He continued his
Philosophical
and Theological studies until the year 1623.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
, lib.
, i.
, cap.
ii.
, p.
6, lib.
iv. , cap. i. toxiv. , pp. 93 to 112.
*9 This title has been translated "Scourge
of the Arch-horned. "
30 There is an interesting Life of Philip
O'Sullevan Beare, written by the Rev. Mat-
thew Kelly, prefixed to the edition of his
History. See, likewise, Thomas D. M'Gee's
"
Gallery of Irish Writers," pp. 24 to 33. 3' gee the Preface, written by the Rev.
Matthew Kelly, D. D. , and prefixed to the second edition of the "Historic Catholicac
Iberniae Compendium," supervised by him, and published at Dublin, A. D. 1850, in 8vo. The first edition of this work appeared in l62j.
3» Especially in relation to Irish History and Topography.
33 In the Burgundian Library, at Bruxelles, there is a very large folio paper MS . , classed
as vol. xxi. , and containing Nos. 7658, 7659, 7660, 7661. This is bound in vel- lum, and from the class-mark, it would seem originally to have belonged to a Jesuit Li- brary. The title or heading occupies half the first page, and has the following note written across it, in an old hand differing
" Authore N. P. Stephano "
The title is as follows " Vindiciae Scoto-
genti numero Sanctorum Ibemiae Scotorum veterum immerito privant et transformant in Neoscotos Britanniae Insulae posteros, priscae Pictorum ac Dalreudinorum Gentis candido Lectori memorabilium antiquitatum amanti. S. " This first part contains a Pre- face, with the censurae of various ancient authors, and afterwards a table of contents, divided into eleven chapters. The body of the tract commences at p. 14, and it is con- tinued in 202 folios, written on both sides. Then a different character of hand appears, which cbntinues to p. 309, written very
from the text
Vito, soc'^. Jesu Hiberno, Clonmeliensi.
:
:
rum veterum. Sanctorum indigenarum Iber-
niae oceani magnae Insulae, quas olim ab
immemorabili tempore, passim per Europam usque ad annum Christi saltem 1000 audie- bat Scotia, deinde vero per 200 et amplius annos dicebatur Scotia major sive vetus, ad discrimen Scotiae primoris et novae, quae ante per plurima secula audiebat Patria Pic- torum Britanniffi. In tres libros distributse, adversus graves crebrosque errores novorum de rebus Scoticis historicorum Hectoris Boetii, Georgii Buccanani, Georgij Tomsoni, Roberti Turneri, sub nomine Joannis Leslei, et asseclarum ipsorum qui Ibernorum natio-
nem et patriam prisco nomine proprio chris- tianorum Scotorum et Scotiae, una cum in-
and on both sides.
3* Some notices of the author are prefixed,
by the learned editor. See the Dublin edi-
tion, A. D. 1849.
33 Dr. Todd called the attention of Mr.
Bindon to a manuscript fragment in the Latin language, forming part of the Ussher Collection, in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, classed E. 3. 19. Upon inspection, it was discovered, it is a part of this work of Stephen White, which is above de- scribed.
3* It is the only one of the author, as yet published. Another Tract, " De Sanctis et Antiquitate Hibemiaj," had been thought
worthy of publication ; yet, it appears never to have seen the light.
INTRODUCTION. XXXlX
Giraldus Cambrensis,32 since the invention of printing, had been extensively circulated and read, caused some learned and patriotic Irishmen to refute
the calumnies of that accomplished and effective, but vain and prejudiced writer. One of the first to enter the lists was Father Stephen White, a learned Jesuit. He wrote some very exhaustive and valuable treatises. 33 One of these is
" Hibernia adversus Cambri Calum- Apologia pro
entided,
nias : sive fabularum et famosorura Libellorum Silvestri Giraldi Cambrensis, sub vocabulis Topographise, sive de Mirabilibus Hiberniae, et Historia Vati- cinalis, sive Expugnationis ejusdem Insulae Refutatio. " This tract, preserved in the Burgundian Library, at Brussels, had long lain in MS. , until it was published and edited with various additions, by the Very Rev. Matthew Kelly, D. D. 3+ The original treatise had been composed very early in the seventeenthcentury,andprobablybeforetheyear1615. Withgreathonesty and research, but with a tone of controversial acerbity, the patriotic writer, White, proceeds to refute various errors and misrepresentations of Giraldus. 35 His work is rather diffuse, however, and it abounds with unnecessary repe- titions. In this particular treatise,3^ the sanctity and learning, for which Ireland had been famous during ages long past, have been ably vindicated, while the names and acts of various holy persons are instanced, for proof of several propositions advanced by the author. He states, also, that while
closely
xl INTRODUCTION.
compiling this work,37 he consulted, in addition to various published books, very mxny ancient manuscripts. 38 Much use has been made of this learned tract, as must appear from subsequent pages of the present work. 39 Father StephenWhite''"wasafriendofArchbishopUssher. Thecontentsofthe Bruxeiles MS. , or of the part, fastened within the binding, amount in all to about 1,000 closely written pages. It was evidently a copy, made perhaps for the author, by four, or, at all events, by three different scribes. As for its contents, as a valuable historical document, information appears to have been drawn from many and high authorities. The immense amount of
learning with which the author was gifted, and the facility of arrangement with which he has used it, are apparent.
Later still was written the " Cambrensis seu celebrated, Eversus, potius
Historica Fides in Rebus Hibernicis Giraldo Cambrensi abrogata," and it was published a. d. 1662,4' by its author. Dr. John Lynch, under the anony-
mous designation of Gratianus Lucius. Altogether abstracting from its im- portance, as a work of refutation, it embraces a great variety of well-digested and accurate information in reference to Irish History. The labours of
various eminent ecclesiastics, his countrymen, had already supplied the author with materials to render the hagiographical portion of his work espe- cially valuable. This, however, was not the only service he rendered to Irish historical and biographical literature. 4*
One of the first efforts, to invest with the immortality of print, a separate collection of Offices and Acts of the Irish Saints, was attempted by Thomas Messingham, a secular priest of Leinster, and who was Moderator of the
" Columbae,BrigidaeetaliorumquorundamHiberniasSanctorum. " Thiswas
"
followed in 1624, by his
Sanctorum Hibernige, quibus accesserunt non vulgaria monumenta, hoc est Sancti Patricii Purgatorium, S. Malachise Prophetiae de Summis Pontificibus,
Irish College in Paris. There a. d. 1620, he published
Officia S. S. Patricii,
37 Pi-obably at Dilengen.
38 The Rev. Dr. Oliver, in his "Collec-
tions towards the of illustrating Biography
the Scotch, English, and Irish Members of the Society of Jesus, "has alluded with com- mendation to this Irish Father and his works. See No. cclxxxvii. , p. 250.
39 At the end of this MS. volume will be found a detached folio tract, entitled, upon the cover, "Apologia pro Sanctis Scotiae, sed Infirma videtursaltem si conferatur cum Vindiciis P. Step. Viti, pro Scotia antiqua Seu Hibernia. " This tract, unpublished, formed part of a Jesuit collection. It con- tains twenty folios written upon both sides. It has a few leaves of detached Irish MSS.
upon 4to paper.
^ This learned man is greatly extolled in
Lynch's "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. i. , cap. i. , p. 94, Dr. Kelly's edition.
4' The original edition appeared in folio
and the place where it was printed is not stated, At the instance of the Celtic Society was issued a new and greatly improved edition, with Introduction—a Life included—trans- lation into English, and notes explanatory, prepared by the Rev. Matthew Kelly, D. D. It appeared in three 8vo volumes, at Dublin, from the years 1848 to 1852.
Florilegium Insulge Sanctorum, seu Vitse et Acta
"
size,
*=In 1669, he published at St. Malo,
Pii Antistitis Icon ; sive de Vita et Morte Reverendissimi Francisci Kiroveni, Alla- densis Episcopi. " This work has been re- published at Dublin, 1848, in small quarto size, with a translation and notes by Rev. C. P. Meehan.
** In the •irEirinn. "
" Foras Feasa
From another
Irish,
styled,
Sorbonne,
1652.
entry,
it is
a. d.
we learn, that it was placed in St. Isidore's
45 Father Peter Mac Cormack, Guardian of St. Isidore's Convent, Rome, in the last century, says, this MS. has been traced by Dr. Jeolfry Keatmg, propria in. inu. Coin- ciding with this opinion is one of the late Dr. James Henthorn Todd, expressed to the Franciscan Fathers, at Roma, in 1862.
4* It was afterwards sent to St. Anthony's Franciscan Convent, Louvain, thence to St. Isidore's, Rome, and in 1872, it was trans- ferrei to the Coavent of St. Francis, Mer-
chants'-quay, Dublin.
4' The paper is of a faded colour, and
"
vol. ii. , p. 254.
INTRODUCTION. xli
aliaque nonnulla quorum elenchus post Prsefatione habetur. " Omnia nunc
primuni partini ex MS. codicibus, partim typis editis collegit et publicabat Thomas Messinghamus, Sacerdos Hibernus, S. R. E. Protonotarius, nee non Seminarii Hibernorum Parisiis Moderator. ^^ On the whole, this work is de- ficiently edited, and defective on the score of historical or topographical notes and criticism. However, some valuable disquisitions and observations are dispersed throughout, while some important acta have been included.
Early in this century, the Rev. Dr. Jeoffry Keating wrote his popular "His-
tory of the Kingdom of Ireland,"t'^ in our national language. A folio paper MS.
of this work, and thought to be the original, is yet extant. s It formerly be-
longed to the Franciscan Convent at Donegal. *^ It comprises 84 leaves,
numbered, and representing double that number of closely-written pages. 47
IthasbeenannotatedthroughoutbyColgan. Twopagesinhishandwriting are prefixed, and these contain the names of authors cited in this History.
Besides, there is another folio paper copy of Keating's History, preserved in the Library of the Convent of St. Francis, Merchants'-quay, Dublin. It is very legibly written in the Irish language and character. 4^ Agreat number
of manuscript copies of the History were multiplied by Irish scribes, and are yet preserved, in various places, before this work had been published, with
its English translations. Although much condemned by incompetent critics, and having some apocryphal statements introduced, yet Keating's is a volume of exceeeding great value for the student of Irish History. 49
But the illustrious martyr, Christopher Fleming, and the never-to-be-for- gotten Father Luke Wadding, so renowned as a pious, patriotic, and learned Irishman, were the first great promoters of that noble spirit, which served in the seventeenth century to perpetuate the early hagiographical fame of Ireland. Fleming was descended from the lords of Slane,^^ and he was born on the 17th of April, 1599, at a place called Bel-atha-Lagain, in the
*3 In this work are included two pieces under vellum covers,
from the pen of David Roth, afterwards *^ It is comprised in 373 pages, under calf Bisiiop of Ossory, viz. , "De Nominibus binding. From an entry, we find, that it
"
in Vitam S. Patricii a Jocelino Scriptam. "
Hiberiiiae Tractatus," and
Elucidatioaes
belonged to a Dr. James Duffy, of the dio- cese of Limerick, and of the College of
Lil)rary, Rome, by Father Murphy, Guar- dian, i6th July, A. D. 1739.
^9 ^ considerable number of editions, in Irish, and translated into English, have been issued during the last and the present cen- tury. One of the most valuable, probably, is O'Mahony's translation, published at New York, A. D. 1866. See the Life of Dr. Jeoffry Keating in Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee's "Gallery of Iris li Writers," pp. 34 to 43.
^° His genealogical pedigree will be found
in the
Ulster Journal of Archjeology,"
xlii INTRODUCTION.
of Cluain-Caoin, in the county of Louth. s' He was a of parish subject
Armagh diocese. Owing to early pious sentiments, his parents were induced to favour dispositions, which led him to embrace a religious life. At the age ofthirteen,hewassentovertotheContinent. Hismaternaluncle,Christo-
pher Cusack, presided over the Colleges of Douay, Tournay and other semi- naries, founded in those parts for the Catholic education of Irish students. Having studied humanity at Douay, Fleming afterwards entered the Fran- ciscan College of St. Anthony of Padua, at Louvain. s^ In 1616, the first stone of this celebrated house was laid by Prince Albert and Isabella. 53 On the 17th of March, 161 7, he took the probationary habit of St. Francis, from Father Anthony Hickey,54 then superior over that college. On the same day, in the following year, Fleming was solemnly received into the order of St. Francis. At the same time, he relinquished the baptismal name of Chris- topher, to assume in religion that of Ireland's patron saint.
He continued his Philosophical and Theological studies until the year 1623. Then, in com- pany with Hugh Mac Caghwell, Definitor General of the Franciscan order, he removed to Rome. Taking Paris on the way, he formed a close friend- shipwithFatherHughWard. Thelatterwasurgedbyhimtocollectand prepare for publication materials for the Lives of our Irish Saints. To Fleming, therefore, is due the first enlightened idea of starting an undertaking, which afterwards was continued by Ward and Colgan. During Fleming's travels through Italy, and while he continued at Rome, he was diligently employed in collecting all the Lives of Irish Saints to be found in Manu- scripts. By earnest and pressing letters, he urged on Father Ward the duty of prosecuting this work. After some time. Father Fleming joined him in Louvain,andthereforsomeyearshetaughtPhilosophyandTheology. In 1630, he was appointed Superior of the Franciscans at Prague, in Bohemia. In different libraries of France, Italy and Germany, Fleming found a great variety of Irish Saints' Acts, and their writings. He had actually prepared for the press materials for a volume, which had been left in the hands of
5' The ruins of his family mansion are still
pointed out close by Lagan Bridge. See " The Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. vii. ,
February, 1871, p. 193. A very interesting Memoir follows.
5* In the month of July, 1863, the writer
bishop of Tuam, Philip III. , King of Spain, founded this College for the Irish Francis- cans. See Very Rev. Laurence F. Rene- han's " Collections' of Irish Church His- tory," edited by Very Rev. Daniel M'Carthy, D. D. , vol. i. , p. 398.
^ See some notices of him in Father Luke
" Ordinis Minorum, Wadding's Scriptores
Quibus accessit Syllabus Illorum, qui ex eodem ordine pro Fide Christi fortiter oc-
cubuerunt," pp. 33, 34. In the Franciscan Archives, Dublin, there is a letter from him to Father John Colgan, in reference to mate- rials for Irish Saints' Lives. It is in a very damaged state, and very difficult to be read ; however, as an autograph, it pos- sesses great interest.
had an opportunity for inspecting this vene-
rable house—now used a educa- by Belgian
tional religious community. It is situated
on the great square of Louvain, not far from
the magnificent church of St. Peter. The
College was founded A. d. 1607. See the
Bull of foundation in the Appendix to the
"
Fourth Report of the Commission of His-
torical Manuscripts," by J. T. Gilbert.
S3 At the solicitation of the Franciscan
Father, Florence Conry, afterwards Arch-
INTRODUCTION. xliii
Moret, a printer at Antwerp. In this he intended to comprise St. Colum- ban's acts and works, with those of some other Irish saints, appending notes and essays. 55 Before it could be published, however, or before its editor could arrange and mature other works on his country's sacred Antiquities,5° the devoted Franciscan was called away from this world to enjoy com- panionship with the saints. s7 His life terminated with the holy crown of
martyrdom.
A civil war raged in Germany, and Lutheranism, sustained by the vic-
torious arms of the Swedes and Saxons, brought a cruel persecution on
Catholics, and especially on religious, at that time Father Fleming had re- moved to Prague. This city was threatened with an assault, after the battle of Leipsic. 5^ In order to consult for their safety, nobles, citizens and clergy prepared to seek shelter in places more secure. Having made all necessary arrangements for flight, and having given the directions required, in case he should not survive, Father Patrick Taafe, and Brother Francis Magennisss— not then advanced to orders—had been directed to proceed towards Benes- chau village, about twenty-four miles S. S. E. of Prague. Their venerable Su- perior, Fleming, accompanied by a Deacon, Brother Matthew Hoar, set out forthesamedestination,onthedayfollowing; butonapproachingBenes-
55 This work did not appear until A. D. 1667, under the editorship of Father Thomas
"
O'Sheerin. It bore the title :
Patricii Fleming! Hiberni Ordinis Fratrum Minorum Strictioris Observantias, olim Sa- crse Theologiffi Lectoris Collectanea Sacra, seu S. Columbani Hiberni
Monachorum Patriarchse, Monasteriorum Luxoviense in Gallia, et Bobiensis in Italia, aliorumque Fundatoris et Patroni, necnon aliorum aliquot a Veteri itidem Scotia seu Hibernia antiquorum Sanctorum Acta et Opuscula, nusquam antehuc edita, partim ab ipso brevibus notis, partem fusioribus commentariis, ac speciali de Monastica S. Columbani institutione Tractatis illustrata ; in quibus de ejusdem Sancti patria, doctrina, monachatu, Magistris, CoUegis, setate, pere- grinatione, monasteriorum ab ipso ejusque discipulis conditorum origine et progressu ; Hibemorum quoque ac Britonum differentia olim a Romanis in Paschae celebratione multa curiosa et nova, per V. A. P. F. Tho- mam Sirinum in Lovaniensi Collegio S. An- tonii de Padua ejusdem Ordinis et Provintiaa Hibemiae S. Thae. Lectorem Jubilatum re- cens castigata et aucta. " This work was published at Louvain, in small folio size.
5* Father Francis Matthews, Minister Pro- vincial of the Irish Franciscan Province,
and who was mart3Ted in the year 1644,
also gave help to Father Fleming in writing the Lives of the Saints.
57 In the year 1626, he had published, "Vita Reverendi Patris Hugonis Cavelli"
(Mac Caghwell). He also abridged a book
R. P. F.
Abbatis, Magni
" Chronicon Consecrati Petri Ra-
"
5^ See Feller's " Dictionnaire Historique,"
tome vii. , art. Fleming (Patrice), p. 113. Paris edition, 1828, 8vo.
59 Afterwards he became Guardian, Vicar, Superior, and Instructor of Novices in the Irish College at Prague. He wrote a small
'*
Historia Martyrii Venerabilis Patris Fratris Patricii Fleming! , Ordinis Fratrum Minorum Stric- tioris Observantiaj Provincise Hibernife Sa- crae Theologis Lectoris, et CoUegii Imma- culatae Conceptionis Bmas Dei genetricis, Fratrum Minorum ejusdem Instituti et Pro- vinciffi Pragse primae Praesidis, ejusque Socii Fratris Matthsei Hoar, Diaconi. " This tract was preserved among the College Ar- chivesatPrague. In1665,itwasfittedfor the press by Anthony Donnelly, and t\^u years later O'Sheerin prefixed it to the
"Collectanea Sacra. " See Harris' Ware, vol. iii. "WritersofIreland,"booki. ,chap. xiv. , p. 113.
intituled,
tisbonae.
tract, under the following title :
xllv INTR OD UCTION.
Ciiau,^° seven rustics armed with clubs rushed suddenly upon the religious, both of whom fell dead beneath their blows. This barbarous murder was perpetratedonthe7thofNovember,1631. ^' Itwasremarked,thatalthough
the atmosphere had been clear and bright before this butchery occurred, at the very moment this outrage was perpetrated, and afterwards to the ninth hour, dense clouds obscured the air, as if in mourning for such a foul deed. So came the end of venerable Father Fleming, renowned for his virtues and learning, but especially distinguished for great zeal in promoting the venera- tion of saints belonging to his native country. He died in the repute of sanctity. Those, who had an opportunity for viewing the body, after his tragic and most holy death, affirmed, that it possessed an almost miraculous beauty and freshness. It appeared, even for an unusual length of time, to have been preserved from the least corrupting taint. Both the bodies of Father Fleming and of the Deacon Matthew Hoar were recovered, and buried within an enclosure in the Monastery Chapel of the Reformed Brothers Minor at Voticium, about four miles distant from the place of that shockingmurder. Anirongrillesurroundedtheplaceoftheirsepulture.
Meantime, the distinguished friend of Fleming, Father Hugh Ward,^^ had proceeded to Louvain in 1623 to teach Theology in the College of St. An- thony. ^-^ A little later he was chosen Guardian of that Convent. ^^ Thus a favourable opportunity was afforded him to promote more effectually the glory of the Irish saints. From various Continental libraries, he soon gathered a great number of their Acts, and he began to collect a fine histo- rical Bibliotheque. But, he knew full well, that Ireland was the great field for research in this line. While Guardian at Louvain, Michael 0'Clery,^5 a man advanced in years, and an excellent Irish scholar and antiquary, who knew no Latin, asked to be received among the lay-brothers of the Franciscan Order. ^^ His request was complied with, and Father Ward clearly compre-
'°See an account of this place in " Ga- zetteer of the World," vol. ii. , pp. 679, 695.
"See Father Luke Wadding's "Scrip-
tores Oriinis Minorutn, Quibui accessit Syl-
labus Illorum, qui ex eodem ordiiie pro
Fide Christi fortiter occubuerunt," p. 272.
''^ He
belonged
family of Donegal, who gave name to Bally- mac- Ward.
gid, and of the Glorious Abbot St. Columb, Patrons of Ireland. " This work appeared at St. Omers in quarto shape, with the letters B. B. —doabtleis a typographical error—at the end of the Dedication. It is chiefly a collection from Cogitosus, Jocelyn, and other writers. It is a very uncritical
to a celebrated bardic
and it has little or no value for historical purposes,
*s This was his name in religion. He was
bom in the year 1575, and was generally remarkable Franciscan in the Irish Eccle- called by his contemporaries Teige na-
"^See a very interesting account of this
"
"
siastical Record, vol. vii. , November, 1870,
Sleibhe, or "Teigheof the Mountain. " See an interesting memoir of himself and hisco- labourers in- " Ecclesiastical Re-
pp. 56 to 77.
*'* A Leinsterman and a Franciscan
the Irish
Friar, Robert Rochiort, who was a Lecturer there,
cord," vol. vii. , March, 1871, pp. 268 to published, a. d. 1625, in English: "The 289.
Life of the Glorious Bishop St. Patrick, Apostle and Primate of Ireland, together with the Lives of the Holy Virgin, St. Brid-
^^ See Rev. Pere Victor De Buck's "L'Ar- cheologie Irlandaise au Couvent de Saint- AutoLne de Padoue a Louvain," § i. , p. 5.
production,
INTR on UCTION.
hended how invaluable must be his services to Irish literature were O'Clery sent over to Ireland, commissioned to search out and transcribe Lives of the Irish Saints, and all other documents connected with the History and Anti-
quities of that kingdom. The requisite permission having been obtained, Brother Michael set out from Louvain for Ireland, where he was en- gaged collecting materials for Irish History, about the long term of fifteen years. Duringthistime,hetranscribed,fromancientIrishMSS. manyLives of Saints, from a number of Genealogies, from some ancient Martyrologies, and from a vast and widely-dispersed collection of other antique documents. With the assistance of associated antiquarians he compiled arranged and en- largedthreedistinctTreatisesonHistory. BycollatingwithotherMSS. ,he expunged various errors, which had crept into the writings of ancient authors. One of his compilations, and in his own handwriting, is now preserved in the Franciscan Convent, Dublin. This is a parchment-bound and a small quarto paper MS. of 125 leaves, traced on both sides, in Irish characters, with several pages of Testimonia prefixed. It is intituled on the cover,
" et Sanctorum Hiberniae. "'^? This was transcribed Genealogia Regum,
by Michael O'Clery, a. d. 1630, at the Convent of Athlone, in the Bishopric of
Clonmacnoise,^^ as noted in the Manuscript. These genealogies throughout
are copiously annotated by Colgan ; and from this Codex, he frequently
quotes in his printed hagiographical works.
Another important work engaged the labours of Michael O'Clery, and
this was the " Leabhar Gabhaltas or Book of Conquests," relating the various
settlements, battles and events in Ireland, from the year 278 after the Flood
to A. D. 1 1 71. Greatly aided by Cucogry or Peregrine O'Clery, Conary O'Clery and Peregrine O'Duigenan, in the well-known convent of his order,
"
Calendar of the Saints of Ireland," generally called the
19th of April, 1630. 7^ Until 1847, it was considered to have been irrecover- ablylost. Duringthatyear,itwasdiscoveredintheBurgundianLibrary,Brus-
O'Clery wrote his
" of Martyrology
mentioned It was by Colgan. ^9
so
begun in the Franciscan Convent of Donegal,7° and there finished on the
Donegal,"
frequently
*? The latter of these is sometimes called,
" Sanctogenesim. " But most generally does Colgan—who often quotes it—term it the
written, rather than any other merely per- sonal or descriptive, and deducible from its
authorship, in which so many persons had been concerned.
"Sanctilogium Genealogicum. " It treats
concerning the genealogies of Irish saints,
distributed under twenty-seven classes or rendered literary assistance to the fore-
going writers, by adding saints who lived in distant countries, but who had been con- nected with Ireland, and about whom foreign authors treated.
*^ See a more detailed account of this MS.
in Professor O'Curry's "Lectures on the "t^eb^e riA riAoniTi ne-t\ennAcVi. Marty-
chapters. Through a long series of proge- niters, O'Clery refers each saint to the first family stock or ancestor, whence he or she had descended.
Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish Hi. s- tory," Lect. viii. , pp. 162 to 16S.
*9 He preferred giving it this name for a title, after the place in which it had been
rologium Dungallense, seu Calendarium Sanctorum Hibernife, coUegit et digessit Fr. Michael O'Clery, Ord. Fr. Min. Stric-
tioris Observantia;.
7° Some fathers of this house, likewise,
^i As published, the first title stands,
"
INTR OD UCTION.
sels ; and the Belgian Government having lent it to Dr. Todd, a transcript was made by O'Curry, and translated into English by Dr. O'Donovan. This
was published by the Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society in 1864, under theableeditorshipofDrs. ToddandReeves. ^^ Itisaveryfineandanac-
curate edition, with copious notes and appendices. 73 These have greatly enhanced the value of this work in a historical and typographical point of
view. The Martyrology of O'Gorman had been used frequently by O'Clery, while compiling the Donegal Martyrology. Certain names given without any local designation are from O'Gorman, as also some which have short topographical notices . Of these, many—if not all—are taken from the scholia. The " Old " or " Very Ancient Vellum Book/'74 so often referred to in the
published Martyrology of Donegal, was a Fasciculus, containing some ""
Tracts on Irish Hagiology. In certain places,7S this ancient old Book is said to have contained the Martyrology of Moelruain of Tamlacht, and saints of the same name,^^ with names of the mothers of saints. It contained, like- wise, the comparison of Irish saints^^ with those of the Universal Church, who were supposed to have been of similar habits and life.
In the beginning of 1632, under the patronage of Fergall O'Gara, lord of Magh O'Gara and Coolavin, in the county of Sligo, for which county he was member of Parliament, O'Clery and his co-labourers already named began a compilation of the Annals of Ireland, from authentic records they had col- lected. This was finished in August, 1636. The great work was carried on
*'
Inventaire" of the Manuscripts preserved in the Duke of Bur- gundy's Library at Brussels, the original of this has been classed as vol. xvi.
iv. , cap. i. toxiv. , pp. 93 to 112.
*9 This title has been translated "Scourge
of the Arch-horned. "
30 There is an interesting Life of Philip
O'Sullevan Beare, written by the Rev. Mat-
thew Kelly, prefixed to the edition of his
History. See, likewise, Thomas D. M'Gee's
"
Gallery of Irish Writers," pp. 24 to 33. 3' gee the Preface, written by the Rev.
Matthew Kelly, D. D. , and prefixed to the second edition of the "Historic Catholicac
Iberniae Compendium," supervised by him, and published at Dublin, A. D. 1850, in 8vo. The first edition of this work appeared in l62j.
3» Especially in relation to Irish History and Topography.
33 In the Burgundian Library, at Bruxelles, there is a very large folio paper MS . , classed
as vol. xxi. , and containing Nos. 7658, 7659, 7660, 7661. This is bound in vel- lum, and from the class-mark, it would seem originally to have belonged to a Jesuit Li- brary. The title or heading occupies half the first page, and has the following note written across it, in an old hand differing
" Authore N. P. Stephano "
The title is as follows " Vindiciae Scoto-
genti numero Sanctorum Ibemiae Scotorum veterum immerito privant et transformant in Neoscotos Britanniae Insulae posteros, priscae Pictorum ac Dalreudinorum Gentis candido Lectori memorabilium antiquitatum amanti. S. " This first part contains a Pre- face, with the censurae of various ancient authors, and afterwards a table of contents, divided into eleven chapters. The body of the tract commences at p. 14, and it is con- tinued in 202 folios, written on both sides. Then a different character of hand appears, which cbntinues to p. 309, written very
from the text
Vito, soc'^. Jesu Hiberno, Clonmeliensi.
:
:
rum veterum. Sanctorum indigenarum Iber-
niae oceani magnae Insulae, quas olim ab
immemorabili tempore, passim per Europam usque ad annum Christi saltem 1000 audie- bat Scotia, deinde vero per 200 et amplius annos dicebatur Scotia major sive vetus, ad discrimen Scotiae primoris et novae, quae ante per plurima secula audiebat Patria Pic- torum Britanniffi. In tres libros distributse, adversus graves crebrosque errores novorum de rebus Scoticis historicorum Hectoris Boetii, Georgii Buccanani, Georgij Tomsoni, Roberti Turneri, sub nomine Joannis Leslei, et asseclarum ipsorum qui Ibernorum natio-
nem et patriam prisco nomine proprio chris- tianorum Scotorum et Scotiae, una cum in-
and on both sides.
3* Some notices of the author are prefixed,
by the learned editor. See the Dublin edi-
tion, A. D. 1849.
33 Dr. Todd called the attention of Mr.
Bindon to a manuscript fragment in the Latin language, forming part of the Ussher Collection, in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, classed E. 3. 19. Upon inspection, it was discovered, it is a part of this work of Stephen White, which is above de- scribed.
3* It is the only one of the author, as yet published. Another Tract, " De Sanctis et Antiquitate Hibemiaj," had been thought
worthy of publication ; yet, it appears never to have seen the light.
INTRODUCTION. XXXlX
Giraldus Cambrensis,32 since the invention of printing, had been extensively circulated and read, caused some learned and patriotic Irishmen to refute
the calumnies of that accomplished and effective, but vain and prejudiced writer. One of the first to enter the lists was Father Stephen White, a learned Jesuit. He wrote some very exhaustive and valuable treatises. 33 One of these is
" Hibernia adversus Cambri Calum- Apologia pro
entided,
nias : sive fabularum et famosorura Libellorum Silvestri Giraldi Cambrensis, sub vocabulis Topographise, sive de Mirabilibus Hiberniae, et Historia Vati- cinalis, sive Expugnationis ejusdem Insulae Refutatio. " This tract, preserved in the Burgundian Library, at Brussels, had long lain in MS. , until it was published and edited with various additions, by the Very Rev. Matthew Kelly, D. D. 3+ The original treatise had been composed very early in the seventeenthcentury,andprobablybeforetheyear1615. Withgreathonesty and research, but with a tone of controversial acerbity, the patriotic writer, White, proceeds to refute various errors and misrepresentations of Giraldus. 35 His work is rather diffuse, however, and it abounds with unnecessary repe- titions. In this particular treatise,3^ the sanctity and learning, for which Ireland had been famous during ages long past, have been ably vindicated, while the names and acts of various holy persons are instanced, for proof of several propositions advanced by the author. He states, also, that while
closely
xl INTRODUCTION.
compiling this work,37 he consulted, in addition to various published books, very mxny ancient manuscripts. 38 Much use has been made of this learned tract, as must appear from subsequent pages of the present work. 39 Father StephenWhite''"wasafriendofArchbishopUssher. Thecontentsofthe Bruxeiles MS. , or of the part, fastened within the binding, amount in all to about 1,000 closely written pages. It was evidently a copy, made perhaps for the author, by four, or, at all events, by three different scribes. As for its contents, as a valuable historical document, information appears to have been drawn from many and high authorities. The immense amount of
learning with which the author was gifted, and the facility of arrangement with which he has used it, are apparent.
Later still was written the " Cambrensis seu celebrated, Eversus, potius
Historica Fides in Rebus Hibernicis Giraldo Cambrensi abrogata," and it was published a. d. 1662,4' by its author. Dr. John Lynch, under the anony-
mous designation of Gratianus Lucius. Altogether abstracting from its im- portance, as a work of refutation, it embraces a great variety of well-digested and accurate information in reference to Irish History. The labours of
various eminent ecclesiastics, his countrymen, had already supplied the author with materials to render the hagiographical portion of his work espe- cially valuable. This, however, was not the only service he rendered to Irish historical and biographical literature. 4*
One of the first efforts, to invest with the immortality of print, a separate collection of Offices and Acts of the Irish Saints, was attempted by Thomas Messingham, a secular priest of Leinster, and who was Moderator of the
" Columbae,BrigidaeetaliorumquorundamHiberniasSanctorum. " Thiswas
"
followed in 1624, by his
Sanctorum Hibernige, quibus accesserunt non vulgaria monumenta, hoc est Sancti Patricii Purgatorium, S. Malachise Prophetiae de Summis Pontificibus,
Irish College in Paris. There a. d. 1620, he published
Officia S. S. Patricii,
37 Pi-obably at Dilengen.
38 The Rev. Dr. Oliver, in his "Collec-
tions towards the of illustrating Biography
the Scotch, English, and Irish Members of the Society of Jesus, "has alluded with com- mendation to this Irish Father and his works. See No. cclxxxvii. , p. 250.
39 At the end of this MS. volume will be found a detached folio tract, entitled, upon the cover, "Apologia pro Sanctis Scotiae, sed Infirma videtursaltem si conferatur cum Vindiciis P. Step. Viti, pro Scotia antiqua Seu Hibernia. " This tract, unpublished, formed part of a Jesuit collection. It con- tains twenty folios written upon both sides. It has a few leaves of detached Irish MSS.
upon 4to paper.
^ This learned man is greatly extolled in
Lynch's "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. i. , cap. i. , p. 94, Dr. Kelly's edition.
4' The original edition appeared in folio
and the place where it was printed is not stated, At the instance of the Celtic Society was issued a new and greatly improved edition, with Introduction—a Life included—trans- lation into English, and notes explanatory, prepared by the Rev. Matthew Kelly, D. D. It appeared in three 8vo volumes, at Dublin, from the years 1848 to 1852.
Florilegium Insulge Sanctorum, seu Vitse et Acta
"
size,
*=In 1669, he published at St. Malo,
Pii Antistitis Icon ; sive de Vita et Morte Reverendissimi Francisci Kiroveni, Alla- densis Episcopi. " This work has been re- published at Dublin, 1848, in small quarto size, with a translation and notes by Rev. C. P. Meehan.
** In the •irEirinn. "
" Foras Feasa
From another
Irish,
styled,
Sorbonne,
1652.
entry,
it is
a. d.
we learn, that it was placed in St. Isidore's
45 Father Peter Mac Cormack, Guardian of St. Isidore's Convent, Rome, in the last century, says, this MS. has been traced by Dr. Jeolfry Keatmg, propria in. inu. Coin- ciding with this opinion is one of the late Dr. James Henthorn Todd, expressed to the Franciscan Fathers, at Roma, in 1862.
4* It was afterwards sent to St. Anthony's Franciscan Convent, Louvain, thence to St. Isidore's, Rome, and in 1872, it was trans- ferrei to the Coavent of St. Francis, Mer-
chants'-quay, Dublin.
4' The paper is of a faded colour, and
"
vol. ii. , p. 254.
INTRODUCTION. xli
aliaque nonnulla quorum elenchus post Prsefatione habetur. " Omnia nunc
primuni partini ex MS. codicibus, partim typis editis collegit et publicabat Thomas Messinghamus, Sacerdos Hibernus, S. R. E. Protonotarius, nee non Seminarii Hibernorum Parisiis Moderator. ^^ On the whole, this work is de- ficiently edited, and defective on the score of historical or topographical notes and criticism. However, some valuable disquisitions and observations are dispersed throughout, while some important acta have been included.
Early in this century, the Rev. Dr. Jeoffry Keating wrote his popular "His-
tory of the Kingdom of Ireland,"t'^ in our national language. A folio paper MS.
of this work, and thought to be the original, is yet extant. s It formerly be-
longed to the Franciscan Convent at Donegal. *^ It comprises 84 leaves,
numbered, and representing double that number of closely-written pages. 47
IthasbeenannotatedthroughoutbyColgan. Twopagesinhishandwriting are prefixed, and these contain the names of authors cited in this History.
Besides, there is another folio paper copy of Keating's History, preserved in the Library of the Convent of St. Francis, Merchants'-quay, Dublin. It is very legibly written in the Irish language and character. 4^ Agreat number
of manuscript copies of the History were multiplied by Irish scribes, and are yet preserved, in various places, before this work had been published, with
its English translations. Although much condemned by incompetent critics, and having some apocryphal statements introduced, yet Keating's is a volume of exceeeding great value for the student of Irish History. 49
But the illustrious martyr, Christopher Fleming, and the never-to-be-for- gotten Father Luke Wadding, so renowned as a pious, patriotic, and learned Irishman, were the first great promoters of that noble spirit, which served in the seventeenth century to perpetuate the early hagiographical fame of Ireland. Fleming was descended from the lords of Slane,^^ and he was born on the 17th of April, 1599, at a place called Bel-atha-Lagain, in the
*3 In this work are included two pieces under vellum covers,
from the pen of David Roth, afterwards *^ It is comprised in 373 pages, under calf Bisiiop of Ossory, viz. , "De Nominibus binding. From an entry, we find, that it
"
in Vitam S. Patricii a Jocelino Scriptam. "
Hiberiiiae Tractatus," and
Elucidatioaes
belonged to a Dr. James Duffy, of the dio- cese of Limerick, and of the College of
Lil)rary, Rome, by Father Murphy, Guar- dian, i6th July, A. D. 1739.
^9 ^ considerable number of editions, in Irish, and translated into English, have been issued during the last and the present cen- tury. One of the most valuable, probably, is O'Mahony's translation, published at New York, A. D. 1866. See the Life of Dr. Jeoffry Keating in Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee's "Gallery of Iris li Writers," pp. 34 to 43.
^° His genealogical pedigree will be found
in the
Ulster Journal of Archjeology,"
xlii INTRODUCTION.
of Cluain-Caoin, in the county of Louth. s' He was a of parish subject
Armagh diocese. Owing to early pious sentiments, his parents were induced to favour dispositions, which led him to embrace a religious life. At the age ofthirteen,hewassentovertotheContinent. Hismaternaluncle,Christo-
pher Cusack, presided over the Colleges of Douay, Tournay and other semi- naries, founded in those parts for the Catholic education of Irish students. Having studied humanity at Douay, Fleming afterwards entered the Fran- ciscan College of St. Anthony of Padua, at Louvain. s^ In 1616, the first stone of this celebrated house was laid by Prince Albert and Isabella. 53 On the 17th of March, 161 7, he took the probationary habit of St. Francis, from Father Anthony Hickey,54 then superior over that college. On the same day, in the following year, Fleming was solemnly received into the order of St. Francis. At the same time, he relinquished the baptismal name of Chris- topher, to assume in religion that of Ireland's patron saint.
He continued his Philosophical and Theological studies until the year 1623. Then, in com- pany with Hugh Mac Caghwell, Definitor General of the Franciscan order, he removed to Rome. Taking Paris on the way, he formed a close friend- shipwithFatherHughWard. Thelatterwasurgedbyhimtocollectand prepare for publication materials for the Lives of our Irish Saints. To Fleming, therefore, is due the first enlightened idea of starting an undertaking, which afterwards was continued by Ward and Colgan. During Fleming's travels through Italy, and while he continued at Rome, he was diligently employed in collecting all the Lives of Irish Saints to be found in Manu- scripts. By earnest and pressing letters, he urged on Father Ward the duty of prosecuting this work. After some time. Father Fleming joined him in Louvain,andthereforsomeyearshetaughtPhilosophyandTheology. In 1630, he was appointed Superior of the Franciscans at Prague, in Bohemia. In different libraries of France, Italy and Germany, Fleming found a great variety of Irish Saints' Acts, and their writings. He had actually prepared for the press materials for a volume, which had been left in the hands of
5' The ruins of his family mansion are still
pointed out close by Lagan Bridge. See " The Irish Ecclesiastical Record," vol. vii. ,
February, 1871, p. 193. A very interesting Memoir follows.
5* In the month of July, 1863, the writer
bishop of Tuam, Philip III. , King of Spain, founded this College for the Irish Francis- cans. See Very Rev. Laurence F. Rene- han's " Collections' of Irish Church His- tory," edited by Very Rev. Daniel M'Carthy, D. D. , vol. i. , p. 398.
^ See some notices of him in Father Luke
" Ordinis Minorum, Wadding's Scriptores
Quibus accessit Syllabus Illorum, qui ex eodem ordine pro Fide Christi fortiter oc-
cubuerunt," pp. 33, 34. In the Franciscan Archives, Dublin, there is a letter from him to Father John Colgan, in reference to mate- rials for Irish Saints' Lives. It is in a very damaged state, and very difficult to be read ; however, as an autograph, it pos- sesses great interest.
had an opportunity for inspecting this vene-
rable house—now used a educa- by Belgian
tional religious community. It is situated
on the great square of Louvain, not far from
the magnificent church of St. Peter. The
College was founded A. d. 1607. See the
Bull of foundation in the Appendix to the
"
Fourth Report of the Commission of His-
torical Manuscripts," by J. T. Gilbert.
S3 At the solicitation of the Franciscan
Father, Florence Conry, afterwards Arch-
INTRODUCTION. xliii
Moret, a printer at Antwerp. In this he intended to comprise St. Colum- ban's acts and works, with those of some other Irish saints, appending notes and essays. 55 Before it could be published, however, or before its editor could arrange and mature other works on his country's sacred Antiquities,5° the devoted Franciscan was called away from this world to enjoy com- panionship with the saints. s7 His life terminated with the holy crown of
martyrdom.
A civil war raged in Germany, and Lutheranism, sustained by the vic-
torious arms of the Swedes and Saxons, brought a cruel persecution on
Catholics, and especially on religious, at that time Father Fleming had re- moved to Prague. This city was threatened with an assault, after the battle of Leipsic. 5^ In order to consult for their safety, nobles, citizens and clergy prepared to seek shelter in places more secure. Having made all necessary arrangements for flight, and having given the directions required, in case he should not survive, Father Patrick Taafe, and Brother Francis Magennisss— not then advanced to orders—had been directed to proceed towards Benes- chau village, about twenty-four miles S. S. E. of Prague. Their venerable Su- perior, Fleming, accompanied by a Deacon, Brother Matthew Hoar, set out forthesamedestination,onthedayfollowing; butonapproachingBenes-
55 This work did not appear until A. D. 1667, under the editorship of Father Thomas
"
O'Sheerin. It bore the title :
Patricii Fleming! Hiberni Ordinis Fratrum Minorum Strictioris Observantias, olim Sa- crse Theologiffi Lectoris Collectanea Sacra, seu S. Columbani Hiberni
Monachorum Patriarchse, Monasteriorum Luxoviense in Gallia, et Bobiensis in Italia, aliorumque Fundatoris et Patroni, necnon aliorum aliquot a Veteri itidem Scotia seu Hibernia antiquorum Sanctorum Acta et Opuscula, nusquam antehuc edita, partim ab ipso brevibus notis, partem fusioribus commentariis, ac speciali de Monastica S. Columbani institutione Tractatis illustrata ; in quibus de ejusdem Sancti patria, doctrina, monachatu, Magistris, CoUegis, setate, pere- grinatione, monasteriorum ab ipso ejusque discipulis conditorum origine et progressu ; Hibemorum quoque ac Britonum differentia olim a Romanis in Paschae celebratione multa curiosa et nova, per V. A. P. F. Tho- mam Sirinum in Lovaniensi Collegio S. An- tonii de Padua ejusdem Ordinis et Provintiaa Hibemiae S. Thae. Lectorem Jubilatum re- cens castigata et aucta. " This work was published at Louvain, in small folio size.
5* Father Francis Matthews, Minister Pro- vincial of the Irish Franciscan Province,
and who was mart3Ted in the year 1644,
also gave help to Father Fleming in writing the Lives of the Saints.
57 In the year 1626, he had published, "Vita Reverendi Patris Hugonis Cavelli"
(Mac Caghwell). He also abridged a book
R. P. F.
Abbatis, Magni
" Chronicon Consecrati Petri Ra-
"
5^ See Feller's " Dictionnaire Historique,"
tome vii. , art. Fleming (Patrice), p. 113. Paris edition, 1828, 8vo.
59 Afterwards he became Guardian, Vicar, Superior, and Instructor of Novices in the Irish College at Prague. He wrote a small
'*
Historia Martyrii Venerabilis Patris Fratris Patricii Fleming! , Ordinis Fratrum Minorum Stric- tioris Observantiaj Provincise Hibernife Sa- crae Theologis Lectoris, et CoUegii Imma- culatae Conceptionis Bmas Dei genetricis, Fratrum Minorum ejusdem Instituti et Pro- vinciffi Pragse primae Praesidis, ejusque Socii Fratris Matthsei Hoar, Diaconi. " This tract was preserved among the College Ar- chivesatPrague. In1665,itwasfittedfor the press by Anthony Donnelly, and t\^u years later O'Sheerin prefixed it to the
"Collectanea Sacra. " See Harris' Ware, vol. iii. "WritersofIreland,"booki. ,chap. xiv. , p. 113.
intituled,
tisbonae.
tract, under the following title :
xllv INTR OD UCTION.
Ciiau,^° seven rustics armed with clubs rushed suddenly upon the religious, both of whom fell dead beneath their blows. This barbarous murder was perpetratedonthe7thofNovember,1631. ^' Itwasremarked,thatalthough
the atmosphere had been clear and bright before this butchery occurred, at the very moment this outrage was perpetrated, and afterwards to the ninth hour, dense clouds obscured the air, as if in mourning for such a foul deed. So came the end of venerable Father Fleming, renowned for his virtues and learning, but especially distinguished for great zeal in promoting the venera- tion of saints belonging to his native country. He died in the repute of sanctity. Those, who had an opportunity for viewing the body, after his tragic and most holy death, affirmed, that it possessed an almost miraculous beauty and freshness. It appeared, even for an unusual length of time, to have been preserved from the least corrupting taint. Both the bodies of Father Fleming and of the Deacon Matthew Hoar were recovered, and buried within an enclosure in the Monastery Chapel of the Reformed Brothers Minor at Voticium, about four miles distant from the place of that shockingmurder. Anirongrillesurroundedtheplaceoftheirsepulture.
Meantime, the distinguished friend of Fleming, Father Hugh Ward,^^ had proceeded to Louvain in 1623 to teach Theology in the College of St. An- thony. ^-^ A little later he was chosen Guardian of that Convent. ^^ Thus a favourable opportunity was afforded him to promote more effectually the glory of the Irish saints. From various Continental libraries, he soon gathered a great number of their Acts, and he began to collect a fine histo- rical Bibliotheque. But, he knew full well, that Ireland was the great field for research in this line. While Guardian at Louvain, Michael 0'Clery,^5 a man advanced in years, and an excellent Irish scholar and antiquary, who knew no Latin, asked to be received among the lay-brothers of the Franciscan Order. ^^ His request was complied with, and Father Ward clearly compre-
'°See an account of this place in " Ga- zetteer of the World," vol. ii. , pp. 679, 695.
"See Father Luke Wadding's "Scrip-
tores Oriinis Minorutn, Quibui accessit Syl-
labus Illorum, qui ex eodem ordiiie pro
Fide Christi fortiter occubuerunt," p. 272.
''^ He
belonged
family of Donegal, who gave name to Bally- mac- Ward.
gid, and of the Glorious Abbot St. Columb, Patrons of Ireland. " This work appeared at St. Omers in quarto shape, with the letters B. B. —doabtleis a typographical error—at the end of the Dedication. It is chiefly a collection from Cogitosus, Jocelyn, and other writers. It is a very uncritical
to a celebrated bardic
and it has little or no value for historical purposes,
*s This was his name in religion. He was
bom in the year 1575, and was generally remarkable Franciscan in the Irish Eccle- called by his contemporaries Teige na-
"^See a very interesting account of this
"
"
siastical Record, vol. vii. , November, 1870,
Sleibhe, or "Teigheof the Mountain. " See an interesting memoir of himself and hisco- labourers in- " Ecclesiastical Re-
pp. 56 to 77.
*'* A Leinsterman and a Franciscan
the Irish
Friar, Robert Rochiort, who was a Lecturer there,
cord," vol. vii. , March, 1871, pp. 268 to published, a. d. 1625, in English: "The 289.
Life of the Glorious Bishop St. Patrick, Apostle and Primate of Ireland, together with the Lives of the Holy Virgin, St. Brid-
^^ See Rev. Pere Victor De Buck's "L'Ar- cheologie Irlandaise au Couvent de Saint- AutoLne de Padoue a Louvain," § i. , p. 5.
production,
INTR on UCTION.
hended how invaluable must be his services to Irish literature were O'Clery sent over to Ireland, commissioned to search out and transcribe Lives of the Irish Saints, and all other documents connected with the History and Anti-
quities of that kingdom. The requisite permission having been obtained, Brother Michael set out from Louvain for Ireland, where he was en- gaged collecting materials for Irish History, about the long term of fifteen years. Duringthistime,hetranscribed,fromancientIrishMSS. manyLives of Saints, from a number of Genealogies, from some ancient Martyrologies, and from a vast and widely-dispersed collection of other antique documents. With the assistance of associated antiquarians he compiled arranged and en- largedthreedistinctTreatisesonHistory. BycollatingwithotherMSS. ,he expunged various errors, which had crept into the writings of ancient authors. One of his compilations, and in his own handwriting, is now preserved in the Franciscan Convent, Dublin. This is a parchment-bound and a small quarto paper MS. of 125 leaves, traced on both sides, in Irish characters, with several pages of Testimonia prefixed. It is intituled on the cover,
" et Sanctorum Hiberniae. "'^? This was transcribed Genealogia Regum,
by Michael O'Clery, a. d. 1630, at the Convent of Athlone, in the Bishopric of
Clonmacnoise,^^ as noted in the Manuscript. These genealogies throughout
are copiously annotated by Colgan ; and from this Codex, he frequently
quotes in his printed hagiographical works.
Another important work engaged the labours of Michael O'Clery, and
this was the " Leabhar Gabhaltas or Book of Conquests," relating the various
settlements, battles and events in Ireland, from the year 278 after the Flood
to A. D. 1 1 71. Greatly aided by Cucogry or Peregrine O'Clery, Conary O'Clery and Peregrine O'Duigenan, in the well-known convent of his order,
"
Calendar of the Saints of Ireland," generally called the
19th of April, 1630. 7^ Until 1847, it was considered to have been irrecover- ablylost. Duringthatyear,itwasdiscoveredintheBurgundianLibrary,Brus-
O'Clery wrote his
" of Martyrology
mentioned It was by Colgan. ^9
so
begun in the Franciscan Convent of Donegal,7° and there finished on the
Donegal,"
frequently
*? The latter of these is sometimes called,
" Sanctogenesim. " But most generally does Colgan—who often quotes it—term it the
written, rather than any other merely per- sonal or descriptive, and deducible from its
authorship, in which so many persons had been concerned.
"Sanctilogium Genealogicum. " It treats
concerning the genealogies of Irish saints,
distributed under twenty-seven classes or rendered literary assistance to the fore-
going writers, by adding saints who lived in distant countries, but who had been con- nected with Ireland, and about whom foreign authors treated.
*^ See a more detailed account of this MS.
in Professor O'Curry's "Lectures on the "t^eb^e riA riAoniTi ne-t\ennAcVi. Marty-
chapters. Through a long series of proge- niters, O'Clery refers each saint to the first family stock or ancestor, whence he or she had descended.
Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish Hi. s- tory," Lect. viii. , pp. 162 to 16S.
*9 He preferred giving it this name for a title, after the place in which it had been
rologium Dungallense, seu Calendarium Sanctorum Hibernife, coUegit et digessit Fr. Michael O'Clery, Ord. Fr. Min. Stric-
tioris Observantia;.
7° Some fathers of this house, likewise,
^i As published, the first title stands,
"
INTR OD UCTION.
sels ; and the Belgian Government having lent it to Dr. Todd, a transcript was made by O'Curry, and translated into English by Dr. O'Donovan. This
was published by the Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society in 1864, under theableeditorshipofDrs. ToddandReeves. ^^ Itisaveryfineandanac-
curate edition, with copious notes and appendices. 73 These have greatly enhanced the value of this work in a historical and typographical point of
view. The Martyrology of O'Gorman had been used frequently by O'Clery, while compiling the Donegal Martyrology. Certain names given without any local designation are from O'Gorman, as also some which have short topographical notices . Of these, many—if not all—are taken from the scholia. The " Old " or " Very Ancient Vellum Book/'74 so often referred to in the
published Martyrology of Donegal, was a Fasciculus, containing some ""
Tracts on Irish Hagiology. In certain places,7S this ancient old Book is said to have contained the Martyrology of Moelruain of Tamlacht, and saints of the same name,^^ with names of the mothers of saints. It contained, like- wise, the comparison of Irish saints^^ with those of the Universal Church, who were supposed to have been of similar habits and life.
In the beginning of 1632, under the patronage of Fergall O'Gara, lord of Magh O'Gara and Coolavin, in the county of Sligo, for which county he was member of Parliament, O'Clery and his co-labourers already named began a compilation of the Annals of Ireland, from authentic records they had col- lected. This was finished in August, 1636. The great work was carried on
*'
Inventaire" of the Manuscripts preserved in the Duke of Bur- gundy's Library at Brussels, the original of this has been classed as vol. xvi.
