" See some in-
teresting
notices of him, in Rev.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
447
friendship was established between them, and until they parted, that interval was spent in holy and edifying conversation. s' He also visited Gildas, it is said, before he returned to Ireland. s^ One day, while St. Brendan was en- gaged in his voyage by sea, he saw two monsters of the deep, alternately fighting and swimming, one seeming to have yielded during that struggle. S3 The vanquished monster, when pursued and nearly taken, cried out with human voice to St. Brendan : " I recommend my protection to St. Patrick, Archbishop of the Scots. " The other animal replied in like manner: " His protection in no way shall avail you. " Then cried the fugitive : " Now, I com- mend myself to St. Brendan's protection. " The persecutor cried out : "In- deed, Brendan's defence shall not profit you. " Then, added the fugitive : " To the most holy virgin Brigid, I recommend my safety. " Immediately, the victorious fish seemed vanquished, for he turned away and said : " Father, I dare not follow thee, because thou hast trusted to the holy Brigid for pro- tection. " Then, that persecuted monster escaped. Giving praise to God, St. Brendan also venerated St. Brigid. Afterwards, coming to Ireland, he visited this holy virgin, and he told her then what he had seen and heard far away on the ocean. Wherefore, Brendan asked : " Why, O virgin of Christ, do the sea-monsters fear thee more than other saints. " She replied : " How often is thy intention directed to God ? " He said : " At least in every seventh step I take, do I think of God ; however, it sometimes happens, that during a very long interval, I think of God solely. " Then said St. Brigid : " There- fore, sometimes thou thinkest about things on earth, and sometimes on God; but, from that day, when my mind was placed on God, never did it turn again upon any other object ; and, by how much man looks to God and loves liim, in that same measure do animals fear men. " St. Brendan was greatly edified, bythispronouncementofthemostsaintlyvirginBrigid. Withmutualbless- ings, they took leave of each other, and Brendan returned to his place. 5+
On this occasion, St. Brendan of Clonfert is said to have waited upon the great St. Brigid,ss Patroness of Kildare, to receive instruction regarding some religious topic. Possibly, however, this celebrated virgin may have been mis- taken for his own sister, Briga, who was a nun, and who is generally believed to have been living under her brother's direction, at Enach-duin,56 or Annagh- down, on the banks of Lough Corrib, in the county of Gal way. It is stated, 57 that Aodha, son of Eochy Tirmacarna, King of Connaught, bestowed that place on God and on St. Brendan, w^hen he there established a nunnery. At present, some monastic ruins of round undressed stones are to be seen,58 on the north side of a rocky inlet of the lake, into which a small stream pours its waters. 59 TheAbbeychurch^° lay to the north ofthe monastery; the west gable and the north walls are still standing, as also a portion of the south walls at the west. There, the church is supported by a remarkably well-built buttressofdressedstone,evidentlyofamuchlaterdate. Thenorthernentrance hasadeeplymouldedpointedarch; but,thatonthesouth,whichwasprobably
Acts are treated more at length.
5' See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Iliber-
niDs,"xvi. Martii. Vita S. Abbani Abbatis de Magharnuidhe, cap. xliii. , p. 619.
5^ See Miss Mary Frances Cusack's
" History of the Kingdom of Kerry," chap, the bog. " In modern Irish, it has been
iii. , p. 47.
S3 This account will be found, in Colgan's
" Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Secunda ad Acta S. Brigidee, cap. xviii. , p. 605.
5't Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S, Brendani,
cap. xvii. pp. i6, 17.
ss See her Life, in the Second Volume of
this work, Art. i. , at the 1st day of Feb- ruary.
called Enagh-coin, " the fort of the bog. " s? Jn the book of Ballymote.
^s xhese were originally sketched, on the
spot, by William F, Wakeman in 1867; the drawing was transferred by him to the wood for the accompanying illustration, engraved
^6 \y h^s been rendered, " the fortress of
—. —
448 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[May 1 6.
nearertheeastfortheacconimodationoftheclerics,isundisiinguishable. The choir-archhasbeencompletelydestroyed; but,severalstonesoftheclustered pillars that supported it can be seen strewn around, or forming head-stones for modem graves. The dwarf elder grows luxuriantly in and around the ruins; while the brambles and underwood render it difficult to discover or explore their plan. The oldest structure there remaining is supposed to be thenunnerychurch,tothenorth-eastoftheAbbey. Thewestgablehasa smallbell-tower,andaGothicpointeddoorwayisinthenorthwall. Around
^^. ^VN^ v\-^K. H
Annaghdown Ruins, County of Galway.
it, on all sides, are vestiges of stone foundations, which it seems probable are the relics of old nunnery buildings. There appear to be no architectural features, claiming a greater antiquity than the fourteenth or fifteenth century, for any of these ruins ; although, it is more than probable, that the present remains occupy the site of a foundation, dating back to the sixth century. ^'
The illustrious Abbot Brendan is thought to have erected a convent,'"^ at Anneighdown, or Enachdune, which was placed under the charge of his sister, St. Bryga, or Brig. This was situated, among the people of Hua-Bruin, in the province of Connaught. ^3 It is a very doubtful statement, however, that she was a canoness of the Augustinian Order. ^4 From an early period, Enach- dune gave name to an ancient bishopric, and several of its prelates are named
by Mrs. Millard.
59 See Sir William R. Wilde's " Lough
Corrib : its Shores and Islands," with
Notices of Lough Mask, chap, iv. , pp.
" granted to the Earls of Clanrickarde. " Cobbett's " History of the Reformation," vol. ii. County Galway.
*' . See Most l\ev. Patrick Francis Moran's " Acta . Sancti Bicndani," Vita S. Brendani,
63, 64.
"• " The entire length of this Domhnach- cap. xxviii. , ]i. 24.
mor, or large cathedral cluiich, is 108 feet 9 inches, by 21 feet 2 inches broad in the clear, of which space the chancel occupies l^^^ feet by 14'/^. having a reveal of four feet on each side. " Jhit/. , p. 67.
*' See iliid. , pp. 67 to 7 1
''' At the suppression, this Nunnery was
°* See . Sir William Wilde's "Lough Corrib : its Shores and Islands, with Notices of Lough Mask," chap, iv. , p. 64.
*5 The Bishop of Cong was one of the pre- lates, who attended the synod of Rath- breasil. Sec " Irish Penny Journal," vol. i. , No. 2, p. 9.
May i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIISTS. 449
in tlie Irish Annals. It is probable, that the ancient See of Cong was trans- ferred here, early in the twelfth century. ^5 Among the prelates present, at the coronation of Richard I. , King of England, on September 3rd, a. d, 1189,^^ was Concord, Bishop of Enaghdun, in the province of Tuam ; he was also at the Council of Pipewel],^7 and he ordained Henry, brother to William Marshall, as asubdeacon and deacon. ^^ The See of Enaghdun was united, in 1324, to the archiepiscopal See ofTuam. °9
While St. Brendan travelled through a territory of Connaught, it is related, that he entered an Island,7° called Hynis-meic-ichuind, or more correctly written Inis Mac Hua Cuin. There the King of Connaught was accustomed to pasture his horses. Without obtaining the requisite per- mission, St. Brendan built a cell there, and even he used the king's horses to draw loads. The holy Bishop Moenu t- was wivh him. ^dus,? ^ the son of Eathach, was then ruler over that province. 73 He felt incensed, when in- formed about that proceeding, and he vowed vengeance against St. Brendan. Full of passion, he went towards the Island, but desiring to cross over in a vessel, a storm arose, which raged for three successive days, the waves rolling with great fury. During this time, the king hoped for a more propitious state of the weather. On the third night, the Almighty appeared to him in sleep, saying : " See that you harm not, my servant Brendan, otherwise you shall
speedily die. " A calm then came, on the lake, as also, over the king's dis- turbed mind. He made a gift for ever to St. Brendan of the Island and of his horses. 74 A celebrated ccenobium he then built on the Island of Inisquin, in LoughCorrib,countyofGalway. Here,itissaid,St. Brendannurturedhis nephew Fintan, the son of Finloga, a King of Munster, and afterwards the fatherofSt. Fursey. " Healsoaffordedaplaceofrefugeandprotectionto Gelghes, his mother, who there gave birth to her celebrated son, who was baptized by St. Brendan. 7^ The latter, also, gave to Fursey the earliest rudi- ments of religious and secular instruction, while he trained the future holy missionaryandabbot,inthecourseofmonasticlife. Aboutthattime,hkewise, St. Brendan sent five monks to the aforementioned Island of Detrumma, that they might dwell in it. However, some mutual discord was excited by the tempter, and one of them struck a senior on the head, with great violence. He died from the effects of this stroke, when certain monks went speedily to St.
^^ See "Chronica Masjistri Rogeri de over Connaught in 555, when he figured in Houedene," edited by William Stubbs, the baUlc of Cul-Drcimhne, according to Dr.
M. A. , vol. iii. , Pars Posterior, p. 8, and n. 5, ibid.
^^ See ibid. , p. 15.
^^ See ibid. , pp. 17, iS. This happened "in una die ;" and, he was appointed, by King Richard I. to the Deanery of York, but the clergy and precentor of that church refused to install him.
^ See James Hardman's "History of Galway," part iii. , and n. (b), p. 234.
7° This appears to have iDeen on Lough Orbsen, now Lough Corrib. See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum liibernia;," Januarii xvi. Vita S. Fursaei Confessoris, lib. i. , cap, vii. , and n. 10, pp. 76, 89.
7' He is also called Moinend and Maoin- eann, bishop of Clonfert. His festival was kept on the ist of March, at which date some account of him will be found, in the Third Volume of this work. Art. v.
7^ He is otherwise called Aodha or Aedh, son of Eochaidh Tirmcharna. He ruled
Vol. v. —No. 8.
O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 192,, 193. He was killed by the Ui-Briuin, in '574. See ibid. , pp. 208, 209.
"His death is placed, under A. D. 576, in the " Annales Ultonienses.
" See some in- teresting notices of him, in Rev. Dr. O'Cono'i's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scripto- res," tomus iv. , p. 10, n. 2, p. 17, n. i, and p. 28, n. 3.
" See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Ijrendani," Vita S. Brendairi, cap. xviii. , pp. 17, 18.
« See his Life, at the i6th day of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
76 xhis statement, however, is deemed to be fabulous, by Rev. Dr. Lanigan, in his " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , sect, vii. , n. 62, pp. 453, 454.
77 it seems likely there is a corrupt spel- ling here, and not corresponding with the Irish pronunciation.
i f
450
go where thou wilt. " Afterwards, that emancipated person returned to St. Brendan, presenting to him the gold, and giving thanks to God for his own liberation. ^'
In the year of grace 561,^^ our present St. Brendan is said to have flourished in Ireland. This is about the period, to which the foundation of Clonfert city has been ascribed,^? and, while the holy man was in his seventy-
be free
;
although, other accounts place it at an earlier date,^^ while the Annals of Inisfallen synchronize it with the very day on which the battle of Culdreimhe had been fought. ^^ An angel is said to have directed its foun- dation. ^? While our saint lived there, a monk, who had left his parents in Britain, and who had travelled with St. Brendan, died. Tiie third day after his departure, the holy old Abbot said to the Bishop, St. Moeneiu : " Place my bacillus over the body of the dead brother. " Accordingly, St. Moeneiu set it on the stiff cold corpse, when the monk was restored to life. After- wards, that brother, filled with faith in our holy Brendan's miraculous power,
seventh year
? * See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's " Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. xix. , p. 18.
79 On either side of Lough Corrib, near Inisquin, the countiy is level.
f''
^ Among the ancient Irish, the conditions
of life varied ; and, slave labour, as dislin-
guished from the work done, by free men and
women, is alluded to in several of our old re-
cords. See Eugene O'Curry's "Manners
and Customs of the Ancient Irish," Edited
with an Introduction, Appendices, &c. , by date given, for its foundation. See pp. W. K. Sullivan, Ph. D. , vol. i. Introduction,
pp. ccclx. , ccclxi.
*' See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's " Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. XX. , p. 19.
^' See Matthew of Paris, " Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richards Luard, M. A. , vol. i. , p. 246.
*3 The Annals of Ulster place this event
Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptorcs," tomus ii. , Annales Inisfalenses, p. 7.
"' See Annales Innisfalenses," at A. D. 561 : " Diarmait vero fugit, et in eo die Cluainferto-Brenainn fundata est, angelo imperante. " Ibid.
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6-
Brendan, with an account of that transaction. He said to them : " Return and say to him, who has been struck, Brother, arise, for thy Abbot Brendan calls thee. " This instruction they carried out, and the monk, then lying on a bed and lifeless, arose. Afterwards, he went to St. Brendan, bearing a por- tionoftheweaponofiron,withwhichhehadbeenstruck,inhishead. On seeinghim,theholyAbbotsaid: "Dearbrother,doyoudesirestilltoremainin this life, or now to possess Heaven ? " The religious monk at once expressed a wish to depart, and to be with Christ. Instantly, he happily departed, and hewasburiedintheIslandofInis-Mac-Hua-Cuin. Theplaceofburialwas called in Irish, Lebayd in tollcynd," meaning, " the grave of the perforated head. " Thisspotwasafterwardsshowntovisitorsthere,anditwasheldin great veneration. ^^ One day, St. Brendan left that Island, to journey through the plain, which lay near it. 79 A man in great distress met him, and, in tears, he fell at the saint's feet, saying : " Have pity on me, holy father, for my kinghasreducedmetoastateofmiserablebondage. ^" Wellknowinghis wretched case, St. Brendan's compassion Avas moved. He then struck his staff into the ground, and thence he brought a lump of gold, which he gave to the poor man, as a price for his ransom. Brendan then spoke : " Tell this to no person, but only offer it to the dynast, and he shall free thee and thy posterity. " However, that man told the king how it had been found. On hearing his statement, the dynast replied: " This gold of Christ is his gift, audit belongs not to me, but to his servants, while thou and thy seed, O man, shall
at A. D. 557, in one passage, while they afford an alternative conjecture, that it may have been a. d. 563. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Reruni Hibernicarum Scripto- res," tomus iv. , Annales Ultonienses, pp. 21, 24.
^^ Admitting St. Brendan to have been born a. d. 483, the date of foundation should be in 560.
'^ 1,1 WHjiam M. Ilenne^sy's edition of the " Chronicum Scotorum," A. D. 559 is the
52. 53,
®* The date assigned is 553, in the Rev,
May 1 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 451
wentsafelyhometohisprovinceinBritain. ^^ Itwasajourneyofthreedays, from Clonfert of St. Brendan, in the province of Connaught, to the monastery of Chiayn-Credal,^9 in that territory of Munster, where liis holy nurse St. Ita lived, and whose departure to Heaven now approached. On the night or vigil of our Lord's Nativity, the pious virgin said withinherself: " Would that on this very holy morning, I could receive the Body of Christ, from the hand of myvenerablefoster-sonBrendan. " Then,risingontheinstant,tocelebrate the vigil in her monastery, like the holy Abacuch,9° she was raised by an Angel and brought to the city of St. Brendan, at Clonfert. Knowing in the spirit, what was to occur, the holy superior went out from the porch of his church, to meet St. Ita with the Holy Communion. The Angel placed that fovoured virgin on the ground, where she received the Body of our Lord from the hand of St. Brendan, while offering thanks to God. Giving and receiving mutually a blessing, the virgin of Christ was raised once more by the Angel, and brought to her monastery. Her translation through the air to Clonfert and back to Cluayn-Credal only occupied an hour. s^
St. Brendan made a journey into the province of Connaught, where afield was presented to him. In after times, and even to the present day, that place has been called Clonfert. ? ^ Here arose a once celebrated city, because our saint began there the erection of a religious establishment. 93 That former famous city—the head of an episcopal See—has now dwindled away to an inconsiderable village. In our Annals, it is usually called Clonfert of Bren- dan, to distinguish it from many other places so denominated, in different parts of Ireland. 94 This was a principal one of St. Brendan's erections, and there it was known, in his time, as Clonfert monastery, near the River Shan- non. Its foundation has been ascribed to the year 558. 95 Over this Abbey, he was called upon to preside, as superior of a fervent religious community. He is said afterwards to have been a bishop. s^ It has been stated, moreover, that a great educational institute was erected by St. Brendan, at Clonfert. 97 This college deserves to be ranked in the first place, among the sacred and literary institutions of Ireland. Theology, philosophy, the sciences, and gene- ral literature, were taught within its walls. The numbers that resorted to it for education were so great, that in a few years, it became necessary to appoint a bishop, for the purpose of ordaining missionaries, and of serving the churches, which grew up in the adjacent country.
In legend, too, he is associated with the place. On a certain day, Brenainn was atCluain-ferta, in his church, after preaching and the Mass. This happened fourteen years before his death. He saw a wonderful bird coming inatthewindow,andafterthat,itperchedonthealtar. However,Brenainnwas not able to look at it, in consequence of a sun-like radiance that gleamed
^^ See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. xxi. ,pp. 19,20.
''^ This place is now known as Killeedy, at the foot of Sliabh-Luachra, in the County of Limerick.
9° See Daniel xiv. , 35.
^= See Sir James Ware, " De Hibernia et " Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, Antiquitatibus ejus Disquisitiones," cap.
9' See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's
cap. xxii. , p. 20.
9^ " Clonfert in the Etymology denotes a
Wonderful Den or Lurking Place. "—Sir James Ware's " Commentary of the Prelates of Ireland, from the First Conversion of the Irish Nation to the Christian Faith down to our Times," Fourth Part. Of the Bishops of Clonfert, p. 15. Dublin, 1704, fol.
xxvi. , p. 215.
9* The following statement is made by
Thomas Dempster: " Fuit abbas ordinis S. Benedicti alicubi, ac deinde episcopus, ut ex Joanne Trithemio palam loco priore lauda- to,"—" Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomusi. , lib. ii. , num. 143, p. 82.
^^ See the work of Eugene O'Curry, " On
'^ According to Archdall, this Abbey, founded by St. Brendan, was under the in- vocationoftheVirginMary. See"Monas- ticon Hibernicum," p. 278.
s"* See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. xii. , p. il.
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6.
around it.
friendship was established between them, and until they parted, that interval was spent in holy and edifying conversation. s' He also visited Gildas, it is said, before he returned to Ireland. s^ One day, while St. Brendan was en- gaged in his voyage by sea, he saw two monsters of the deep, alternately fighting and swimming, one seeming to have yielded during that struggle. S3 The vanquished monster, when pursued and nearly taken, cried out with human voice to St. Brendan : " I recommend my protection to St. Patrick, Archbishop of the Scots. " The other animal replied in like manner: " His protection in no way shall avail you. " Then cried the fugitive : " Now, I com- mend myself to St. Brendan's protection. " The persecutor cried out : "In- deed, Brendan's defence shall not profit you. " Then, added the fugitive : " To the most holy virgin Brigid, I recommend my safety. " Immediately, the victorious fish seemed vanquished, for he turned away and said : " Father, I dare not follow thee, because thou hast trusted to the holy Brigid for pro- tection. " Then, that persecuted monster escaped. Giving praise to God, St. Brendan also venerated St. Brigid. Afterwards, coming to Ireland, he visited this holy virgin, and he told her then what he had seen and heard far away on the ocean. Wherefore, Brendan asked : " Why, O virgin of Christ, do the sea-monsters fear thee more than other saints. " She replied : " How often is thy intention directed to God ? " He said : " At least in every seventh step I take, do I think of God ; however, it sometimes happens, that during a very long interval, I think of God solely. " Then said St. Brigid : " There- fore, sometimes thou thinkest about things on earth, and sometimes on God; but, from that day, when my mind was placed on God, never did it turn again upon any other object ; and, by how much man looks to God and loves liim, in that same measure do animals fear men. " St. Brendan was greatly edified, bythispronouncementofthemostsaintlyvirginBrigid. Withmutualbless- ings, they took leave of each other, and Brendan returned to his place. 5+
On this occasion, St. Brendan of Clonfert is said to have waited upon the great St. Brigid,ss Patroness of Kildare, to receive instruction regarding some religious topic. Possibly, however, this celebrated virgin may have been mis- taken for his own sister, Briga, who was a nun, and who is generally believed to have been living under her brother's direction, at Enach-duin,56 or Annagh- down, on the banks of Lough Corrib, in the county of Gal way. It is stated, 57 that Aodha, son of Eochy Tirmacarna, King of Connaught, bestowed that place on God and on St. Brendan, w^hen he there established a nunnery. At present, some monastic ruins of round undressed stones are to be seen,58 on the north side of a rocky inlet of the lake, into which a small stream pours its waters. 59 TheAbbeychurch^° lay to the north ofthe monastery; the west gable and the north walls are still standing, as also a portion of the south walls at the west. There, the church is supported by a remarkably well-built buttressofdressedstone,evidentlyofamuchlaterdate. Thenorthernentrance hasadeeplymouldedpointedarch; but,thatonthesouth,whichwasprobably
Acts are treated more at length.
5' See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Iliber-
niDs,"xvi. Martii. Vita S. Abbani Abbatis de Magharnuidhe, cap. xliii. , p. 619.
5^ See Miss Mary Frances Cusack's
" History of the Kingdom of Kerry," chap, the bog. " In modern Irish, it has been
iii. , p. 47.
S3 This account will be found, in Colgan's
" Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Secunda ad Acta S. Brigidee, cap. xviii. , p. 605.
5't Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S, Brendani,
cap. xvii. pp. i6, 17.
ss See her Life, in the Second Volume of
this work, Art. i. , at the 1st day of Feb- ruary.
called Enagh-coin, " the fort of the bog. " s? Jn the book of Ballymote.
^s xhese were originally sketched, on the
spot, by William F, Wakeman in 1867; the drawing was transferred by him to the wood for the accompanying illustration, engraved
^6 \y h^s been rendered, " the fortress of
—. —
448 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[May 1 6.
nearertheeastfortheacconimodationoftheclerics,isundisiinguishable. The choir-archhasbeencompletelydestroyed; but,severalstonesoftheclustered pillars that supported it can be seen strewn around, or forming head-stones for modem graves. The dwarf elder grows luxuriantly in and around the ruins; while the brambles and underwood render it difficult to discover or explore their plan. The oldest structure there remaining is supposed to be thenunnerychurch,tothenorth-eastoftheAbbey. Thewestgablehasa smallbell-tower,andaGothicpointeddoorwayisinthenorthwall. Around
^^. ^VN^ v\-^K. H
Annaghdown Ruins, County of Galway.
it, on all sides, are vestiges of stone foundations, which it seems probable are the relics of old nunnery buildings. There appear to be no architectural features, claiming a greater antiquity than the fourteenth or fifteenth century, for any of these ruins ; although, it is more than probable, that the present remains occupy the site of a foundation, dating back to the sixth century. ^'
The illustrious Abbot Brendan is thought to have erected a convent,'"^ at Anneighdown, or Enachdune, which was placed under the charge of his sister, St. Bryga, or Brig. This was situated, among the people of Hua-Bruin, in the province of Connaught. ^3 It is a very doubtful statement, however, that she was a canoness of the Augustinian Order. ^4 From an early period, Enach- dune gave name to an ancient bishopric, and several of its prelates are named
by Mrs. Millard.
59 See Sir William R. Wilde's " Lough
Corrib : its Shores and Islands," with
Notices of Lough Mask, chap, iv. , pp.
" granted to the Earls of Clanrickarde. " Cobbett's " History of the Reformation," vol. ii. County Galway.
*' . See Most l\ev. Patrick Francis Moran's " Acta . Sancti Bicndani," Vita S. Brendani,
63, 64.
"• " The entire length of this Domhnach- cap. xxviii. , ]i. 24.
mor, or large cathedral cluiich, is 108 feet 9 inches, by 21 feet 2 inches broad in the clear, of which space the chancel occupies l^^^ feet by 14'/^. having a reveal of four feet on each side. " Jhit/. , p. 67.
*' See iliid. , pp. 67 to 7 1
''' At the suppression, this Nunnery was
°* See . Sir William Wilde's "Lough Corrib : its Shores and Islands, with Notices of Lough Mask," chap, iv. , p. 64.
*5 The Bishop of Cong was one of the pre- lates, who attended the synod of Rath- breasil. Sec " Irish Penny Journal," vol. i. , No. 2, p. 9.
May i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIISTS. 449
in tlie Irish Annals. It is probable, that the ancient See of Cong was trans- ferred here, early in the twelfth century. ^5 Among the prelates present, at the coronation of Richard I. , King of England, on September 3rd, a. d, 1189,^^ was Concord, Bishop of Enaghdun, in the province of Tuam ; he was also at the Council of Pipewel],^7 and he ordained Henry, brother to William Marshall, as asubdeacon and deacon. ^^ The See of Enaghdun was united, in 1324, to the archiepiscopal See ofTuam. °9
While St. Brendan travelled through a territory of Connaught, it is related, that he entered an Island,7° called Hynis-meic-ichuind, or more correctly written Inis Mac Hua Cuin. There the King of Connaught was accustomed to pasture his horses. Without obtaining the requisite per- mission, St. Brendan built a cell there, and even he used the king's horses to draw loads. The holy Bishop Moenu t- was wivh him. ^dus,? ^ the son of Eathach, was then ruler over that province. 73 He felt incensed, when in- formed about that proceeding, and he vowed vengeance against St. Brendan. Full of passion, he went towards the Island, but desiring to cross over in a vessel, a storm arose, which raged for three successive days, the waves rolling with great fury. During this time, the king hoped for a more propitious state of the weather. On the third night, the Almighty appeared to him in sleep, saying : " See that you harm not, my servant Brendan, otherwise you shall
speedily die. " A calm then came, on the lake, as also, over the king's dis- turbed mind. He made a gift for ever to St. Brendan of the Island and of his horses. 74 A celebrated ccenobium he then built on the Island of Inisquin, in LoughCorrib,countyofGalway. Here,itissaid,St. Brendannurturedhis nephew Fintan, the son of Finloga, a King of Munster, and afterwards the fatherofSt. Fursey. " Healsoaffordedaplaceofrefugeandprotectionto Gelghes, his mother, who there gave birth to her celebrated son, who was baptized by St. Brendan. 7^ The latter, also, gave to Fursey the earliest rudi- ments of religious and secular instruction, while he trained the future holy missionaryandabbot,inthecourseofmonasticlife. Aboutthattime,hkewise, St. Brendan sent five monks to the aforementioned Island of Detrumma, that they might dwell in it. However, some mutual discord was excited by the tempter, and one of them struck a senior on the head, with great violence. He died from the effects of this stroke, when certain monks went speedily to St.
^^ See "Chronica Masjistri Rogeri de over Connaught in 555, when he figured in Houedene," edited by William Stubbs, the baUlc of Cul-Drcimhne, according to Dr.
M. A. , vol. iii. , Pars Posterior, p. 8, and n. 5, ibid.
^^ See ibid. , p. 15.
^^ See ibid. , pp. 17, iS. This happened "in una die ;" and, he was appointed, by King Richard I. to the Deanery of York, but the clergy and precentor of that church refused to install him.
^ See James Hardman's "History of Galway," part iii. , and n. (b), p. 234.
7° This appears to have iDeen on Lough Orbsen, now Lough Corrib. See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum liibernia;," Januarii xvi. Vita S. Fursaei Confessoris, lib. i. , cap, vii. , and n. 10, pp. 76, 89.
7' He is also called Moinend and Maoin- eann, bishop of Clonfert. His festival was kept on the ist of March, at which date some account of him will be found, in the Third Volume of this work. Art. v.
7^ He is otherwise called Aodha or Aedh, son of Eochaidh Tirmcharna. He ruled
Vol. v. —No. 8.
O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 192,, 193. He was killed by the Ui-Briuin, in '574. See ibid. , pp. 208, 209.
"His death is placed, under A. D. 576, in the " Annales Ultonienses.
" See some in- teresting notices of him, in Rev. Dr. O'Cono'i's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scripto- res," tomus iv. , p. 10, n. 2, p. 17, n. i, and p. 28, n. 3.
" See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Ijrendani," Vita S. Brendairi, cap. xviii. , pp. 17, 18.
« See his Life, at the i6th day of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
76 xhis statement, however, is deemed to be fabulous, by Rev. Dr. Lanigan, in his " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. , sect, vii. , n. 62, pp. 453, 454.
77 it seems likely there is a corrupt spel- ling here, and not corresponding with the Irish pronunciation.
i f
450
go where thou wilt. " Afterwards, that emancipated person returned to St. Brendan, presenting to him the gold, and giving thanks to God for his own liberation. ^'
In the year of grace 561,^^ our present St. Brendan is said to have flourished in Ireland. This is about the period, to which the foundation of Clonfert city has been ascribed,^? and, while the holy man was in his seventy-
be free
;
although, other accounts place it at an earlier date,^^ while the Annals of Inisfallen synchronize it with the very day on which the battle of Culdreimhe had been fought. ^^ An angel is said to have directed its foun- dation. ^? While our saint lived there, a monk, who had left his parents in Britain, and who had travelled with St. Brendan, died. Tiie third day after his departure, the holy old Abbot said to the Bishop, St. Moeneiu : " Place my bacillus over the body of the dead brother. " Accordingly, St. Moeneiu set it on the stiff cold corpse, when the monk was restored to life. After- wards, that brother, filled with faith in our holy Brendan's miraculous power,
seventh year
? * See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's " Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. xix. , p. 18.
79 On either side of Lough Corrib, near Inisquin, the countiy is level.
f''
^ Among the ancient Irish, the conditions
of life varied ; and, slave labour, as dislin-
guished from the work done, by free men and
women, is alluded to in several of our old re-
cords. See Eugene O'Curry's "Manners
and Customs of the Ancient Irish," Edited
with an Introduction, Appendices, &c. , by date given, for its foundation. See pp. W. K. Sullivan, Ph. D. , vol. i. Introduction,
pp. ccclx. , ccclxi.
*' See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's " Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. XX. , p. 19.
^' See Matthew of Paris, " Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richards Luard, M. A. , vol. i. , p. 246.
*3 The Annals of Ulster place this event
Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptorcs," tomus ii. , Annales Inisfalenses, p. 7.
"' See Annales Innisfalenses," at A. D. 561 : " Diarmait vero fugit, et in eo die Cluainferto-Brenainn fundata est, angelo imperante. " Ibid.
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LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6-
Brendan, with an account of that transaction. He said to them : " Return and say to him, who has been struck, Brother, arise, for thy Abbot Brendan calls thee. " This instruction they carried out, and the monk, then lying on a bed and lifeless, arose. Afterwards, he went to St. Brendan, bearing a por- tionoftheweaponofiron,withwhichhehadbeenstruck,inhishead. On seeinghim,theholyAbbotsaid: "Dearbrother,doyoudesirestilltoremainin this life, or now to possess Heaven ? " The religious monk at once expressed a wish to depart, and to be with Christ. Instantly, he happily departed, and hewasburiedintheIslandofInis-Mac-Hua-Cuin. Theplaceofburialwas called in Irish, Lebayd in tollcynd," meaning, " the grave of the perforated head. " Thisspotwasafterwardsshowntovisitorsthere,anditwasheldin great veneration. ^^ One day, St. Brendan left that Island, to journey through the plain, which lay near it. 79 A man in great distress met him, and, in tears, he fell at the saint's feet, saying : " Have pity on me, holy father, for my kinghasreducedmetoastateofmiserablebondage. ^" Wellknowinghis wretched case, St. Brendan's compassion Avas moved. He then struck his staff into the ground, and thence he brought a lump of gold, which he gave to the poor man, as a price for his ransom. Brendan then spoke : " Tell this to no person, but only offer it to the dynast, and he shall free thee and thy posterity. " However, that man told the king how it had been found. On hearing his statement, the dynast replied: " This gold of Christ is his gift, audit belongs not to me, but to his servants, while thou and thy seed, O man, shall
at A. D. 557, in one passage, while they afford an alternative conjecture, that it may have been a. d. 563. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Reruni Hibernicarum Scripto- res," tomus iv. , Annales Ultonienses, pp. 21, 24.
^^ Admitting St. Brendan to have been born a. d. 483, the date of foundation should be in 560.
'^ 1,1 WHjiam M. Ilenne^sy's edition of the " Chronicum Scotorum," A. D. 559 is the
52. 53,
®* The date assigned is 553, in the Rev,
May 1 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 451
wentsafelyhometohisprovinceinBritain. ^^ Itwasajourneyofthreedays, from Clonfert of St. Brendan, in the province of Connaught, to the monastery of Chiayn-Credal,^9 in that territory of Munster, where liis holy nurse St. Ita lived, and whose departure to Heaven now approached. On the night or vigil of our Lord's Nativity, the pious virgin said withinherself: " Would that on this very holy morning, I could receive the Body of Christ, from the hand of myvenerablefoster-sonBrendan. " Then,risingontheinstant,tocelebrate the vigil in her monastery, like the holy Abacuch,9° she was raised by an Angel and brought to the city of St. Brendan, at Clonfert. Knowing in the spirit, what was to occur, the holy superior went out from the porch of his church, to meet St. Ita with the Holy Communion. The Angel placed that fovoured virgin on the ground, where she received the Body of our Lord from the hand of St. Brendan, while offering thanks to God. Giving and receiving mutually a blessing, the virgin of Christ was raised once more by the Angel, and brought to her monastery. Her translation through the air to Clonfert and back to Cluayn-Credal only occupied an hour. s^
St. Brendan made a journey into the province of Connaught, where afield was presented to him. In after times, and even to the present day, that place has been called Clonfert. ? ^ Here arose a once celebrated city, because our saint began there the erection of a religious establishment. 93 That former famous city—the head of an episcopal See—has now dwindled away to an inconsiderable village. In our Annals, it is usually called Clonfert of Bren- dan, to distinguish it from many other places so denominated, in different parts of Ireland. 94 This was a principal one of St. Brendan's erections, and there it was known, in his time, as Clonfert monastery, near the River Shan- non. Its foundation has been ascribed to the year 558. 95 Over this Abbey, he was called upon to preside, as superior of a fervent religious community. He is said afterwards to have been a bishop. s^ It has been stated, moreover, that a great educational institute was erected by St. Brendan, at Clonfert. 97 This college deserves to be ranked in the first place, among the sacred and literary institutions of Ireland. Theology, philosophy, the sciences, and gene- ral literature, were taught within its walls. The numbers that resorted to it for education were so great, that in a few years, it became necessary to appoint a bishop, for the purpose of ordaining missionaries, and of serving the churches, which grew up in the adjacent country.
In legend, too, he is associated with the place. On a certain day, Brenainn was atCluain-ferta, in his church, after preaching and the Mass. This happened fourteen years before his death. He saw a wonderful bird coming inatthewindow,andafterthat,itperchedonthealtar. However,Brenainnwas not able to look at it, in consequence of a sun-like radiance that gleamed
^^ See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. xxi. ,pp. 19,20.
''^ This place is now known as Killeedy, at the foot of Sliabh-Luachra, in the County of Limerick.
9° See Daniel xiv. , 35.
^= See Sir James Ware, " De Hibernia et " Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, Antiquitatibus ejus Disquisitiones," cap.
9' See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's
cap. xxii. , p. 20.
9^ " Clonfert in the Etymology denotes a
Wonderful Den or Lurking Place. "—Sir James Ware's " Commentary of the Prelates of Ireland, from the First Conversion of the Irish Nation to the Christian Faith down to our Times," Fourth Part. Of the Bishops of Clonfert, p. 15. Dublin, 1704, fol.
xxvi. , p. 215.
9* The following statement is made by
Thomas Dempster: " Fuit abbas ordinis S. Benedicti alicubi, ac deinde episcopus, ut ex Joanne Trithemio palam loco priore lauda- to,"—" Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomusi. , lib. ii. , num. 143, p. 82.
^^ See the work of Eugene O'Curry, " On
'^ According to Archdall, this Abbey, founded by St. Brendan, was under the in- vocationoftheVirginMary. See"Monas- ticon Hibernicum," p. 278.
s"* See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," Vita S. Brendani, cap. xii. , p. il.
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LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6.
around it.
