Some of his monks
cultivated
gardens or attended to the cattle, and to the milking of cows on distant pastures.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
3 Heath, wild thyme, and flowers, grow there abundantly in the summer season.
The soil is light, for the most part, and formed of shelly sand, yet on the eastern or sheltered side, the slopes are favourable for tillage.
It is stated, in an old Irish Life of St.
Columba, that before he took possession of this Island, he addressed those companions, who landed with him, and he said to them, that it should be well if one of them consecrated Iona with his mortal remains,
before their community began to spread their roots, while he signified, like-
the old Roman city, known as Uriconium, mind from all local emotion would be im- the foundations of which curious antiquaries possible, if it were endeavoured ; and would have lately uncovered. See John Hill be foolish, if it were possible. Whatever
more removes us from their
it is a sentiment
of every enlightened student of the world's history and of man's immortal
destiny.
try,
but,
deep
The Island of Iona, although rocky and with cliffs protruding at frequent io
Burton's "History of Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , p. 33, 34.
withdraws us from the power of our senses,
whatever makes the past, the distant, or the
future, over the ad- predominate present,
vances us to the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me and my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us unmoved and indifferent over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery, or virtue. That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warm among the ruins of Iona. " —Works of Samuel A.
w See Edward A. Freeman's "
of
History the Norman Conquest of England, its Causes and its Results," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,
sect, i. , p. 14.
9s He was born about the year 484, and
he survived to the 14th November, 565. See Michaud's "Biographie Universelle An- cienne et Moderne," tome xxi. , pp. 368 to
375.
99 He died March 13th, A. D. 565. See a
very complete account of him in Gibbon's
"History of the Decline and Fall of the Murphy, vol. vi. , p. 391. London, 1806,
Roman Empire," vol. v. , chap, xli. , xlii. , xliii. , pp. 99 to 247. Dr. William Smith's edition.
100 See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, p. 10.
101 The celebrated Dr. Samuel Johnson,
"
thus writes of Iona, in his
Hebrides, 1773": "At last we came to I-columkill. We were now treading that illustrious island, which was once the lumi-
8vo.
I02 See "The Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol. ii. A Day at Iona : Recollections of
St. Columba, p. 108.
I03 '* Iona is about three miles long, from
north-north-east to south-south-west, about a mile broad, and about 1,300 Scottish acres in area. It lies three quarters of a mile west of the south-western extremity of Mull, nine miles south-south-west of Staffa, and about
of the Caledonian
whence barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge. To abstract the
west of the nearest of the
nary savage
regions
part
clans and
roving
"
of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 139.
Gazetteer
Tour to the
;
thirty-six Scottish
— Imperial
mainland. "
Johnson, LL. D. , by
378 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June9.
wise, that it was permitted some one of them to volunteer as a sacrifice—if in- deed such it might be called —since the departed should be received into Hea- ven. Then Odhran IO* immediately declared, that he desired to leave this life
to obtain an reward. 105 Columkille everlasting
replied :
receive another return for this, because whosoever shall visit my tomb, at a
future day, must first ask his request from thee, before it shall be granted to him. " Odhran there died, and went to Heaven. 106 His sacred remains were deposited in that place, afterwards known as Reilig Odhran. 10?
Among the Ebudean group of the Hebrides, this now celebrated island,
whence spread Christianity so soon in Scotland, is separated from the coast of Mull, by a narrow but deep strait. Still dangerous sunken rocks in this Sound of Iona have to be avoided by the navigator, and a heavy swell of the sea usually rolls towards it from the north. During the months of summer and of early autumn, crowds of tourists take advantage of those excellent arrangements, by which they are now enabled from Oban, the Highland head- quarters, to visit Staffa and Iona, by means of a well-appointed steamer, which proceeds northwards, keeping the romantic headlands and bays of the Scot- tish mainland to the right, and rounding the dark and towering heights on theIslandofMullontheleft. 108 AfterlandingtoviewthecelebratedFingal's cave IO° on Staffa, the steamer is turned southward to approach the shores of Iona. The traveller may observe, as he is coasting along, the principal fea- tures of that Island, at once so famous and so secluded. The scenery in its
foreground is low and rocky ; the background presents naked and craggy hills, with barren and heathy moor. , Nearer are seme small cottages, and sloping towards the coast are to be seen a large expanse of rich green pas- ture, a few fields of waving corn, and an occasional garden of potatoes. The highest object, which first marks this island in the distance, is the rounded hill Dunii, in the northern part, but it has only an elevation of 330 feet, above the sea-level. 110 land at Columba's own the
Passengers harbour, creek now called Port na Muintir, or " the harbour of the community. " A scattered village of fifty to sixty humble huts IIX is grouped around the land- ing-place, on the eastern side of the Island ;" and here, too, are to be found the traces and relics of St. Columba's early settlement. The antiquities there
104 His feast is assigned to the 27th of the solemn music of its waves. This is a
October.
105 It seems strange, however, that Odh-
ran's name is omitted, in the list of those
twelve companions, who left Ireland with
St. Columba.
scene which appeals to every eye, which all can underst—and, and which none are likely to forget. " "Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, chap, i. , p. 2.
,10 An admirable description of the ancient and modern features of Iona may be found,
106
Yet, this matter seems to be differently
107 This is also related in Prince
O'Donnell's Life of St. Columba, lib. ii. ,
cap. xii. , p. 411.
I0ii It was our
this excursion with a travelling companion, Rev. William Purcell, C. C. , Cathedral, Dublin, during the month of Auyust, 1864, when we landed on the Island of Iona, and
"
St. Columba," Additional Notes P, Topo-
grapia Hyensis, pp. 413 to 433.
K1 When Dr. Samuel Johnson visited this
related or alluded
Adamnan's "Life ot St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap, 6, and notes.
good
fortune to have made
Island over one hundred years ago, about 250 inhabitants were on it. At present, that number will be found in the or its
to,
in Rev. Dr. Reeves'
in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
had but a brief opportunity for examining its
chief objects of antiquarian interest. — nan's
"
Lite of St. Columba," edited by Dr.
"
109 There are many larger caverns there
are many more lofty cliffs. But there is no-
thing anywhere like that great Hall of Columns standing round their ocean floor, and sending forth in ceaseless reverberations
Reeves, for the Irish Archaeological and Cel-
tic Society.
"3 An illustration of Iona, taken from Port
Sliganach or the Shelly Bay, is in the Frontispiece to the present volume. This
" shall Odhran, you
village environs ; the whole population of the Island
numbers about 450 souls.
*"
For a good map of this famous Island
of Iona, and a compendium of its long and flourishing ecclesiastical history, see Adam-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 379
existing have been frequently described and delineated. "3 Of these, the
oldest now standing is St. Oran's chapel, which is twenty-nine feet in length, by fifteen feet, ten inches, in width, and it is said to be standing on the site of that spot, where his mortal remains were deposited. This oratory, which belongs to the eleventh century, is characteristically Irish in style. It is entered through a recessed doorway, surmounted by a circular arch. 11 * The walls are somewhat ruined, and they stand among the tombs of Relig Orain, so called after the holy companion of St. Columba, and to whose self-sacrifice we
Relig Orain, Island of Iona.
havealreadyalluded. Thenextbuildinginageis theBenedictineAbbeyChurch
—usually called the Cathedral, or St. Mary's Church—which was built in the
thirteenth century. 115 After landing on Iona, we pass up the ancient cause-
way, leaving the old nunnery chapel to our left, and we are at the mediaeval
so-called which stands on the site of Columba's 6 The cathedral, abbey. "
most striking ruin on the Island is the Nunnery. The date of this readies
back probably to 1250. Its chapel is nearly perfect. The east window in the Gothic style is particularly admired. As you coast along in the
steamer towards the landing-place, you can just descry a thin line of green grass, through which water trickles down to the ocean. Near it were grouped
point on its eastern coast and south of the cathedral presents a view of the village close to the sea-side, and on the left is the Sliabh or Rocky Hill, behind which appears the schoolhouse, with the cathedral and its sur- roundings in the middle distance.
*** The accompanying illustration is from
remains adjoining it on I-columkill, in "Pro- ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 7-
1x6 It is asserted, that in 1873, a discovery of considerable interest to antiquaries had been made in Iona, where an ancient bury- ingground—supposedbysometob—ethe place where St. Columba was interred had
an approved picture, and drawn by William
F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by been found. The "Limerick Reporter" of
Mrs. Millard.
"s There is a beautiful tinted lithograph
illustration of the cathedral and of the ancient
September 26th, 1873, contains such a no- tice.
"i An anonymous writer of 1693, accounts
380 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
the early monastic cells. The key to the whole position of the Columbian family is that little mill-stream, immediately to the north of the cathedral boundary. Wecrossthemill-stream,almostattheoldkiln,whereoatsfor the brotherhood were formerly dried. We leave to the left a swamp which they embanked into Lochan Mor, to feed the stream and the mill. In the chief cemetery of Iona are buried many Scottish and Irish chieftains. It is said, also, that one King of France and eight Norwegian princes are there en- tombed. The remains of crosses are not met with so often as might be expected, from the tradition regarding their number in past times. *** Two large crosses are standing still, one sixteen feet high, the other ten ; these are notable even now, for their graceful proportions and excellent workman- ship. Having purified the Island by removing therefrom the old Druidic occupants and their superstitions, St. Colum erected the Cross of Christ, under which standard his disciples were thenceforth to contend. Then it was necessary to erect rude huts, and of very primitive construction, at first ; for such was usually the practice, during the earlier stages of missionary enterprise. The antiquary and the student of history will pry about with most interest on Iona, for the old sites of the Scotic Saint's monastery, or for his wattle and daub
110
sheltered by the Dunii hill from the Atlantic.
St. Columba's first hut at Iona was constructed of boards. 120 This too
was probably covered with reeds or thatch. He there began the erection of
a monastery and a church, while he arranged such matters, as were connected with his infant establishment. A few rude plank or stone huts, and a little cellorchurch,seemtohavebeenhereconstructed,inthefirstinstance. An exterior covering of reeds over scraws of surface soil or of coarse turf, with twisted branches, as the materials were most available, served for the erection of their cabins or cells. St. Odhran's chapel is thought to mark the site of
in which St. Columba 121 worshipped.
We are not to expect, however, that a vestage of their ancient forms
cell.
can now be traced. We climb the vallum, surrounding on two sides the elevated site, on which Columba built his wooden cell. This overlooked the abbey, and all on the east side of the Island. "8 This site, likewise, had been
that of wood and original oratory
wattles,
Such were the beginnings of that great institution, which in a little time was
to send forth its Apostles to distant nations, to rule over countless churches
in Britain and in Ireland. 122
sionally, on the Scottish mainland, he may have passed about two years, while superintending the buildings and arranging the economy of the rising
"Quarta Vita S. Columbae," lib. i. , cap. xxv. ""
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga, p. 344. 121 " Tradition has handed down such in- formation to successive generations. Unlike the forest-leaves, which all die about the same time and re-appear after a long inter- val that cuts off the seeming continuity of life, generations of men are renewed from day to day and from year to year. The young hold fast to the traditions of the old ; and it seems unlikely that the sacred spot where 1,9Thebestguide-bookstoIonamustbe thegreatsaintb—uilthischurchcouldhave
for the change thus: "In this isle was a great many crosses, to the number of 360,
which were all one destroyed by
provincial assembly, holden on the place a little after the Reformation. Their foundation is yet extant ; and two notable ones, of considera-
ble height and excellent work, untouched. " 118 The Rev. Dr. Reeves' edition of Adam-
"
written or re- written, since Mr. William F. Skene's chapters on the Monastic Church in Iona have been treated in his invaluable work, " Celtic Scotland : a History of Ancient Alban. "
Life of St. Columba," will leave the
nan's
reader little difficulty in realizing the scene, as it was thirty-four years from 563.
Visiting
the territories of his relatives occa-
130ThisAdamnantellsusincidentally,that tenebatregendisqueeorumpopulopraeerat," he lived "in tuiiurialo tabulis suffulto. — —Bede's " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
been " Iona," the Duke of
forgotten. "
Argyll, chap, ii. , pp. 85, 86.
I22
Cujus monasterium in cunctis pene septentrionalium Scotorum et omnium Picto- rum monasteriis non parvo tempore arcem
by
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 381
institute on Iona.
Some of his monks cultivated gardens or attended to the cattle, and to the milking of cows on distant pastures. The milk was brought to the monastic dairy in closed wooden vessels, and these were often borne on horseback. Others tilled the soil, which produced a quantity of grain ; since the raising of oats and barley was necessary for their support. There seems to have been an abundant dairy, a well-stored granary, and by no means a deficient larder. "3
In the territories of Lee "4 and I25 on the west side Ireland, Ard-Eolairg,
of the Bann, had been ceded to the Cruithne, 126 as a reward for their alliance
after the battle of when the monarch Oilioll Molt was defeated and slain.
in I2? or 128 482 483,
A Cruithnean chief
and the valour, by
Hy Neill,
Ocha,
seemstohavebeenwronged,byhisownpeople; and,inrevenge,hesought to engage the northern Hy Niall in his quarrel. The cause of this war was
an ,29 which he resented. As an inducement to take unjust partition,
up arms, he covenanted to surrender the territories already mentioned to his auxilia-
ries. The terms were accepted. Muircertach, son of Muiredhach, by Earca, daughter of Loarn, was commonly known by the matronymic Mac Eire. His two sons, Domnall and Fergus,' 30 represented the Cinel Eoghain. These were great-grandsons of Eoghan ; while Ainmire, their companion in arms, represented the Cinel Conaill. Hostilities broke out in the year 563. The belligerents were the Cruithne, 131 Picts, or Dalaradians, and the northern Hy Neill, the kinsmen of St. Columba. The Cinel Eoghain and Cinel Conaill united their forces, against the Cruithne. A fierce battle was fought at Moin-Daire-Lothaire. 13" The exact locality, where it took place, has not been determined. 133 Aedh Breac and seven of the Cruitnigh chiefs fell during this engagement. 13'* This is sometimes called the battle of Andre- nome,135 and also Monamoire. 136 On this very day and hour, St. Columba
Anglorum,"lib. iii. , cap. 3, p. 167.
123 " The island now supports upwards of
'
that ofCuil Conaire in 549 ; besides those of Culdreibhne in 561, and Moin Daire Lot- haire in 563. They became joint monarchs of Ireland, in after times,
I3' These—also called Irians—occupied Dalaradia in the modern counties of Antrim and Down, and had extended their domi- nions westward towards Derry.
200 cows and heifers, 140 younger
about 600 sheep and lambs, 25 horses, and some three score of the pachyderms so dear to all the children of Erin. " See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, chap, ii. , p. 92.
"* This territory was on the west side of the River Bann, and it included the present
beasts,'
I32 The Rev. William Reeves thinks, that barony of Coleraine, in the County of its names are to be found in Moneymore, a
Londonderry. See Dr. O'Donovan's "An-
nals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (e),
p. 151.
"5 This place is mentioned by Tirechan,
as being near Lee Bendrigi. Carraig Eolairg isstatedtohavebeenaplace,inthedioce—se
"
of Derry, ad marginem Eurypi Fevolii. "
"
Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta
Vita S. Columbas, n, 49, p. 450.
town in the county of Londonderry, and in Derryloran, the parish in which it is situated, See "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix GG, n. (d), pp. 339, 340.
* 33 The following record of this battle is
found in Tigernach, immediately after the mention of Columba's departure to Hy, at A. c. 563. "The battle of Moin-Daire-Lot-
136
Eoghain, and [Cinel] Conaill [were those] Chronicum Scoto- they fought ; conducti mercede (of) the Lee rum," pp. 28, 29, Edition of William M. and Ard Eolairg. " Some verses of Cenn-
Hennessy. faeladh upon the battle are then cited.
128 The Annals of Ulster place it in this ,34 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
year. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 198, 199.
Hibemicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. , p. 7. 13S The name Ondemone appears in a
129 This is stated, in an Irish Poem of MS. copy of Adamnan, to which allusion
Ceannfaeladh. See it quoted, in Dr. is made by Dr. Reeves ; so it was also in
These fought under the leadership of haire against the Cruithne ; and the Cinel
Fiachra.
127 According to the
"
O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the Four Masters,"
that copy, which Ussher used.
vol. i. ,
130 They won the battle of Sligo in 543, and
In order to render it more confo— rmable
pp. 198, 199.
I36
to the Annals, the copy of Adamnan used
382 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J lne q.
happened to be in Britain, with King Conall, the son of Comghill. He then told Conall every circumstance regarding the conflict, and even he mentioned those kings to whom the Lord would grant victory. Their names were Anmeri, son of Sedna, with Mac Erc's two sons, Donnald and Fergus. In like manner, the saint declared prophetically, how the Pictish King, Eochaid Laib, after his defeat, should escape from the slaughter, riding in his chariot. It seems most likely, this strife was pending, before Columba left the shores of Erin, and that the decisive battle was fought, while on his first visit to King Conall, and before he had sailed for Iona. Fergus and Domhnall, the two sons of Muircertach mac Earca, and Ainmire, son of Sedna, and Ninnigh, son of Duach, and Aedh, son of Eochaidh Tirmcarna, King of Connaught, were victors, and it is said, through the powers of Colum Cille. Though the name ofEochodiusLaibdoesnotappearinanaccountofthi\ battleofMoin-Daire- Lothaire, preserved in some of the Irish Annals ; still, no doubt, the state-
x
ment is authentic, for the Annals of Ulster, 37 at 610, record the death of
Eugain mic Echach Laibh. This affords one of the many curious and unde- signed coincidences, which serve to prove the veracity of our national records. Elne,138 that territory between the Rivers Bann and the Bush, on that occasion was wasted with fire and plundered. From the mention of Lee and Elne, it
is
likely,
that the scene of battle was not far from Coleraine town. After
this battle of Moin-Daire-Lothaire,I3° Ainmire1'* was reinstated in the
possessions of his father Sedna. These included the present barony of
11 ''
Keenaght.
Many of Adamnan's stories turn upon the possession by Columba of the gifts
of prophecy. There is nothing impossible in this. We must remember as a
fact, that Columba was an agent, and a principal agent, in one of the greatest events the world has ever seen, namely, the conversion of the Northern Nations. It is not surprising, that in such times the providential ordering of
events should make a deep impression on the minds of succeeding genera- tions, and that almost every transaction connected with such men should be read in the light which shines from behind the veil. We are almost entirely ignorant of the natural means, by which that conversion of the Northern Nations was effected. Historians, who have survived the centuries during which it was going on, are silent as Adamnan on all those details, which we should most desire—to know. And yet, in order to appreciate how marvel- lousthiseventwas —howextraordinarytheagenciesmusthavebeenbywhich itwasaccomplished wehaveonlytoremember,thatnothingofthesame
kind has
happened
for more than a thousand 1 *2 years.
vol. i. , n. (i), pp. 199, 200.
by Colgan and the Bollandists—has it thus written. We find a similar compound, Inde- nior, in the Annals of the Four Masters, at A. D.
,39 See Tigernach, at a. d. 563. This is "
See also Tigernach, at a. d. 503. Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum
Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 127.
I3? Thus, " Mors Eugain mic Echach
Laibh. " The above quotation is from the Dublin MS. ; O'Conor's text, which pro- fesses to follow the Oxford copy, has Laibre. See ibid. , tomus iv. Annales Ultonienses.
p. 38.
138 This was a plain, in the north-western
part of the present county of Antrim. It lay on the east side of the River Bann. See Dr.
"
O'Donovan's AnnalsoftheFourMasters,"
I4° He became sovereign over Ireland A. D.
565, and he died in 568, having reigned three years. See ibid. , tomus iv. Annales Ultonien-
ses, p. 25. See, likewise, Rev. Dr. O'Conor's
"Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores, "tomus ii. ,
p. 143.
I41 In it Druim Ceatt was situated. This
explains the cause, why that district was chosen, for the famous convention which was held in his son's reign,
I42
See "Iona," by the Duke Argyll, chap, i. , p. 49 to 51.
497.
Latinized Paludis Querceti Lothrani. "
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 383
CHAPTER IX.
ST. COLUMBA FORMS A RESOLUTION TO VISIT NORTHERN PICTLAND—HE TAKES A NORTH-EASTERN COURSE TO THE FORTRESS OF KING BRUDE—OPPOSITION AT FIRST EXPERIENCED—SUBSEQUENT CONVERSION OF THE MONARCH—ST. COLUMBA IS THWARTED BY BROICHAN THE DRUID—HIS SUCCESS AMONG THE PICTS—HIS RETURN TO IONA, AND AN ACCOUNT OF HIS ESTABLISHMENT THERE.
Having thus established his first small colony on the eastern side of this
Island of 1 it afterwards became the home for and reli- lonely Iona, learning
gion. It was also a centre, from which the torch of Faith might send forth its rays through Caledonia in every direction. The benighted condition of the Picts was to Columba a subject of anxious solicitude, and at this parti- cular time, they were in hostility with the Scots. But the saint was a conqueror of hearts, and he relied on God's assistance to bring the enterprise he meditated to a satisfactory conclusion. Now his thoughts and energies were directed, without unnecessary delay, to prosecute the great object of his mission ; for, however different may have been the tribes of Albiones, Britons, Caledonians, Picts, Scots and Attacots in Scotland, and although they may have had different dialects and customs, they were all of Celtic race and
2
As generally among ihe Celtic nations, Druidism prevailed throughout Caledonia, and its ancient tribes 3 were addicted to this form of worship. The influence of the Druids was all-pervading, while their dogmas or teaching no person dare dispute. We can hardly conceive a more difficult and dangerous experiment, than that about to be hazarded by Columba, in assailing the ancient priests or Druids, sustained as they were by the secular power of their rude and barbarian king. Even he was under their tuition ; nor would it appear, that the Druids were devoid of. learning, and schools for instruction of those
belonging to their own order, and probably extended in a modified degree towards their patrons, the kings and chiefs. * Astronomy and astrology they
seem to have cultivated, while with their philosophical studies, they were addicted to soothsaying, incantations, and practices of magic. 5 The Latin word Magi is always used in the Acts of the Irish Saints, as equivalent to the vernacular term Druids. 6 As we may well suppose, the Scottish Magi held doctrines and rites not very much differing from those in Ireland ; and, while
the Magicians fell greatly into disrepute in our country,? they were very generally
spoke a Celtic language.
Chapter ix. — * It has been
ever, that the site of St. Columba's estab- lishment was on the western shore, which has no architectural remains, and which is scarcely ever visited, and that its fame was afterwards transferred with the more modern buildings to the eastern side. See "The Tourists' Shilling Handy Guide to Scot- land. " WithnewChartsandIllustrations, p. 102. This is altogether at variance with tradition, and it is further negatived by the intrinsic historic evidences to be drawn from the early accounts of St. Columba's biogra-
phers.
*
Races of Scotland and their Monuments," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 18.
See Lieut. -Col. Forbes Leslie's "Early 3 At the period of Agricola's invasion, it
stated,
how-
is the Caledonians one-and- said, comprised
twenty tribes, who were semi-independent, From the account of the geographer Pto- lemy, checked by the supposed ancient Treatise and Map of Richard of Cirences- ter, George Chalmers, in an elaborate disser- tation, has given us the different names, and assigned limits for those various tribes, in his learned work "Caledonia," vol. i. , book i. , chap, ii. , pp. 58 to 69.
4 See a very interesting account of Druids and Druidism, in Rev. Dr. James Taylor's
"
Pictorial History of Scotland," vol, i. , chap, ii. , pp. 10 to 14.
s See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot- land : a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii,, book ii. , chap. Hi. , pp. 108 to 119.
before their community began to spread their roots, while he signified, like-
the old Roman city, known as Uriconium, mind from all local emotion would be im- the foundations of which curious antiquaries possible, if it were endeavoured ; and would have lately uncovered. See John Hill be foolish, if it were possible. Whatever
more removes us from their
it is a sentiment
of every enlightened student of the world's history and of man's immortal
destiny.
try,
but,
deep
The Island of Iona, although rocky and with cliffs protruding at frequent io
Burton's "History of Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , p. 33, 34.
withdraws us from the power of our senses,
whatever makes the past, the distant, or the
future, over the ad- predominate present,
vances us to the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me and my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us unmoved and indifferent over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery, or virtue. That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warm among the ruins of Iona. " —Works of Samuel A.
w See Edward A. Freeman's "
of
History the Norman Conquest of England, its Causes and its Results," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,
sect, i. , p. 14.
9s He was born about the year 484, and
he survived to the 14th November, 565. See Michaud's "Biographie Universelle An- cienne et Moderne," tome xxi. , pp. 368 to
375.
99 He died March 13th, A. D. 565. See a
very complete account of him in Gibbon's
"History of the Decline and Fall of the Murphy, vol. vi. , p. 391. London, 1806,
Roman Empire," vol. v. , chap, xli. , xlii. , xliii. , pp. 99 to 247. Dr. William Smith's edition.
100 See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, p. 10.
101 The celebrated Dr. Samuel Johnson,
"
thus writes of Iona, in his
Hebrides, 1773": "At last we came to I-columkill. We were now treading that illustrious island, which was once the lumi-
8vo.
I02 See "The Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol. ii. A Day at Iona : Recollections of
St. Columba, p. 108.
I03 '* Iona is about three miles long, from
north-north-east to south-south-west, about a mile broad, and about 1,300 Scottish acres in area. It lies three quarters of a mile west of the south-western extremity of Mull, nine miles south-south-west of Staffa, and about
of the Caledonian
whence barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge. To abstract the
west of the nearest of the
nary savage
regions
part
clans and
roving
"
of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 139.
Gazetteer
Tour to the
;
thirty-six Scottish
— Imperial
mainland. "
Johnson, LL. D. , by
378 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June9.
wise, that it was permitted some one of them to volunteer as a sacrifice—if in- deed such it might be called —since the departed should be received into Hea- ven. Then Odhran IO* immediately declared, that he desired to leave this life
to obtain an reward. 105 Columkille everlasting
replied :
receive another return for this, because whosoever shall visit my tomb, at a
future day, must first ask his request from thee, before it shall be granted to him. " Odhran there died, and went to Heaven. 106 His sacred remains were deposited in that place, afterwards known as Reilig Odhran. 10?
Among the Ebudean group of the Hebrides, this now celebrated island,
whence spread Christianity so soon in Scotland, is separated from the coast of Mull, by a narrow but deep strait. Still dangerous sunken rocks in this Sound of Iona have to be avoided by the navigator, and a heavy swell of the sea usually rolls towards it from the north. During the months of summer and of early autumn, crowds of tourists take advantage of those excellent arrangements, by which they are now enabled from Oban, the Highland head- quarters, to visit Staffa and Iona, by means of a well-appointed steamer, which proceeds northwards, keeping the romantic headlands and bays of the Scot- tish mainland to the right, and rounding the dark and towering heights on theIslandofMullontheleft. 108 AfterlandingtoviewthecelebratedFingal's cave IO° on Staffa, the steamer is turned southward to approach the shores of Iona. The traveller may observe, as he is coasting along, the principal fea- tures of that Island, at once so famous and so secluded. The scenery in its
foreground is low and rocky ; the background presents naked and craggy hills, with barren and heathy moor. , Nearer are seme small cottages, and sloping towards the coast are to be seen a large expanse of rich green pas- ture, a few fields of waving corn, and an occasional garden of potatoes. The highest object, which first marks this island in the distance, is the rounded hill Dunii, in the northern part, but it has only an elevation of 330 feet, above the sea-level. 110 land at Columba's own the
Passengers harbour, creek now called Port na Muintir, or " the harbour of the community. " A scattered village of fifty to sixty humble huts IIX is grouped around the land- ing-place, on the eastern side of the Island ;" and here, too, are to be found the traces and relics of St. Columba's early settlement. The antiquities there
104 His feast is assigned to the 27th of the solemn music of its waves. This is a
October.
105 It seems strange, however, that Odh-
ran's name is omitted, in the list of those
twelve companions, who left Ireland with
St. Columba.
scene which appeals to every eye, which all can underst—and, and which none are likely to forget. " "Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, chap, i. , p. 2.
,10 An admirable description of the ancient and modern features of Iona may be found,
106
Yet, this matter seems to be differently
107 This is also related in Prince
O'Donnell's Life of St. Columba, lib. ii. ,
cap. xii. , p. 411.
I0ii It was our
this excursion with a travelling companion, Rev. William Purcell, C. C. , Cathedral, Dublin, during the month of Auyust, 1864, when we landed on the Island of Iona, and
"
St. Columba," Additional Notes P, Topo-
grapia Hyensis, pp. 413 to 433.
K1 When Dr. Samuel Johnson visited this
related or alluded
Adamnan's "Life ot St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap, 6, and notes.
good
fortune to have made
Island over one hundred years ago, about 250 inhabitants were on it. At present, that number will be found in the or its
to,
in Rev. Dr. Reeves'
in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
had but a brief opportunity for examining its
chief objects of antiquarian interest. — nan's
"
Lite of St. Columba," edited by Dr.
"
109 There are many larger caverns there
are many more lofty cliffs. But there is no-
thing anywhere like that great Hall of Columns standing round their ocean floor, and sending forth in ceaseless reverberations
Reeves, for the Irish Archaeological and Cel-
tic Society.
"3 An illustration of Iona, taken from Port
Sliganach or the Shelly Bay, is in the Frontispiece to the present volume. This
" shall Odhran, you
village environs ; the whole population of the Island
numbers about 450 souls.
*"
For a good map of this famous Island
of Iona, and a compendium of its long and flourishing ecclesiastical history, see Adam-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 379
existing have been frequently described and delineated. "3 Of these, the
oldest now standing is St. Oran's chapel, which is twenty-nine feet in length, by fifteen feet, ten inches, in width, and it is said to be standing on the site of that spot, where his mortal remains were deposited. This oratory, which belongs to the eleventh century, is characteristically Irish in style. It is entered through a recessed doorway, surmounted by a circular arch. 11 * The walls are somewhat ruined, and they stand among the tombs of Relig Orain, so called after the holy companion of St. Columba, and to whose self-sacrifice we
Relig Orain, Island of Iona.
havealreadyalluded. Thenextbuildinginageis theBenedictineAbbeyChurch
—usually called the Cathedral, or St. Mary's Church—which was built in the
thirteenth century. 115 After landing on Iona, we pass up the ancient cause-
way, leaving the old nunnery chapel to our left, and we are at the mediaeval
so-called which stands on the site of Columba's 6 The cathedral, abbey. "
most striking ruin on the Island is the Nunnery. The date of this readies
back probably to 1250. Its chapel is nearly perfect. The east window in the Gothic style is particularly admired. As you coast along in the
steamer towards the landing-place, you can just descry a thin line of green grass, through which water trickles down to the ocean. Near it were grouped
point on its eastern coast and south of the cathedral presents a view of the village close to the sea-side, and on the left is the Sliabh or Rocky Hill, behind which appears the schoolhouse, with the cathedral and its sur- roundings in the middle distance.
*** The accompanying illustration is from
remains adjoining it on I-columkill, in "Pro- ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 7-
1x6 It is asserted, that in 1873, a discovery of considerable interest to antiquaries had been made in Iona, where an ancient bury- ingground—supposedbysometob—ethe place where St. Columba was interred had
an approved picture, and drawn by William
F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by been found. The "Limerick Reporter" of
Mrs. Millard.
"s There is a beautiful tinted lithograph
illustration of the cathedral and of the ancient
September 26th, 1873, contains such a no- tice.
"i An anonymous writer of 1693, accounts
380 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
the early monastic cells. The key to the whole position of the Columbian family is that little mill-stream, immediately to the north of the cathedral boundary. Wecrossthemill-stream,almostattheoldkiln,whereoatsfor the brotherhood were formerly dried. We leave to the left a swamp which they embanked into Lochan Mor, to feed the stream and the mill. In the chief cemetery of Iona are buried many Scottish and Irish chieftains. It is said, also, that one King of France and eight Norwegian princes are there en- tombed. The remains of crosses are not met with so often as might be expected, from the tradition regarding their number in past times. *** Two large crosses are standing still, one sixteen feet high, the other ten ; these are notable even now, for their graceful proportions and excellent workman- ship. Having purified the Island by removing therefrom the old Druidic occupants and their superstitions, St. Colum erected the Cross of Christ, under which standard his disciples were thenceforth to contend. Then it was necessary to erect rude huts, and of very primitive construction, at first ; for such was usually the practice, during the earlier stages of missionary enterprise. The antiquary and the student of history will pry about with most interest on Iona, for the old sites of the Scotic Saint's monastery, or for his wattle and daub
110
sheltered by the Dunii hill from the Atlantic.
St. Columba's first hut at Iona was constructed of boards. 120 This too
was probably covered with reeds or thatch. He there began the erection of
a monastery and a church, while he arranged such matters, as were connected with his infant establishment. A few rude plank or stone huts, and a little cellorchurch,seemtohavebeenhereconstructed,inthefirstinstance. An exterior covering of reeds over scraws of surface soil or of coarse turf, with twisted branches, as the materials were most available, served for the erection of their cabins or cells. St. Odhran's chapel is thought to mark the site of
in which St. Columba 121 worshipped.
We are not to expect, however, that a vestage of their ancient forms
cell.
can now be traced. We climb the vallum, surrounding on two sides the elevated site, on which Columba built his wooden cell. This overlooked the abbey, and all on the east side of the Island. "8 This site, likewise, had been
that of wood and original oratory
wattles,
Such were the beginnings of that great institution, which in a little time was
to send forth its Apostles to distant nations, to rule over countless churches
in Britain and in Ireland. 122
sionally, on the Scottish mainland, he may have passed about two years, while superintending the buildings and arranging the economy of the rising
"Quarta Vita S. Columbae," lib. i. , cap. xxv. ""
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga, p. 344. 121 " Tradition has handed down such in- formation to successive generations. Unlike the forest-leaves, which all die about the same time and re-appear after a long inter- val that cuts off the seeming continuity of life, generations of men are renewed from day to day and from year to year. The young hold fast to the traditions of the old ; and it seems unlikely that the sacred spot where 1,9Thebestguide-bookstoIonamustbe thegreatsaintb—uilthischurchcouldhave
for the change thus: "In this isle was a great many crosses, to the number of 360,
which were all one destroyed by
provincial assembly, holden on the place a little after the Reformation. Their foundation is yet extant ; and two notable ones, of considera-
ble height and excellent work, untouched. " 118 The Rev. Dr. Reeves' edition of Adam-
"
written or re- written, since Mr. William F. Skene's chapters on the Monastic Church in Iona have been treated in his invaluable work, " Celtic Scotland : a History of Ancient Alban. "
Life of St. Columba," will leave the
nan's
reader little difficulty in realizing the scene, as it was thirty-four years from 563.
Visiting
the territories of his relatives occa-
130ThisAdamnantellsusincidentally,that tenebatregendisqueeorumpopulopraeerat," he lived "in tuiiurialo tabulis suffulto. — —Bede's " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
been " Iona," the Duke of
forgotten. "
Argyll, chap, ii. , pp. 85, 86.
I22
Cujus monasterium in cunctis pene septentrionalium Scotorum et omnium Picto- rum monasteriis non parvo tempore arcem
by
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 381
institute on Iona.
Some of his monks cultivated gardens or attended to the cattle, and to the milking of cows on distant pastures. The milk was brought to the monastic dairy in closed wooden vessels, and these were often borne on horseback. Others tilled the soil, which produced a quantity of grain ; since the raising of oats and barley was necessary for their support. There seems to have been an abundant dairy, a well-stored granary, and by no means a deficient larder. "3
In the territories of Lee "4 and I25 on the west side Ireland, Ard-Eolairg,
of the Bann, had been ceded to the Cruithne, 126 as a reward for their alliance
after the battle of when the monarch Oilioll Molt was defeated and slain.
in I2? or 128 482 483,
A Cruithnean chief
and the valour, by
Hy Neill,
Ocha,
seemstohavebeenwronged,byhisownpeople; and,inrevenge,hesought to engage the northern Hy Niall in his quarrel. The cause of this war was
an ,29 which he resented. As an inducement to take unjust partition,
up arms, he covenanted to surrender the territories already mentioned to his auxilia-
ries. The terms were accepted. Muircertach, son of Muiredhach, by Earca, daughter of Loarn, was commonly known by the matronymic Mac Eire. His two sons, Domnall and Fergus,' 30 represented the Cinel Eoghain. These were great-grandsons of Eoghan ; while Ainmire, their companion in arms, represented the Cinel Conaill. Hostilities broke out in the year 563. The belligerents were the Cruithne, 131 Picts, or Dalaradians, and the northern Hy Neill, the kinsmen of St. Columba. The Cinel Eoghain and Cinel Conaill united their forces, against the Cruithne. A fierce battle was fought at Moin-Daire-Lothaire. 13" The exact locality, where it took place, has not been determined. 133 Aedh Breac and seven of the Cruitnigh chiefs fell during this engagement. 13'* This is sometimes called the battle of Andre- nome,135 and also Monamoire. 136 On this very day and hour, St. Columba
Anglorum,"lib. iii. , cap. 3, p. 167.
123 " The island now supports upwards of
'
that ofCuil Conaire in 549 ; besides those of Culdreibhne in 561, and Moin Daire Lot- haire in 563. They became joint monarchs of Ireland, in after times,
I3' These—also called Irians—occupied Dalaradia in the modern counties of Antrim and Down, and had extended their domi- nions westward towards Derry.
200 cows and heifers, 140 younger
about 600 sheep and lambs, 25 horses, and some three score of the pachyderms so dear to all the children of Erin. " See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, chap, ii. , p. 92.
"* This territory was on the west side of the River Bann, and it included the present
beasts,'
I32 The Rev. William Reeves thinks, that barony of Coleraine, in the County of its names are to be found in Moneymore, a
Londonderry. See Dr. O'Donovan's "An-
nals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (e),
p. 151.
"5 This place is mentioned by Tirechan,
as being near Lee Bendrigi. Carraig Eolairg isstatedtohavebeenaplace,inthedioce—se
"
of Derry, ad marginem Eurypi Fevolii. "
"
Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta
Vita S. Columbas, n, 49, p. 450.
town in the county of Londonderry, and in Derryloran, the parish in which it is situated, See "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix GG, n. (d), pp. 339, 340.
* 33 The following record of this battle is
found in Tigernach, immediately after the mention of Columba's departure to Hy, at A. c. 563. "The battle of Moin-Daire-Lot-
136
Eoghain, and [Cinel] Conaill [were those] Chronicum Scoto- they fought ; conducti mercede (of) the Lee rum," pp. 28, 29, Edition of William M. and Ard Eolairg. " Some verses of Cenn-
Hennessy. faeladh upon the battle are then cited.
128 The Annals of Ulster place it in this ,34 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
year. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 198, 199.
Hibemicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. , p. 7. 13S The name Ondemone appears in a
129 This is stated, in an Irish Poem of MS. copy of Adamnan, to which allusion
Ceannfaeladh. See it quoted, in Dr. is made by Dr. Reeves ; so it was also in
These fought under the leadership of haire against the Cruithne ; and the Cinel
Fiachra.
127 According to the
"
O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the Four Masters,"
that copy, which Ussher used.
vol. i. ,
130 They won the battle of Sligo in 543, and
In order to render it more confo— rmable
pp. 198, 199.
I36
to the Annals, the copy of Adamnan used
382 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J lne q.
happened to be in Britain, with King Conall, the son of Comghill. He then told Conall every circumstance regarding the conflict, and even he mentioned those kings to whom the Lord would grant victory. Their names were Anmeri, son of Sedna, with Mac Erc's two sons, Donnald and Fergus. In like manner, the saint declared prophetically, how the Pictish King, Eochaid Laib, after his defeat, should escape from the slaughter, riding in his chariot. It seems most likely, this strife was pending, before Columba left the shores of Erin, and that the decisive battle was fought, while on his first visit to King Conall, and before he had sailed for Iona. Fergus and Domhnall, the two sons of Muircertach mac Earca, and Ainmire, son of Sedna, and Ninnigh, son of Duach, and Aedh, son of Eochaidh Tirmcarna, King of Connaught, were victors, and it is said, through the powers of Colum Cille. Though the name ofEochodiusLaibdoesnotappearinanaccountofthi\ battleofMoin-Daire- Lothaire, preserved in some of the Irish Annals ; still, no doubt, the state-
x
ment is authentic, for the Annals of Ulster, 37 at 610, record the death of
Eugain mic Echach Laibh. This affords one of the many curious and unde- signed coincidences, which serve to prove the veracity of our national records. Elne,138 that territory between the Rivers Bann and the Bush, on that occasion was wasted with fire and plundered. From the mention of Lee and Elne, it
is
likely,
that the scene of battle was not far from Coleraine town. After
this battle of Moin-Daire-Lothaire,I3° Ainmire1'* was reinstated in the
possessions of his father Sedna. These included the present barony of
11 ''
Keenaght.
Many of Adamnan's stories turn upon the possession by Columba of the gifts
of prophecy. There is nothing impossible in this. We must remember as a
fact, that Columba was an agent, and a principal agent, in one of the greatest events the world has ever seen, namely, the conversion of the Northern Nations. It is not surprising, that in such times the providential ordering of
events should make a deep impression on the minds of succeeding genera- tions, and that almost every transaction connected with such men should be read in the light which shines from behind the veil. We are almost entirely ignorant of the natural means, by which that conversion of the Northern Nations was effected. Historians, who have survived the centuries during which it was going on, are silent as Adamnan on all those details, which we should most desire—to know. And yet, in order to appreciate how marvel- lousthiseventwas —howextraordinarytheagenciesmusthavebeenbywhich itwasaccomplished wehaveonlytoremember,thatnothingofthesame
kind has
happened
for more than a thousand 1 *2 years.
vol. i. , n. (i), pp. 199, 200.
by Colgan and the Bollandists—has it thus written. We find a similar compound, Inde- nior, in the Annals of the Four Masters, at A. D.
,39 See Tigernach, at a. d. 563. This is "
See also Tigernach, at a. d. 503. Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum
Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 127.
I3? Thus, " Mors Eugain mic Echach
Laibh. " The above quotation is from the Dublin MS. ; O'Conor's text, which pro- fesses to follow the Oxford copy, has Laibre. See ibid. , tomus iv. Annales Ultonienses.
p. 38.
138 This was a plain, in the north-western
part of the present county of Antrim. It lay on the east side of the River Bann. See Dr.
"
O'Donovan's AnnalsoftheFourMasters,"
I4° He became sovereign over Ireland A. D.
565, and he died in 568, having reigned three years. See ibid. , tomus iv. Annales Ultonien-
ses, p. 25. See, likewise, Rev. Dr. O'Conor's
"Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores, "tomus ii. ,
p. 143.
I41 In it Druim Ceatt was situated. This
explains the cause, why that district was chosen, for the famous convention which was held in his son's reign,
I42
See "Iona," by the Duke Argyll, chap, i. , p. 49 to 51.
497.
Latinized Paludis Querceti Lothrani. "
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 383
CHAPTER IX.
ST. COLUMBA FORMS A RESOLUTION TO VISIT NORTHERN PICTLAND—HE TAKES A NORTH-EASTERN COURSE TO THE FORTRESS OF KING BRUDE—OPPOSITION AT FIRST EXPERIENCED—SUBSEQUENT CONVERSION OF THE MONARCH—ST. COLUMBA IS THWARTED BY BROICHAN THE DRUID—HIS SUCCESS AMONG THE PICTS—HIS RETURN TO IONA, AND AN ACCOUNT OF HIS ESTABLISHMENT THERE.
Having thus established his first small colony on the eastern side of this
Island of 1 it afterwards became the home for and reli- lonely Iona, learning
gion. It was also a centre, from which the torch of Faith might send forth its rays through Caledonia in every direction. The benighted condition of the Picts was to Columba a subject of anxious solicitude, and at this parti- cular time, they were in hostility with the Scots. But the saint was a conqueror of hearts, and he relied on God's assistance to bring the enterprise he meditated to a satisfactory conclusion. Now his thoughts and energies were directed, without unnecessary delay, to prosecute the great object of his mission ; for, however different may have been the tribes of Albiones, Britons, Caledonians, Picts, Scots and Attacots in Scotland, and although they may have had different dialects and customs, they were all of Celtic race and
2
As generally among ihe Celtic nations, Druidism prevailed throughout Caledonia, and its ancient tribes 3 were addicted to this form of worship. The influence of the Druids was all-pervading, while their dogmas or teaching no person dare dispute. We can hardly conceive a more difficult and dangerous experiment, than that about to be hazarded by Columba, in assailing the ancient priests or Druids, sustained as they were by the secular power of their rude and barbarian king. Even he was under their tuition ; nor would it appear, that the Druids were devoid of. learning, and schools for instruction of those
belonging to their own order, and probably extended in a modified degree towards their patrons, the kings and chiefs. * Astronomy and astrology they
seem to have cultivated, while with their philosophical studies, they were addicted to soothsaying, incantations, and practices of magic. 5 The Latin word Magi is always used in the Acts of the Irish Saints, as equivalent to the vernacular term Druids. 6 As we may well suppose, the Scottish Magi held doctrines and rites not very much differing from those in Ireland ; and, while
the Magicians fell greatly into disrepute in our country,? they were very generally
spoke a Celtic language.
Chapter ix. — * It has been
ever, that the site of St. Columba's estab- lishment was on the western shore, which has no architectural remains, and which is scarcely ever visited, and that its fame was afterwards transferred with the more modern buildings to the eastern side. See "The Tourists' Shilling Handy Guide to Scot- land. " WithnewChartsandIllustrations, p. 102. This is altogether at variance with tradition, and it is further negatived by the intrinsic historic evidences to be drawn from the early accounts of St. Columba's biogra-
phers.
*
Races of Scotland and their Monuments," vol. i. , chap, ii. , p. 18.
See Lieut. -Col. Forbes Leslie's "Early 3 At the period of Agricola's invasion, it
stated,
how-
is the Caledonians one-and- said, comprised
twenty tribes, who were semi-independent, From the account of the geographer Pto- lemy, checked by the supposed ancient Treatise and Map of Richard of Cirences- ter, George Chalmers, in an elaborate disser- tation, has given us the different names, and assigned limits for those various tribes, in his learned work "Caledonia," vol. i. , book i. , chap, ii. , pp. 58 to 69.
4 See a very interesting account of Druids and Druidism, in Rev. Dr. James Taylor's
"
Pictorial History of Scotland," vol, i. , chap, ii. , pp. 10 to 14.
s See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot- land : a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii,, book ii. , chap. Hi. , pp. 108 to 119.
