No More Learning

[FIFTH CENTURY. ]
ACCORDING to our Irish Calendars, there were many saints, bearing thenameofKillen;^ and,besides,someoftheseareundistinguished by pedigree, even when the names of their places are given. It is very difficult, therefore, to decide among these Killens, about the family and race of the pre- sent saint; although, he is set down, by Colgan, as having been a bishop of Teg- Talain, in Orgeillia,^ who had been venerated, at the 27th of May. Besides, St. Cillin is mentioned, also, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 at this date. How- ever, the name of the territory, in which Tigh Talain lay, has not been given,t in
576
xxvi. De Sancto Avgvstino Episcopo Cant- variensi in Anglia, pp. 37310443. They give a previous commentary, by Fatlier Papc- l)roke, in five paragraphs ; then follows Vita auctore Gocclino Monacho, having a pro- logueand fifty-threechapters, subdivided into five ; then follows an Ap|)endix from John Brompton ; afterwards Al. racles related by the aforesaid Monk Gocelin, in twenty-nine chapters, again subdivided into lour ; next succeeds a History of the Translation of his Relics by the same author, in two booi<s, the first containing fifty-five chapters, subdivided into eight ; an Appendix from tiie Chronicle of William Thorn ; besides the second book in forty-two paragraphs, subdivided into five chapters.
3 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints," vol. v. , May xxvi.
* Thus it says, at vii. Kalendas Junij ;
" In Britanniis Sancti Augustini episcopi et
confessoris qui missus a Beato Gregorio pri- mus genti Anglorum Christi euuangelium predicauit. —" Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. ii. , sessions MDCCCLIV. —V. —MDCCCLVI. —vil. JMartyr- ology for the u>e of the Church of Aberdeen, from a MS. of the sixteenth century, com- municated by David Laing, Esq. , F. S. A. , Scot.
^ See "Flores Ilistoriarum," p. 20S.
ARTICLE I. — ' See Colgan s ''Acta Sanctorum Ilibernite," Februarii xiv. Ue . S. Killani Martyris et Sociorum ejus Trans- latione, n. 3, p. 331.
- This, however, ap"pears not to have been the territory, in which Teg-Talain h. ad been situated ; but, rather was it in Ui- Meiili-M icha.
^ Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxv.
• It merely states, " Esp. Cillin o Tigh Talain," at the vi. of the June Kalends, or May 27th.
577
this record. Again, Marianus O'Gorman and Maguire have an entry of this saint's festival, at the 27th of May. The Bollandisls,s hkewise, enter the feast ofKiUinus, Bishop of Tegh-Talain, at the same day.
We learn, that St. Patrick^ proceeded at one time, from a northern region about Clogher, towards the territory of Hua-Meith-tire. This has been placed by Colgan, in the eastern part of Ultonia; and hence, in his opinion, it had been distinguished from Hua-Meith-mare—a part near the sea—as Airthear, or Oriental, 7 deriving its denomination HuaMeith, or the posterity of Meith, from the descendants of Muredach,^ surnamed Meith or the Fat. In the time of St. Patrick and afterwards, that people held possession of the interior land. 9 In following Colgan's statement, Walter Harris '° and Rev. Mervyn Archdall" were mistaken, when making Hy-Meith-Tire, or inland Hy- Meith, identical with the present barony of Orior, in A. rmagh County. But, in a small portion only, situated in the barony ofCremorne," Tehallan lies in the barony '3 and county of Monaghan. ^+ Its position is determined, where a ceme- tery frequently used surrounds the modern Protestant church, built on the town- land of Temple-tate,'S that is, " the church land. " This church is a very plain structure, having a square tower ;^^ the rest of its fabric having been built, pro- bably in the latter part of the last century. '? There, St. Patrick is said to have erected a church, the place having been called Teach Tallain. '^ But, in various mediaeval documents, its orthography has been varied to Thechtalbi,'^ Taghtallan,^° Techtalan,^' Tehallowne," Teghallan,^3 Techallon, Tyhallon,^'' Teehallon,^5 Tehallon,^'^ and Tihallon. ^? The locality, as well known, is now Tehallan parish f^ but, it is vulgarly called Teholland. Several tablets are within the modern church, and various head and tomb stones are without but, none bear any very ancient inscription. ^? The names and history of the townlands of this parish, as contained in the barony of Monaghan division, are set forth with Irish and English significations ;3° while those, contained within the barony of Cremorne portion, have been similarly given. s'' Here,
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vi. , Mail xxvii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 657.
it was erected m 1S27.
'^ The history of this church and parisli is
very clearly set forth, in Evelyn Pliilip Shirley's " History of the County of Mona- ghan," chap, xi. , p. 305.
'® In Irish CeAc'h CaIaiii, '-House of
* See the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, Art. i. , in the xvi. chap.
of his Life, for a description of Hy-Meith,
or Hy-Meith-Tire, as also the locality of Talan. "
Tehallan.
7 Colgan also calls it " Hua-methia-terrse
sive continentis. "
® He was son to Imchad, son of Colla
Dachrioch, according to the " Sanctilogium Genealogicum, " cap. xiii.
9 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. , cap. ix. , and n. 16, pp. 150, 184.
"SeeHarris'Ware,vol. ii. , "Antiquities of Ireland," chap, vii. , sect, i. , p. 51.
" See " Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 35, and n. (k).
"Thisconsistsof823a. Ir. lop.
'3 This part consists of 5,126a. ir.
'"• See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect. iii. , and nn. 28, 29, pp. 266, 269, 270.
'S It is described, on the "Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Monaghan," sheet 10.
'^ Over it is an inscription that, with a bell, Vol. V. —No. lo.
"' Taxation, 1306.
°° Register of Prene, 1432, fol. 130a.
^' Register of Dowdall, 1540, p. 20.
^ Ulster Visitation, 1622.
"^ Regal Visitation, 1634.
''• Triennial Visitation, 1661.
=s Triennial Visitation, 1664.
^9 Triennial Visitation, 1679.
^^ Triennial Visitation, 1754.
-^ On the Ordnance Survey Index Map of
the County of Monaghan, this parish of Tehallan appears bounded on the north and west by Donagh parish ; on the west and south, by Monaghan parish; and on the east, by Clontibert parish, and part of Armagh County.
=» See Evelyn Philip Shirley's "History of the County of Monaghan," chap, xi. , pp. 304 to 307.
30 gge iVw/. , chap, xv. , pp. 480 to 483.
^^ Seeiiid. , chap, xvi. , pj). 516, 517.
^2 it is thought to be identical with the
i o
;
May 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
578
1S35, pp. 109, no.
^6 j^ t^^ barony and county ofMonaghan,
shown on the "' Ordnance Survey Towniand Maps for the County Monaghan," sheets 9, 13, 14,18, 19.
33 See the County of Armagh and Mo-
naghan Letters belonging to the Ordnance
Survey C)ffice, and formerly kept in the
Phoenix I'ark, now in the Royal Irish Aca-
demy. Mr. O'Donovan's Letter, dated
Clones, May 29th, 1835, P- I37- Also, Ex-
tracts, bound within this same volume, pre-
sent notices of Teag-talain, taken from Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. ix. , Colgan's "Tiias Thaumaturga," from " An-
nals of the Four Masters," and from the Irish Calendar. See pp. 162, 189.
34 In Latin, " regio Mugdornorum. "
Ouramlisdonny, mentioned in the Ulster Inquisitions, on the borders of Armagh County, and, probably, it is the present Omra or Oram, in the parish of Muckno, barony of Cremorne, and county of Monaghan.
35 See the " County of Armagh and of
Monaghan Letters of the Ordnance Survey,"
vol. i. Mr. O'Donovnn's Letter, dated
Monaghan, May 4th, 1835, p. 43. Also, Land," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, iii. , n. 29, p. 270.
May 8th, 1S35, PP- 63, 64. Also, his Letter, dated Carrickmacross, May 20th, 1835, pp. 99, 100, and one dated Cootehill, Way 25th,
« In chap. xiii. of the " Sanctilogium Gencajogicum. "
44 Rev. Dr. Lanigan thinks, there can be
37 ^n the barony of Cremorne. See ibid. , sheets 10, 14, 15, 19, 20, 24, 25.
38 j^ the parish of Muckno, and barony ot Cremorne, shown on sheet 20. ibid.
39 yge John O'Donovan's " Leabhar-na-g- Ceart, or Book of Rights," p. 148.
•o y^g Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
p. 150.
*^ Several Irish churches were denomin-
ated in like manner, after their founders, as for instance Tegh or Teach Munnu, "the house of Munnu," or Teach-Mochua, " the house of Mochua. "
4^ See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
;
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 27.
St. Patrick converted Eugenius, the son of Brian, and the dynast of that dis- trict. He also resuscitated his father Muredach. He was afterwards interred, ataplacecalledOmnarenne3^—interpretedtheOakofRenne—ontheconfines of Hy-Meth and Mugdorne territory, but belonging to the latter. The fore- going account clearly shows, that the territory of Hy-Meth, in which the church of Tehallan was situated, adjoined the territory of the Mugdorni yet, by some strange and unaccountable mistake, Colgan makes the territory of the Mugdorni the mountainous barony of Mourne in Down, although he should have known, that between Tehallan and IMourne, in Down, several distinctterritorieslay,inthetimeofSt. Patrick. However,heplacesTehal- lan in the territory of Orgeillia, and this shows, how much he had been mis- taken. For, he should have known, that the route of St.
Patrick was south- wards, and that he passed from the territory of the Hy-Methii, into the adjoining territory of the Mugdorni. He knew that the church of Tehallan—the situa- tion of which he indicated right well, in Diocoesi Ardmachani—was within
theterritoryoftheHy-Methii. 33 Heknew,also,thattheterritoryofCriochMugh- dhorna 34 was not many miles south from Tehallan. Again, this latter is placed in the region of Hy-Meith, which was a large district in this county, north of the territory called Fearnmhagh, and originally comprising the barony of Monaghan,aswellasofCremourne. 35 Colganshouldhaveknown,likewise, that the church of Domnach Maigen—now Donoughmoyne—was not many milessouthwardsfromTehallan. TheterritoryknownasUi-MeithMachacom- prised the parishes of Tehallan—the Tech-Thalain of our text—Monaghan, Kilmore,3^ TuUycorbet, Clontibret,37 and Muckno, near Castleblaney. 38 These churches are all in the county of Monaghan. 39 This saint is said to have been consecrated by St. Patrick, when visiting the district of Hua- meith-tire. ''° The name Teagh-Talain, the " house of Talan,''*' seems to indi- cate a church, founded by one Talan. We are not bound to believe, how- ever, in the opinion of Dr. Lanigan,^^ that he had been placed there, by St. Patrick. Colgan would not undertake to define, whether this place derived its name from St. Tellan, son to Legan, son to Colgan, dynast of this same part of the country, and who is mentioned 43 in our Menologies, at the 25th of June ;** or from St. Tolan, or Tola, son to Donchad, named 45 at the 30th
—
May 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of March. 46 However, it is stated, in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, that he not only endowed Tegh Talain with lands, but that he even bestowed tlie reHcs ofsomesaints,andwhichreUcs,hehadbroughtfrombeyondthesea. TheIrish Apostle selected, from among his disciples, those, who had been the com- panions of his missionary labours, and the faithful imitators of his pious example. These pious men he left withSt. Killian. 47 Thefestival ofthepresent St. Killen was kept, at Tehallan, county of Monaghan, on the 27th of May, according to our Irish Calendars. Besides, as we are told, Stickillin, a small parish in the county of Louth, near Ardee, is called from this saint, its name having been originally Tech-Cillin. ts Thus, the name Cillin, Bishop, of Tegh Talain, in Orighialla, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,49 as having been venerated, at this day. His festival is noteil, at the 27th of May, by Father John Colgan. 5° Under the head of Teach-Talain,5^ Duald Mac Firbis enters Gillian, bishop from Tech-Tallian, in Airghill, for May 2 7th. 52 At this same date, also, his festival occurs, in that Irish Calendar,53 kept in the Royal Irish Academy.
Article II. St. Commaigh, Comagia, or Comaigh, Virgin, of Snawlooher, or Slanore, County of Cavan. {^Sixth or Seventh Century? ^ At this date, the Martyrology of Tallagh ' records the name of this holy virgin, under the designation Commaigh, daughter of Eachdach, of Snamha luthair. TheBollandists^ havealsoalikeentry,atthe27thofMay,forComagiaof Snam-Luthir. It appears, that this holy virgin was daughter of Eochaidh, her father, and Aigleann 3 or Ailgend, her mother. She was fifth in descent, by the father's side, from Laeghaire, monarch of Ireland, in the time of St. Patrick. Her father was son to Ailill, son of Guaire, son to Lughaidh, son of King Laeghaire. Her brothers were St. Fintan,4 St. Lughaidh,5 and St. Coluim. ^ Besides these uterine brothers, her father had been married to Ligach Bred- mainech, by whom he had St. Fursey,? St. Nainnidh,^ and St. Muiredach. 9 The monastery at Snam-luthir had been founded, by the brother of St. Comaigh, a holy man named Columbanus, or Golman. ^° It was supposed, by Golgan," that Snam-Luthir had been identical with a monastery, founded at Garbre Gabhra, otherwise Carbre Mor, in the maritime part of northern
little doubt, that from him this church got its name ; if so, it was not founded by St. Patrick. See " Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," chap, vi. , sect, iii. , n. 28, p. 270.
45 In our Calendars, and also in the " Sanctilogium Genealogicum. "
4^ In the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
47 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. , cap. ix. , and nn. 17, 18, pp. 150, and 184.
4^ See Evelyn Philip Shirley's " History of the County of Monaghan," chap, xi. , p. 305.
"9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. , IS^j 139-
5° See "Acta Sanctorum HiberniK," xiv.
53 Thus : Cilbn e<ifp 6 C15 C^lAin in Oiy\jiALL, at the vi. of the June Kalends, May 27th. The same entry is in the Ord- nance Survey copy, Common Place Book F, p. 49. A marginal note, in Mr. O'Donovan's handwriting, thus explains CiJ CaLaiii, as being Anglicized into Tehallen.
Februarii, Vita S. Kilianiet Sociorum, n. p. 331.
3,
5' Now Tyhallon, county of Monaghan, according to William M. PIcnnessy's note.
5^ See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , parti. , pp. 130, 131.
"Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 43, p. 172, and n. (e), ibid.
" In "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Quarta
Article il. p. xxv.
—
'
Edited by
Rev. D. Kelly,
= See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vi. , Mali xxvii. Among the pretermitted saints,
p.
657.
3 yhe was the daughter of Lenin.
4 Venerated at the ist of January.
^ Venerated at the 31st of January.
* Venerated at the 6th of September.
^ Venerated at the i6th of January,
^ Venerated at the 13th of November.
? Venerated at the 12th of August,
'° See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
579
58o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 27.
Connaught, and by a certain Columbanus," a holy man, who was son to Echad. '3 In like manner, the Rev. Mervyn Archdall Hand Rev. Dr. Lanigan'5 say, that Snam luthir was a monastery, in the present barony ofCarbury, and county of Sligo. Another name for this territory is said to have been Carbre- mhororCarbreDroma-Cliabh. '^ Thisopinionhasbeenmostgenerallyre- ceived. '^ However, that place has been identified, by other writers—and notably by Rev. Dr. Reeves '^—with Snawlooher, or Slanore,'? a townland in the parish of Kilmore, barony of Upper Loughtee, and county of Cavan. ^° Not a vestige of the old monastery now remains. There, however, various remains of mortality have been discovered,^' and it would seem the ancient religious foundation stood, also, some where about the beginning of the seventh
Trinity Church and Island, Lough Oughter.
century. St. Coluin, the brother of our saint, appears also to have lived—at least for a time—in this place. ^^' The former cemetery has disappeared ; but, for ages, there has not been a burial there. The Premontre foundation of
S. Columba:, lib. ii. , nn. 34, 35, p. T^i,.
'^ See ibid. , lib. ii. , cap. xliii. , p. 362.
'3 In his notes, Colgan stales, that he was
Colman, son of Eochod, and a brother of St. Comagia.
'^ See " Monasticon Ilibernicuni," p. 639.
'5 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," vol. ii. , cap. xi. , sect, x. , and n. 122, PP- 133. 143-
'* See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hibcr- niae," Februarii xx. Supplementuni Vita; S. Fechini, cap. xxx. , p. 136, and n. 18, p. 141.
' See "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire- land," vol. iii. , p. 272.
'^ See his Adamnau's " Life of St. Co- lumba," n. (0, pp. 173, 174.
'' It is marked, on the " Ordnance Sun-ey Townland Maps for the County of Cavan," sheets 24, 25.
** So stated, by William M. Hennessey, who quotes the Down Survey, as his autho- rity.
" In the beginning of the present cen- tury, when the field was first broken up, traces of a Christian place for interment came to light.
" See iJr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columbae," nn. (e, f), pp. 172 to 174.
— "
May 27. ] LIVES 01^ THE IRISH SAINTS.
581
1237,^3 on Trinity Island ^'^ opposite, became the place most resorted to
there, the peasantry of the neighbourhood now bury their dead. ^s On Trinity Island are also considerable ruins, which have a most picturesque appear- ance,^^ as seen rising over the embowering trees, and far out on the noble expanseofLoughOughter. Thesurroundingshoresarediversifiedandvery attractive in scenery. An abbey's site is shown in a field, which is called the Abbey-field,-? in the western part of Snawlooher or Slanore townland. This contains about 130 acres, and it is situated a little south from Lough Oughter, on the west side of Kilmore parish. It appears, furthermore,'''^ that Cairbre Gabhra is now represented, by the modern barony of Granard, in the north- eastern part of Longford County ; while, this territory must have proceeded still farther towards the north, so as to include a considerable portion of Upper Loughtee, in the county of Cavan, since Snamh-luthir, Snawlougher,^9 or Slanore, was within it. 3° Veneration was given on this day, to Comaigh, Virgin, of Snamh Luthair,3i as we find entered, in the Martyrology of Donegal. 32
Article III. St. Maelan, of Slanore, County of Cavan. This day, the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ and that of Donegal," register the name of Maelan, of Snamh Luthair, as having been venerated. The Bollandists 3 have a notice of St. Mselanus, at the 27th of May; but, they barely record his name and home at Snam-Luthir. This place is known as Snawlooher,'' at the present time, and it may be identified with the locality, to which allusion has just been made. According to Colgan, the present saint may possiblybeidentifiedwithMoelchuo,nephewofSt.