No More Learning

regarding him, the reader is referred to the Life of St. Columba. Fergna's death is noted, at a. d, 616, in the Annals of Inisfallen ; at a. d. 622, by the Annals of the Four Masters ;^^ and, at a. d. 623, by the Annals of Tigher- nach, and by the Rev. William Reeves. ^7 The 2nd of March is supposed to have been the day of his death. Simply the name Fergna, Abbot of la, is found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'^ at the same date. St. ^ngus the Culdee notices him,^9 at the 2nd of March, as likewise Marianus O'Gorman ; but, in the gloss to his Calendar, Fergna is styled bishop. Yet, this is thoughttohavebeenanincorrectdesignation; insomuchastheprecedent, so recently established, in lona, by the founder, could hardly have been
^°
wards. Venerable Bede asserts, that in lona they were always accustomed to
have its ruler, a priest abbot. '^ The Martyrology of Donegal^^ mentions, as having a festival on this day, Fergna Britt, son of Failbhe, Bishop. In the entry of his name, by the compiler of a talDle added to this Martyrology, it is Latinized, Virgnoiis. '^'^ In addition, Duald Mac Firbis enters Fergna Britt, Bishop and Abbot of la-Coluim-Cille, at March 2nd. ^+ At this date, like- wise, the Carthusian Martyrology records his feast. =^5 At the 2nd of March, the Drummond Kalendar observes, that the Abbot Fergna, of the Hy mon- astery, went to Christ. ^^ In Ireland, this holy man seems to have had his office recited in nine lessons, as we learn from an old Antiphonarium, be-
longing to the Library of Trinity College, Dublin.
Article V. —Reputed Festival of a Monendabbis, or Movendas, as also of Tedgn^e, Tedquus or Teugna, Tenguus, Abbots. In the anonymous Catalogue of Irish Saints, as also in the list of Henry Fitzsimons, at the 2nd of March, we find the name of St. Movendas, Abbot. He is entered, likewise, in the Carthusian Martyrology,^ or Usuard, with the addi- tions of Hermann Greuen, as the BoUandists remark " and in the
departed from, in the case of its fourth abbot.
Besides, a century after-
'*
See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. ,
; again,
nology, not only of this abbot's times, but of
all the other abbots' periods, at lona, with
annalistic entries,
*' "
See Historia Ecclesiastica Grentis
Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
60, 6i.
*3 gee, /3/^. , pp. 414, 415.
'* See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 112, 113.
pp. 244, 245.
'7 See his Adamnan's " Life of St. Co-
lumba," Additional Notes, O, pp. 372, 373.
'^
''As the "white Fergna in Hy. " See
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvii.
Bishop Forbes'
"
Kalendars of Scottish
Saints," p. 336. To Professor O'Looney
the writer feels indebted for the following
rann, taken from the Leabhar Breac copy ""
of the Felire of St. iEngus, in Irish,
"In Hibemia
with the —
English translation,
which is here
"s It states
:
Fergna
et
appended : e. HI. 1*1.
*°
Monendabbis Abbatum. " how- Colgan,
"
lona.
passion
of Lucilia
Scottish — 6. Saints," p.
See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes, O, p. 373. Here will be found, a research- ful and most complete account of the chro-
"See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Martii ii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 125.
ever, corrects this mistake, by stating that
these names were substituted for " Fergna
tl4 niebfAirc'he|\ ^reili 1 pAij" tucitiAe
5ein fen poil ftAn ooe •peiL pnt) fepgnA lAe.
If it be appropriate to celebrate a Feast
On the
Birth of old Paul full of sanctity
The Feast of Find Chief of "Historic Catholicce Ibernias Compen-
et Montani Abbatum," since these are both
venerated in Ireland, on this day. See
"
Acta Sanctorum Hibernite," Martii ii. De S. Fergna sive Fergnao, &c. , nn. lo, 11, p. 450.
»* See Bishop Forbes* " Kalendars of
Article v.
'
dium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49, and cap. xii. , p. 56.
See O'Sullevan Beare's
3 See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historias Ca-
March 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 93
anonymous Catalogue of National Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare, at the 2nd of March, we find Tedquus. On the authority of Floratius, the same Tedquus or Tenguus, an abbot, is noticed in Henry Fitzsimon's hst, at the very same date ;3 the Bollandists have this name Teugna. However, they think, this may be a mistake for Fergna, and they state, that otherwise the foregoing saints' names were unknown to the Irish. Colgan accounts for a different mistake of entry, as we have remarked, in a previous note.
Article VI. —St. Lugadius, of Cluain-Finchuil, or Cluain-Fiacul, Clonfeakle,CountyofArmagh. [^ProbablyintheSixthCentury? ^ Acts ofthissaintareinserted,byColgan,atthe2ndofMarch. ^ TheBollandists
have only a few short notices, regarding him, and they deem many of Colgan's statements to be inconsequential, especially in reference to this saint's iden-
tification. ^ Great diversity of opinion seems to prevail concerning his age and period. According to Colgan's conjecture,3 this holy man, the son of
Tulchan, was probably a brother to St. Fintan Munnu,* and to St. Kieran,s as also to their sister, St. Conchenna. ^ Yet, elsewhere, Colgan has a different
opinion, that he was the same as Lugatius, a bishop, and a disciple of St. Patricks The reader will find some account of him, in the notices of St.
Meallan,^ which have been already published, at the 28th of January. 9 How- ever, we must not too hastily assume, that the bishop, there spoken of, was identical with the St. Lugadius, noted in our Calendars, on this day. '*' Among St. Patrick's disciples is classed Lugacius, of Kill-airthir ; and, it has been supposed by Colgan, that his festival belonged, either to the 2nd of March, or to the i6th of June. " The more generally received opinion seems to be, that he was the son of Tulchan, and born probably in the earlier part of the sixth century. It is also conjectured, that our saint lived some time under the discipline of St. Columba. " This saint, in the opinion of Colgan, was abbot over a place called Cluain-FinchuiP3 or probably Cluain-Fiacul. '* As we have already seen, this latter is identical with Clonfeakle, a parish,
partlyinthecountyofArmagh,andpartlyinthecountryofTyrone. '^ itis thought, too, that St. Lugadius flourished, towards the close of the sixth century, in as much as a certain holy man, thus named, had there a vision of St. Columba's death, which took place in the Island of lona. That holy man was then old, and, it is probable, he did not long survive the illustrious abbot-^^ sothat,ifsuchbethecase,hisdeathmaybereferredtonearthe beginning of the seventh century. Nor does it seem certain, that this
tholicse Ibemias Compendium," tomus i. ,
lib. — and
iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49, cap, xii. , p. 57.
Article vi.
'See "Acta Sanctorum
Hibemise," Martii ii. De S. Lugadio Abbate de Cluain-Finchuil sive Cluain-
Fiacul. Ex variis, pp. 452, 453.
3 See " Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta
-'See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii,, p. 266.
'See "Acta
Martii ii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 125.
ad Acta S.
'3 Colgan could not find any Irish place so called,
'• This he states was near Armagh.
'5 The ancient church stood in the town- land of Tullydowey, in a curve of the River Blackwater, on the Tyrone or north side, See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps of the County of Tyrone," Sheet 62. Various references are made to it in old mediaeval records, as Cluain-fiacail, Clonfecyna, Cluain-Fiachna, &c. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (t), p. 749.
Appendix
483, and cap. x. , p. 491.
Sanctorum,"
tomus
* Venerated, on the 2ist of October.
s Possibly venerated, on the 9th of Ja- nuary.
* Venerated, on the 13th of March.
7 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, n. 104, p, 113.
* Called of Kilrush, or of Cloncraff. 9 See vol. i. , art. ii. , n, 13.
Columbae, cap. iii. , p.
'°
rum," tomus i. termited saints, p. 125.
See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
Martii ii. Among the pre-
;
'^ See his at the of
i. , Life, 9th June.
94 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
Lugadiushadbeenelevatedtothedignityofabbot; for,ourCalendarsonly
record his having been a priest. ^? We find a similar entry, in the Martyr-
ology of Tallagh,^^ at the 2nd of March, regarding him. Marianus O'Gor-
man, Cathal Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal'9 register, on this day, a Lughaidh, Priest. As the other saints, bearing his name in our Calendars,
are distinguished, by family or place, Colgan thinks it right to assign this festival for St. Lugadius of Cluain-Finchuil.
ArticleVII. —St. Slebhene,orSlebhine,AbbotofIona. {Eighth Century. '] At this date, likewise, the Irish Church seems to have venerated another abbot of Iona. When or where he was born does not appear to have transpired ; yet, we have sufficient proof, that he was of a well-known Irish
race. ^ The Martyrology of Donegal^ this day registers, Slebhene, son of Conghal. HisfatherwasDubhduin,sontoSlebhine,sonofSeghine,sonto Ronan or Cronan, son of Loam, who was the son of Fergus Cennfada or Duach, and of his wife, Erca, the daughter of Loam Mor.
Thus was he in a right line descended from the race of Conall Gulban, son to Niall^ the Great. The holy man Slebhine seems to have lived under the discipline of Cilline Droicteach, who died abbot of Iona,* on the 3rd of July, a. d. 752. s
The virtues and merits of Slebhine, no doubt, singled him out, among his
brother monks, as worthy of succession.
He was the fifteenth ab—bot of la,
and soon after h—
son of
his own brother took place in Hy. During the period of Slebhine's incum-
bency, the Columbian influence in Ireland seems to have been at its height, as may be concluded from the mention of the Lex Coluimcille having been enforced by Domhnall, King of Ireland, in a. d. 753, and also by Sleibene himself, a. d. 757. In the year 754, the Abbot of Iona visited Ireland ; and, in the year 758, he returned thither. After the death of Fedhlimidh or Failbe, who discharged the duties of assistant abbot of Hy, Sleibne passed to the rewards of the just, a. d. 754, according to the Annals of Inisfallen. ^ Those of the Four Masters,^ however, place his demise, at a. d. 762 ; while the Annals of Ulster have the year 766,^ and again, the Rev. William Reeves states, that he died, on the 2nd of March, a. d. 767, after an incum- bency of fifteen years, over the celebrated monastery of Iona. 9
'* St. Columba is generally thought to have died about A. D. 597.
'7 See Colgan's
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
* For a description of some very interest- ing crosses, at Iona, the reader may consult that magnificently illustrated work of the late lamented Dr. the "
niae,"
Martii ii.
De S. Abbate de Lugadio
John Stuart,
tured Stones of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 25 to
is the death of accession,
Cillen,
Congaile probably
Cluain-Finchuil sive Cluain-Fiacul, nn. 8,
9, 10, p. 453.
'8
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvii.
'9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
27. The plates are numbered xl. , xli. , XLii. , XLiii. , XLiv. , XLV. , XLVi. , XLVii. The Irish style of embossing, interlacing
6c, 61. — and sculpture, prevails in their decoration.
nell,
vol. Edition, i. , pp.
Scriptores," tomus iv.
'See his Adamnan's "Life of St. Co-
lumba," Additional Notes (O), pp. 385, 386.
*s
Article vil. See the Genealogical Table of the early abbots of Hy, showing their affinity to one another, and their con- nexion with the chief families of Tircon-
See his Life, at the 3rd of July, *""
in Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"> See O'Donovan's
" Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
60, 61.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbre,
cap. iii. , p. 482. See also Slevinus, p. 502. Ibid.
364, 365.
^See- "Annales
" lor. p.
(N), p. 342.
Ultonienses,
'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemicarum
See Annales Inisfalenses, p. 22. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii.
Sculp-
March 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 95
Article VIII. —St. Suibhne, Abbot of Iona.
The pedigree of this holy man is not recorded ; but, probably, he was born in Ireland, and of the Tirconnellian race. He seems to have discharged the duties of assistant abbot at Iona, during the lifetime of Slebhine,^ and in that
^ or
year, Suibhne succeeded to the full rule of the monastery, which only engaged his care for four years exactly, for he died, on the 2nd day of March, a. d.
772. 3
Article IX. —Dermit O'Mulrony, Martyr, at Gallbally, C—ounty
capacity
he visited Ireland, a. d.
765,
766.
On his
death,
the
succeeding
(O), p. 386. — Article ix. tomus i. , Martii ii.
the only pass into Tippei-ary, from the northern and eastern parts of Cork, and from the western parts of Limerick. See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ire- land," vol. i. , p. 637.
9 This sublime and rugged range has a
deserved celebrity in prose and verse des-
cription. In Joseph Brennan's ballad, "An Ex—ile's Dreams," allusion to it thus
'
See "Acta Sanctorum," Among the pretermitted
— The Bollandists note a festival taken [Sixteenth Century. '\
OF Tipperary.
from the Franciscan Martyrology of Dermitius Mulronius, at the 2nd of
man are to be found in Father
Mooney's Manuscript,^ in Rothe,3 in Wadding,* and in the valuable work
more recently published, by Major Myles O'Reilly. s We know litde more
regarding him, than that he lived in the Franciscan Convent,^ in the town of Galbally,? in the Glen of Aharlow,^ at the foot of the Galty Mountains,? said
to have been in the county of Tipperary. '° This, however, is incorrect, for the place is within the county of Limerick. It was a rural town, in the diocese of
Emly. About the year 1570, while the Viceroy, Sir Henry Sydney," was making an excursion in that part of Ireland, a Franciscan priest, called Dermod O'Mulroney, and two companions, fled from that place, to the town of Clonmel, in order to escape the persecution, which was then vehement. '* When these had remained there for some time, thinl. ing all was safe, they returned to their former house ; but, on a certain da v, the English soldiers suddenly came, and surrounded the place, so that there was no way for those brethren to escape. All three mounted into the bell-tower of the church to
March. ^ The best accounts of this
holy
'
Article viii. — See his Acts, for this
day, in the previous article.
=" See Dr. O'Conor's *' Rerum Hibemica-
rum Scriptores," tomus iv. Annales Ulto-
nienses, p. loi.
3 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
county of Limerick. See it described on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Limericl<," Sheets 41, 49, 50, 57,
58. The town itself is noted on Sheet 49.
Ibid.
saints," p. 125.
' Now preserved in the Burgundian Li-
brary, Bruxelles, and classed No. 3195. " De Provincia Hibernias Ordinis Sancti Francisci, Tractatus a Rev. Donato Money," A. D. 1627.
occurs
" I will go where the Galtees
Are rising bare and high,
With their haggard foreheads fronting
The scowl of clouded sky. "
See Duncathail's "Ballads, Popular Poetry and Household Songs of Ireland," p. 106.
" See Harris' vol. " The Anti- Ware, ii. ,
quities of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 280. '' See an account of him in " Memoirs of the Lives and Actions of the Sydneys. "
Also Moore's " History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xlviii. , xlix. , 1. , pp. 14 to 87.
'^ He had good reason to seek a place of
retreat, from one, whose prejudices against the native clergy, caused him to write to
3 See " Analecta Mira et Nova," part ii.
* See "Scriptores Ordinis Minorum," "
and AnnalesOrdinisMinorum. "
s See "Memorials of those who suffered for the Catholic Faith in Ireland, in the l6th, 17th and i8th Centuries," pp. 18, 19.
London, 1868, 8vo.
^
Excepting the walls, this convent had
been when Father wrote. destroyed, Mooney
In 1204, it is said, Donagh Cairbre O'Brien,
founded here the Abbey for Franciscan or
Grey Friars, which, on the 20th of January,
in the 35th year of King Henry VIII. 's
reign, with its appurtenances, was granted,
in capitt, to John of Desmond. See Arch-
"
' It is a parish, in the barony of Coshlea,
dall's
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 420.
®
This picLuresque and romantic glen is
:
[Eighth Century? ^
96 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
hide, and then they drew up a portable ladder, which was there. The soldiers made a fire to burn the church and tower, and wishing to save both, Father Dermod, having let down the ladder, and signing himself with a sign
" Have Nothing moved, the ruffian soldiers loaded him with At length, they struck ofif his head. But, a marvel was then seen ; for, no drop of blood flowed from his body. The soldiers seeing this, hacked his body to pieces, and still no blood flowed. The names of his two suffering companions have not been preserved, in the locality, where this
outrage happened.
Article X. —St. Villeic or Willeic, Priest, at Kaiserwerth, on THE Rhine. \Seventh and Eighth Ce/ittiries. '] The Acts of this holy missionary have been published, by Colgan,^ by the BoUandists," by Cap- grave,3 by Baronius,^ and by most of the ecclesiastical historians and biogra- phers. Molanus,s Mirseus,^ Hugh Menard,' Surius,^ Rosweyde, and the sixth volume of the " Acta Sanctorum Belgii Selecta "9 record the Acts of St. Willeic, Priest, at the 2nd of March. These are chiefly drawn from the account, contained in Venerable Bede's notices of St. Suitbert. '° Although it may be admitted, that Villeic or Willeic had been an Anglo-Saxon, by birth ; yet, it is supposed, he was educated in Ireland, and that thence he accompanied St. Switbert" and other companions to preach the Gospel to those pagans, then living near the Lower Rhine. Whether or not, the present holy man belonged to the twelve companions of St. Egbert, who, under the guidance of St. Willibrord" and St. Suitbert, set out from Ireland together, is a question for enquiry, in the opinion of Colgan. He adheres to such a view of the case, yet he deems it possible that St. Willeic and St. Adalbert'3 may have followed the earlier pioneers. According to received accounts, St. Willeic was a man of eminent piety and erudition. He was versed, in the Latin and German languages ; and, we may also venture to suppose, he had a knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon and Irish learning. Whether he became a priest,beforeorafterhisleavingIreland,doesnotappear; but,wearetold, he was distinguished for his eloquence, and power, in preaching. '^ By St Suitbert, he was sufficiently instructed in the Sacred Scriptures, so that he was enabled to glean an abundant harvest of souls from idolatry, to embrace the Christian religion. With a pure heart and singleness of purpose, from his youth, St. Willeic imitated the virtues of his master, St. Suitbert. His chastity, love of prayer and meditation ; his meekness and humility ; his care of the sick and poor ; his zeal for souls and his wisdom in the cares of
of the
on me, O Lord. " '3 blows and wounds.