordnance Townland Survey, where it is marked,
"
a burial place for children. "
In the neighbourhood, this ancient cemetery
is said to be used for only
unbaptized
children and — strangers.
We do
not think it
siblybecontractedintoBreacc canatallbesofteneddowntoMogue. He regards St. Mobrigue as the patron of Ballyfoile. ^
as the w— probable, avers,
"
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga, Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. ii. , p. 629.
3 The "Annals of Ulster," and those of the Four Masters agree in this year for his demise.
Art. VI. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy at this date we read b^Mcc pheLi obec.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 1 7.
3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," Appendix ad Acta S. Itae, cap. ii. , p. 73.
" Clonmacnoise. " See n.
riter
Mobrigue
may pos-
* See the site of Kilmogue graveyard and
church marked here on the "Ordnance and county of Kilkenny. No ancient burial-
Survey Townland Maps for the County of
ground appears to have been in either. See " Ordnance Townland Maps for the
Kilkenny. "
Sheet
14.
Survey Kilkenny.
s"The
Ilth, 1872, vol. xxxi. , No. 3,883. New
of
" Sheet37.
Kilkenny Journal"
of
September
County
while it
See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. L, pp. 326, 327. The learned editor admits that he could not identify this place. The obit
that
Series.
*
of Mobrigiu is not given in the
Annals of
Ulster," or of (q), ibid.
"
^ The surrounding scenery, its mountain glens, and ways, will be found admirably described in the pages of the national novelist
and poet, John Banim.
*
There are two other to^vnland denomina- tions, Upper Ballyfoile and Lower Ballyfoile, in the parish of Dysartmoon, barony of Ida,
16, 17.
Art. viii.
—
'
See Cicero, Tusc. Quaest.
i. , 10.
' See an interesting article, written by the
Rev. John O'Roorke, in the " Irish Eccle- siastical Record," vol. ii. , May, 1866, p. 380.
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we read tin. nepf niAOtntnA <\|\beb<M5.
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
5 In a note. Dr. Todd says, at this word
* Edited 16, 17.
by
pp.
LIVES OF THE IETSH SAINTS.
January 15. ]
Article VII. —St, Darerca, Virgin, Daughter to Cairbre. The
published Martyrology of Tallagh' records Darerca, virgin, at the 15th of January. With the entry of St. Ita's feast on the same day, it unites that of
the daughters of Cairpre. We only find, however, that a saint called Darerca, virgin, and a daughter of Cairbre, occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal'' on this day. Little besides can be found relating to this religious woman.
Article VIII. —The Seven Bishops of Druimairbhealaigh, now probably Drumreilly, County of Leitrim. From such notices as our ancient litanies and calendars afford us, we may very reasonably infer that chor- episcopal sees and pastors were numerous in the earlier ages of our national Christianity. To find —so many saints, and of the same class, venerated in so
—names of which can
many different places the old scarcely
be identified
exactly with modem localities shows full well the prevalence of holiness
among the shepherds who were Divinely appointed to tend the flocks entrusted
to their care. Among most nations, it has been remarked by an Irish writer,
who has given this subject much attention, seven appears to have been a
peculiar,ifnotamystical,number. IthasbeencalledbyaPaganauthor'
the knot and cement of all things, as being that by which the natural world
and spiritual world are comprehended imder one idea. It was considered
afortunatenumberamongthePersians. Butsevenispre-eminentlyasacred
number. =* In that it must have been referred in connexion with our sense, to,
various groups of saints and ancient churches. As we are informed in the
Martyrology of Tallagh,3 a festival is registered on the 15th of January in honour of Seacht, n-Eps Droma airbelaigh. Their special names do not appeartobeknown. AnequalnumberofsaintsismentionedintheMar- tyrology of Donegal. * It has for an entry the seven bishops^ of Druimair- bhealaigh, as being venerated on this day. It is not easy to ascertain this exact locality, under its present denomination ; but as these holy prelates are
invoked in the Litany of St. -^ngus the Culdee, they probably flourished, and possibly not all of them as contemporaries, before the ninth century. At the 15th of January, under the head of Druim Airbhalaigh, Duald Mac Firbis enters, the seven bishops of Druim Airbhalaigh. It has been identified
with Dnimreilly, in the county of Leitrim. ^ The parish of Drumreilly is situate partly within the barony of Drumahaire,? and partly within the barony of Carrigallen,^ in the county of Leitrim. A part of this parish also lies in
Art. VII. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we have
only OAiNeT\CA tli-p.
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part
i. , pp. io6, 107.
" nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Leitrim. " Sheets, 18, 19, 20, 21. It has an area of 16,276 acres. Its western boundary is the River Shannon and Lough
Allen. On the latter, in the small island of Inishmagrath are shown the ruins of an an- cient church and a graveyard. South- eastward from it there is a graveyard, in the adjoining townland of Fahy. Some [old forts and holy wells lie within this portion of the parish.
* This of it is shown on the same portion
Maps, Sheets 22, 25, 26, 29, 30. On Drum- reilly townland proper there seems to be no remains of the church or Ex-
" A more recent hand has added '
graveyard.
bishops,
here, in Roman characters, filii Finnii, cept several old forts, few antiquities can be a/? flj, Fincrittani. '" found in this portion of Drumreilly. Its
•"
See Proceedings of the Royal Irish area consists of 14,218 acres.
^ This of it is shown in the portion
Ord-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
thebaronyofTuUaghagh,inthecountyofCavan. Itisnotcorrecttostate that the chief part of this parish is situated within the barony of Carrigallen,9 in the county of Fermanagh. There is a Drumralla, called by the Four
"
Masters, Druimralach, and Anglicized
the ridge of the oak ;"'° yet it seems
to us the present Drumreilly must mean Reill/s or O'Reilly's ridge, as being connected with family-names very numerous in the locality.
The holy Pope Gregory has remarked in one of his sermons, that as all
time is comprehended under the designation of seven days, universality is rightly typified by the number seven. "
Article IX. —Saints Airechtaigh and Robertaigh, of Inis-mor,
ANDOFAiTHCHE,ViRGiN. Wereadthatvenerationwasgivenonthisday
to Airechtaigh and Robertaigh, in Inis-moir, according to the Martyrology of Tallagh. ^ In a later record, we have another saint united with the two holy
persons just mentioned. Robhartach and Aireachtach, of Inis-mor, with
Aithche, virgin, are entered in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ on this day. This latter holy woman is patron of Cill-Aitche, in the diocese and county of Limerick. The place lies within the barony of Kenry, and there a holiday and station had been held to the middle of the seventeenth century. 3 Inish- more is applied as a denomination to several islands Avithin and around the shores of Ireland ; while Inis or Inish, as a compound, is united to a vast number of Irish localities. * One of those saints has been identified with Robartach, a distinguished scribe or chronographer of Durrow, in the King's County. s Hediedintheyear870. ^ Again,Colganhashimidentifiedwith a Bishop of Kildare, who is said to have been a scribe and Abbot of Achaden. Hediedin873,itissaid,andafterhimInis-Robartaigh,or"the IslandofRobertach,"haditsname. ? Someconfusions^eemstoexistinthese various statements.
»
^I'Vteeaitf) Bay of Sauuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FURSEY, ABBOT OF LAGNY, IN FRANCE. {SEVENTH CENTURY. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—THE VARIOUS CODICES, BIOGRAPHIES, AND WRITERS REFERRING TO ST. FURSEY'S acts—THIS HOLY MAN A NATIVE OF IRELAND—HIS FAMILY AND RACE—CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS.
celebrated saint, whose festival is commemorated on this day,
in his own
Imbued with a true missionary spirit,
* thus there was an Among places called,
Inchmore, or Inishmore, in Lough Rea, on
THE
attained not
only
but even
among
great celebrity, people living in more distant regions.
country,
9 See Lewis' "
of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 520.
'° See Dr. P. W. " Joyce's Origin
History of Irish Names of Places," part iv. , chap, viii. , p. 488.
" " Homil—ia in Evangelia," xxxiii.
'
Art. IX. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. After the entry of nine foreign saints
in the Franciscan copy, at this day, the first
Irish names given are ^ii\echc<M5 ocwf flo-
bA]\CAi5
in
^mx tTlon\.
Topographical Dictionary
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 1 6, 1 7.
3See Table of the Martyrology, ibid. , pp.
360, 361.
and the Shannon. Here an
abbey formerly stood, but the founder's name is involved in
obscurity. See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese
of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. iii. ,
chap. Ixxiv. , p. 573.
"
s See
pendix ad Acta S.
