No More Learning

August 4 ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
65
:
who accompanied him, the Blessed Molua said " If one should see
"
Stellan "TothatofHeaven. " ThensaidMolua " beloved replied, : Dearly
son, give me therefore the Holy Sacrament, for I see the family of Heaven awaiting my departure, so that I may go with them. " The saint then received the sacrifice of the Lord's Supper, from the hand of his disciple Stellan. Afterwards, he departed from earth on the day of the Sabbath, according to that Life of our saint, as published by the Bollandists. How- ever, his decease has been very generally assigned to the 4th day of August,52 and which has been always regarded as his chief festival. The death of St. Molua is referred to a. d. 605, in the Annals of the Four Masters ; 53 and
Colgan follows their computation. 5* The Annals of Ulster place his de- parture, at a. d. 608; while Archbishop Usher has the same date. 55 The Chronicum Scotorum 56 and Sir James Ware assign his death to a. d. 609," which Walter Harris corrects to 608, by referring to Ussher's statement. 58
His body was conveyed to the cell of Tuaimdomnaigh, where it remained for some days. Some clue to its exact location is probably afforded from the concluding portion of this statement. In the meantime, as we are told, there was a contention between the people of Minister and Leinster for possession of his relics. The Munster people claimed them, on account of
his being born in their province, and because of his having departed this life within it, although on the most extreme part of its boundaries. The people of Leinster claimed them, on account of his long settlement among them, at Clonfert Molua, on the western bounds of their province, and because the site was a gift from Berach, prince over Leix. While that contest prevailed, an angel appeared, and told them to place the body on a waggon. It was also proposed, that two unbroken oxen should be yoked, and allowed to follow any direction they chose. This test was agreed to, when the oxen directed their course towards the monastery of Clonfert Molua, and drew up before its entrance. At this time, St. Man- chen,59 who had one of his eyes injured, approached the coffin ; and by contact with the body of our saint, his eye was immediately healed. A number of holy men were present, when St. Molua's body was consigned to a tomb, specially built for this purpose, in a certain part of the monastery. He was buried with due honour. 60 The Angel of God was accustomed to
the family of earth and heaven, at the same time, to which ought he go ?
make two visits each week—namely, on each Sunday and Thursday—to the 61
holy abbot Munnu, of Taghmoon, in Hy Kinsellagh ; but, he came not on the week when our saint died. Munnu had a revelation, that there was
great rejoicing in Heaven, on account of our saint's accession to the angelic
choirs. After the interval of a week, that angel again appeared. Then
Munnu " servant of have not come to me as said, Wherefore, God, you
usual, during the last few days ? The angel answered
days the venerable servant of God, Molua, son to Coche, went to Heaven.
52 It is noted as " 2 Non. Aug. "
55 At this year, we read : "Molua, i. e. , Lughaidh Mac h Ui-Oiche, first Abbot of CluainfeartaMolua,died. " Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 230, 231.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
55 See Index Chronologicus in " Britanni-
:
i. , cap. iii. , p. 17.
& See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. , "Writers of
Ireland," book i. , chap, iv. , p. 23, and note (z), ibid.
59 There are many saints bearing this
name and noted in the Irish Calendar.
no means are left for determining which of them is here meant.
54 See
Colgan's
nice," xii. Januarii," n. 3, p. 58.
But,
Sacra,"
carum Ecclesiarum at Antiquitates,"
6o See "Collectanea Fleming's
p. 536. 56 See William M. Hennessy's Edition,
Vita S. Moluae, cap. liii. , p. 378.
6l His festival occurs, on the 21st of
October.
PP- 72> 73-
57 See " De Scriptoribus Hibernise," lib.
Vol. VIII. —No. 2.
e
""
Because on those
66 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 4.
Therefore, the angels did not visit the saints of Ireland, as usual ; for, they rejoicedtogether,onthearrivalofMoluaamongthem. " Then,St. Munnu
said
:
" Now doth it appear, he accomplished the will of God, in a manner
superior to us all. But, go thou to the Lord, and learn for me, on what
account the Almighty was more pleased with Molua's approach, that he
The angel obeyed. Within a
mild to all, and governed his monks with great piety and gentleness. With moderation, he drew them to the right path. However, rejoice, also; for you shall find a similar honour in Heaven, since you must endure suffering in this life, and to the hour of your death. " On the following Thursday, Munnu was struck with a leprosy, which covered all parts of his body, and
62
Likewise, it is said, that the Sovereign Pontiff of Rome, St. Gregory, heard angels singing hymns on the day of our saint's departure. Of these, the following
wastheburthen "HolyfatherMolua,Iwillnotpassinsilencethygreat
:
merits. " And that the Pope ordered these words to be reported in Ireland,
by pious men. 63
In relation to the interment of the holy abbot and founder of Clonfert
Molua,6* it may be observed, that the site of St. Molua's grave is still pointed
out by the country people of that neighbourhood. It occupies a space about ten or eleven feet in length, between two stones standing erect in the
grave-yardatKyle. Throughreverenceforthesaint,nocorpseispermitted to be buried within that enclosure. This may have been the spot, where St. Molua had been laid in the first instance ; although, as already related in his Life, he is stated to have been buried in his monastery. It is probable, moreover, that the body had been taken from the original grave, and after- wards had been transferred to a shrine, whithin the church of his monastery.
St. Molua's bell was preserved in this monastery until the time of its
suppression, when the bell was taken in charge by the Duigan family, then owners of the Castle of Clonclouse. It was customary for people to swear on or before that bell. The manner of swearing was to place the right hand on the relic, and to call God and St. Molua to witness the truth of what had been said. The false swearer, according to popular belief, should be immediately, visibly, and terribly punished, and cases have been cited in proof of this belief. The bell descended to the Rev. John Egan, P. P. ,Dunkevin,King'sCounty. Hereceiveditfromhisgrandmother,who was of the Duigan family. The bell was in turn presented by Father Egan to J. L. Cooke, Esq. , Parsonstown, in whose museum it was preserved. 65
In the south-east end of the cemetery, a quadrangular stone hollowed out in the centre, about three feet in length by eighteen or nineteen inches in breadth,iscalled"'St. Molua'sTrough. " Howeverdrytheseasonmaybe, the people say it is never known to be without water. This is used to cure soreeyes,head-aches,66andotherailments. Thetroughliesundertheboundary
should in consequence neglect to visit me. "
short time he " This is the
to thy question. The face of no man was ever suffused with blushes through Molua, for he was
enclosure,
County,
during
returned, saying :
reply
thus was he afflicted, for the remaining twenty years of his life.
62 See Fleming's "Collectanea Sacra," Vita S. Moluse, cap. liv. , p. 379.
63 See Mid. , cap. lv. , p. 379.
64 The word "Cluain" means a retreat,
6s According to an account in The Kil-
kenny Journal of August 7th, 1872.
^ See " Letters containing Information
relative to the Antiquities of the Queen's
1838, p. 117.
6? The accompanying illustration of this
asolitude. Theword"Feart"
an
may imply either a grave or a miracle. It is not easy to determine whether it was from Molua's grave, and not from his miracles, that the place is so named.
the ofthe Progress
collected
Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol. i. Letter of P. O'Keefe, dated Mountrath, Dec. 1st. ,
August 4-] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 67
hawthorn bushes, and near the fence. 6 ? The water in it is applied to sores by
afflicted persons, who resort thither to perform "stations. " The hawthorn-
bushes growing over it are covered with rags, appended to the branches, to indicate votive or thank-offerings for the cures there performed.
As we are informed, after the death of St. Molua, a city grew up around Clonfert Molua Monastery. There, too, many miracles were wrought through the intercession of its patron saint, and in favour of several afflicted persons. The older peasantry in the neighbourhood still recollect an eastern window in the ruined church, although the wall is now entirely levelled. Even the site of the former ancient city is traditionally re- membered. It lay along the old road, and not far removed from the present burial-ground. Near this spot, too, the former monastic establish- ment must have been situated. 68 Since the first visit paid to Kyle by the
Trough of St. Molua, Kyle Graveyard, Queen's County.
writer, the existing ruins, as then figured in the first volume of this work, have almost disappeared, and only a few fragments now rise above their foundations. 6* The people about Kyle in the Queen's County stated, that formerlytherehadbeenanadjoiningburial-placeinKilmartintownland. . The site of this was pointed out in 1838, although it was then under cultivation. 70
One of his many mistakes has been committed by Archdall, in placing
the death of this saint at the year 622, he having told us, moreover, that
1 Molua had laboured under a leprosy for the preceding twenty years. ?
object, drawn on the spot by the writer in October, 1890, has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
68 These particulars were gleaned on the spot in August, 1872, and from a young man, whose family had resided near the
grave-yard for many generations.
69 Such was the condition in which they were found in October, 1890.
'
Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the Queen's County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838. " Vol. i. , Letter of P. O'Keefe, dated Mountrath, Dec. 1st. ,
1838, p. 120.
7° See
68 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[August 4.
This latter date was the year in which St. Lactan, or LacteaiV* successor to our saint, died ; while, the festivals of both saints falling respectively on the 19th of March, and on the 4th of August, as Archdall relates,? 3 it is rather surprising, he should have assigned their deaths to the same year. The natal day of both tends to show an inversion in the order of succession. It is certain, that our saint must have departed this life, in the early part of the seventh century. A St. Lugidus is referred to, in the Paschal Epistle of Cummian,74 and he is there numbered among the fathers of the Irish Church. 75 This saint, with apparently also a Lugeus, named in the second
6
class of Irish Saints,? is said to have been identical with St. Molua or
Luanus. 7? It was of some Molua, among those bearing the same name, that
8
CuimiiV of Coindeire, gives the character, that he used to obey the desire
and bidding of his tutor, or master. He did the will of his father and mother and of everyone with whom he was in relation, he also was truly penitent for his sins. It should seem, however, that the praises here bestowed have reference solely to the present saint. 79
In the " Feilire " of St. 8° St. Molua Mac Ocha's feast is yEngus,
entered,
withaglowingpanegyric,atthe4thdayofAugust. Acommentary,with
some stories, is found annexed. 81 In the of 82 legendary Martyrology Tallagh,
at the 4th of August, the simple entry appears of Molua Mac Ochei, Cluana
Ferta. He is more described in the of 83 at the fully Martyrology Donegal,
same date, as Molua, son of Oche, Abbot of Cluain-ferta- Molua, and of Sliabh Bladhma, and of Druimsnechta,8* in Fernmhagh. 8* In the anonymous Calendar of Irish—Saints published by O'Sullivan Beare, at the 4th of August,
86
there is a Motua evidently a mistake for Molua. On this day, also, the
71 See "Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 379.
72 See an account of him, at the 19th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
73 See " Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 379.
7* As published by Archbishop Ussher.
75 See "Veterum Epistolarum Hiberni-
carum Sylloge," Epist. xi. , p. 33.
76 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, vii. , pp. 205, 207, and n. 101, p. 211, ibid.
7 ? See UssherV'Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. —xvii. , p. 474.
78 Thus he says
CArv&ir- IU0U1A Lam perxCAij, UUIAboiT) UAfAb 10-&A11,
- fteipOToe,pdif\cuirwoe, ft£ij\ CA15 if caoi a cion<y6.
M Molua, the fully miraculous, loves Humility, noble, pure,
The will of his tutor, the will of his
parents,
The will of all, and weeping for his sins. "
A note by Dr. Todd says at Miraculous.
"The copy of this poem, printed by Dr.
Kelly. reads CAfAf mobuA CbuAnA jreApcA. "
"
Kelly, this may be seen, at pp. 170, 171.
80 In that copy preserved in the " Leabhar Breac," Royal Irish Academy, are the following lines in Irish, translated into
English by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :— Dit^aiLi-o iA|\r\ochcAin
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , p. cxxii.
81 Thus it begins : moLiiA uiac OcIiai. . 1. oChtuAin £er\cAi tllotuA A^uy osbeib blAT>uiAi Apif o"Orunm SnechcAi 1 p? j\n- mui§. "Molua mac Onchai, that is of Cluain-Fert Molua and of Slieve Bloom and Druim Snechta in Fcrnmag. "—See ibid. , p.
cxxviii.
83> Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxi. In
the Book of Leinster copy, nioUiAe mAC Oche CU1A111 £eAr\r<\.
83 Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 210, 211.
8* At present this place is known as
Drumsnat, in the Barony of Farney, County Monagban.
8s See ibid. , pp. 452, 453.
86 See " Historian Catholicae Ibernise 79 In another version of the " Calendars Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
See the
:
Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 210, 211, nd n. 2.
of the Irish Saints," edited by the Rev. Dr.
p. 50.
"
•prom ip-mop At>ochA
1n noemjefVAic jmJ'Oai moUiAiriAcc OcViai.
Blithe is he after arriving (in heaven) :
confidence in
kingly champion, Molua mac Ocha. "
is great my
the — him, holy,
"
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. "
August 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. .
69
festival of Luanus, Abbot, appears in the Circle of the Seasons. 8? The commemoration of St. Molua was observed, likewise, in Scotland, on the 4th day of August. Thus, the Kalendar of Drummond has it Prid. Non. Aug. 88
It has been thought, that not only the parish of* Killaloe, in the county of 8
Kilkenny, had been dedicated to the patronage of this saint 9 but, it j
is deemed not to be improbable, that Molua himself was the original founder of a church bearing his name near Kilmanagh. His holy well is also known there. The people annually assemble, at the site of the ancient church, on the Sunday next after his feast, to honour his memory by one of
"
these primitive institutions called Patrons," and there is still preserved of
him, in a neighbouring house, the remains of what was once a very beautiful carved life-sized statue. 9° It is now greatly mutilated. When perfect, it represented St. Molua robed as a priest. The front of the chasuble is clearly visible, and proves from its style the figure to be very ancient. The countenance is elegantly formed. A new church was erected by the Rev. Simon Fogarty of Killaloe, and on Sunday, the 4th of August, 1872, it was dedicated to St. Molua, by the Rt. Rev. Patrick F. Moran, Bishop of
with and in —of a Ossory, appropriate ceremonies, presence large
concourse
1 —reen cross-road Ordnance Townland of the clergy and laity. 9 Near Cla
SheetsfortheCo. Limerick,No. 48 intheparishofEmlygrennan,barony of Coshlea and County of Limerick, lies the old grave-yard of St. Molua.
Part of the enclosure wall—built by the Kilmallock Poor Law Board—
is of Cyclopean masonry j doubtless, the sole remnant of one of the walls of a religious building, which at some remote period must have existed there. A little eastward of that grave-yard is St. Molua's Holy Well. It lies nearly midway, in a large green field ; and, singularly enough, it is without a tree or bush of any kind in its vicinity. A well-trodden path around the well shows where the devout pilgrim to this shrine of th—e old Irish saint moves, while
—his or her devotions. This well unlike wells in other performing holy parts
of Ireland is principally visited by persons afflicted with ague or some kindred disease. To be efficacious, it is locally said, the u rounds " must be made on three successive Saturdays ; and, even then, the devotions must be accomplished before sunrise. The devotions consist in reciting six Paters and sixty Aves while walking the circular path around the well, after which a Rosary of five Paters and fifty Aves is recited, kneeling at the well. Then, the visitant drinks of the holy-well water, after which some of it is
taken in a corked — to be used the sick —at carefully away up bottle, by person
people for miles around gather there, to reverence the memory of the servant
2
home. A largely attended assembly locally known as heldatSt. Molua'sWelloneachrecurring3rdofAugust. Thenthecountry
of God, and to implore his protection for themselves and for their families. 9
87 See at p. 217.
August 7th, 1872.
88Wefind there the
? aThatsuchbeliefinthe —of efficacy prayers
following entry:
"Apud Hiberniam Sancti Confessoris recited at St. Molua's Well paying
" Molua. " Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of rounds at St. Molua's Well as it is locally
—"— Scottish Saints," p. 20.
89 See Rev. J. Holahan's " Notes on the Antiquities of the United Parishes of Bally- callan, Kilmanagh and Killaloe, "&c, p. 34.
90 The Rev. James Graves has pronounced
this relic, from the style of its workmanship,
to be fully as old as the 13th century.
91 On this occasion, the dedication sermon
was preached by the Rev. Matthew Keeffe,
"
called is not confined to persons resident
in the neighbourhood is evidenced through one fact related by a reliable person. This
person declared, that she knew of persons in America, who being afflicted with ague, writing home to friends in Ireland and having
"
them "pay rounds at St. Molua's Well for the afflicted applicant, then resident in the United States ; and that, on those
P. P. , of Aghaboe. The proceedings are devout exercises being gone through, the well described in The Kilkenny Journal of emigrants—for more than one instance had
""
the pathron is
7 o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 4.
The memory of this renowned abbot has been consecrated by St. Bernard six centuries after he flourished. Luan had himself founded an hundred monasteries, and these were afterwards filled by thousands of cenobites. The Thebaid re-appeared in Ireland, so that in the history of the Orientals, the West had no longer anything to envy. 93 The holy abbot therefore claims a place among the most illustrious saints of Ireland ; 94 and, even had we no such written records regarding his merits in the sight of God, local traditions should probably have preserved his memory for future generations, and faith in the efficacy of his intercession should survive in that place, which has been more especially distinguished by his ministrations and living
presence.
Article II. —St. Midnat or Miodhnat, said to be of Killucan,
County of Westmeath. In Colgan's opinion Midgnat is the name of a x
woman. At the 4th of August, the Martyrologies of Tallagh and of
Marianus O'Gorman2
register
a festival in honour of Midnat, Cille Lucinne
or Kill-liuchaine. This must be Anglicized Killucan. There is notice of
a disciple belonging to St. Patrick, and called Midgna,3 whom he placed in
a hermitage called Disert Phadrig, while near it was a fountain and a church,
at a place called Cros Phadruig, in the western part of Ireland. * A St.
s fe
Midgna is found, also, among the sons of Darerca, sister to St. Patrick.
Colgan seemed to doubt if this saint might not be identical with the present,
oranothersimilarlynamed,atthe18thofNovember. ? Thereisatownland
8
bearing the name of Killucan, in the parish of Kildress, barony of Upper
Dungannon, and County of Tyrone ; as also one 9 in a parish of the same name,baronyofFarbill,andCountyofWestmeath. Therearelikewisetwo Killukin townlands, in two distinct parishes of the same name. Both lie in the barony of Roscommon : one Killukin IO within the barony of Boyle, and the other JI within that of Roscommon 12 The of
barony. Martyrology Donegal *i has the simple entry of Miodhnat, at this same date. The local historian of the Diocese of Meath state, that the present saint belonged to
Killucan of Killucquin, in the barony of Farrbill, a few miles east of
been quoted—recovered their health through the intercession of St. Molua. How like the beautiful and consolatory doctrine setting forth the efficacy of prayers for the faithful departed in Christ ! The foregoing com- munication was forwarded to the writer Denis A. O'Leary, Esq. , Kilbolane Cottage, Charleville, County of Cork.
93 See Le Comte De Montalembert's
"Moines de l'Occident," tome ii. , livre
viii. , chap, i. , p. 368.
94 See Bishop Challenor's "Britannia
Sancta," part, ii. , pp. 64, 65.
s As stated in the Opuscula S. ^English, lib. iv. , cap. vi.
6
See an account of her, in the Third Volume of this work, at the 22nd of March, the date assigned for her festival, Art. ii.
7 See " Trias " Thaumaturga, Quinta
Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. iv. , p. 231. 8 It is described, on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Tyrone, Sheets 20, 21, 28, 29, 37, 38. The town- land of Killucan is on Sheet 28.
9 The town and townland are shown, on
the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the of Sheet 20. County Westmeath,"
Article ii. — ' Edited
xxxi. In the Book of Leinster
p.
mi-onac Cille lucain.
2
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. iv. , p. 231.
3 See in the Third Volume of this work,
at the 17th of March, the Life of St. Patrick,
4
Survey
Art.