'° Hisme- mory was
celebrated
in Cluain Chaoi, on this day," but, we know of nothing more concerning him.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
679,7 probably on no better authority, than the chronology, which places the death of St.
Florentius at November 7th, a.
d.
687,^ after an episcopate over
Strasburgh of eight years.
CtDenty. fciurtf) ©ay of |Hap,
ARTICLE I. —ST. SEGINEUS, OR SEGIN, ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH. SEVENTH CENTURY.
AS first in dignity of those saints, whose names belong to this date, the holy Archprelate Segineus deserves the first notice. The simple entry, Segin, Airdmacha, appears in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at this day. The Bol- landists ^ enter a festival for Segineus, also, at the 24th of May, on the same authority. There is a St. Segineus, son of Ronan, son to Loarn, son of Fergus, son to Conall Gulban, according to the pedigree of Seluacuis, and the "SanctilogiumGenealogicum. "3 Colganseemstothink,hemayhavebeen the present prelate. ^ This saint is said to have been from Achadh-Claidhibh —rendered Aghaclive—the situation of which does not seem to have been
dists4
—who notice what Dempster and Ferrarius state at the 23rd of May
* Thus: " Territorio Argentinensi natalis Fidelis Eremitoe, qui Sancto Florentio sem- per adh^sit, et eo ad honorem episcopalem assumpto, ipse quoque Archidiaconatum ad- ministravit. B. "—Bishop Forbes' " Ka- lendars of Scottish Saints," p. 200.
? See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco-
torum," tomus i. , lib. vi. , num. 519, p.
5 Considering Dempster's character for
veracity, it is quite amusing to read his re-
marks, in reference to his St. Fidelis :
" Errat vero toto coelo Henricus Fitzsinion
Hirl. mdus, qui cumineptissimumet frigidis-
simum catalogum contexuisset, hunc cum Kelly, p. xxv.
Montmorency, Father Godefrid Henschenn had prepared this work for publication, when some relics of St. Florentius had been transferred from the Island to the Jesuits' church. "
•* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 235.
S. Fidolo confudit, qui retate, officio, loco, et cultu longe differunt ; consulet ille ergo ccecus suum oculatissimum Witum, qui cor- nicum oculos configat. "
== See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 270.
^ Cap. i.
285.
** See "A Dictionary of Christian Biogra-
phy, &c. , edited by William Smith, LL. D. , and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. ii. , p. 541.
Article I. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr.
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 24.
discovered. 5 He was born, probably, about the beginning of the seventh century. Of his earlier years and education we have no account. The com- mentator on the Table subjoined to the Martyrology of Donegal has it stated, that the term of office for Seighin, Bishop of Ardmacha, commenced in the year 641, or 644 ;^ but, this appears to be a date much too early for his in- cumbency. Duringtheyearspecified,ThomainMacRonanwasinposses- sion. When Tomain,7 who ruled over the Church of Armagh as Bishop, died,A. D. 660,^Segineuswaschosentosucceedhim,a. d. 661. 9 Theyears of his Archiepiscopate are periods of sore trial, for in 670,'° and again, in 687," the city of Armagh was consumed by accidental fire. During his pri- macy took place that remarkable eclipse of the sun,'^ in the year 663, '3 fol- lowed by a summer, when the sky seemed to be on fire, and during the Kalends of August, an awful mortality swept off multitudes of the people in Ireland,asalsoinEngland. '» Theyear684,isthatassignedfortheQuiesof Segene, Bishop of Ardmacha, in the " Chronicum Scotorum. "'5 The "Annals of the Four Masters" place his death, at a. d. 686. '^ The Martyrology of Donegalhasita. d. 687,'7andthisagreeswiththeAnnalsofUlster. '^ Segin is said to have governed his diocese twenty-seven years, '9 and to have died, on the 24tli of May, a. d. 688,^° which is the date given for it by Sir James Ware,''' and which an excellent authority pronounces to have been the true year. ^' According to the Martyrology of Donegal,^3 veneration was given on this day to Seighin, Bishop of Ard Macha.
Article II. St, Berchan, of Cluain Caoi. The Martyrology of Tallagh ^ simply enters the name Berchan, Cluna cai, at the 24th of May. St.
556
* See "Trias TIiaumaturfTa," Quarta Ap- pendixadActaS. ColumbK, cap. iii. , num. 38, p. 482, andz7^/rf'. , cap. X. , num. 103, p. 492.
5 See Rev. Robert King's " Memoir Intro- ductory to the Early History of tlie Primacy of Armagh," p. 69.
* See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition, pp. 468, 469.
7 See his Life, in the First Volume of this work, at the loth of January, Art. ii.
bernicarumScriptorcs,"tomusiv. "Annales Uhonienses," pp. 54, 55.
'• See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armngh," chap, i. , p. 93.
's See William M. Heniiessy's edition, pp. 108, 109.
-6 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 292, 293, and n. (z), ibid.
'? See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition, ® See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," pp. 13S, 139.
Septima Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars. lu. , p. 294.
9SeeHarris'Ware,vol. i. , "Archbishops of Armagh, "p. 40.
'° The " Annales Ultonienses," however, have 671, for this date, and they also say, that two Mactallii, sons of . Segen, were de- stroyed in it. See Rev. Dr. O'Conors " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. , p. 59.
^
'^ See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's •' Rerum Hi- bernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. a. d. DCLXX. xvii. "Annales Uhonienses," p. 64.
'9 The Psalter of Cashel is quoted, by Colgan, for this statement. See " Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , p. 294.
^° See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , " Arch- bishops of . '\. rmagh," p. 40.
»< See " De Prcesulibus Hibernice Com- " See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , " Archbishops mentarius, a Prima Gentis Hibernicns ad
of Armagh," ji. 40.
" Venerable Bede states, that it occurred,
on the 3rd of May, at the tenth hour, and in the year 664 ; while, tiie Annals of Ulster have it, on the Kalends of May, at the ninth hour, and by astronomical calculation, Archbishop Usshcr finds, that while iJedeis in error, the Ulster Annals are correct. See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , pp. 490, 491.
'J See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hi-
P'idem Christianam conversione, ad nostra usque tcmpora," per Jacobum Wareuni, Equitem Auratum, p. 5. Dublinii, a. d. 1665, fol.
- See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (z), p. 293.
'' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 13S, 139.
Article II. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr Kelly, p. xxv.
551
Berchen was son to-^dus,of theNan-desii family, in the county of Waterford. * He belonged to the race ofFiacha Suighdhe,3 son to Feidhlimidh Reacht- mhar, son ofTuathal Teachtmhar. Tlie following pedigree of this saint is given by Colgan : St. Berchan, son of ^d, son to Eochod, son of Fidchar, son to Cathchuon, son of Ossan, son to yEnguss, son of Eugene, surnamed Breac, son to Artchorb, son of Fiach,* as we have already stated. The time, when he flourished, can only be approximately estimated, by a study of his pedigree, which ought to bring him to the sixth or seventh century. The BollandistsS have inserted the feast of Berchanus of Cluain-Caoi, at the 24th of May, as laid down in various Irish records. His exact locality has not been ascer- tained ; but, its modern equivalent in Irish topography may be sought, proba- bly, in one of the many places, called Clonkee o'" Cloonkee, Clonkeenor Cloonkeen. TheoriginalIrishwordCluain-caoinmeansinEnglish"abeau- tiful meadow. "^ This day is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,? Ber- chan of Cluain Caoi. In the table,^ postfixed to this Martyrology, his name has been Latinized Barachianus. It is probable, this is the saint, named Mobecce,5intheIntroductiontothiswork,atthe24thofMay.
'° Hisme- mory was celebrated in Cluain Chaoi, on this day," but, we know of nothing more concerning him.
Article III. — St. Aidhbe, Bishop and Abbot of Tir-da-glass, NOW Terryglass, County of Tipperary. The festival of Aidbe, styled the Northern, is entered in the " Feilire "' of St. ^ngus, at the 24th of May. The commentator, on that copy of it found in the " Leabhar Breac," appears tohavehadmuchdoubt,regardinghisidentity; for,heindulgesinmanycon-
jectural speculations, about Aidbe and his place. ^ Under this form of name, however, we find it difficult to discover his period. Perhaps, he was that Aithchen, Abbot of Terryglass, whose death has been recorded, in the
^ It is so stated, in the " Menologium "Augustine the bishop, Ermes abbot of
Genealogicum," cap. 16.
3 He is regarded as the head of the Desii
tribe.
• See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernije,"
XV. Januarii, Vita S. Itae, Appendix, cap. ii. , p. 73.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 270.
* See Dr. Patrick W. Joyce's " Origin and History of Irish Names of Places," part ii. , chap, vii. , p. 227.
7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 138, 139-
^ See 2/>id. , pp. 364, 365.
5 In Irish characters TTlobecce.
'° See il>td. , Appendix, p. xlvii.
" See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," XV. Januarii, Vita S. Itce, Appendix, cap. ii. , p. 73. —
great thousands. Colman a beloved pillar, Aidbe the northern of Tir (da-glas. )"
" Transactions of the Royal Irish Aca- demy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxxi.
^ The Irish comments are thus translated into English, by Dr. Whitley Stokes. " ' Aidbe the lo'rdly of Tir^ i. e. , abbot of Tir- da-glas, and there is his church to the south of Imlech. Or it is in Brechmag in Cera in the west of Connaught. Or Aidben is the name of the saint himself. Aidbe, i. e. , alive fire, ab eo quod vivtis in mirabilibus, i. e. , in the tribes of Tir tire in Connaught he is. Brechmag ['Wolf-field'] nomen eivitatis. Vel ^rber is his name because he grants everything for which he is supplicated. " Ibid. , p. xc.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 264, 265.
Article in. ' In the " Leabhar * I'here he is called Aihgionn, Abbot of
Breac " copy, we find the following Irish stanza, with its translation into English, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
•Aujuj'ciii inc epfcop el^n1el' Abb mo|\miLe CoLniAti inrtiAin Age ^XiTDbe cuAcfiAch Ci|\e.
Tierdaglass.
5 There the obit runs : " Mors Maelaich-
lein Tire-da-glass. " "Annales Ultonienses," a. d. dclv. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Re- rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv.
* His feast occurs, in our Calendars, at the 26th of May.
—
May 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
558 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 24
"AnnalsoftheFourMasters,"3ata. d. 650; or, intheClonmacnoiseAnnals,'* at A. D. 652; or, in the " Annals of Ulster,"5 at a. d. 655. If so, he imme- diately succeeded the Abbot St. Colman Stellain,^ whodiedA. D. 625. 7 The holy man's name, recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 24th of May, is written Aedbi, Ab. Tirdaghlas. This religious house was situated, on the sloping ground, high over Lough Derg, in the barony of Lower Ormond, and county of Tipperary. Tlie Bollandists 9 enter his feast, likewise, at this same date, as Aidbeus Abbas Tirdaglassi^e. Here, St. Columba Mac Crim- thann'° had founded a monastery, before the middle of the sixth century. " In the year 842,'^ 843,'3 or 845,''^ the Scandinavians, Gentiles, or foreigners, who were then very powerful in Ireland, assaulted and destroyed the strongly fortified Dun-Masc, or Dunamase,^^ where Aedh, son of Dubdhachrich, Abbot of 'i"ir-da-glass and of Cluain-eidhneach, was taken prisoner ; and, they car- ried him into Munster, wliere he suffered martyrdom for the sake of God. Besides the fact, that he lived later than the time when St. ^ngus composed his " Feilire," the festival accorded him is at the 8th of July. Tlie present insignificant village of Terryglass rises over a small stream, which enters the Shannon, at Lough Derg, a little distance above the old castle,'^ on the north- eastern bank of this large sheet of water. The old graveyard, beside the village, has been long tenanted with the dead; but, no very ancient monuments arenowvisible. However,withintheadjoiningenclosureofaCatholicchapel, appears the pedestal of an old Irish cross, with a morticed hole drilled to receivetheshaft,whichhasnotbeenpreserved. Wearetold,thatnotonestone of the original building can there be seen, but that its site is now occupied, by the remains of a church, belonging to the fourteenth or fifteenth century. '^ Only the nave remains, and in a bad state of preservation ; it is 42 feet, in length, and 27 feet, 8 inches, in breadth, its walls being 3 feet, 4 inches, in thickness. '^ That old building, '9 near the modern Protestant church, with two gables and a side wall standing, seems the most ancient erection now visible in this place. The limestone walls are built of massive stones. There an ancient and a narrow square door can be traced under one gable, while in the opposite wall appears a well turned Gothic choir-arch. ^° At an opposite side
'See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni- cum," p. 676.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxv.
9 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints. p. 270. '"His feast occurs, at the 13th of Decern-
ber.
" See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 676.
" According to the chronology of the Clon-
macnoise Annals.
'3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 464 to 467, and n. (a), ibid.
'* According to William M. Hennessy's *' Chronicum Scotorum," pp. 144, 145.
'5 In the parish of Dysartcnos, Queen's County.
•* Known as Old Court, described and pic- tured in "The Dublin Penny Journal," vol. ii. . No. 75. p. 181.
'' See " Letters containing Information re- lative to the Antiquities of the County of Tip- perary, collected during the l"'rogrcss o{ the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. ii. Letter of John O'Donovan from Nenagh, and dated
October iglh, 1840, p. 60.
"* See ibid. , pp. 6o, 6i:
'' The accompanying illustration is from a
drawing taken on the spot, by the writer, in June, 18S5. It has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
-" It measures 9 feet, 10 inches, in width, and 13 feet, in height, according to John O'Donovan.
-' Thisissaidtooccupythesiteofthegreat college of Tirdaglass, and it is believed to have had a garrison in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to secure the pass of the Shannon against the Connauglu rebels, according to the statement of John O'Donovan, when writing from the place.
"" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 1 38, 139.
-^ See " Troceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSB. Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 130, 131.
'••Or at i. x. Kalend. Junii "Item apud Hiberniam Sanctorum Confessorum Athbi et Colmani. "—Bishop Foibes' " Kalcndars of Scottish Saints," p. 14.
—
May 24. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of the graveyard, there is a vast quadrangle enclosing a vegetable garden, and surrounded by high ivy-covered walls, with the remains of a square ruined bell-toweratoneoftheangles. -^ Theexteriorwallsonlyremain,withsome perforations for doors and windows ; so that, it is now impossible to trace the interior plan of this ancient religious foundation. The present St. Aidhbe, Bishop and Abbot of Tir-da-glass, had veneration given him, on this the 24th dayofMay,asweread,likewise,intheMartyrologyofDonegal. ^^ Likewise under the head of Tir-da-glas, Duald Mac Firbis enters Aidhbhe, bishop and
Terryglass Church Ruins, County of Tipperary.
abbot of Tir-da-glas, at May 24th. =5 He was venerated, in like manner, in Scotland. The Calendar of Drummond enters, at the 24th of May,^+ the feast of this saint, as Athbi, together with St. Colman.
Article IV. St. Stellan, of Inis Celtra, now Innis-cealtra, County of Galway. Veneration was given to Stellan of Inis Celtra, at this date, as we find recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh. ^ His place was on an Island, in Lough Dearg. It is now the denomination of a parish, in the county of Galway. Here, it is said, St. Caimin ^ laid the foundations of a
Article iv. Edited by Dr. Kelly, p. XXV.
' See an account of him, in the Third yolume of this work, at Marcli 24th, Art. ii.
3 See I'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's " Histoire de rirlande, Ancienne et Moderne," tome i. , Seconde Partie, chap, iii. , p.
Strasburgh of eight years.
CtDenty. fciurtf) ©ay of |Hap,
ARTICLE I. —ST. SEGINEUS, OR SEGIN, ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH. SEVENTH CENTURY.
AS first in dignity of those saints, whose names belong to this date, the holy Archprelate Segineus deserves the first notice. The simple entry, Segin, Airdmacha, appears in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at this day. The Bol- landists ^ enter a festival for Segineus, also, at the 24th of May, on the same authority. There is a St. Segineus, son of Ronan, son to Loarn, son of Fergus, son to Conall Gulban, according to the pedigree of Seluacuis, and the "SanctilogiumGenealogicum. "3 Colganseemstothink,hemayhavebeen the present prelate. ^ This saint is said to have been from Achadh-Claidhibh —rendered Aghaclive—the situation of which does not seem to have been
dists4
—who notice what Dempster and Ferrarius state at the 23rd of May
* Thus: " Territorio Argentinensi natalis Fidelis Eremitoe, qui Sancto Florentio sem- per adh^sit, et eo ad honorem episcopalem assumpto, ipse quoque Archidiaconatum ad- ministravit. B. "—Bishop Forbes' " Ka- lendars of Scottish Saints," p. 200.
? See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco-
torum," tomus i. , lib. vi. , num. 519, p.
5 Considering Dempster's character for
veracity, it is quite amusing to read his re-
marks, in reference to his St. Fidelis :
" Errat vero toto coelo Henricus Fitzsinion
Hirl. mdus, qui cumineptissimumet frigidis-
simum catalogum contexuisset, hunc cum Kelly, p. xxv.
Montmorency, Father Godefrid Henschenn had prepared this work for publication, when some relics of St. Florentius had been transferred from the Island to the Jesuits' church. "
•* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 235.
S. Fidolo confudit, qui retate, officio, loco, et cultu longe differunt ; consulet ille ergo ccecus suum oculatissimum Witum, qui cor- nicum oculos configat. "
== See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 270.
^ Cap. i.
285.
** See "A Dictionary of Christian Biogra-
phy, &c. , edited by William Smith, LL. D. , and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. ii. , p. 541.
Article I. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr.
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 24.
discovered. 5 He was born, probably, about the beginning of the seventh century. Of his earlier years and education we have no account. The com- mentator on the Table subjoined to the Martyrology of Donegal has it stated, that the term of office for Seighin, Bishop of Ardmacha, commenced in the year 641, or 644 ;^ but, this appears to be a date much too early for his in- cumbency. Duringtheyearspecified,ThomainMacRonanwasinposses- sion. When Tomain,7 who ruled over the Church of Armagh as Bishop, died,A. D. 660,^Segineuswaschosentosucceedhim,a. d. 661. 9 Theyears of his Archiepiscopate are periods of sore trial, for in 670,'° and again, in 687," the city of Armagh was consumed by accidental fire. During his pri- macy took place that remarkable eclipse of the sun,'^ in the year 663, '3 fol- lowed by a summer, when the sky seemed to be on fire, and during the Kalends of August, an awful mortality swept off multitudes of the people in Ireland,asalsoinEngland. '» Theyear684,isthatassignedfortheQuiesof Segene, Bishop of Ardmacha, in the " Chronicum Scotorum. "'5 The "Annals of the Four Masters" place his death, at a. d. 686. '^ The Martyrology of Donegalhasita. d. 687,'7andthisagreeswiththeAnnalsofUlster. '^ Segin is said to have governed his diocese twenty-seven years, '9 and to have died, on the 24tli of May, a. d. 688,^° which is the date given for it by Sir James Ware,''' and which an excellent authority pronounces to have been the true year. ^' According to the Martyrology of Donegal,^3 veneration was given on this day to Seighin, Bishop of Ard Macha.
Article II. St, Berchan, of Cluain Caoi. The Martyrology of Tallagh ^ simply enters the name Berchan, Cluna cai, at the 24th of May. St.
556
* See "Trias TIiaumaturfTa," Quarta Ap- pendixadActaS. ColumbK, cap. iii. , num. 38, p. 482, andz7^/rf'. , cap. X. , num. 103, p. 492.
5 See Rev. Robert King's " Memoir Intro- ductory to the Early History of tlie Primacy of Armagh," p. 69.
* See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition, pp. 468, 469.
7 See his Life, in the First Volume of this work, at the loth of January, Art. ii.
bernicarumScriptorcs,"tomusiv. "Annales Uhonienses," pp. 54, 55.
'• See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armngh," chap, i. , p. 93.
's See William M. Heniiessy's edition, pp. 108, 109.
-6 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 292, 293, and n. (z), ibid.
'? See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition, ® See Colgan's " Trias Thaumaturga," pp. 13S, 139.
Septima Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars. lu. , p. 294.
9SeeHarris'Ware,vol. i. , "Archbishops of Armagh, "p. 40.
'° The " Annales Ultonienses," however, have 671, for this date, and they also say, that two Mactallii, sons of . Segen, were de- stroyed in it. See Rev. Dr. O'Conors " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. , p. 59.
^
'^ See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's •' Rerum Hi- bernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. a. d. DCLXX. xvii. "Annales Uhonienses," p. 64.
'9 The Psalter of Cashel is quoted, by Colgan, for this statement. See " Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, pars, iii. , p. 294.
^° See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , " Arch- bishops of . '\. rmagh," p. 40.
»< See " De Prcesulibus Hibernice Com- " See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , " Archbishops mentarius, a Prima Gentis Hibernicns ad
of Armagh," ji. 40.
" Venerable Bede states, that it occurred,
on the 3rd of May, at the tenth hour, and in the year 664 ; while, tiie Annals of Ulster have it, on the Kalends of May, at the ninth hour, and by astronomical calculation, Archbishop Usshcr finds, that while iJedeis in error, the Ulster Annals are correct. See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , pp. 490, 491.
'J See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hi-
P'idem Christianam conversione, ad nostra usque tcmpora," per Jacobum Wareuni, Equitem Auratum, p. 5. Dublinii, a. d. 1665, fol.
- See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (z), p. 293.
'' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 13S, 139.
Article II. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr Kelly, p. xxv.
551
Berchen was son to-^dus,of theNan-desii family, in the county of Waterford. * He belonged to the race ofFiacha Suighdhe,3 son to Feidhlimidh Reacht- mhar, son ofTuathal Teachtmhar. Tlie following pedigree of this saint is given by Colgan : St. Berchan, son of ^d, son to Eochod, son of Fidchar, son to Cathchuon, son of Ossan, son to yEnguss, son of Eugene, surnamed Breac, son to Artchorb, son of Fiach,* as we have already stated. The time, when he flourished, can only be approximately estimated, by a study of his pedigree, which ought to bring him to the sixth or seventh century. The BollandistsS have inserted the feast of Berchanus of Cluain-Caoi, at the 24th of May, as laid down in various Irish records. His exact locality has not been ascer- tained ; but, its modern equivalent in Irish topography may be sought, proba- bly, in one of the many places, called Clonkee o'" Cloonkee, Clonkeenor Cloonkeen. TheoriginalIrishwordCluain-caoinmeansinEnglish"abeau- tiful meadow. "^ This day is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,? Ber- chan of Cluain Caoi. In the table,^ postfixed to this Martyrology, his name has been Latinized Barachianus. It is probable, this is the saint, named Mobecce,5intheIntroductiontothiswork,atthe24thofMay.
'° Hisme- mory was celebrated in Cluain Chaoi, on this day," but, we know of nothing more concerning him.
Article III. — St. Aidhbe, Bishop and Abbot of Tir-da-glass, NOW Terryglass, County of Tipperary. The festival of Aidbe, styled the Northern, is entered in the " Feilire "' of St. ^ngus, at the 24th of May. The commentator, on that copy of it found in the " Leabhar Breac," appears tohavehadmuchdoubt,regardinghisidentity; for,heindulgesinmanycon-
jectural speculations, about Aidbe and his place. ^ Under this form of name, however, we find it difficult to discover his period. Perhaps, he was that Aithchen, Abbot of Terryglass, whose death has been recorded, in the
^ It is so stated, in the " Menologium "Augustine the bishop, Ermes abbot of
Genealogicum," cap. 16.
3 He is regarded as the head of the Desii
tribe.
• See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernije,"
XV. Januarii, Vita S. Itae, Appendix, cap. ii. , p. 73.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 270.
* See Dr. Patrick W. Joyce's " Origin and History of Irish Names of Places," part ii. , chap, vii. , p. 227.
7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 138, 139-
^ See 2/>id. , pp. 364, 365.
5 In Irish characters TTlobecce.
'° See il>td. , Appendix, p. xlvii.
" See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," XV. Januarii, Vita S. Itce, Appendix, cap. ii. , p. 73. —
great thousands. Colman a beloved pillar, Aidbe the northern of Tir (da-glas. )"
" Transactions of the Royal Irish Aca- demy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxxi.
^ The Irish comments are thus translated into English, by Dr. Whitley Stokes. " ' Aidbe the lo'rdly of Tir^ i. e. , abbot of Tir- da-glas, and there is his church to the south of Imlech. Or it is in Brechmag in Cera in the west of Connaught. Or Aidben is the name of the saint himself. Aidbe, i. e. , alive fire, ab eo quod vivtis in mirabilibus, i. e. , in the tribes of Tir tire in Connaught he is. Brechmag ['Wolf-field'] nomen eivitatis. Vel ^rber is his name because he grants everything for which he is supplicated. " Ibid. , p. xc.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 264, 265.
Article in. ' In the " Leabhar * I'here he is called Aihgionn, Abbot of
Breac " copy, we find the following Irish stanza, with its translation into English, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
•Aujuj'ciii inc epfcop el^n1el' Abb mo|\miLe CoLniAti inrtiAin Age ^XiTDbe cuAcfiAch Ci|\e.
Tierdaglass.
5 There the obit runs : " Mors Maelaich-
lein Tire-da-glass. " "Annales Ultonienses," a. d. dclv. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Re- rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv.
* His feast occurs, in our Calendars, at the 26th of May.
—
May 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
558 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 24
"AnnalsoftheFourMasters,"3ata. d. 650; or, intheClonmacnoiseAnnals,'* at A. D. 652; or, in the " Annals of Ulster,"5 at a. d. 655. If so, he imme- diately succeeded the Abbot St. Colman Stellain,^ whodiedA. D. 625. 7 The holy man's name, recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 24th of May, is written Aedbi, Ab. Tirdaghlas. This religious house was situated, on the sloping ground, high over Lough Derg, in the barony of Lower Ormond, and county of Tipperary. Tlie Bollandists 9 enter his feast, likewise, at this same date, as Aidbeus Abbas Tirdaglassi^e. Here, St. Columba Mac Crim- thann'° had founded a monastery, before the middle of the sixth century. " In the year 842,'^ 843,'3 or 845,''^ the Scandinavians, Gentiles, or foreigners, who were then very powerful in Ireland, assaulted and destroyed the strongly fortified Dun-Masc, or Dunamase,^^ where Aedh, son of Dubdhachrich, Abbot of 'i"ir-da-glass and of Cluain-eidhneach, was taken prisoner ; and, they car- ried him into Munster, wliere he suffered martyrdom for the sake of God. Besides the fact, that he lived later than the time when St. ^ngus composed his " Feilire," the festival accorded him is at the 8th of July. Tlie present insignificant village of Terryglass rises over a small stream, which enters the Shannon, at Lough Derg, a little distance above the old castle,'^ on the north- eastern bank of this large sheet of water. The old graveyard, beside the village, has been long tenanted with the dead; but, no very ancient monuments arenowvisible. However,withintheadjoiningenclosureofaCatholicchapel, appears the pedestal of an old Irish cross, with a morticed hole drilled to receivetheshaft,whichhasnotbeenpreserved. Wearetold,thatnotonestone of the original building can there be seen, but that its site is now occupied, by the remains of a church, belonging to the fourteenth or fifteenth century. '^ Only the nave remains, and in a bad state of preservation ; it is 42 feet, in length, and 27 feet, 8 inches, in breadth, its walls being 3 feet, 4 inches, in thickness. '^ That old building, '9 near the modern Protestant church, with two gables and a side wall standing, seems the most ancient erection now visible in this place. The limestone walls are built of massive stones. There an ancient and a narrow square door can be traced under one gable, while in the opposite wall appears a well turned Gothic choir-arch. ^° At an opposite side
'See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni- cum," p. 676.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxv.
9 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. , Maii xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints. p. 270. '"His feast occurs, at the 13th of Decern-
ber.
" See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 676.
" According to the chronology of the Clon-
macnoise Annals.
'3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 464 to 467, and n. (a), ibid.
'* According to William M. Hennessy's *' Chronicum Scotorum," pp. 144, 145.
'5 In the parish of Dysartcnos, Queen's County.
•* Known as Old Court, described and pic- tured in "The Dublin Penny Journal," vol. ii. . No. 75. p. 181.
'' See " Letters containing Information re- lative to the Antiquities of the County of Tip- perary, collected during the l"'rogrcss o{ the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. ii. Letter of John O'Donovan from Nenagh, and dated
October iglh, 1840, p. 60.
"* See ibid. , pp. 6o, 6i:
'' The accompanying illustration is from a
drawing taken on the spot, by the writer, in June, 18S5. It has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
-" It measures 9 feet, 10 inches, in width, and 13 feet, in height, according to John O'Donovan.
-' Thisissaidtooccupythesiteofthegreat college of Tirdaglass, and it is believed to have had a garrison in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, to secure the pass of the Shannon against the Connauglu rebels, according to the statement of John O'Donovan, when writing from the place.
"" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 1 38, 139.
-^ See " Troceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSB. Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 130, 131.
'••Or at i. x. Kalend. Junii "Item apud Hiberniam Sanctorum Confessorum Athbi et Colmani. "—Bishop Foibes' " Kalcndars of Scottish Saints," p. 14.
—
May 24. LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of the graveyard, there is a vast quadrangle enclosing a vegetable garden, and surrounded by high ivy-covered walls, with the remains of a square ruined bell-toweratoneoftheangles. -^ Theexteriorwallsonlyremain,withsome perforations for doors and windows ; so that, it is now impossible to trace the interior plan of this ancient religious foundation. The present St. Aidhbe, Bishop and Abbot of Tir-da-glass, had veneration given him, on this the 24th dayofMay,asweread,likewise,intheMartyrologyofDonegal. ^^ Likewise under the head of Tir-da-glas, Duald Mac Firbis enters Aidhbhe, bishop and
Terryglass Church Ruins, County of Tipperary.
abbot of Tir-da-glas, at May 24th. =5 He was venerated, in like manner, in Scotland. The Calendar of Drummond enters, at the 24th of May,^+ the feast of this saint, as Athbi, together with St. Colman.
Article IV. St. Stellan, of Inis Celtra, now Innis-cealtra, County of Galway. Veneration was given to Stellan of Inis Celtra, at this date, as we find recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh. ^ His place was on an Island, in Lough Dearg. It is now the denomination of a parish, in the county of Galway. Here, it is said, St. Caimin ^ laid the foundations of a
Article iv. Edited by Dr. Kelly, p. XXV.
' See an account of him, in the Third yolume of this work, at Marcli 24th, Art. ii.
3 See I'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's " Histoire de rirlande, Ancienne et Moderne," tome i. , Seconde Partie, chap, iii. , p.
