* His
festival
is at the 16th of May.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
Or, it may be, that Carissim was the Carissus, belonging to another company of holy Martyrs, whose names occur,inoldMartyrologies,atthisdate.
3 Inlikemanner,adoubtmayexist, regarding that Felix, whose name has been entered, in the Festilogy of St.
. iEngus ; as, in a group of Martyrs, one is so named ;• and, again, in another group of Martyrs, those who suffered at Asiatic Pontus, two bearing the name are to be found. 5 In like manner, and at this same day, one Felix suffered
asaMartyr,inSpain. * Atthisdate,also,theMartyrologyofTallagh'men- tions a festival, in honour of Felix, a Deacon. *
Article XI. —Reputed Festival of St. Paternus, Bishop of Vennes. \_Fifth and Sixth Centuriesl\ The festival of this holy man has been assigned, to this date, as being that of St. Paternus' death, by the Bre- viary of the city of Vennes, and in that of Corisopitan. ' Also, Philip Ferrarius," Albert Le Grand,3 and Augustine du Pas,* have a similar state-
' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap-
rilis xvi. Among the pretermitted saints,
s See ibid. De Sanctis Martyribus, Mar- tiale, Felice, item Felice, Fausto, Fovtunato, Silvano, Luciano, Gomalo, Parcilao, Leonide, Mica, Gallieno, Marciano, Faustino, Luciano,Jocundo,inPontoAsiaeRegione, p. 406. Neither of those, bearing the name
p. 402. *"
See Hector Boetius' Scotorura Histo-
"
riae, lib. xi. ,p—. ccxlii. ,andp. ccxcv.
Artic—le x.
'In the LeabharBraec copy
we find
:
of Felix, are
distinguished
as Deacons.
tACAiMpinTMgDd <il-A'puamT>d ^elic Ool^ecl1 x)un; fopptiic ITeib imaeochAin -peUc.
' See ibid. De Sanctis Octodecim Mar-
tyribus, Optato, I. uperco, Successo, Mar-
tiale, Urbano, Julia seu Julio, Quintiliano, Publio, Frontone, Felice, Caeciliano, Even- tio sive Evoto, Piimiiivo, Apodemio, et iv. Saturninis, ant pro his Cassiano, Matutino,
It is thus translated into
Fausto et
pania, pp. 406 to 410. Nor do we find the
Felix, named among them, distinguished, as having been a deacon.
' Edited by Rev Dr. Kelly, p. xxi. 'The Franciscan copy has jTebaf t)iA-
English
royal Cairissima, whose graveyard is roomy
(? ), runs to thee quickly the feast of the deacon Felix. "
"
See their Acts, in the BoUandist Collec- lion, "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis
januario.
ugustae
Nunechia, Basilissa, Call, Martyribus Corin- thi in Achaia, pp. 402 to 404.
3 See ibid. l)e Sanctis Martyribus, Mar-
tiale, Vincentio, Carisso, Caritone, Cselesta
et ahis quinque, p. 405.
* See ibid. De Sanctis Martyribus, Mar-
ciano, Eniano, Felice, Hermogene, Vincen- tio, Tertio, Calesto, p. 405. Here Felix is not distinguished as a Deacon.
:
—"
With
A
Caesar- in His-
xvi. De SS. Callisto, Charisio, Leonide, com. —
Christiana, Galla, Theodora, Lota, Tertia, ARTICLE XI.
Caristo, item Chariessa, Nice, Gallena, "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis xv.
'
De Sancto Paterno Episcopo, Veneti in
Britania Armorica. Commentarius Praevius,
num. 2, 379.
=
In his General Catalogue of the Saints, at the present date.
^ in the account of Saints, belonging to Armoric Britain.
• In his History of Britanny, where he treats about the Bishops of Vennes.
See the BoUandists'
April i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 189
ment. Yet,thisissupposedtohavebeenamistake,forthefestivalofSt. Patemus, Episcopus Abrincensis, et Scubulionis Abbas. Their feast has been referred, to the i6th of April; and, on this day, the Bollandists,s who have
published their Acts, note the festival of St, Patemus, Bishop of Vennes, in Armoric, or Lesser Britain. * He must be distinguished from that Patemus, otherwise known as St. Pair, who, in early youth, embraced a monastic life, in theAbbeyofAnsion,afterwardscalledMarnes. Fromthenameofaholy abbot, belonging to that house, it was known as St. Jovin des Marnes,' in the diocese of Potiers. * To lead a more austere life, he went into the diocese of Coutances ; and, some years later, he was ordained priest, by the Bishop Ldontin. 9 Afterwards, he was called upon, to preside over the See of Avranches. " Thislatterholyman,however,hadnospecialconnexionwith Ireland.
Article XII. —St. Ultan. The Martyrology of Donegal ' mentions,
that there was a festival, in honour of Ultan, and celebrated on this day.
The Annals of the Four Masters ' record the death of Ultan Hua Berodherg,
Abbot of Fahen, or Ohain-mor, at a-d. 769. Colgan attributes his festival
to this date, April i5th ;3 but, little seems to be known, regarding him. We
cannot know, whether the present or some other holy man, bearing the same
name, may be identified with a St. Ultan, who was the patron saint of Cul-
daff parish,'* in the barony of Inishowen East. A very ancient stone cross,
which tradition ascribes to his erection, stood at Falmore. s But, it has
cmmbled into fragments. Some years ago, Mr. Nicholson, the owner of that
property,onwhichit stood,gotasplendidIrishcrossofstoneerectedonce
more, and on the old site. * In the remote parts of Ulster, to which
allusion has been made, and where wildly romantic scenery abounds,
the antiquary may still discover the vestiges of a very distant period,
and especially mined churches, formerly holding a place in popular vene- ration.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. De this date, in the Manuscript of Florarius, S. Paterno EpiscopoAbrincensi et S. Scubi- and in Greven's additions to Usuard. After Hone Socio, in Hodierna Nonnannia. A this entry, ihe Boliandists have another " S.
previous commentary of Six Sections, with Vita auctore Fortunato Episcopo, in Three
:
Patemus Episcopus Arausionensis dicitur a Ferrario non satis distinguente dictas urbes, Gallice Auranche et Orange dictas, uti hoc
Chapters, with Notes, by Godefrid Hens-
chenn, may there be found. See pp. 425 die ad Vitam S. Paterni dicitur. "
to430.
'
Seeibid. Amongthepretermittedfeasts, p. 401.
—"Acta Sanctorum,"tomusii. , Aprilisxvi. Among
' A fuller account of this holy Bishop will "'
be found, in Les Petits Bollandistes, Vies des Saints," tome iv. , 16 Avril. Saint Paterne, Ev^que d'Avranches et Saint Scu- bilion, Le Compagnon, de sa Solitude, pp. 415 to 418.
and Reeves, pp. 104, 105.
See Dr. Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp.
372, 373.
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Ap-
pendix ad Acta S. Columba:, cap. ix. , p. 510.
' See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints," vol. iv. , April xv.
* This extensive ecclesiastical division is "
"
» See I'Abbe Fleury's Histoire Ecclesias-
described, on the Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps fo>r the County of Donegal,"
tique," tome vii. , liv. xxxiii. , sect. Iviii. , p.
475.
'" He seems to have been the same as the
St. Patemus, incorrectly described as Epis- copos Pictaviensis, and commemorated, at
5 This local denomination does not ap- pear, on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps.
' See Maghtochair's " Inishowen its ;
History, Traditions and Antiquities," chap. xiv. p. 138.
thepretermitted—feasts,p. 401. '
Article xii. Edited by Drs. Todd
'2,
sheets 2,4,5, 13,20,21.
,50
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 17.
^tbtntetntl) ©ap of Spril.
ARTICLE I. —ST. DONNAN, OF EGA, OR EGG ISLAND, ABBOT, AND FIFTY-TWO OF HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS, IN SCOTLAND.
[SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES. -\
after St. Columba • had founded lona, the zealous Columban monks
of his institute estabHshed many churches and cells in the Hebrides. SOON
In every one of these Islands, the churches and chapels were much inore numerous, in former times, than they have been since the Reformation. " Except some of those in Lewis and Harris, all the old churches were dedi- cated to the same patron saints, as those of Argyle, and other parts of Scotland, wheretheScoto-Irishsettled. AmongthepatronsmaybenoticedSt. Columba, St. Brigid,3 St. Ciaran,t St. Adamnan. s St. Patrick,* St. Barr,? St. Brandan,* St. Chattan,9 St. Martin,'° St. Caionach or Kenneth," &c. Even in Lewis and Harris, some of the churches were dedicated to Scoto-Irish saints, such
as Columba, Brigid, Ciaran, Donan, or Adamnan. '^" Towards the close ofthe last century, the ruins of twelve churches and chapels were standing, in
Harris,'' besides several others, covered with moss and rubbish, although tra- dition carefully preserved their names. Their situation was likewise known
to the people. In the Island of Taransay, there was a church, called Eaglais Tarain, but tradition was silent regarding it, in the last century. In the ancient Martyrology, there is a St. - Tarnanus, called Tarananus, by Fordun, in his Scotichronicon. 't IntheIslandofBemeray,likewise,thereisa|CillAisaim,
supposed by Rev. John Macleod, to signify, a cell, or church,'5 dedicated to "5
St. Asaph.
That charity, which Christ came on earth to establish in the hearts and
souls of men, receives no higher encomium, than when for his sake their lives are devoted to their own and to their fellow-mortals' salvation, especially when those lives are laid down for their friends. Such were the conditions fulfilled, by the devoted Martyrs of Eigg, as their memories are recalled on this day, intheScoto-IrishsettlementamongtheHebrides. Onthe17thofApril,in
Article i. —' His Life will be found, at
the gth of June.
"See George Chalmers' "Caledonia,"
&c. , vol. i. , Book ii. , chap, v. , and n. (d),
p_ 265.
3 Her Life is given, at the ist of Feb-
ruary.
* One Irish Saint, bearing this name, is
venerated at the 5th of March, and another celebratedone,atthe9thofSeptember.
5 His Life is given, at the 23rd of Sep- tember.
easily found,
'"Most likely Bishop of Tours, whose
chief festival is fixed for the nth of Novem- ber.
" Most likely, St. Canice, whose feast is set down at the nth of October.
" See Martin's " Western Isles of Scot- land, "p. 27, where the inibrmation, afforded in our text, may be found.
'3 "
Seetheadmirable StatisticalAccount
of Harris' Parish," by Rev. John Macleod,
TM the " Old Statistical Account of Scot- 's His Life is written, at the 17th of land," by Sir Jolin Sinclair, vol. x. , num.
March.
^ His feast occurs, at the 2Sth of Septem-
ber.
* His festival is at the 16th of May.
9 Under this form of name, the feast is not
xxviii. , p. 376.
'*
'^ See ibid. ,
''
May.
See ibid.
p. 377.
His feast fell, probably, on the 1st of
Apru- 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 191
the Martyrology of Talkgh,'? we find entered, Donnan, of Egha, with fifty- two of his monks, whose names had been written, in a larger book,'' which appears to have been that, now known as the " Book of Leinster. 's The Bol- landists '° have some notices of these Martyrs, at this same date, with certain doubts expressed, that all their names had been clearly remembered and recorded by posterity, even if we could be assured, that all their names have been written down correctly, from the earliest records. St. Donnan's name occurs, in the Calendar and Office, found in the Aberdeen Breviary, at the
proper day. But, no special allusion to his history can there be discovered. "
Wherefore, the writer of his memoir, in the Acta Sanctorum,"" is obliged to depend exclusively upon Irish authorities. Especially does he quote the
Martyrology of Tallagh, and a transcript, sent from Louvain, by the Irish Father Thomas O'Sheerin, and which he extracted, from an Appendix to that Tract. In Bishop Forbes' work,^^ as also in that of Rev. S. Baring-Gould's,'3 there are notices of this holy Abbot, and of his companions.
The pedigree of St. Donnan, is not recorded ; so that, all we can know concerning him must be gleaned, from short notices in our Irish Annals or Calendars. That he was a native of Ireland seems to be pretty generally received; and,probably,hisreligiousprofessionhadbeenmadeatlona,under the great Abbot, St. Columkille. Like 'some of his countrymen, Donnan was induced to settle, with a company of followers, in the western part of Scotland. He desired to make St. Columkille his Anmchara, which means confessor, or soul's friendj='» but, the holy Abbot of lona refused that office, for his
'"S was the name of that in which Island,"*
Donnan lived, after his coming from Erin. Here, it would seem, he planted a large community of religious. In after times, this Island home gave name to a parish,includingEgg,MuckandRum. Thesearefound,amongthegroup of Hebridean Isles. '? At Eigg, the community did not live unmolested, and Columba had foretold their approaching martyrdom. This, however, did not preventDonnanwithhispeopletakinguptheirabodeonthatIsland. Three sheep, belonging to a certain rich woman of that region, were kept. "' Some accountshaveit, thatshewasaqueenpand,owingtoherenvytowardsthe monks, she moved a plot for their destruction. There came sea-robbers on a certain time, to this Island, and while St. Donnan was celebrating the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 3° He requested of them not to kill him, until he should
community. Ega
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxi. There
we find: "Donnani Egha cum sociis. Hi. ,
quorum nomina in majore libro scripsimus. " In the Franciscan copy, the entry of St. Donnan's name, with the names of his monks, as afterwards noted, will be found.
* This may possibly be classed, with the "missing IxmjUs of Erinn," at the present time ; l)Ut, we think it to Iw no other, than
that still preserved, as a separate Tract, in the Franciscan Library of Dublin.
April 17, p. 220.
'< See Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of
St. Columba. " Additional Notes K, p. 305. »3 In the Irish form, it is written ^Veg. gen
-iJeco, or Aegd.
»° However, I find the Rev. S. Baring-
Gould has it Ewe, in Lough Ewe, on the
">
the united elTorts of the Board of
Lately presented to the pul)lic, through
Trinity College, Dublin, and the Council of the
Royal Irish Academy.
* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
rilis xvii. De Sancto Donnano et LII. Disci- pulis Hibernis in Insula . Scotiae Eggaoccisis, in Three paragraphs, p. 487.
_
P- 325-
''See "Lives of the Saints," vol. iv. .
" See tomus ii. , Aprilis xvii. , p. 487. "See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
ii. , Ap-
western coast of Ross-shire.
adds " At least I
"in the [north of Albin, in Cattaibh. "—
"Lives of the Saints," vol. iv. , April 17, p. 220.
1"
See Innes' Origines Parochiales," vol.
ii. , pari i. , p. 334.
»* Such is the statement, found in Father
O'Sheerin's extract. The Kalendarof Cashel says,themurderersweresatellites, sentby the king,
»» According to Maguire.
30 The account in the extract, furnished by O'Sheerin, states, that the monks were en- gaged, at that time, singing Psalms in their Oratory.
:
presume
Ewe is the
Ega,
In a note, he
192 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 17. havetheMasscelebrated,andtheygavehimthisrespite. 3' Then,St. Donnan,
"
addressing his disciples, said,
may slaughter us, where we have carnally feasted ; for, we maynot die, so long as we remain, where our souls were engaged, in praising the Lord. But, where we refreshed our bodies, let us pay the mortal penalty. "^^ We are told,
that these religious were martyred, in the refectory of the monastery, and on thenightofEasterSunday. 33 TheMartyrologyofDonegalstates,thatSt. Donnan was afterwards beheaded, with fifty-two of his monks. All their
names, says the Calendarist, are in a certain old book, among the books of Erin. 34 This particular record 3S is mentioned,3^ as having contained the names of fifty-two monks, who were beheaded along with St. Donnan of Egg. Unquestionably, this belonged to the Book of Leinsterj for, in the loose leaves—now in the Franciscan Convent—all of those names are given at length, in the contained copy of the Tallagh Martyrology.
Let us retire to the refectory, that the robbers
The malicious woman, to whom we have alluded, had brought a marau-
ding party—possibly of Picts—from the neighbouring coast, to murder the saint and his companions. The following are said to have been the names
of these disciples,37 . ^Edanus, larloga, Maricus, Congallius, Lonanus, Maclas- rius, Joannes, Arnanes, Erninus, Baithinus, Rothanus, Andrelanus, Carellus, Rotanus, Fergussaiuis, Rectarius, Connidius, Endeus, Macloga, Guretius, Junetus, Coranus, Baithanus, Colmanus, Jernludus, Lugadius, Luda, Gruun- dus, Cucalinus, Cobranus, Conmundus, Cunminus, Balthianus, Senachus, Demanus, Cummenus, Fernlugus, Finanus, Finnchanus, Finnichus, Conanus, Modomma, Cronanus, Kieranus, Colmanus, Navinnus, Remannus, Erninus, Ailchuo, Donnanus. Here, however, we only find fifty different persons' enumerated. 3^ We are also led to infer from the account, that these martyrs were burned to death. Possibly the murderers set fire to that chamber, where those brethren had assembled, slaying each one, as he endeavoured to escape. 39 They are said to have died, on the 17th of April, a. d. 617,4° according to Tighernach. From this date, and from the evidences already adduced, it seems a great mistake to assert, that the paganism of Ireland and of Scotland had fallen peacefully, before the power of the Christian Faith, almost three centuries before the martyrdom of St. Donnan and of his com- panions, who suffered " red martyrdom," in the Island of Eigg, by the hands of the Vikings. '" The Felire of St. ^ngus,4" commemorates the martyrdom
3' This is the version given, by the Kalen-
dar of Cashcl, and by Maguire.
3" In the extract, furnished by O'Sheerin,
we read " Ega nomen fontis in Aldafain :
Cattaibh, in Boreali Albania : et ibi Don-
nanus cumsuafamilia martyrium subjit, quod "
sic contigit.
33 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap-
rilis xvii. , p. 487.
3t In a note, Dr. Todd says, "The more re-
There is a short tract, regarding the Martyr- dom of St. Donnan Ega, or Donnan of Egg. Ega nomen fontis in Aldasain (in Alban) . 1. carrac stir gall gaedelu agus ceud liri ina camair immuih.
3' These nameswere furnished, by Thomas Sirinus, or O'Sheerin, Jubilate Lector of Theology, in the Irish Franciscan College of Louvain, to Father Godefridus Henschenius. They were taken, from the "larger book," to which allusion is made, in the Martyro-
logy of Tallagh.
3" See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 467.
39 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
(K), pp. 303 to 309.
*" See Rev. James Gaflfney's "Ancient
Irish Church," chap, ii. , sect. i. p. 39.
< See Joseph Anderson's "Scotland in
Early Christian Times," P'irst Series, L«c- ture v. , p. 190, note I.
cent hand adds here : "A-oeiyv-Aoiiga)- gu^x- b^-AC mAi)\ciiM [^ngus says that they were martyrs] ut scripsimus, inquit. J/rtr/. 7a? «/. in libro magno. The Martyrology of jEngus has
mA]\c^4 'muAtii, "Tie (Donnan) ascended in victorious martyr-
'Ol^eb<Mn5
dom. "
35 "The old Books of Erin" are spoken
of generally, at p. 123; and "a certain
book," at p. 167, in the published "Martyr- '
ology of Donegal.
3° See ibid. , p. 105. At page 17, col. 2.
April 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 193
of this saint and of his clergy, at the 17th day of April. The Kalendar of Cashel and that of Maguire record, in like manner, his feast. This day was
dedicated, according to the Martyrology of DonegaU3 to honour Donnan, of
Ega,Abbot. St. Donnanandhiscompanions,whoweremartyredwitlihim,
are mentioned in the Martyrologies of Drummond,'''' in the Kalendarof the Bre-
viary of Aberdeen. 43 in Adam King's Kalendar,** and in Thomas Dempster's
" Scotorum. "" This St. Donnan was venerated, in the Menologium greatly
northandwestofScotland whilevariouschurcheswerebuiltinhishonour, ;
and dedicated to him. The Island of Egg <' had a church, called Killdo- nain, and called after the present saint's name. St. Donnan's well is shown in Eigg. « Until the Reformation, the Crozier of St. Donnan, was kept at the Church of Auchterless. s" There is a church, at Baldongan,5' in the county of Dublin. However, it cannot be safely asserted, that it had any connexion, with the present holy martyr, Donnan. The foregoing notices comprise nearly everything known, regarding this religious community of Martyrs.
Article II. —Loichen, of Cong, County of Mayo. It is remark- able, in the early times of Christia^nity, that when the Pagans burned their dead, the Christians placed their bodies in sepulchres. The faithful were taught by Christ, that death was only sleep, and that the bodies of the dead should be deposited in a place of rest. Thus, the present term of cemetery,
which is taken from a Greek
Island, together with this idea, was a sentiment, universally felt by our Chris- tian ancestors, that while the cemetery most appropriately adjoined the church of a locality, there, too, were the congregations to regard it, as the place of their resurrection. In the present connexion, it is a pleasing circumstance to record those enlightened efforts made to preserve the walls,' if not to restore an Irish fane, which had formerly a wide-spread celebrity. The remark applied to Normandy, by a learned ecclesiastic, that if the cemetery sur- rounded the church, the church itself was oftentimes one vast cemetery,'' has
*' The following stanza is from the "Leab- "
har Breac copy, with Whitley Stokes' English translation : —
Ldpeit peciip ceochom DpebivAing nia|\cj\A rhbuaoe CotiAchtetp cam oine X)onn<in eja huape.
"With the feast of Deacon Peter, who
betlangori medebatur, K. " Seep. 197. Jbid. ** There is a tine old Map of ihe Isles of
Rum, Egg, Muck, and Kannog, royal folio size, compiled about 1620, by T. Pont.
« See Joseph Anderson's " Scotland in Early Christian Times," First Series, Lec- ture v. , p. 193, note I.
5° See " Collections on the Shires of Aber- "
deen and Banff, p. 505.
5'Seetlie "OrilnanceSurveyTownland
for the — of sheet 12. Maps County Dublin,"
to victorious
sprang martyrdom,
with his
clergy a fair assemblage (? ), Donnan of chilly Eca. "
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
104, 105. See, likewise, pp. 404, 405.
. iEngus ; as, in a group of Martyrs, one is so named ;• and, again, in another group of Martyrs, those who suffered at Asiatic Pontus, two bearing the name are to be found. 5 In like manner, and at this same day, one Felix suffered
asaMartyr,inSpain. * Atthisdate,also,theMartyrologyofTallagh'men- tions a festival, in honour of Felix, a Deacon. *
Article XI. —Reputed Festival of St. Paternus, Bishop of Vennes. \_Fifth and Sixth Centuriesl\ The festival of this holy man has been assigned, to this date, as being that of St. Paternus' death, by the Bre- viary of the city of Vennes, and in that of Corisopitan. ' Also, Philip Ferrarius," Albert Le Grand,3 and Augustine du Pas,* have a similar state-
' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap-
rilis xvi. Among the pretermitted saints,
s See ibid. De Sanctis Martyribus, Mar- tiale, Felice, item Felice, Fausto, Fovtunato, Silvano, Luciano, Gomalo, Parcilao, Leonide, Mica, Gallieno, Marciano, Faustino, Luciano,Jocundo,inPontoAsiaeRegione, p. 406. Neither of those, bearing the name
p. 402. *"
See Hector Boetius' Scotorura Histo-
"
riae, lib. xi. ,p—. ccxlii. ,andp. ccxcv.
Artic—le x.
'In the LeabharBraec copy
we find
:
of Felix, are
distinguished
as Deacons.
tACAiMpinTMgDd <il-A'puamT>d ^elic Ool^ecl1 x)un; fopptiic ITeib imaeochAin -peUc.
' See ibid. De Sanctis Octodecim Mar-
tyribus, Optato, I. uperco, Successo, Mar-
tiale, Urbano, Julia seu Julio, Quintiliano, Publio, Frontone, Felice, Caeciliano, Even- tio sive Evoto, Piimiiivo, Apodemio, et iv. Saturninis, ant pro his Cassiano, Matutino,
It is thus translated into
Fausto et
pania, pp. 406 to 410. Nor do we find the
Felix, named among them, distinguished, as having been a deacon.
' Edited by Rev Dr. Kelly, p. xxi. 'The Franciscan copy has jTebaf t)iA-
English
royal Cairissima, whose graveyard is roomy
(? ), runs to thee quickly the feast of the deacon Felix. "
"
See their Acts, in the BoUandist Collec- lion, "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis
januario.
ugustae
Nunechia, Basilissa, Call, Martyribus Corin- thi in Achaia, pp. 402 to 404.
3 See ibid. l)e Sanctis Martyribus, Mar-
tiale, Vincentio, Carisso, Caritone, Cselesta
et ahis quinque, p. 405.
* See ibid. De Sanctis Martyribus, Mar-
ciano, Eniano, Felice, Hermogene, Vincen- tio, Tertio, Calesto, p. 405. Here Felix is not distinguished as a Deacon.
:
—"
With
A
Caesar- in His-
xvi. De SS. Callisto, Charisio, Leonide, com. —
Christiana, Galla, Theodora, Lota, Tertia, ARTICLE XI.
Caristo, item Chariessa, Nice, Gallena, "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis xv.
'
De Sancto Paterno Episcopo, Veneti in
Britania Armorica. Commentarius Praevius,
num. 2, 379.
=
In his General Catalogue of the Saints, at the present date.
^ in the account of Saints, belonging to Armoric Britain.
• In his History of Britanny, where he treats about the Bishops of Vennes.
See the BoUandists'
April i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 189
ment. Yet,thisissupposedtohavebeenamistake,forthefestivalofSt. Patemus, Episcopus Abrincensis, et Scubulionis Abbas. Their feast has been referred, to the i6th of April; and, on this day, the Bollandists,s who have
published their Acts, note the festival of St, Patemus, Bishop of Vennes, in Armoric, or Lesser Britain. * He must be distinguished from that Patemus, otherwise known as St. Pair, who, in early youth, embraced a monastic life, in theAbbeyofAnsion,afterwardscalledMarnes. Fromthenameofaholy abbot, belonging to that house, it was known as St. Jovin des Marnes,' in the diocese of Potiers. * To lead a more austere life, he went into the diocese of Coutances ; and, some years later, he was ordained priest, by the Bishop Ldontin. 9 Afterwards, he was called upon, to preside over the See of Avranches. " Thislatterholyman,however,hadnospecialconnexionwith Ireland.
Article XII. —St. Ultan. The Martyrology of Donegal ' mentions,
that there was a festival, in honour of Ultan, and celebrated on this day.
The Annals of the Four Masters ' record the death of Ultan Hua Berodherg,
Abbot of Fahen, or Ohain-mor, at a-d. 769. Colgan attributes his festival
to this date, April i5th ;3 but, little seems to be known, regarding him. We
cannot know, whether the present or some other holy man, bearing the same
name, may be identified with a St. Ultan, who was the patron saint of Cul-
daff parish,'* in the barony of Inishowen East. A very ancient stone cross,
which tradition ascribes to his erection, stood at Falmore. s But, it has
cmmbled into fragments. Some years ago, Mr. Nicholson, the owner of that
property,onwhichit stood,gotasplendidIrishcrossofstoneerectedonce
more, and on the old site. * In the remote parts of Ulster, to which
allusion has been made, and where wildly romantic scenery abounds,
the antiquary may still discover the vestiges of a very distant period,
and especially mined churches, formerly holding a place in popular vene- ration.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. De this date, in the Manuscript of Florarius, S. Paterno EpiscopoAbrincensi et S. Scubi- and in Greven's additions to Usuard. After Hone Socio, in Hodierna Nonnannia. A this entry, ihe Boliandists have another " S.
previous commentary of Six Sections, with Vita auctore Fortunato Episcopo, in Three
:
Patemus Episcopus Arausionensis dicitur a Ferrario non satis distinguente dictas urbes, Gallice Auranche et Orange dictas, uti hoc
Chapters, with Notes, by Godefrid Hens-
chenn, may there be found. See pp. 425 die ad Vitam S. Paterni dicitur. "
to430.
'
Seeibid. Amongthepretermittedfeasts, p. 401.
—"Acta Sanctorum,"tomusii. , Aprilisxvi. Among
' A fuller account of this holy Bishop will "'
be found, in Les Petits Bollandistes, Vies des Saints," tome iv. , 16 Avril. Saint Paterne, Ev^que d'Avranches et Saint Scu- bilion, Le Compagnon, de sa Solitude, pp. 415 to 418.
and Reeves, pp. 104, 105.
See Dr. Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp.
372, 373.
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Ap-
pendix ad Acta S. Columba:, cap. ix. , p. 510.
' See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints," vol. iv. , April xv.
* This extensive ecclesiastical division is "
"
» See I'Abbe Fleury's Histoire Ecclesias-
described, on the Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps fo>r the County of Donegal,"
tique," tome vii. , liv. xxxiii. , sect. Iviii. , p.
475.
'" He seems to have been the same as the
St. Patemus, incorrectly described as Epis- copos Pictaviensis, and commemorated, at
5 This local denomination does not ap- pear, on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps.
' See Maghtochair's " Inishowen its ;
History, Traditions and Antiquities," chap. xiv. p. 138.
thepretermitted—feasts,p. 401. '
Article xii. Edited by Drs. Todd
'2,
sheets 2,4,5, 13,20,21.
,50
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 17.
^tbtntetntl) ©ap of Spril.
ARTICLE I. —ST. DONNAN, OF EGA, OR EGG ISLAND, ABBOT, AND FIFTY-TWO OF HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS, IN SCOTLAND.
[SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES. -\
after St. Columba • had founded lona, the zealous Columban monks
of his institute estabHshed many churches and cells in the Hebrides. SOON
In every one of these Islands, the churches and chapels were much inore numerous, in former times, than they have been since the Reformation. " Except some of those in Lewis and Harris, all the old churches were dedi- cated to the same patron saints, as those of Argyle, and other parts of Scotland, wheretheScoto-Irishsettled. AmongthepatronsmaybenoticedSt. Columba, St. Brigid,3 St. Ciaran,t St. Adamnan. s St. Patrick,* St. Barr,? St. Brandan,* St. Chattan,9 St. Martin,'° St. Caionach or Kenneth," &c. Even in Lewis and Harris, some of the churches were dedicated to Scoto-Irish saints, such
as Columba, Brigid, Ciaran, Donan, or Adamnan. '^" Towards the close ofthe last century, the ruins of twelve churches and chapels were standing, in
Harris,'' besides several others, covered with moss and rubbish, although tra- dition carefully preserved their names. Their situation was likewise known
to the people. In the Island of Taransay, there was a church, called Eaglais Tarain, but tradition was silent regarding it, in the last century. In the ancient Martyrology, there is a St. - Tarnanus, called Tarananus, by Fordun, in his Scotichronicon. 't IntheIslandofBemeray,likewise,thereisa|CillAisaim,
supposed by Rev. John Macleod, to signify, a cell, or church,'5 dedicated to "5
St. Asaph.
That charity, which Christ came on earth to establish in the hearts and
souls of men, receives no higher encomium, than when for his sake their lives are devoted to their own and to their fellow-mortals' salvation, especially when those lives are laid down for their friends. Such were the conditions fulfilled, by the devoted Martyrs of Eigg, as their memories are recalled on this day, intheScoto-IrishsettlementamongtheHebrides. Onthe17thofApril,in
Article i. —' His Life will be found, at
the gth of June.
"See George Chalmers' "Caledonia,"
&c. , vol. i. , Book ii. , chap, v. , and n. (d),
p_ 265.
3 Her Life is given, at the ist of Feb-
ruary.
* One Irish Saint, bearing this name, is
venerated at the 5th of March, and another celebratedone,atthe9thofSeptember.
5 His Life is given, at the 23rd of Sep- tember.
easily found,
'"Most likely Bishop of Tours, whose
chief festival is fixed for the nth of Novem- ber.
" Most likely, St. Canice, whose feast is set down at the nth of October.
" See Martin's " Western Isles of Scot- land, "p. 27, where the inibrmation, afforded in our text, may be found.
'3 "
Seetheadmirable StatisticalAccount
of Harris' Parish," by Rev. John Macleod,
TM the " Old Statistical Account of Scot- 's His Life is written, at the 17th of land," by Sir Jolin Sinclair, vol. x. , num.
March.
^ His feast occurs, at the 2Sth of Septem-
ber.
* His festival is at the 16th of May.
9 Under this form of name, the feast is not
xxviii. , p. 376.
'*
'^ See ibid. ,
''
May.
See ibid.
p. 377.
His feast fell, probably, on the 1st of
Apru- 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 191
the Martyrology of Talkgh,'? we find entered, Donnan, of Egha, with fifty- two of his monks, whose names had been written, in a larger book,'' which appears to have been that, now known as the " Book of Leinster. 's The Bol- landists '° have some notices of these Martyrs, at this same date, with certain doubts expressed, that all their names had been clearly remembered and recorded by posterity, even if we could be assured, that all their names have been written down correctly, from the earliest records. St. Donnan's name occurs, in the Calendar and Office, found in the Aberdeen Breviary, at the
proper day. But, no special allusion to his history can there be discovered. "
Wherefore, the writer of his memoir, in the Acta Sanctorum,"" is obliged to depend exclusively upon Irish authorities. Especially does he quote the
Martyrology of Tallagh, and a transcript, sent from Louvain, by the Irish Father Thomas O'Sheerin, and which he extracted, from an Appendix to that Tract. In Bishop Forbes' work,^^ as also in that of Rev. S. Baring-Gould's,'3 there are notices of this holy Abbot, and of his companions.
The pedigree of St. Donnan, is not recorded ; so that, all we can know concerning him must be gleaned, from short notices in our Irish Annals or Calendars. That he was a native of Ireland seems to be pretty generally received; and,probably,hisreligiousprofessionhadbeenmadeatlona,under the great Abbot, St. Columkille. Like 'some of his countrymen, Donnan was induced to settle, with a company of followers, in the western part of Scotland. He desired to make St. Columkille his Anmchara, which means confessor, or soul's friendj='» but, the holy Abbot of lona refused that office, for his
'"S was the name of that in which Island,"*
Donnan lived, after his coming from Erin. Here, it would seem, he planted a large community of religious. In after times, this Island home gave name to a parish,includingEgg,MuckandRum. Thesearefound,amongthegroup of Hebridean Isles. '? At Eigg, the community did not live unmolested, and Columba had foretold their approaching martyrdom. This, however, did not preventDonnanwithhispeopletakinguptheirabodeonthatIsland. Three sheep, belonging to a certain rich woman of that region, were kept. "' Some accountshaveit, thatshewasaqueenpand,owingtoherenvytowardsthe monks, she moved a plot for their destruction. There came sea-robbers on a certain time, to this Island, and while St. Donnan was celebrating the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. 3° He requested of them not to kill him, until he should
community. Ega
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxi. There
we find: "Donnani Egha cum sociis. Hi. ,
quorum nomina in majore libro scripsimus. " In the Franciscan copy, the entry of St. Donnan's name, with the names of his monks, as afterwards noted, will be found.
* This may possibly be classed, with the "missing IxmjUs of Erinn," at the present time ; l)Ut, we think it to Iw no other, than
that still preserved, as a separate Tract, in the Franciscan Library of Dublin.
April 17, p. 220.
'< See Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of
St. Columba. " Additional Notes K, p. 305. »3 In the Irish form, it is written ^Veg. gen
-iJeco, or Aegd.
»° However, I find the Rev. S. Baring-
Gould has it Ewe, in Lough Ewe, on the
">
the united elTorts of the Board of
Lately presented to the pul)lic, through
Trinity College, Dublin, and the Council of the
Royal Irish Academy.
* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus
rilis xvii. De Sancto Donnano et LII. Disci- pulis Hibernis in Insula . Scotiae Eggaoccisis, in Three paragraphs, p. 487.
_
P- 325-
''See "Lives of the Saints," vol. iv. .
" See tomus ii. , Aprilis xvii. , p. 487. "See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
ii. , Ap-
western coast of Ross-shire.
adds " At least I
"in the [north of Albin, in Cattaibh. "—
"Lives of the Saints," vol. iv. , April 17, p. 220.
1"
See Innes' Origines Parochiales," vol.
ii. , pari i. , p. 334.
»* Such is the statement, found in Father
O'Sheerin's extract. The Kalendarof Cashel says,themurderersweresatellites, sentby the king,
»» According to Maguire.
30 The account in the extract, furnished by O'Sheerin, states, that the monks were en- gaged, at that time, singing Psalms in their Oratory.
:
presume
Ewe is the
Ega,
In a note, he
192 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 17. havetheMasscelebrated,andtheygavehimthisrespite. 3' Then,St. Donnan,
"
addressing his disciples, said,
may slaughter us, where we have carnally feasted ; for, we maynot die, so long as we remain, where our souls were engaged, in praising the Lord. But, where we refreshed our bodies, let us pay the mortal penalty. "^^ We are told,
that these religious were martyred, in the refectory of the monastery, and on thenightofEasterSunday. 33 TheMartyrologyofDonegalstates,thatSt. Donnan was afterwards beheaded, with fifty-two of his monks. All their
names, says the Calendarist, are in a certain old book, among the books of Erin. 34 This particular record 3S is mentioned,3^ as having contained the names of fifty-two monks, who were beheaded along with St. Donnan of Egg. Unquestionably, this belonged to the Book of Leinsterj for, in the loose leaves—now in the Franciscan Convent—all of those names are given at length, in the contained copy of the Tallagh Martyrology.
Let us retire to the refectory, that the robbers
The malicious woman, to whom we have alluded, had brought a marau-
ding party—possibly of Picts—from the neighbouring coast, to murder the saint and his companions. The following are said to have been the names
of these disciples,37 . ^Edanus, larloga, Maricus, Congallius, Lonanus, Maclas- rius, Joannes, Arnanes, Erninus, Baithinus, Rothanus, Andrelanus, Carellus, Rotanus, Fergussaiuis, Rectarius, Connidius, Endeus, Macloga, Guretius, Junetus, Coranus, Baithanus, Colmanus, Jernludus, Lugadius, Luda, Gruun- dus, Cucalinus, Cobranus, Conmundus, Cunminus, Balthianus, Senachus, Demanus, Cummenus, Fernlugus, Finanus, Finnchanus, Finnichus, Conanus, Modomma, Cronanus, Kieranus, Colmanus, Navinnus, Remannus, Erninus, Ailchuo, Donnanus. Here, however, we only find fifty different persons' enumerated. 3^ We are also led to infer from the account, that these martyrs were burned to death. Possibly the murderers set fire to that chamber, where those brethren had assembled, slaying each one, as he endeavoured to escape. 39 They are said to have died, on the 17th of April, a. d. 617,4° according to Tighernach. From this date, and from the evidences already adduced, it seems a great mistake to assert, that the paganism of Ireland and of Scotland had fallen peacefully, before the power of the Christian Faith, almost three centuries before the martyrdom of St. Donnan and of his com- panions, who suffered " red martyrdom," in the Island of Eigg, by the hands of the Vikings. '" The Felire of St. ^ngus,4" commemorates the martyrdom
3' This is the version given, by the Kalen-
dar of Cashcl, and by Maguire.
3" In the extract, furnished by O'Sheerin,
we read " Ega nomen fontis in Aldafain :
Cattaibh, in Boreali Albania : et ibi Don-
nanus cumsuafamilia martyrium subjit, quod "
sic contigit.
33 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap-
rilis xvii. , p. 487.
3t In a note, Dr. Todd says, "The more re-
There is a short tract, regarding the Martyr- dom of St. Donnan Ega, or Donnan of Egg. Ega nomen fontis in Aldasain (in Alban) . 1. carrac stir gall gaedelu agus ceud liri ina camair immuih.
3' These nameswere furnished, by Thomas Sirinus, or O'Sheerin, Jubilate Lector of Theology, in the Irish Franciscan College of Louvain, to Father Godefridus Henschenius. They were taken, from the "larger book," to which allusion is made, in the Martyro-
logy of Tallagh.
3" See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 467.
39 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
(K), pp. 303 to 309.
*" See Rev. James Gaflfney's "Ancient
Irish Church," chap, ii. , sect. i. p. 39.
< See Joseph Anderson's "Scotland in
Early Christian Times," P'irst Series, L«c- ture v. , p. 190, note I.
cent hand adds here : "A-oeiyv-Aoiiga)- gu^x- b^-AC mAi)\ciiM [^ngus says that they were martyrs] ut scripsimus, inquit. J/rtr/. 7a? «/. in libro magno. The Martyrology of jEngus has
mA]\c^4 'muAtii, "Tie (Donnan) ascended in victorious martyr-
'Ol^eb<Mn5
dom. "
35 "The old Books of Erin" are spoken
of generally, at p. 123; and "a certain
book," at p. 167, in the published "Martyr- '
ology of Donegal.
3° See ibid. , p. 105. At page 17, col. 2.
April 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 193
of this saint and of his clergy, at the 17th day of April. The Kalendar of Cashel and that of Maguire record, in like manner, his feast. This day was
dedicated, according to the Martyrology of DonegaU3 to honour Donnan, of
Ega,Abbot. St. Donnanandhiscompanions,whoweremartyredwitlihim,
are mentioned in the Martyrologies of Drummond,'''' in the Kalendarof the Bre-
viary of Aberdeen. 43 in Adam King's Kalendar,** and in Thomas Dempster's
" Scotorum. "" This St. Donnan was venerated, in the Menologium greatly
northandwestofScotland whilevariouschurcheswerebuiltinhishonour, ;
and dedicated to him. The Island of Egg <' had a church, called Killdo- nain, and called after the present saint's name. St. Donnan's well is shown in Eigg. « Until the Reformation, the Crozier of St. Donnan, was kept at the Church of Auchterless. s" There is a church, at Baldongan,5' in the county of Dublin. However, it cannot be safely asserted, that it had any connexion, with the present holy martyr, Donnan. The foregoing notices comprise nearly everything known, regarding this religious community of Martyrs.
Article II. —Loichen, of Cong, County of Mayo. It is remark- able, in the early times of Christia^nity, that when the Pagans burned their dead, the Christians placed their bodies in sepulchres. The faithful were taught by Christ, that death was only sleep, and that the bodies of the dead should be deposited in a place of rest. Thus, the present term of cemetery,
which is taken from a Greek
Island, together with this idea, was a sentiment, universally felt by our Chris- tian ancestors, that while the cemetery most appropriately adjoined the church of a locality, there, too, were the congregations to regard it, as the place of their resurrection. In the present connexion, it is a pleasing circumstance to record those enlightened efforts made to preserve the walls,' if not to restore an Irish fane, which had formerly a wide-spread celebrity. The remark applied to Normandy, by a learned ecclesiastic, that if the cemetery sur- rounded the church, the church itself was oftentimes one vast cemetery,'' has
*' The following stanza is from the "Leab- "
har Breac copy, with Whitley Stokes' English translation : —
Ldpeit peciip ceochom DpebivAing nia|\cj\A rhbuaoe CotiAchtetp cam oine X)onn<in eja huape.
"With the feast of Deacon Peter, who
betlangori medebatur, K. " Seep. 197. Jbid. ** There is a tine old Map of ihe Isles of
Rum, Egg, Muck, and Kannog, royal folio size, compiled about 1620, by T. Pont.
« See Joseph Anderson's " Scotland in Early Christian Times," First Series, Lec- ture v. , p. 193, note I.
5° See " Collections on the Shires of Aber- "
deen and Banff, p. 505.
5'Seetlie "OrilnanceSurveyTownland
for the — of sheet 12. Maps County Dublin,"
to victorious
sprang martyrdom,
with his
clergy a fair assemblage (? ), Donnan of chilly Eca. "
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
104, 105. See, likewise, pp. 404, 405.
