In the beginning of 1857, a Ladies' Association of Charity, under the zealous and self-denying Miss Aylward, had been formed to rescue from proselytism
Catholic
children exposed to danger.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
625.
=31 Sce Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. ii. , chap, xvii. , p. 361.
Donoughmore
Survey
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 207
The well was a famous resort for pilgrims, especially for those hoping to have cures effected. Whoever was fortunate enough to see the eels was instantaneously cured. Throuf^h O'Brien's lawn, free access to the well was easily obtained. Popular tradition has it, that the water was desecrated on one occasion. ^33 Immediately it removed during the night to a great dis- tance. A member of the O'Brien family, to commemorate a miraculous curcj^s-^ had a beautiful wall built around St. Brigid's Well. The enclosure was elegantly planted, and the place was even furnished with stables, for the accommodation of pilgrims.
Someancientreligiousinstitutionswereunderherpatronage. Ahermitage wasdedicatedtoSt. Bride,bytheKnightsHospitallersofKilmainham. It wassituatednearWaterford. Again,atCarrickfergus,therewasanhospital for lepers. The adjoining lands are yet called the Spital Fields. The hospital was dedicated to St. Brigid. At the north side of Carrickfergus, a spring, called St. Bride's Well, marks the site of an hospital, also dedicated to St. Brigid. We find an hospital for lepers was dedicated to St. Brigid, in the town and parish of Dungarvan,^35 barony of Decies without Drum, situated within the diocese of Lismore,=*36 and county of Waterford. Besides, there was an hospital for lepers, within the diocese and town of Lismore,^37 province of Munster, dedicated to St. Brigid. ^38 she seems to have been the
peculiar patroness of such afflicted persons.
There are various localities or objects,—named from St. Bride, in the
countyofDublin. Amongthesewefind
Mochua, at Clondalkin, one of its three altars was dedicated to her. =^39 Bride's Glen, near Cabinteely, eight or nine miles from Dublin ; the River Bride, a tributary to the Liffey, is thought to derive its name from Ireland's great patroness ; Kilbride Manor, near the Glen of Kilbride, which borders on Sally Gap, near the source of the Liffey, is called after her ; while, the demesne, called St. Brigid's, at Clonskeagh, or Roebuck, is said to derive its name from her. ^40 Also, the Breeda or Bride River, is a tributary of the Lee,^'^^inthecountyofCork. TheAbbeyofKilcrea,^^^occupiesaretired
=32 The matter of this and of the subse- quent narrative was communicated by Rev. D. B. Mulcahy, in a letter, headed Lough Cill, North Antrim, 26th April, 1875.
=33 It happened, that O'Brien had a large
dinner party, and in the hurry of prepara- tion, one of the servants took water to boil potatoes from this well. The dinner was late. O'Brien enquired the cause. The potatoes he found were not boiled. The fire was stirred and blown under, but the servants blew to no purpose. As a last re- sort the pot was examined, when lo ! there was found one of the younger ells. It was reverently taken back to the well, and a solemn admonition was given to the servants, This was unnecessary, for that night the well disappeared.
=34 He lay ill in London, and his life was despaired of, by several doctors. Yet, he had some water procured from St. Brigid's Well, which at once restored him to health.
=35 See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Waterford. " Sheets 3O' 3'» 3S> 3^-
"3^ See Colgan, p. 625,
=37 The united parishes of Lismore and Mocollop are situated, partly w^ithin the county of Cork, in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, as shown on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," Sheets 36, 37 ; and, partly with- in the county of Waterford, in the baronies of Coshmore and Coshbride, as shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Waterford," Sheets 1 1, 12, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 34.
=38 ggg Colgan, p. 625.
=39 See William Monck Mason's ** Hfs-
tory and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick, near Dub-
lin," &c. , book i. , chap, v. , p. 27.
=4o Yov the foregoing list, I am indebted
to Mrs. Anastasia O'Byrne.
='*' See John Windale's " Historical and
Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and its vicinity ; Gougann-Barra, Glengariff, and Killarney," p. 257.
=^2 See an admirable account of its style
and history, at pp. 259 to 270, ibid. Two engravings of the ruins are there to be seen.
:
In the ancient church of St.
2o8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
and a beautiful situation, on a green bank along it, and at the extremity of a long valley, which stretches several miles to the west. It was dedicated to St. Bridget,='43 and probably its River Bride was called after her. In addi- tion, we may observe, there is a very curious object, called St. Brigid's Stone,''*'^ to be seen at Killinagh, near Bantry, in the county of Cork. This is a five-holed Bullaun rock, containing oval-shaped stones in each cavity. ^'s We find a Saint Brigid's Chair, at Lough Derg. There is an old monument, inscribed with a cross, in the churchyard of Kilbride, county of Wicklow. ^-*^ There is, also, an old stone, with several incised crosses, found at Faughart old church, county Louth. =47 This is called St. Brigid's Stone, owing to some supposed association with her.
Several modern churches, chapels, and religious institutes, have St. Brigid as patroness. The new parochial church of Kilcullen, as we have already seen, has been dedicated to her. In addition, as has been stated, Kildare town has a Catholic church and a nunnery, under her protection. Through- out the diocese of Kildare are other religious edifices, holding her as the
patroness ; but, it is to be regretted, a complete list of her Irish churches and chapels cannot be known. ^'^^ The Catholic church of Kilbride, parish of Dunganstown, not only occupies the site of a very ancient church dedicated to our saint, but, it yet rejoices in her, as its special patroness. Near the old church ruins^'t9 and churchyard of Kilbride, not far from Blessington, a Catholic chapel, in the village, has been dedicated to St. Brigid.
The new Catholic church near Carrigaline, county of Cork, has been dedicated to St. Brigid. About half a mile from old Temple Brigde,=*5° and separated from it by a valley, in which Hes St. Brigid's Well, the new erection overlooks the village of Crosshaven. ^si—It is beautifully placed, at the con- fluence of the rivers Ownboy and Lee a spot of which Callanan, the poet
sings,
" Where calm Avon Buee seeks the kisses of Ocean. " ^S'
The church is over loo feet long by forty-eight wide. It consists of nave, chancel, aisles, clerestorey, tower, sacristy, and porch. Built in the Gothic
=3 A beautiful poem, intituled, "The Fourth series, July, 1875, No. 23, pp. 459,
Monks of Kilcrea," alludes to this founda-
and to its — inmates
tion, hospitable during
460.
"^s There is a
G. V. du
preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, No. 77, vol. i.
mediaeval times
:
rough drawing Noyer's "Antiquarian
it, Sketches"
" 'Twas common then
For pilgrims to flock to St. Brigid's shrine.
So they placed on the table pitchers of wine,
Game from the mountain and meat from the pen.
"
'*'^ See ibid. . No. 78.
=*^ It would be very desirable, that our
—Fytte II. , stanza i.
151.
^^ A very remarkable and venerated well, dedicated to St. Brigid, and lately covered by a stone building, may be seen close
by.
"^s See a fuller account of it, with an il-
Irish Catholic Directory, Almanack, and Registry" contained the patron saints' names
of our parishes, churches, chapels and reli- gious houses. By a rightly directed effort,
the
Also, n. (a), p.
information could readily be obtained,
Survey Townland Maps for the County of lustration, in William F. Wakeman's paper, Cork. " Sheet 99. It is in the parish of
"On Certain Markings on Rocks, Pillar Stones, and other Monuments, observed
ChieflyintheCounty Fermanagh. "— "Jour- nal of the Royal Historical and Archaeolo-
gical Association of Ireland," vol. iii.
Templebreedy, and barony of Kerrycurrihy, East Riding of Cork county.
=5^ ggg "The Poems of J. J. Callanan," p. 67.
by the -editor or publisher.
"*9 These scarcely rise above the earth at
present.
'^^ Now known as Templebreedy.
=51 See it represented, on the ' ' Ordnance
of
among
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 209
decorated style, its windows have geometric tracery. The chancel window has five lights, the western one is spherico-triangular. At the eastern and western ends of aisles are spherical windows, and there are also side chancel- windows. Besidesthewesternentrance,thetowerservesasaporch,anditis placed for effect on the north side, a little higher up than midway, and it will be the great entrance usually. The aisles are separated from the nave by rows of circular red marble columns, with Bath-stone caps for carving. The church is all built externally of limestone-ashlar, while the windows and dressings are finely chiselled. ^ss As yet, the tower has only reached its lower
story, but the other portions of this fine building, internally and externally, have nearly reached completion. ^54
Church of the Assumption, of St. Michael, of St. Patrick, and of St. Brigid, Wexford.
The beautiful new Church of the Assumption,2SS King's-street, Wexford, has also been dedicated to St. Michael, St. Patrick, and St. Bridget, as joint
patrons. '^sfi The grounds, on which the new church stands, are in part on the site of the ancient cemetery, attached to St. Brigid's old church, which, ac-
cording to local tradition, formerly stood there. ^'Sz An adjoining street is called Bride-street, at the present time, and its name seems to have been de- rived from the early ecclesiastical structure to which it led.
^53 Communication from Very Rev. Denis Canon M'Swiney, P. P. , headed River View, Carrigaline, Co. Cork, dated Feb. 1st,
1872.
^54 Communication from Very Rev. Denis
Canon M'Swiney, dated, January 5th, 1876.
=S5 The first stone was laid June 27th, 185 1. This church was opened for public
worship, April i8th, 1858.
^56 The accompanying engraving of it, by
Mrs. Millard, was executed after a photo-
graph, locally prepared in Wexford.
'57 Human remains have been disinterred
Vol. II.
P
210 Lives of the IRISH saints.
[February t.
The Sisters of Mercy Convent, Rathdrum,=58 county of Wicklow, has been dedicated to St. Brigid, by permission of his Eminence Cardinal Cullen. =^59
This appears from the parish registers.
After the beginning ot the present century, a religious community of
Brigitine nuns was established in Ireland. This is a most useful institute,
for the peculiar wants of our country ; and, it has been in highly successful
operation, from the very commencement of its inauguration. The first con-
vent of St. Brigid was founded in Tullow, county of Carlow, by the Right
Rev. Dr. Delany, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, on the ist of February,
1807, as also, the Convent of St. Brigid, in Mountrath, on the i8th of April,
1809. Besides these, the Convent of Tullow has sent out two affiliations,
one to Abbeyleix, in the Queen's County, a. d. 1842, and one to Goresbridge,
County Kilkenny, a. d. 1858. Of late, another branch has been established
at Paulstown, not far from the latter place, and within the same county. All
of these houses are situated in the diocese of Leighlin. The Brigitine nuns
have adopted a constitution and rules, which tend greatly to promote charity,
piety, and religious knowledge, in every parish, where their institute has been
established. They gain over many of the humble people to a life of peni-
tence. Holding lighted tapers in their hands, they make a solemn declara-
tion and dedication of themselves, on each feast of St. Brigid. ^^° This order
has been established for educational purposes, and, it has three schools in
constant operation, under each community ; a poor school, a benefit school,
and a boarding-school. The teaching of poor children and adults on Sundays
and holy days, in the parish church to which their convent belongs, is a special
^'^^
rule of this order.
The house and chapel of the Sisters of the Holy Faith, at Glasnevin,
diocese of Dublin, are under the patronage of St. Brigid.
In the beginning of 1857, a Ladies' Association of Charity, under the zealous and self-denying Miss Aylward, had been formed to rescue from proselytism Catholic children exposed to danger. An admirable system was adopted, for placing these with Catholic families, until they could be educated and provided with means for earning an honest livelihood. St. Brigid was chosen as patroness of this goodwork. Whentheorphanagewasbegun,noonedreamtofestablishing a new community to take charge of it. On the contrary, great efforts were made to avoid anything of the sort ; but. Providence made use of those very efforts to accomplish His will. After some trials and much labour, two or three ladies associated themselves,^^^ to examine cases of proselytism, to rescue those orphans in greatest danger of losing the faith, to make clothes for them, and to superintend their rearing and education. This little seed, cast upon the earth by a seeming accident, took root and grew. The asso- ciates in 1867 numbered twenty-two. These ladies are united by the sacred bondsofreligion,underthetitle. SistersoftheHolyFaith. '^3 TheCardinal
there, when improvements were effected in
P. P. , granted May 30th, 1869.
=*<' See "The Life of St. an Brigid,"by
Irish Priest, chap, xiii. , pp. 184 to 187.
'^* Much of the foregoing information, re- garding the Brigitine Nuns, was kindly communicated, by the Superioress of Mount- rath Convent, Sister Mary J. Peter Stein,
in a letter, addressed to the writer, A. p. 1866.
=*= In the house No. 42 Eccles-street, Dublin.
=*3 See " Eleventh Annual Report of St. Brigid'sOrphanageforFiveHundredChil- dren,"p. . 8, A. D. 1867.
the of the new entourage
church, which, with its twin sister, the Church of the Im-
maculate Conception and of St. John Bap- tist, has been erected by the respected parish priest, Very Rev. James Canon Roche, as enduring monuments of his indomitable la- hour and pious zeal for the greater glory of God.
=^58 The extent of this parish, in the barony
"
of Ballinacor North, is shown on the
nance Survey Townland Maps for the County ofWicklow. " Sheets24,29,30,35.
"59 At request of Rev. Richard Galvin,
Ord-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 211
Archbishop of Dublin has greatly fostered and aided this institute, sanctioned byHisHolinessPopePiusIX. HisEminence,findingthatthehousein Eccles-street was too small for the sisters that taught in their schools, sent them to succeed the religious Ladies of the Sacred Heart, in Glasnevin Con- vent. 2^4 Even a great enlargement of this house was soon required. The grounds are extensive and beautifully situated. It is not too much to say, that St. Brigid's new home, at Glasnevin, is one of those spots, fashioned by the Almighty Architect for religious exercises. ="^5 The River Tolka separates the convent grounds from the charming Botanical Gardens. ^^^ The whole scene is redolent of literary, patriotic, and above all, of religious associations.
In the name of our great abbess, the orphanage of St. Brigid was founded, while through her influence and prayers it has flourished. During the past nineteen years, this noble institute has saved from proselytism the immense number of one thousand three hundred and seventy Catholic orphans. Otherwise, humanly speaking, these should have been lost to the Church. Under her influence, also, the schools of the Holy Faith have, so to speak, sprang from the orphanage \ and, as a matter, almost of necessity, to take charge of these works, the Sisters of the Holy Faith have grown up, a new family,intheChurch. Besidesmanagingtheorphanage,theseladieshave fourteen schools, with a daily attendance of one thousand four hundred poor children. It must seem a strange-thing, that the former grounds and resi- dence of a distinguished Protestant Bishop of Kildare should become the dwellingofSt. Brigid,Patro—nessofKildare. Intruth,itappearstobethe place for St. Brigid's work within two short miles of the General Post Office, Dublin, and yet the situation is completely rural. Here, those Sisters of the Holy Faith, that teach the poor schools in the lanes of the city, can retire at evening to breathe, and acquire strength and buoyancy for their hardwork. Thereisnoharderstrainonmindandbody,thanthedailytoil of teaching. Here, it shall please God, a band of apostolic teachers can be trained to defend the faith of poor children, and impart, with knowledge, a love of virtue. Here, then, St. Brigid's spirit will rest, and religious teachers are likely to grow up under her patronage. These good ladies will devote themselves to the instruction and sanctification of poor children, in the capitalofholyIreland; hereafter,theirmissionmayextendtomoredistant places.
CHAPTER XVII.
CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES DEDICATED TO ST. BRIGID, IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS, IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES, AS ALSO ON THE CONTINENT OF
AND IN AMERICA— —
EUROPE, FESTIVALS, COMMEMORATIONS, OFFICES, HYMNS,
RELICS, USAGES, AND POPULAR MEMORIALS, REFERRING TO HER CONCLUSION.
In England, Wales and Scotland, as also in minor islands around their coasts,^ the fame and virtues of St. Brigid had spread, even from very re-
=^'^ Much of the foregoing and succeeding information was kindly communicated to the
writer, by Miss Aylward, the Lady Supe-
rioress, and foundress of the Sisters of the
very complete description of the Botanic ^^5 See Ninth Annual Report of St. Gardens, at Glasnevin. See vol. ii. , pp.
Holy Faith. "
Brigid's Orphanage for Five Hundred Chil-
1279 to 1304.
Chapter xvil—^ See "Martyrologium
Anglicanum," ad I. Februarii.
dren," p. 20, a. d. 1865. ^^ "
In the History of the City of Dublin,
from the earliest accounts to the present
time," &c. , as compiled by J. Warburton, Rev. J. Whitelaw, and the Rev. Robert
Walsh, are some interesting views, with a
212 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
motetimes. * ManypartsofEnglandhadchurchesdedicatedtoSt. Brigid. 3 In the city of London, Fleet-street, St. Bride's Church was celebrated in old
Catholic times, nor has the parochial designation yet disappeared. This church was extant in the seventeenth century. A very elegant spire sur- mounts the present Protestant church ; but, it had been injured by lightning, in1805. 4 Nearitssite,Fleet-street,London,inthefourteenthcenturyand in the reign of Edward III. , stood the palace of St. Bride. It had been built, in the vicinity of St. Bride's Well. It is supposed, the present Bride- well occupies this site. Edward III. had a daughter, named Brigid, who became a nun. 5 At Glastonbury, as we have already observed, a St. Brigid was venerated at the ist of February ; however, it is thought, she must have been different from our holy abbess, and that her real festival may have been assigned incorrectly to the present date. ^ In the litany of the very ancient church of Salisbury, Wiltshire, her name was specially invoked. There is a parish,calledKirkbride,intheIsleofMan. Theonlynunneryinthesame place was called after St. Brigid. It is said to have been founded by our
holy virgin,7 in the beginning of the sixth century. ^ It lay near Douglas, beside the river, in a beautiful situation, and its prioress was anciently a baroness of the Isle of Man. She held courts in her own name, and
possessed authority equal to a baron. 9
Several in '° nearest to and to places Scotland, especially Ireland, subjected
Irish influences," are enumerated, as having been under our saint's patronage. Among those are the Hebrides, anciently called Bride's or Brigid's Islands, ashasbeenthoughtfromourSt. Bride. " Excluding,perhaps,thenunsat Kildare, no others, excepting the inhabitants of those western isles, dedicated more churches to her. Thus, their veneration was expressed and perpetuated. ^3
The Hebrideans imagined, however, that her remains reposed at Abernethy,^* the Pictish capital. When the Scots annexed the Pictish territories to their
own, they paid a singular homage to the relics of St. Brigid, in Abemethy. ^s We are told, one of the Hebrides was called after her, and specially deno-
arii. We have already shown how this
mistake originated.
^ The Manx she received the veil think,
'John Macpherson, evidently no great
admirer of St. Brigid, writes " The several :
divisions of Britain concurred
very zealously
with Ireland, the country that gave her of virginity from St. Maughold, fourth
birth, in treating her c—haracter with a most ""
superstitious respect. Critical Disserta- tions on the Origin, Antiquities, Language, Government, Manners and Religion of the Ancient Caledonians, their posterity the Picts, and the British and Irish Scots. " Dissertation xv. , p. 239.
3 So states the English Martyrology, when alluding to St. Brigid, at the 1st of Febru-
ary.
*• "
See 'Cassell's Illustrated Guide to
London. " The Churches of London, p.
132. London, 1862, 8vo.
5 Much of the foregoing information was
kindly communicated by a talented lady,
Mrs. Anastasia O'Byme, living in Ranelagh,
near Dublin, and quite conversant with the
traditional and historic lore of her country.
^
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. XV,, p. 624.
7 The Manx have a
"
Martyrologium Anglicanum," I. Febru-
bishop of their island,
'See George Woods' "Account of the
Past and Present State of the Isle of Man," book i. , chap, ix. , pp. 112, 113.
tradition,
lived for some time in their island. See
that she
gine," lib. ix. , p. 158.
'* See an account of it, in Mackenzie E. C.
Walcott's " Scoti-Monasticon : The Ancient
Church of Scotland," pp. 316, 317.
'S gee Hector Boetius' "Scotorum His«
toriae, a pruna Gentis Origine," lib. ix.
'°
See Rev. Thomas Innes' "Civil and
Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book
ii. , p. 128.
*' See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 290.
" See ** Critical Dis- John Macpherson's
sertations on the Origin, Antiquities, Lan- guage, Government, Manners, and Religion of the Ancient Caledonians, their posterity the Picts, and the British and Irish Scots, Dissertation xv. , p. 240.
"
^^ Jbid. ^ p. 239. Also, Hector Boetius' Scotorum Historioe, a prima Gentis Ori-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 213
minated Brigidiana. '^ Indeed, throughout the whole west and south of Scotland,^7venerationtowardsherwasunbounded. St. Bridewasthepatron saint of the noble family of Douglas,''^ and they invoked her help on all im- portant occasions. ^9 The church of Douglas also bears her name. '° Her temples among the Hebrideans were more numerous than such as had been erected to any of their other saints. ''^ Among well-known Scottish localities, a scarped upburst of trap-rock out of the surrounding red sand-stone, and not far from the Laws,^^ in Forfarshire, is known as St. Bride's Ring, at Kin- genny. =3 TheChurchofSt. BrigidedeBlacketisnoticed,intheChartulary ofHolyrood. ^'* TheChurchofSt. BrigidofKypeismentionedintheChar- tulary of Kelso f^ and in that of Glasgow,^^ the Church of Wintertonegen, in
Valle de Niht. =^7 In Aberdeenshire, we have St. Bride's Rock, at Tomantoul.
We find St. Bride's Church, at Cushnie,^^ at Crochaul,^? at Kildnimmie,3o and at Skene. 3^ In Lanarkshire, there is a place, called East Kilbride, about seven miles from Glasgow. 3^ Its ancient church belonged to the
lar
protection
**
Critical Dissertations on the Origin, An-
^5 =^^
One of the most complete and satisfac-
of that 33 Likewise, there is a remarkable enclosed barrow, city.
bishops
which occupied the summit of one of the Cathkin hills, in the parish of Kilbride. 34 An interesting account of this parish has been written. ss We learn, also, that St. Bride was honoured at Auchtergaven, and at the romantic Blair Athol,36 in Perthshire, on the other side of the Drumalban. 37 Again, a church was consecrated to St. Brigid at Dunnottar, a. d. 1394,3^ according to Bishop Forbes. 39 Besides the foregoing, St. Bride's Chapel and bum are
^^ "
See Mrs. Anastasia O'Byme's Saints
of Ireland.
=31 Sce Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. ii. , chap, xvii. , p. 361.
Donoughmore
Survey
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 207
The well was a famous resort for pilgrims, especially for those hoping to have cures effected. Whoever was fortunate enough to see the eels was instantaneously cured. Throuf^h O'Brien's lawn, free access to the well was easily obtained. Popular tradition has it, that the water was desecrated on one occasion. ^33 Immediately it removed during the night to a great dis- tance. A member of the O'Brien family, to commemorate a miraculous curcj^s-^ had a beautiful wall built around St. Brigid's Well. The enclosure was elegantly planted, and the place was even furnished with stables, for the accommodation of pilgrims.
Someancientreligiousinstitutionswereunderherpatronage. Ahermitage wasdedicatedtoSt. Bride,bytheKnightsHospitallersofKilmainham. It wassituatednearWaterford. Again,atCarrickfergus,therewasanhospital for lepers. The adjoining lands are yet called the Spital Fields. The hospital was dedicated to St. Brigid. At the north side of Carrickfergus, a spring, called St. Bride's Well, marks the site of an hospital, also dedicated to St. Brigid. We find an hospital for lepers was dedicated to St. Brigid, in the town and parish of Dungarvan,^35 barony of Decies without Drum, situated within the diocese of Lismore,=*36 and county of Waterford. Besides, there was an hospital for lepers, within the diocese and town of Lismore,^37 province of Munster, dedicated to St. Brigid. ^38 she seems to have been the
peculiar patroness of such afflicted persons.
There are various localities or objects,—named from St. Bride, in the
countyofDublin. Amongthesewefind
Mochua, at Clondalkin, one of its three altars was dedicated to her. =^39 Bride's Glen, near Cabinteely, eight or nine miles from Dublin ; the River Bride, a tributary to the Liffey, is thought to derive its name from Ireland's great patroness ; Kilbride Manor, near the Glen of Kilbride, which borders on Sally Gap, near the source of the Liffey, is called after her ; while, the demesne, called St. Brigid's, at Clonskeagh, or Roebuck, is said to derive its name from her. ^40 Also, the Breeda or Bride River, is a tributary of the Lee,^'^^inthecountyofCork. TheAbbeyofKilcrea,^^^occupiesaretired
=32 The matter of this and of the subse- quent narrative was communicated by Rev. D. B. Mulcahy, in a letter, headed Lough Cill, North Antrim, 26th April, 1875.
=33 It happened, that O'Brien had a large
dinner party, and in the hurry of prepara- tion, one of the servants took water to boil potatoes from this well. The dinner was late. O'Brien enquired the cause. The potatoes he found were not boiled. The fire was stirred and blown under, but the servants blew to no purpose. As a last re- sort the pot was examined, when lo ! there was found one of the younger ells. It was reverently taken back to the well, and a solemn admonition was given to the servants, This was unnecessary, for that night the well disappeared.
=34 He lay ill in London, and his life was despaired of, by several doctors. Yet, he had some water procured from St. Brigid's Well, which at once restored him to health.
=35 See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Waterford. " Sheets 3O' 3'» 3S> 3^-
"3^ See Colgan, p. 625,
=37 The united parishes of Lismore and Mocollop are situated, partly w^ithin the county of Cork, in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, as shown on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," Sheets 36, 37 ; and, partly with- in the county of Waterford, in the baronies of Coshmore and Coshbride, as shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Waterford," Sheets 1 1, 12, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 34.
=38 ggg Colgan, p. 625.
=39 See William Monck Mason's ** Hfs-
tory and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick, near Dub-
lin," &c. , book i. , chap, v. , p. 27.
=4o Yov the foregoing list, I am indebted
to Mrs. Anastasia O'Byrne.
='*' See John Windale's " Historical and
Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and its vicinity ; Gougann-Barra, Glengariff, and Killarney," p. 257.
=^2 See an admirable account of its style
and history, at pp. 259 to 270, ibid. Two engravings of the ruins are there to be seen.
:
In the ancient church of St.
2o8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
and a beautiful situation, on a green bank along it, and at the extremity of a long valley, which stretches several miles to the west. It was dedicated to St. Bridget,='43 and probably its River Bride was called after her. In addi- tion, we may observe, there is a very curious object, called St. Brigid's Stone,''*'^ to be seen at Killinagh, near Bantry, in the county of Cork. This is a five-holed Bullaun rock, containing oval-shaped stones in each cavity. ^'s We find a Saint Brigid's Chair, at Lough Derg. There is an old monument, inscribed with a cross, in the churchyard of Kilbride, county of Wicklow. ^-*^ There is, also, an old stone, with several incised crosses, found at Faughart old church, county Louth. =47 This is called St. Brigid's Stone, owing to some supposed association with her.
Several modern churches, chapels, and religious institutes, have St. Brigid as patroness. The new parochial church of Kilcullen, as we have already seen, has been dedicated to her. In addition, as has been stated, Kildare town has a Catholic church and a nunnery, under her protection. Through- out the diocese of Kildare are other religious edifices, holding her as the
patroness ; but, it is to be regretted, a complete list of her Irish churches and chapels cannot be known. ^'^^ The Catholic church of Kilbride, parish of Dunganstown, not only occupies the site of a very ancient church dedicated to our saint, but, it yet rejoices in her, as its special patroness. Near the old church ruins^'t9 and churchyard of Kilbride, not far from Blessington, a Catholic chapel, in the village, has been dedicated to St. Brigid.
The new Catholic church near Carrigaline, county of Cork, has been dedicated to St. Brigid. About half a mile from old Temple Brigde,=*5° and separated from it by a valley, in which Hes St. Brigid's Well, the new erection overlooks the village of Crosshaven. ^si—It is beautifully placed, at the con- fluence of the rivers Ownboy and Lee a spot of which Callanan, the poet
sings,
" Where calm Avon Buee seeks the kisses of Ocean. " ^S'
The church is over loo feet long by forty-eight wide. It consists of nave, chancel, aisles, clerestorey, tower, sacristy, and porch. Built in the Gothic
=3 A beautiful poem, intituled, "The Fourth series, July, 1875, No. 23, pp. 459,
Monks of Kilcrea," alludes to this founda-
and to its — inmates
tion, hospitable during
460.
"^s There is a
G. V. du
preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, No. 77, vol. i.
mediaeval times
:
rough drawing Noyer's "Antiquarian
it, Sketches"
" 'Twas common then
For pilgrims to flock to St. Brigid's shrine.
So they placed on the table pitchers of wine,
Game from the mountain and meat from the pen.
"
'*'^ See ibid. . No. 78.
=*^ It would be very desirable, that our
—Fytte II. , stanza i.
151.
^^ A very remarkable and venerated well, dedicated to St. Brigid, and lately covered by a stone building, may be seen close
by.
"^s See a fuller account of it, with an il-
Irish Catholic Directory, Almanack, and Registry" contained the patron saints' names
of our parishes, churches, chapels and reli- gious houses. By a rightly directed effort,
the
Also, n. (a), p.
information could readily be obtained,
Survey Townland Maps for the County of lustration, in William F. Wakeman's paper, Cork. " Sheet 99. It is in the parish of
"On Certain Markings on Rocks, Pillar Stones, and other Monuments, observed
ChieflyintheCounty Fermanagh. "— "Jour- nal of the Royal Historical and Archaeolo-
gical Association of Ireland," vol. iii.
Templebreedy, and barony of Kerrycurrihy, East Riding of Cork county.
=5^ ggg "The Poems of J. J. Callanan," p. 67.
by the -editor or publisher.
"*9 These scarcely rise above the earth at
present.
'^^ Now known as Templebreedy.
=51 See it represented, on the ' ' Ordnance
of
among
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 209
decorated style, its windows have geometric tracery. The chancel window has five lights, the western one is spherico-triangular. At the eastern and western ends of aisles are spherical windows, and there are also side chancel- windows. Besidesthewesternentrance,thetowerservesasaporch,anditis placed for effect on the north side, a little higher up than midway, and it will be the great entrance usually. The aisles are separated from the nave by rows of circular red marble columns, with Bath-stone caps for carving. The church is all built externally of limestone-ashlar, while the windows and dressings are finely chiselled. ^ss As yet, the tower has only reached its lower
story, but the other portions of this fine building, internally and externally, have nearly reached completion. ^54
Church of the Assumption, of St. Michael, of St. Patrick, and of St. Brigid, Wexford.
The beautiful new Church of the Assumption,2SS King's-street, Wexford, has also been dedicated to St. Michael, St. Patrick, and St. Bridget, as joint
patrons. '^sfi The grounds, on which the new church stands, are in part on the site of the ancient cemetery, attached to St. Brigid's old church, which, ac-
cording to local tradition, formerly stood there. ^'Sz An adjoining street is called Bride-street, at the present time, and its name seems to have been de- rived from the early ecclesiastical structure to which it led.
^53 Communication from Very Rev. Denis Canon M'Swiney, P. P. , headed River View, Carrigaline, Co. Cork, dated Feb. 1st,
1872.
^54 Communication from Very Rev. Denis
Canon M'Swiney, dated, January 5th, 1876.
=S5 The first stone was laid June 27th, 185 1. This church was opened for public
worship, April i8th, 1858.
^56 The accompanying engraving of it, by
Mrs. Millard, was executed after a photo-
graph, locally prepared in Wexford.
'57 Human remains have been disinterred
Vol. II.
P
210 Lives of the IRISH saints.
[February t.
The Sisters of Mercy Convent, Rathdrum,=58 county of Wicklow, has been dedicated to St. Brigid, by permission of his Eminence Cardinal Cullen. =^59
This appears from the parish registers.
After the beginning ot the present century, a religious community of
Brigitine nuns was established in Ireland. This is a most useful institute,
for the peculiar wants of our country ; and, it has been in highly successful
operation, from the very commencement of its inauguration. The first con-
vent of St. Brigid was founded in Tullow, county of Carlow, by the Right
Rev. Dr. Delany, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, on the ist of February,
1807, as also, the Convent of St. Brigid, in Mountrath, on the i8th of April,
1809. Besides these, the Convent of Tullow has sent out two affiliations,
one to Abbeyleix, in the Queen's County, a. d. 1842, and one to Goresbridge,
County Kilkenny, a. d. 1858. Of late, another branch has been established
at Paulstown, not far from the latter place, and within the same county. All
of these houses are situated in the diocese of Leighlin. The Brigitine nuns
have adopted a constitution and rules, which tend greatly to promote charity,
piety, and religious knowledge, in every parish, where their institute has been
established. They gain over many of the humble people to a life of peni-
tence. Holding lighted tapers in their hands, they make a solemn declara-
tion and dedication of themselves, on each feast of St. Brigid. ^^° This order
has been established for educational purposes, and, it has three schools in
constant operation, under each community ; a poor school, a benefit school,
and a boarding-school. The teaching of poor children and adults on Sundays
and holy days, in the parish church to which their convent belongs, is a special
^'^^
rule of this order.
The house and chapel of the Sisters of the Holy Faith, at Glasnevin,
diocese of Dublin, are under the patronage of St. Brigid.
In the beginning of 1857, a Ladies' Association of Charity, under the zealous and self-denying Miss Aylward, had been formed to rescue from proselytism Catholic children exposed to danger. An admirable system was adopted, for placing these with Catholic families, until they could be educated and provided with means for earning an honest livelihood. St. Brigid was chosen as patroness of this goodwork. Whentheorphanagewasbegun,noonedreamtofestablishing a new community to take charge of it. On the contrary, great efforts were made to avoid anything of the sort ; but. Providence made use of those very efforts to accomplish His will. After some trials and much labour, two or three ladies associated themselves,^^^ to examine cases of proselytism, to rescue those orphans in greatest danger of losing the faith, to make clothes for them, and to superintend their rearing and education. This little seed, cast upon the earth by a seeming accident, took root and grew. The asso- ciates in 1867 numbered twenty-two. These ladies are united by the sacred bondsofreligion,underthetitle. SistersoftheHolyFaith. '^3 TheCardinal
there, when improvements were effected in
P. P. , granted May 30th, 1869.
=*<' See "The Life of St. an Brigid,"by
Irish Priest, chap, xiii. , pp. 184 to 187.
'^* Much of the foregoing information, re- garding the Brigitine Nuns, was kindly communicated, by the Superioress of Mount- rath Convent, Sister Mary J. Peter Stein,
in a letter, addressed to the writer, A. p. 1866.
=*= In the house No. 42 Eccles-street, Dublin.
=*3 See " Eleventh Annual Report of St. Brigid'sOrphanageforFiveHundredChil- dren,"p. . 8, A. D. 1867.
the of the new entourage
church, which, with its twin sister, the Church of the Im-
maculate Conception and of St. John Bap- tist, has been erected by the respected parish priest, Very Rev. James Canon Roche, as enduring monuments of his indomitable la- hour and pious zeal for the greater glory of God.
=^58 The extent of this parish, in the barony
"
of Ballinacor North, is shown on the
nance Survey Townland Maps for the County ofWicklow. " Sheets24,29,30,35.
"59 At request of Rev. Richard Galvin,
Ord-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 211
Archbishop of Dublin has greatly fostered and aided this institute, sanctioned byHisHolinessPopePiusIX. HisEminence,findingthatthehousein Eccles-street was too small for the sisters that taught in their schools, sent them to succeed the religious Ladies of the Sacred Heart, in Glasnevin Con- vent. 2^4 Even a great enlargement of this house was soon required. The grounds are extensive and beautifully situated. It is not too much to say, that St. Brigid's new home, at Glasnevin, is one of those spots, fashioned by the Almighty Architect for religious exercises. ="^5 The River Tolka separates the convent grounds from the charming Botanical Gardens. ^^^ The whole scene is redolent of literary, patriotic, and above all, of religious associations.
In the name of our great abbess, the orphanage of St. Brigid was founded, while through her influence and prayers it has flourished. During the past nineteen years, this noble institute has saved from proselytism the immense number of one thousand three hundred and seventy Catholic orphans. Otherwise, humanly speaking, these should have been lost to the Church. Under her influence, also, the schools of the Holy Faith have, so to speak, sprang from the orphanage \ and, as a matter, almost of necessity, to take charge of these works, the Sisters of the Holy Faith have grown up, a new family,intheChurch. Besidesmanagingtheorphanage,theseladieshave fourteen schools, with a daily attendance of one thousand four hundred poor children. It must seem a strange-thing, that the former grounds and resi- dence of a distinguished Protestant Bishop of Kildare should become the dwellingofSt. Brigid,Patro—nessofKildare. Intruth,itappearstobethe place for St. Brigid's work within two short miles of the General Post Office, Dublin, and yet the situation is completely rural. Here, those Sisters of the Holy Faith, that teach the poor schools in the lanes of the city, can retire at evening to breathe, and acquire strength and buoyancy for their hardwork. Thereisnoharderstrainonmindandbody,thanthedailytoil of teaching. Here, it shall please God, a band of apostolic teachers can be trained to defend the faith of poor children, and impart, with knowledge, a love of virtue. Here, then, St. Brigid's spirit will rest, and religious teachers are likely to grow up under her patronage. These good ladies will devote themselves to the instruction and sanctification of poor children, in the capitalofholyIreland; hereafter,theirmissionmayextendtomoredistant places.
CHAPTER XVII.
CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES DEDICATED TO ST. BRIGID, IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS, IN ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES, AS ALSO ON THE CONTINENT OF
AND IN AMERICA— —
EUROPE, FESTIVALS, COMMEMORATIONS, OFFICES, HYMNS,
RELICS, USAGES, AND POPULAR MEMORIALS, REFERRING TO HER CONCLUSION.
In England, Wales and Scotland, as also in minor islands around their coasts,^ the fame and virtues of St. Brigid had spread, even from very re-
=^'^ Much of the foregoing and succeeding information was kindly communicated to the
writer, by Miss Aylward, the Lady Supe-
rioress, and foundress of the Sisters of the
very complete description of the Botanic ^^5 See Ninth Annual Report of St. Gardens, at Glasnevin. See vol. ii. , pp.
Holy Faith. "
Brigid's Orphanage for Five Hundred Chil-
1279 to 1304.
Chapter xvil—^ See "Martyrologium
Anglicanum," ad I. Februarii.
dren," p. 20, a. d. 1865. ^^ "
In the History of the City of Dublin,
from the earliest accounts to the present
time," &c. , as compiled by J. Warburton, Rev. J. Whitelaw, and the Rev. Robert
Walsh, are some interesting views, with a
212 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
motetimes. * ManypartsofEnglandhadchurchesdedicatedtoSt. Brigid. 3 In the city of London, Fleet-street, St. Bride's Church was celebrated in old
Catholic times, nor has the parochial designation yet disappeared. This church was extant in the seventeenth century. A very elegant spire sur- mounts the present Protestant church ; but, it had been injured by lightning, in1805. 4 Nearitssite,Fleet-street,London,inthefourteenthcenturyand in the reign of Edward III. , stood the palace of St. Bride. It had been built, in the vicinity of St. Bride's Well. It is supposed, the present Bride- well occupies this site. Edward III. had a daughter, named Brigid, who became a nun. 5 At Glastonbury, as we have already observed, a St. Brigid was venerated at the ist of February ; however, it is thought, she must have been different from our holy abbess, and that her real festival may have been assigned incorrectly to the present date. ^ In the litany of the very ancient church of Salisbury, Wiltshire, her name was specially invoked. There is a parish,calledKirkbride,intheIsleofMan. Theonlynunneryinthesame place was called after St. Brigid. It is said to have been founded by our
holy virgin,7 in the beginning of the sixth century. ^ It lay near Douglas, beside the river, in a beautiful situation, and its prioress was anciently a baroness of the Isle of Man. She held courts in her own name, and
possessed authority equal to a baron. 9
Several in '° nearest to and to places Scotland, especially Ireland, subjected
Irish influences," are enumerated, as having been under our saint's patronage. Among those are the Hebrides, anciently called Bride's or Brigid's Islands, ashasbeenthoughtfromourSt. Bride. " Excluding,perhaps,thenunsat Kildare, no others, excepting the inhabitants of those western isles, dedicated more churches to her. Thus, their veneration was expressed and perpetuated. ^3
The Hebrideans imagined, however, that her remains reposed at Abernethy,^* the Pictish capital. When the Scots annexed the Pictish territories to their
own, they paid a singular homage to the relics of St. Brigid, in Abemethy. ^s We are told, one of the Hebrides was called after her, and specially deno-
arii. We have already shown how this
mistake originated.
^ The Manx she received the veil think,
'John Macpherson, evidently no great
admirer of St. Brigid, writes " The several :
divisions of Britain concurred
very zealously
with Ireland, the country that gave her of virginity from St. Maughold, fourth
birth, in treating her c—haracter with a most ""
superstitious respect. Critical Disserta- tions on the Origin, Antiquities, Language, Government, Manners and Religion of the Ancient Caledonians, their posterity the Picts, and the British and Irish Scots. " Dissertation xv. , p. 239.
3 So states the English Martyrology, when alluding to St. Brigid, at the 1st of Febru-
ary.
*• "
See 'Cassell's Illustrated Guide to
London. " The Churches of London, p.
132. London, 1862, 8vo.
5 Much of the foregoing information was
kindly communicated by a talented lady,
Mrs. Anastasia O'Byme, living in Ranelagh,
near Dublin, and quite conversant with the
traditional and historic lore of her country.
^
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. XV,, p. 624.
7 The Manx have a
"
Martyrologium Anglicanum," I. Febru-
bishop of their island,
'See George Woods' "Account of the
Past and Present State of the Isle of Man," book i. , chap, ix. , pp. 112, 113.
tradition,
lived for some time in their island. See
that she
gine," lib. ix. , p. 158.
'* See an account of it, in Mackenzie E. C.
Walcott's " Scoti-Monasticon : The Ancient
Church of Scotland," pp. 316, 317.
'S gee Hector Boetius' "Scotorum His«
toriae, a pruna Gentis Origine," lib. ix.
'°
See Rev. Thomas Innes' "Civil and
Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," book
ii. , p. 128.
*' See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p. 290.
" See ** Critical Dis- John Macpherson's
sertations on the Origin, Antiquities, Lan- guage, Government, Manners, and Religion of the Ancient Caledonians, their posterity the Picts, and the British and Irish Scots, Dissertation xv. , p. 240.
"
^^ Jbid. ^ p. 239. Also, Hector Boetius' Scotorum Historioe, a prima Gentis Ori-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 213
minated Brigidiana. '^ Indeed, throughout the whole west and south of Scotland,^7venerationtowardsherwasunbounded. St. Bridewasthepatron saint of the noble family of Douglas,''^ and they invoked her help on all im- portant occasions. ^9 The church of Douglas also bears her name. '° Her temples among the Hebrideans were more numerous than such as had been erected to any of their other saints. ''^ Among well-known Scottish localities, a scarped upburst of trap-rock out of the surrounding red sand-stone, and not far from the Laws,^^ in Forfarshire, is known as St. Bride's Ring, at Kin- genny. =3 TheChurchofSt. BrigidedeBlacketisnoticed,intheChartulary ofHolyrood. ^'* TheChurchofSt. BrigidofKypeismentionedintheChar- tulary of Kelso f^ and in that of Glasgow,^^ the Church of Wintertonegen, in
Valle de Niht. =^7 In Aberdeenshire, we have St. Bride's Rock, at Tomantoul.
We find St. Bride's Church, at Cushnie,^^ at Crochaul,^? at Kildnimmie,3o and at Skene. 3^ In Lanarkshire, there is a place, called East Kilbride, about seven miles from Glasgow. 3^ Its ancient church belonged to the
lar
protection
**
Critical Dissertations on the Origin, An-
^5 =^^
One of the most complete and satisfac-
of that 33 Likewise, there is a remarkable enclosed barrow, city.
bishops
which occupied the summit of one of the Cathkin hills, in the parish of Kilbride. 34 An interesting account of this parish has been written. ss We learn, also, that St. Bride was honoured at Auchtergaven, and at the romantic Blair Athol,36 in Perthshire, on the other side of the Drumalban. 37 Again, a church was consecrated to St. Brigid at Dunnottar, a. d. 1394,3^ according to Bishop Forbes. 39 Besides the foregoing, St. Bride's Chapel and bum are
^^ "
See Mrs. Anastasia O'Byme's Saints
of Ireland.
