There, it would appear,
considerable
remains of old ecclesiastical foundations are yet visible ; and at an early period, it is said Saints Patrick and Columkille founded religious houses in this place.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
Iv.
Sanctorum Beatorum atque Illustrium Ejus- dem Ordinis Virorum, accessit sacrarium sive Reliquiarium Benedictinum.
See ibid. , pp. 318, 319, and n. (g).
—
'
Menologium Benedictinum
58 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 4.
unsatisfactory. ^ The obscurity of his acts, however, is not the fault of this writer. Most probably St. Aidus was bom about the middle or towards the close of the sixth century. From the data afforded us, it appears a matter of
"
great difficulty to unveil the chief incidents of his life. In the
of Tallagh,"^ at the 4th of January, we find the entry of Aedin, a bishop. 3 Various saints, bearing the names Aedh,^ or Aedhan,^ appear at different dates in our calendars. In the Feilire of ^ngus not only is the present but every
other native saint excluded at this date. ^ By Marianus O'Gorman our saint '
is denominated Aidus ; while by other calendarists and writers he is styled
indifferently ^dinus, ^dus, and ^dius. According to some accounts St. Aidus is stated to have been King of Leinster ; yet this hardly seems recon- cilable with our annalistic chronology. 7 Following the pedigree of the Genealogic Menology,^ St. Aidus, the bishop, was son to Moelodran, son of Brocan, son to Corbmac, son of Diermeit, son to Eochad Guinech, son of Ere, son to Brecan, son of Fieg, son to Daire Barrigh, son of Catheir the Great. 9 From all we are able to ascertain, it does not seem probable the present saint ever occupied the throne of Leinster j although Colgan thinks Aedh Cerr,^° who ruled over that province, and whose death is noted at a. d.
Art. I. —'See Colgan's "Acta Sancto- rum Hibemise," 4 Januarii. Vita S. Aidi,
''
1fi ^ibC^MfCc^eAcunpu, X)o coeinnAccAi\ cbAcncA,
The death of chaste Aquilinius, With a troop who was firm ;
In the blood of Christ
They beautified garments.
—"
kings, showing following sult in a regular line. These I have taken the liberty to invert from Colgan's order. His accounts correspond pretty faithfully with chronology, contained in the " Annals of the Four Masters. " Dunlang is said to have been twenty years in the sovereignty of Leinster. Olild, son to Dunlang, died in 526. Cormac, son to Olild, died in 535, after reigning nine years over Leinster. Cairbre, son to Cormac, King of Leinster, died in 546, after a reign of eleven years. Colman, son to Cairbre, King of Leinster, died in 576, after a reign of thirty years ; whilst Aedh Cerr, King of Leinster, and son
to Colman, died in the year 591. Ronan,
son to of and bro- Colman, King Leinster,
ther to Aedh Cerr, is next named as succes- sor to this latter, and he died A. D. 610, according to the " Annals of the Four Mas- ters. " Aedh Cerr had a son named Ere, the father of Nessan.
p. 14, and Dr. Lanigan's
sec. vii. , and nn. 86, 87, pp. 33, 34.
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. ,
^
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi.
3 After the introduction of eight foreign saints the Franciscan copy of the Tallagh Martyrology, extracted from the Book of Leinster, now in Trinity College Library,
has ^Xexjim epi. '* Besides the
""
to the Martyrology of Donegal at the 4th of January, a. St. Aedh was venerated respectively at the 25 th of the same month ;
one at the 7th, 12th, and i6th of February ; oneatthe7thandnthofApril;oneat thelothofMay; oneatthe27thofJune; one at the 8th and loth of July ; one at the 1 6th of August ; one at the 22nd of Septem- ber ; one at the 6th and 29th of October ; one at the ist and loth of November ; and one at the 19th of December; in all, eighteen. See Dr. Todd's and Reeves' edi- tion, pp. 356, 357.
—s The following Aedhans are enumerated :
AjCdhan, at the 1st of January the same ;
Leabhar Breac," copy in the
present
has been varied to Aoth in the table prefixed
name occurs at the I2tii of February ; at the 1 6th, 20th, and 29th of March ; at the 1st and 8th of April ; at the 2nd and 17th ofJune; at the 19th ofJuly; at the3rd, 7th, 27th, and 31st of August ; at the 4th and 20th of September at the
and 20th of October at the and ; 2nd, 6th,
2ist of November ; at the 25th of Decem-
^ XX. Cap.
ber in
; all, twenty-three.
356 to 359.
^
lish translation have bee—n obligingly fur-
'° He succeeded his
reigned fifteen years.
The following Irish stanza and its Eng-
different person from the aforesaid Aedh
Cerr, Colgan thinks him to have been Aidus,
nished by Mr. O'Longan
t), 11. n. bAf CAit) ^^^uilim, Combtn'oiri b^ bAlcu ;
son to a descendant from
saint, whose name
Royal Irish Academy.
^ Colgan had four different catalogues of the Leinster the re-
; 9th, 12th,
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
:
Moelodran, being
the royal race of Leinster. His genealogy
See ibid.
and
If our saint be a
pp.
father, Colman,
9 See
nise," 4 Januarii, n. 2, p. 14.
Colgan's
is traced to Cathair, King of Leinster, after- wards King of Ireland.
Martyrology
January 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 59
591," may have only died politically, to have lived forty-seven years subse- quently in the religious state. But, besides the usual accurate phraseology of our annalists, and other irreconcilable circumstances, the different fathers of Aedh Cerr and of St. Aidan, the bishop, ought to have shown Colgan" how improbable must have been an identity between both. Another conjecture has been ventured upon, that perhaps Aedh Cerr had been a different person from this Saint Aldus, whose name perchance has been omitted from the catalogue of Leinster kings, because he reigned only for a short time, and abdicated a throne to the regret of his people. It seems more than likely, however, that as the present saint was descended from a right regal Leinster line, he may have been some minor potentate connected with that province rather than its chief ruler. '3 It is said, that having abandoned his exalted
position, he became a monk in Kildare Monastery. He seems to have been ""
denominated Dubh," black," probably from some pecuharity of com- plexion. Greatly distinguished for his virtues and merits in the monastic profession, he was afterwards called to preside over the religious as abbot ; but, furthermore, he was elevated to the episcopal dignity, and he ruled for some time over the see of Kildare. Although this see maintained a con- stant succession of zealous and pious prelates from the time of St. Conlath,'* yet until we come to this St. Aidus's they do not figure on the pages of his- tory with sufficient distinctiveness. ^^ Thus he was advanced to spiritual honors, having escaped from royal dignities. He died in the year 638,^7 but we cannot ascertain the duration of his episcopacy. Whether the demise of St. Aldus occurred on a 4th of January, or on a loth of May, is thought to be uncertain. Colgan has a few notices regarding him at the former date, yet he states, that it might be possible, the memory of St, Aldus had been
celebrated on both
days. ^^
At the
4th
of
January
the " of Martyrology
''See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 208, 209, 214, 215-
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 256, 257 : —"Aedh Dubh, Abbot and Bishop of Cill-dara (Kil- dare), died. He had been at first King of Leinster. " The Annals of Ulster and those
" His attempted explanation has been re-
jected on sufficient grounds in "Harris' of Clonmacnoise agree with this account.
Ware," vol. i. , Bishops of Kildare, pp. 381, 382.
'3 Dr. Lanigan observes, that in the early part of the seventh century there was not an
Aldus sovereign of Leinster. King Aidus, who died in 591, according to the Four Masters, could not have been that bishop whose death they assign to A. D. 638. There- fore it is probable that some mistake has occurred with regard to the title given Aidus. Although belonging to the royal family ot Leinster, he might not have been a king. Colgan conjectures he was the bishop, son to Moelodran, and a member of that house. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sec. vii. , n. 87, p. 34. It must be remarked, this latter is only a
This Aedh Dubh must have been a different person from Aedh Cerr mentioned above, both owing to a difference of names and the circumstance that, this latter was a parent, and ancestor to the sons of Nessan, as will be seen by referring to their Acts at the 15th of March. Yet the latter argument would not be conclusive, and the circum- stance mentioned might not prevent his be- coming a bishop ; either because he might have embraced holy orders after the death of his wife, or owing to a mutual and volun- tary engagement of celibacy, after the birth of children, had both parties been living,
'^A St. Aidus, bishop, is venerated on
the 4th of January, according to the Martyro- logies of Tallagh and Marianus O'Gorman.
conditional and secondary supposition of According to the same authorities, a St.
Colgan.
'* He died on the 3rd of May, A. D. 519.
The reader is referred to his life at that day.
'Sit seems strange St. Aidus has been was named Cormac. As the name and epis-
overlooked by Sir James Ware in his Cata-
logue of the Kildare Bishops.
'* See Sir James Ware, " De Prsesulibus
Lagenias Episcopi Darenses," p. 42.
'7 At A. D. 638 we find the following re-
cord in O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the Four
Aidus, son to Cormac, was venerated on the
loth of May. The great-grandfather to
copal dignity at the 4th of January would seem to indicate our saint, and as the name of Aidus, the aforesaid Cormac being his ancestor, is found at the loth of May, hence Colgan confesses himself unable to decide whether the festival of this present saint
Aidus, King of Leinster, who died a. d. 591,
6o IIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 4.
Donegal"'9simplyentersAedh,bishop. Ithasbeenwellremarked,thatthe world knows little of its greatest men ; and it seems strange that they should
be almost forgotten or not sufficiently honoured, especially in their own country.
Article II. —St. Maolan, of Enagh, probably in the parish of Clondermot, County of Londonderry. From the extreme north to the extreme south, and from points the most distant in the east or west, spots of former ecclesiastical interest and importance are to be found in Ireland. There is entered in the " of on the 4th of
^
Martyrology Tallagh"^
the name Maolan, Eanaigh, more generally written Enagh.
January Maolan, of occurs hkewise in the " of on this It
Hibemise," 4 Januarii, nn. 5, 6, p. 14.
'9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeve? , pp.
'
Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi. In the Franciscan copy rriAeLAn
eriAi5occurs.
* This is probably the old church of
Enagh, pointed out by Dr. O'Donovan as situated between two loughs in the north of Clondermot parish, and near the present city of Londonderry, in the county bearing the same name. See " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. iii. , n (q. ), pp. 108, 109.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 6, 7.
* See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of
Ireland," vol. , i, pp. 661, 662, for a fuller
description of this parish.
5 He is said to have had no less than six
or seven holy brothers, whose names are set
^
See his life at the 6th of February.
6, 7. — Art. II.
7 This church, if not founded by, appears to have been dedicated to, a St. Columb Crag, who lived in the time of St. Colum- kille, and who is venerated at the 22nd of September. SeeDr. Reeves'"Adanman's Life of St. Columba," n. (d), p. 19.
^ See notices regarding him at the 27th of May.
» Colgan mistakes by placing this in Con-
naught.
"See Rev. William Reeves' "Adam-
nan's Life of St. Columba," n. (f), pp. 173, 1 74.
" On the Ordnance Townland Survey
Maps of the County of Londonderry, sheet 14, the site of a "Church in Ruins" is shown within a graveyard between the two lakes. Eastern and Western Lough Enagh, and in the townland of Enagh, Clondei'mot parish.
down in " Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
Martyrology Donegal"3 day.
Enach,
is quite probable this saint had his dwelling within the present parish of Glendermot, or Clondermot, in the barony of Tirkeeran, county of London- derry.
There, it would appear, considerable remains of old ecclesiastical foundations are yet visible ; and at an early period, it is said Saints Patrick and Columkille founded religious houses in this place. The ruins of Annagh, or Enagh,nearoneloughofthisname,areveryextensive. * Manyotherplaces having a similar etymon are to be found in various parts of Ireland. If the conjecture of Colgan be admitted, it is possible the present saint may be identified with St. Moelchuo,s son to Degill and Cumenia, sister to the great St. Columkille. The words Moelchuo and Moelan have nearly the same signification in Irish. Except St. Melchuo, the nephew and disciple of St. Patrick, and who was bishop over Ardagh'^ about the year 460, Colgan was not able to find the natalis of any saint similarly named in our calendars. Hence he seems inclined to conclude, that the St. Melchuo, nephew to St. Columkille, may perchance be St. Maolan, of Enach;? or, if not, St. Mae- Ian,^ of Snamhluthair,9 now Slanore, in the county of Cavan. '° If the nephew of St. Columkille can be identified with the present saint, then his period should be assigned to the close of the sixth or to the beginning of the seventh century. But it must be confessed the conjecture appears rather apocryphal. He may have lived at an earlier or a later date than the epoch noted. Enagh lies about two miles north-east of Deny ;" and here formerly the O'Cahans
should be kept on the 4th of January or on Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbae, the loth of May. See "Acta Sanctorum cap. ii. , pp. 478, 479.
January 4. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 61
or O'Kanes had their chief residence " in the castle of Enagh, situated on an islandinEasternLoughEnagh. Fromthisfamilythewholetractfromthe Foyle to the Bann was called the O'Cahan country. The church ruins at this place are very extensive. They measure ninety-one by twenty-one feet, with a transept on the south twenty-three feet square. In the year 1197, Rotsel Piton'3 violated the religious establishment here, and he was after- wardsdefeatedonthestrandofFaughanvale. '+ Informertimes,Enaghwas a chapel of Clondermot, in the corps of the deanery. It seems to have been well endowed by the O'Kanes, and to have been managed by a Herenach about the beginning of the seventeenth century. 'S The exact period of St. Maolan's career upon earth yet remains in doubt. Out of life the faithful adorer of our Divine Lord passes to the embrace of Him who fills the soul with most delightful nourishment, with never-ending joy, and unclouded hap- piness.
Article III. —St. Mochumma, or Machomma, of Drum-ailche, pro- bably Drummully, County Fermanagh. Fancy can as little embellish as facts scantily supply the memoirs of many among our saints. We find a
festival to Droma Ailchi, recorded in the " Machomma, Martyrology
of Tal-
lagh"' on the 4th day of January. Without the designation of that territory, in which some particular spot was situated, it is difficult to identify the places
of many Irish saints. However, in the present instance, the ^
*'
Martyrology of Donegal" calls this saint Mochumma, of Drum-ailche, in Dartraigh. Hence it becomes possible to arrive at a solution. There was a Dartraighe-
Oirghiall, or Dartraighe Coininse,^ which was the ancient denomination of
the present barony of Dartry, in the south-western part of Monaghan county. • There was likewise a Dartraighe Meg Flannchaidh,s in West Breifne. Both of these Dartrys are frequently alluded to in our ancient records. ^ We do not know of any other such likely place for identification with Drum Ailche as the present townland of Drummully,? in the parish so called. It is situated inthebaronyofCoole,countyofFermanagh. ^ ItliesneartheRiverFinn.
ApartofthisparishisinthebaronyofDartree,countyofMonaghan. 9 At Drummully we think it probable this saint lived and died at some early period.
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita 5. Columbse, n. 22, p. 373.
O'Huidhrin," Edited by John O'Donovan, pp. 30, 31.
'3 He was acting under the orders of John
De Courcy and the English of Ulidia. See
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four of Rights," n. (i), p. 153.
Masters," vol. iii. , pp. 106 to 109, and nn. (m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t).
'* In 1555 the castle of Enagh was demo- lished by Calvagh O'Donnell. It seems
s This was the ancient, and still the local,
name for the present barony of Rosclogh, in the northern part of Leitrim county. The
Meg-Flannchaidhs are now Anglicised Mac afterwards to have been re-edified, although Clancy, or Clancy. See "Topographical
at present the ruins do not exist. See ibid.
vol. v. , pp. 1540, 1541, and n. (h).
'5 See Rev. William Reeves' edition of
Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na NaomhO'Huidhrin," edited by Dr. O'Dono- van, n. 268, p. xxxvii.
" *^
Acts of Archbishop Colton in his Metro- See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
politan Visitation of the Diocese of Derry," Four Masters," Index Locorum, vol. vii. , p.
A. D. MCCCXC—VII. ," n. (b), pp. 28, 29. 46.
'7 Art. III. Edited by Dr. Kelly, p. xi. ,
The entry moccornmA '0|voinA ^iLche is in the Franciscan copy.
^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 6,
7.
of the O'Boylans, inhabited it according to
O'Dugan. See "Topographical Poems of JohnO'DubhagainandGiollanaNaomh oftheCountyofMonaghan,sheet16.
3 The Muinter or Baoigheallains, people
^ See Lewis'
of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 519.
• It adjoins Fermanagh. See Dr. O'Do- novan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart," or "Book
There is a graveyard in the townland of Drummully, in the parish of Drummully, barony of Coole, and county of Fermanagh. See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps of the County Fermanagh, sheet 43.
"Topographical Dictionary
^ See Ordnance Survey Tovraland Maps
62 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 5.
Article IV. —St, Fidnatan, or Fiadhnat, Virgin. Numberless fe-
males are found in society addicted to idle or frivolous pleasures. Their
lives are spent as a taper that wastes away its substance, giving little or only a
very flickering light. The name of Fidnatan, virgin, is mentioned in the
" of ' onthe of Besidesthis
merits of her well-ordered life.
Article V. —Feast of Saints Brigid and Maura, Sisters, Virgins ANDMartyrs. Afeastinstitutedinhonouroftheseholysistersissetdown at this day in some old Gallic Breviaries and Martyrologies, as also at the 13th of July. At this latter date, further notices are given regarding those saints.
jfitft Bap tif Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. CEARA, CIAR, CYRA, CIOR, OR CERA, VIRGIN, PATRONESS OF KILKEARY PARISH, COUNTY OF TIPPERARY.
[SEVENTH CENTURY. I
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—TIME WHEN ST. CIAR, OR CERA, LIVED—HER PARENTAGE AND FAMILY —HER EARLY YEARS—SHE FOUNDS A CONVENT AT KILKEARY—SHE THERE RULES OVER A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY.
and order in the division of life-duties give a saint the power of work. From childhood this have
Martyrology Tallagh," 4th January. Fiadhnat, the same virgin,^ is recorded on this day in the
entry, Martyrology of Donegal. "3 The distinction of sanctity accorded her proves the genuine
METHOD
oducing preternatural may grown into a habit, improving with the increase of holiness. But usually the
pr
religious inmate effects her first great impressions within the convent walls.
There frequently she continues them for long ages, when producing a work
inspired by sublime ideas and sound spiritual teaching.
We find the name of this holy virgin variously -vvTitten Ceara, Ciar, Cior,
Cyra, and Cera^ in the Irish Menologies. =^ Our national hagiographist, Col- gan, has endeavoured to compile acts of this saint for the 5 th of January ;3 but it is probable he fell into mistakes during the process. According to his computation, she must have been born sometime about the middle of the sixth century. It seems more likely, however, that her birth took place about or after the commencement of the century succeeding. The father of
Art. IV. —'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
nat and on Emlinat, mother of Emhin. " 3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
6, 7. — —' As in all words Art. i. Chap. i.
similarly initialed, and found in the Irish
p. xi. In the Franciscan copy of the " Tal- "
lagh Martyrology I find an entry of this saint's festival at the 4th of January as
"pTinACAin. U. "
" There is added in a more recent hand, aca aj
* In a note Dr. Todd he by
like the pronounced Eng-
iriA A mobing eA'OAiAJui'oe,
^ The
of
of Maria-
bht^gic beriAig A|\ per). -poyv A^x ChoiniriAC Ajtif a^ eAThtiAC mAUAi|\ eiiiiii : "whom Moling
Martyrologies
says,
language,
has in his prayer beginning, 'O Briget, Januarii. Vita S. Cerse, with notes ap- bless our path ;' also in his verses onColm- pended, pp. 14 to 16.
the C-is lish letter K.
Tallagh, nus O'Gomian, and of Donegal.
3 See "Acta Sanctomm Hibemise," v.
"
January 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 63
this holy virgin was named Duibhre/ Her origin is derived from the royal race of Conor, King of Ireland. ^ Both in this island and in Scotland many royal and saintly descendants from this monarch flourished. ^ As founders of families and religious houses many of those personages are distinguished. 7
St. Cera is said to have been a native of Muscraidhe Thire f but in what particular part of the present baronies of Upper and Lower Ormond, in Tip- perary county, she was born has not transpired. As she grew, however, the fameofhersanctityandmiraclesbecamewidelyknown. Amiraclehaving reference to her is introduced by Colgan, in which it is stated,9 that at the request of St. Brendan, patron of Clonfert, this holy virgin, St. Cera, by her prayers extinguished a pestiferous fire^° which had broken out in the region ofMuscraidheThire. " Herreputationforpietysoondrewmanyvirtuous persons to imitate her example. She was then induced to erect a nunnery, whichtookthenameofCillCeirefromher. " ItisnowknownasKilkeary,
'• He is also called Duibhrea by St. . ^Engus,
the Martyrology of Tallagh, the Annals of Clonmacnoise, and those of the Four Mas- ters.
being situated in this territory. It is stated in a letter written by Sir Charles O'CarrolI to the Lord Deputy in 1585, and preserved
in the Lambeth Library (Carew Collection,
s The Genealogical Menology, in the 1 7th No. 608, fol. 15), that the name Lower
chapter, as also the Calendar of Cashel, at Ormond was then lately imposed upon
the 1 6th of and who " " the of the October, Maguire, by Muskry-heery by usurpation
some is called Angus' Commentator, at —the 5th of January, thus draw his pedigree : This Conor the First immediately suc- ceeded in the sovereignty of Ireland the celebrated Conn of the Hundred Battles, to whose daughter, Saraid, he had been mar- ried. Conor the First reigned from A. D. 158 to 165; and by Saraid he h—ad three
contemporaneous Earl of Ormond. See Dr.
O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart," or
"Book of Rights," n. (e), p. 29.
9 This is found in a MS. called the Codex
Kilkenniensis, towards the end of St. Bren- dan's Acts.
'°
See an account of this miracle in the first "Vita S. Brendani," cap.
Sanctorum Beatorum atque Illustrium Ejus- dem Ordinis Virorum, accessit sacrarium sive Reliquiarium Benedictinum.
See ibid. , pp. 318, 319, and n. (g).
—
'
Menologium Benedictinum
58 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 4.
unsatisfactory. ^ The obscurity of his acts, however, is not the fault of this writer. Most probably St. Aidus was bom about the middle or towards the close of the sixth century. From the data afforded us, it appears a matter of
"
great difficulty to unveil the chief incidents of his life. In the
of Tallagh,"^ at the 4th of January, we find the entry of Aedin, a bishop. 3 Various saints, bearing the names Aedh,^ or Aedhan,^ appear at different dates in our calendars. In the Feilire of ^ngus not only is the present but every
other native saint excluded at this date. ^ By Marianus O'Gorman our saint '
is denominated Aidus ; while by other calendarists and writers he is styled
indifferently ^dinus, ^dus, and ^dius. According to some accounts St. Aidus is stated to have been King of Leinster ; yet this hardly seems recon- cilable with our annalistic chronology. 7 Following the pedigree of the Genealogic Menology,^ St. Aidus, the bishop, was son to Moelodran, son of Brocan, son to Corbmac, son of Diermeit, son to Eochad Guinech, son of Ere, son to Brecan, son of Fieg, son to Daire Barrigh, son of Catheir the Great. 9 From all we are able to ascertain, it does not seem probable the present saint ever occupied the throne of Leinster j although Colgan thinks Aedh Cerr,^° who ruled over that province, and whose death is noted at a. d.
Art. I. —'See Colgan's "Acta Sancto- rum Hibemise," 4 Januarii. Vita S. Aidi,
''
1fi ^ibC^MfCc^eAcunpu, X)o coeinnAccAi\ cbAcncA,
The death of chaste Aquilinius, With a troop who was firm ;
In the blood of Christ
They beautified garments.
—"
kings, showing following sult in a regular line. These I have taken the liberty to invert from Colgan's order. His accounts correspond pretty faithfully with chronology, contained in the " Annals of the Four Masters. " Dunlang is said to have been twenty years in the sovereignty of Leinster. Olild, son to Dunlang, died in 526. Cormac, son to Olild, died in 535, after reigning nine years over Leinster. Cairbre, son to Cormac, King of Leinster, died in 546, after a reign of eleven years. Colman, son to Cairbre, King of Leinster, died in 576, after a reign of thirty years ; whilst Aedh Cerr, King of Leinster, and son
to Colman, died in the year 591. Ronan,
son to of and bro- Colman, King Leinster,
ther to Aedh Cerr, is next named as succes- sor to this latter, and he died A. D. 610, according to the " Annals of the Four Mas- ters. " Aedh Cerr had a son named Ere, the father of Nessan.
p. 14, and Dr. Lanigan's
sec. vii. , and nn. 86, 87, pp. 33, 34.
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. ,
^
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi.
3 After the introduction of eight foreign saints the Franciscan copy of the Tallagh Martyrology, extracted from the Book of Leinster, now in Trinity College Library,
has ^Xexjim epi. '* Besides the
""
to the Martyrology of Donegal at the 4th of January, a. St. Aedh was venerated respectively at the 25 th of the same month ;
one at the 7th, 12th, and i6th of February ; oneatthe7thandnthofApril;oneat thelothofMay; oneatthe27thofJune; one at the 8th and loth of July ; one at the 1 6th of August ; one at the 22nd of Septem- ber ; one at the 6th and 29th of October ; one at the ist and loth of November ; and one at the 19th of December; in all, eighteen. See Dr. Todd's and Reeves' edi- tion, pp. 356, 357.
—s The following Aedhans are enumerated :
AjCdhan, at the 1st of January the same ;
Leabhar Breac," copy in the
present
has been varied to Aoth in the table prefixed
name occurs at the I2tii of February ; at the 1 6th, 20th, and 29th of March ; at the 1st and 8th of April ; at the 2nd and 17th ofJune; at the 19th ofJuly; at the3rd, 7th, 27th, and 31st of August ; at the 4th and 20th of September at the
and 20th of October at the and ; 2nd, 6th,
2ist of November ; at the 25th of Decem-
^ XX. Cap.
ber in
; all, twenty-three.
356 to 359.
^
lish translation have bee—n obligingly fur-
'° He succeeded his
reigned fifteen years.
The following Irish stanza and its Eng-
different person from the aforesaid Aedh
Cerr, Colgan thinks him to have been Aidus,
nished by Mr. O'Longan
t), 11. n. bAf CAit) ^^^uilim, Combtn'oiri b^ bAlcu ;
son to a descendant from
saint, whose name
Royal Irish Academy.
^ Colgan had four different catalogues of the Leinster the re-
; 9th, 12th,
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
:
Moelodran, being
the royal race of Leinster. His genealogy
See ibid.
and
If our saint be a
pp.
father, Colman,
9 See
nise," 4 Januarii, n. 2, p. 14.
Colgan's
is traced to Cathair, King of Leinster, after- wards King of Ireland.
Martyrology
January 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 59
591," may have only died politically, to have lived forty-seven years subse- quently in the religious state. But, besides the usual accurate phraseology of our annalists, and other irreconcilable circumstances, the different fathers of Aedh Cerr and of St. Aidan, the bishop, ought to have shown Colgan" how improbable must have been an identity between both. Another conjecture has been ventured upon, that perhaps Aedh Cerr had been a different person from this Saint Aldus, whose name perchance has been omitted from the catalogue of Leinster kings, because he reigned only for a short time, and abdicated a throne to the regret of his people. It seems more than likely, however, that as the present saint was descended from a right regal Leinster line, he may have been some minor potentate connected with that province rather than its chief ruler. '3 It is said, that having abandoned his exalted
position, he became a monk in Kildare Monastery. He seems to have been ""
denominated Dubh," black," probably from some pecuharity of com- plexion. Greatly distinguished for his virtues and merits in the monastic profession, he was afterwards called to preside over the religious as abbot ; but, furthermore, he was elevated to the episcopal dignity, and he ruled for some time over the see of Kildare. Although this see maintained a con- stant succession of zealous and pious prelates from the time of St. Conlath,'* yet until we come to this St. Aidus's they do not figure on the pages of his- tory with sufficient distinctiveness. ^^ Thus he was advanced to spiritual honors, having escaped from royal dignities. He died in the year 638,^7 but we cannot ascertain the duration of his episcopacy. Whether the demise of St. Aldus occurred on a 4th of January, or on a loth of May, is thought to be uncertain. Colgan has a few notices regarding him at the former date, yet he states, that it might be possible, the memory of St, Aldus had been
celebrated on both
days. ^^
At the
4th
of
January
the " of Martyrology
''See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 208, 209, 214, 215-
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 256, 257 : —"Aedh Dubh, Abbot and Bishop of Cill-dara (Kil- dare), died. He had been at first King of Leinster. " The Annals of Ulster and those
" His attempted explanation has been re-
jected on sufficient grounds in "Harris' of Clonmacnoise agree with this account.
Ware," vol. i. , Bishops of Kildare, pp. 381, 382.
'3 Dr. Lanigan observes, that in the early part of the seventh century there was not an
Aldus sovereign of Leinster. King Aidus, who died in 591, according to the Four Masters, could not have been that bishop whose death they assign to A. D. 638. There- fore it is probable that some mistake has occurred with regard to the title given Aidus. Although belonging to the royal family ot Leinster, he might not have been a king. Colgan conjectures he was the bishop, son to Moelodran, and a member of that house. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sec. vii. , n. 87, p. 34. It must be remarked, this latter is only a
This Aedh Dubh must have been a different person from Aedh Cerr mentioned above, both owing to a difference of names and the circumstance that, this latter was a parent, and ancestor to the sons of Nessan, as will be seen by referring to their Acts at the 15th of March. Yet the latter argument would not be conclusive, and the circum- stance mentioned might not prevent his be- coming a bishop ; either because he might have embraced holy orders after the death of his wife, or owing to a mutual and volun- tary engagement of celibacy, after the birth of children, had both parties been living,
'^A St. Aidus, bishop, is venerated on
the 4th of January, according to the Martyro- logies of Tallagh and Marianus O'Gorman.
conditional and secondary supposition of According to the same authorities, a St.
Colgan.
'* He died on the 3rd of May, A. D. 519.
The reader is referred to his life at that day.
'Sit seems strange St. Aidus has been was named Cormac. As the name and epis-
overlooked by Sir James Ware in his Cata-
logue of the Kildare Bishops.
'* See Sir James Ware, " De Prsesulibus
Lagenias Episcopi Darenses," p. 42.
'7 At A. D. 638 we find the following re-
cord in O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the Four
Aidus, son to Cormac, was venerated on the
loth of May. The great-grandfather to
copal dignity at the 4th of January would seem to indicate our saint, and as the name of Aidus, the aforesaid Cormac being his ancestor, is found at the loth of May, hence Colgan confesses himself unable to decide whether the festival of this present saint
Aidus, King of Leinster, who died a. d. 591,
6o IIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 4.
Donegal"'9simplyentersAedh,bishop. Ithasbeenwellremarked,thatthe world knows little of its greatest men ; and it seems strange that they should
be almost forgotten or not sufficiently honoured, especially in their own country.
Article II. —St. Maolan, of Enagh, probably in the parish of Clondermot, County of Londonderry. From the extreme north to the extreme south, and from points the most distant in the east or west, spots of former ecclesiastical interest and importance are to be found in Ireland. There is entered in the " of on the 4th of
^
Martyrology Tallagh"^
the name Maolan, Eanaigh, more generally written Enagh.
January Maolan, of occurs hkewise in the " of on this It
Hibemise," 4 Januarii, nn. 5, 6, p. 14.
'9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeve? , pp.
'
Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi. In the Franciscan copy rriAeLAn
eriAi5occurs.
* This is probably the old church of
Enagh, pointed out by Dr. O'Donovan as situated between two loughs in the north of Clondermot parish, and near the present city of Londonderry, in the county bearing the same name. See " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. iii. , n (q. ), pp. 108, 109.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 6, 7.
* See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of
Ireland," vol. , i, pp. 661, 662, for a fuller
description of this parish.
5 He is said to have had no less than six
or seven holy brothers, whose names are set
^
See his life at the 6th of February.
6, 7. — Art. II.
7 This church, if not founded by, appears to have been dedicated to, a St. Columb Crag, who lived in the time of St. Colum- kille, and who is venerated at the 22nd of September. SeeDr. Reeves'"Adanman's Life of St. Columba," n. (d), p. 19.
^ See notices regarding him at the 27th of May.
» Colgan mistakes by placing this in Con-
naught.
"See Rev. William Reeves' "Adam-
nan's Life of St. Columba," n. (f), pp. 173, 1 74.
" On the Ordnance Townland Survey
Maps of the County of Londonderry, sheet 14, the site of a "Church in Ruins" is shown within a graveyard between the two lakes. Eastern and Western Lough Enagh, and in the townland of Enagh, Clondei'mot parish.
down in " Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
Martyrology Donegal"3 day.
Enach,
is quite probable this saint had his dwelling within the present parish of Glendermot, or Clondermot, in the barony of Tirkeeran, county of London- derry.
There, it would appear, considerable remains of old ecclesiastical foundations are yet visible ; and at an early period, it is said Saints Patrick and Columkille founded religious houses in this place. The ruins of Annagh, or Enagh,nearoneloughofthisname,areveryextensive. * Manyotherplaces having a similar etymon are to be found in various parts of Ireland. If the conjecture of Colgan be admitted, it is possible the present saint may be identified with St. Moelchuo,s son to Degill and Cumenia, sister to the great St. Columkille. The words Moelchuo and Moelan have nearly the same signification in Irish. Except St. Melchuo, the nephew and disciple of St. Patrick, and who was bishop over Ardagh'^ about the year 460, Colgan was not able to find the natalis of any saint similarly named in our calendars. Hence he seems inclined to conclude, that the St. Melchuo, nephew to St. Columkille, may perchance be St. Maolan, of Enach;? or, if not, St. Mae- Ian,^ of Snamhluthair,9 now Slanore, in the county of Cavan. '° If the nephew of St. Columkille can be identified with the present saint, then his period should be assigned to the close of the sixth or to the beginning of the seventh century. But it must be confessed the conjecture appears rather apocryphal. He may have lived at an earlier or a later date than the epoch noted. Enagh lies about two miles north-east of Deny ;" and here formerly the O'Cahans
should be kept on the 4th of January or on Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbae, the loth of May. See "Acta Sanctorum cap. ii. , pp. 478, 479.
January 4. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 61
or O'Kanes had their chief residence " in the castle of Enagh, situated on an islandinEasternLoughEnagh. Fromthisfamilythewholetractfromthe Foyle to the Bann was called the O'Cahan country. The church ruins at this place are very extensive. They measure ninety-one by twenty-one feet, with a transept on the south twenty-three feet square. In the year 1197, Rotsel Piton'3 violated the religious establishment here, and he was after- wardsdefeatedonthestrandofFaughanvale. '+ Informertimes,Enaghwas a chapel of Clondermot, in the corps of the deanery. It seems to have been well endowed by the O'Kanes, and to have been managed by a Herenach about the beginning of the seventeenth century. 'S The exact period of St. Maolan's career upon earth yet remains in doubt. Out of life the faithful adorer of our Divine Lord passes to the embrace of Him who fills the soul with most delightful nourishment, with never-ending joy, and unclouded hap- piness.
Article III. —St. Mochumma, or Machomma, of Drum-ailche, pro- bably Drummully, County Fermanagh. Fancy can as little embellish as facts scantily supply the memoirs of many among our saints. We find a
festival to Droma Ailchi, recorded in the " Machomma, Martyrology
of Tal-
lagh"' on the 4th day of January. Without the designation of that territory, in which some particular spot was situated, it is difficult to identify the places
of many Irish saints. However, in the present instance, the ^
*'
Martyrology of Donegal" calls this saint Mochumma, of Drum-ailche, in Dartraigh. Hence it becomes possible to arrive at a solution. There was a Dartraighe-
Oirghiall, or Dartraighe Coininse,^ which was the ancient denomination of
the present barony of Dartry, in the south-western part of Monaghan county. • There was likewise a Dartraighe Meg Flannchaidh,s in West Breifne. Both of these Dartrys are frequently alluded to in our ancient records. ^ We do not know of any other such likely place for identification with Drum Ailche as the present townland of Drummully,? in the parish so called. It is situated inthebaronyofCoole,countyofFermanagh. ^ ItliesneartheRiverFinn.
ApartofthisparishisinthebaronyofDartree,countyofMonaghan. 9 At Drummully we think it probable this saint lived and died at some early period.
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita 5. Columbse, n. 22, p. 373.
O'Huidhrin," Edited by John O'Donovan, pp. 30, 31.
'3 He was acting under the orders of John
De Courcy and the English of Ulidia. See
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four of Rights," n. (i), p. 153.
Masters," vol. iii. , pp. 106 to 109, and nn. (m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t).
'* In 1555 the castle of Enagh was demo- lished by Calvagh O'Donnell. It seems
s This was the ancient, and still the local,
name for the present barony of Rosclogh, in the northern part of Leitrim county. The
Meg-Flannchaidhs are now Anglicised Mac afterwards to have been re-edified, although Clancy, or Clancy. See "Topographical
at present the ruins do not exist. See ibid.
vol. v. , pp. 1540, 1541, and n. (h).
'5 See Rev. William Reeves' edition of
Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na NaomhO'Huidhrin," edited by Dr. O'Dono- van, n. 268, p. xxxvii.
" *^
Acts of Archbishop Colton in his Metro- See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
politan Visitation of the Diocese of Derry," Four Masters," Index Locorum, vol. vii. , p.
A. D. MCCCXC—VII. ," n. (b), pp. 28, 29. 46.
'7 Art. III. Edited by Dr. Kelly, p. xi. ,
The entry moccornmA '0|voinA ^iLche is in the Franciscan copy.
^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 6,
7.
of the O'Boylans, inhabited it according to
O'Dugan. See "Topographical Poems of JohnO'DubhagainandGiollanaNaomh oftheCountyofMonaghan,sheet16.
3 The Muinter or Baoigheallains, people
^ See Lewis'
of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 519.
• It adjoins Fermanagh. See Dr. O'Do- novan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart," or "Book
There is a graveyard in the townland of Drummully, in the parish of Drummully, barony of Coole, and county of Fermanagh. See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps of the County Fermanagh, sheet 43.
"Topographical Dictionary
^ See Ordnance Survey Tovraland Maps
62 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 5.
Article IV. —St, Fidnatan, or Fiadhnat, Virgin. Numberless fe-
males are found in society addicted to idle or frivolous pleasures. Their
lives are spent as a taper that wastes away its substance, giving little or only a
very flickering light. The name of Fidnatan, virgin, is mentioned in the
" of ' onthe of Besidesthis
merits of her well-ordered life.
Article V. —Feast of Saints Brigid and Maura, Sisters, Virgins ANDMartyrs. Afeastinstitutedinhonouroftheseholysistersissetdown at this day in some old Gallic Breviaries and Martyrologies, as also at the 13th of July. At this latter date, further notices are given regarding those saints.
jfitft Bap tif Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. CEARA, CIAR, CYRA, CIOR, OR CERA, VIRGIN, PATRONESS OF KILKEARY PARISH, COUNTY OF TIPPERARY.
[SEVENTH CENTURY. I
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—TIME WHEN ST. CIAR, OR CERA, LIVED—HER PARENTAGE AND FAMILY —HER EARLY YEARS—SHE FOUNDS A CONVENT AT KILKEARY—SHE THERE RULES OVER A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY.
and order in the division of life-duties give a saint the power of work. From childhood this have
Martyrology Tallagh," 4th January. Fiadhnat, the same virgin,^ is recorded on this day in the
entry, Martyrology of Donegal. "3 The distinction of sanctity accorded her proves the genuine
METHOD
oducing preternatural may grown into a habit, improving with the increase of holiness. But usually the
pr
religious inmate effects her first great impressions within the convent walls.
There frequently she continues them for long ages, when producing a work
inspired by sublime ideas and sound spiritual teaching.
We find the name of this holy virgin variously -vvTitten Ceara, Ciar, Cior,
Cyra, and Cera^ in the Irish Menologies. =^ Our national hagiographist, Col- gan, has endeavoured to compile acts of this saint for the 5 th of January ;3 but it is probable he fell into mistakes during the process. According to his computation, she must have been born sometime about the middle of the sixth century. It seems more likely, however, that her birth took place about or after the commencement of the century succeeding. The father of
Art. IV. —'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
nat and on Emlinat, mother of Emhin. " 3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
6, 7. — —' As in all words Art. i. Chap. i.
similarly initialed, and found in the Irish
p. xi. In the Franciscan copy of the " Tal- "
lagh Martyrology I find an entry of this saint's festival at the 4th of January as
"pTinACAin. U. "
" There is added in a more recent hand, aca aj
* In a note Dr. Todd he by
like the pronounced Eng-
iriA A mobing eA'OAiAJui'oe,
^ The
of
of Maria-
bht^gic beriAig A|\ per). -poyv A^x ChoiniriAC Ajtif a^ eAThtiAC mAUAi|\ eiiiiii : "whom Moling
Martyrologies
says,
language,
has in his prayer beginning, 'O Briget, Januarii. Vita S. Cerse, with notes ap- bless our path ;' also in his verses onColm- pended, pp. 14 to 16.
the C-is lish letter K.
Tallagh, nus O'Gomian, and of Donegal.
3 See "Acta Sanctomm Hibemise," v.
"
January 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 63
this holy virgin was named Duibhre/ Her origin is derived from the royal race of Conor, King of Ireland. ^ Both in this island and in Scotland many royal and saintly descendants from this monarch flourished. ^ As founders of families and religious houses many of those personages are distinguished. 7
St. Cera is said to have been a native of Muscraidhe Thire f but in what particular part of the present baronies of Upper and Lower Ormond, in Tip- perary county, she was born has not transpired. As she grew, however, the fameofhersanctityandmiraclesbecamewidelyknown. Amiraclehaving reference to her is introduced by Colgan, in which it is stated,9 that at the request of St. Brendan, patron of Clonfert, this holy virgin, St. Cera, by her prayers extinguished a pestiferous fire^° which had broken out in the region ofMuscraidheThire. " Herreputationforpietysoondrewmanyvirtuous persons to imitate her example. She was then induced to erect a nunnery, whichtookthenameofCillCeirefromher. " ItisnowknownasKilkeary,
'• He is also called Duibhrea by St. . ^Engus,
the Martyrology of Tallagh, the Annals of Clonmacnoise, and those of the Four Mas- ters.
being situated in this territory. It is stated in a letter written by Sir Charles O'CarrolI to the Lord Deputy in 1585, and preserved
in the Lambeth Library (Carew Collection,
s The Genealogical Menology, in the 1 7th No. 608, fol. 15), that the name Lower
chapter, as also the Calendar of Cashel, at Ormond was then lately imposed upon
the 1 6th of and who " " the of the October, Maguire, by Muskry-heery by usurpation
some is called Angus' Commentator, at —the 5th of January, thus draw his pedigree : This Conor the First immediately suc- ceeded in the sovereignty of Ireland the celebrated Conn of the Hundred Battles, to whose daughter, Saraid, he had been mar- ried. Conor the First reigned from A. D. 158 to 165; and by Saraid he h—ad three
contemporaneous Earl of Ormond. See Dr.
O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-Ceart," or
"Book of Rights," n. (e), p. 29.
9 This is found in a MS. called the Codex
Kilkenniensis, towards the end of St. Bren- dan's Acts.
'°
See an account of this miracle in the first "Vita S. Brendani," cap.
