At that time, the smoke and the flame began to come out through the openings ; the neighbours in the circuit adjoining that house began to remove their effects, having
despaired
of saving their own houses.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
The old watercourse is something more than a mile in length, and not seven miles, as stated in his Life ; the seven had reference to the number of years he was engaged upon it.
22 See Very Rev. Michael Comerford's
" Collections relating to the Diocese of Kil-
dareand Leighlin," vol. hi. , pp. 308, 309. 2J The accompanying illustration has been drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake- man, and it has been engraved by Mrs. Mil-
lard.
24 An old custom is preserved here, at
funerals, as in many other old burial places,
a Dun Mullins, great
702 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June 17.
rior or chieftain of pagan antiquity. From this moat, a fine view may be obtained and embracing the old monastic ruins, the River Barrow flowing majestically on to the sea, with its elevated and richly wooded banks. It is joined at this spot by an humble tributary. This rivulet passes through a deep ravine, from the village of Glyn to St. Mullins. This is only the distance of one mile, and it presents many points of attraction 10 lovers of the pic-
26 to build an edifice for the honour of God in his own turesque. Wishing
monastery, a skilful builder was employed by the holy Abbot, and he began to do the work, which was ordered. That builder went on a certain day, together with his workmen, into a wood to cut timber for the use of that edifice. Hacking during the whole day a very large oak, about evening that tree fell precipitately, and contrary to their will, into the ditches and the dense wood of a very rough valley. The tradesmen could by no means split it there, or take it thence. Seeing this failure, alter much and useless labour, the workers
St. Molyng said to his workmen " Go and divide your log, which has been
:
brought to the port of our monastery, owing to the flood-tide and through
Divineagency. " Theyandothersranthither,andimmediatelyonwitnessing that miracle, they blessed God and their saint. 38
The holy bishop entertained a great love for and a most respectful homage towards the Most Blessed Trinity, as a result of his deep reli- gious feeling. The following is an instance furnished. At one time, he had employed a famous builder, who addressed his workmen at the early
:
dawnofday "Letusbeginourwork,inthenameoftheFatherandofthe
Son. " He omitted the name of the Holy Ghost. St. Molyng who was pre-
returned sad to their home. However, St. Molyng cried out
cheer, for this has been effected by the will of God. " Afterwards, the blessed man poured forth a prayer to the Lord, that he would assist and comfort his workmen. Whereupon, the good God, on account of the prayer of his servant, caused that log to be removed from its place in the River Berba. 2? When it had come in, the tide carried that tree to its proper place. In the morning,
"
duringthisday. " Nextmorning,thesamebuildersaidtohisworkmen,and
in like manner " In the name of the Father and of the Son, let us rise and
:
begin. " The Bishop again interposed : " Bathe to-day, and refresh your bodies. " On the third day, the builder said: "Rise speedily, as for these two days we have been sufficiently refreshed, and let us work in the name of the Father and of the Son. " On hearing this, St. Molyng interfered in a similarmanner. Andsoitwasdoneforaconsiderabletime,whilethesaint gavethelabourersdietandwages,asiftheyworked. Theyallwondered,
as " On the top of the moat maybe seen the Kildare and Leighlin," vol. iii. , pp. 314,
sent
replied :
To-day
you shall not
begin,
but whet
your
iron
implements
foundations of a building, probably a fort or
315.
breastwork constructed by the banes while "7 The Latin is M lignum. " Allusion is
"
in possession of St. Mullins ; they usually here made, probably, to the great yew
took advantage of those old pagan monu- ments when waging war against the native
Irish, and in this place could, by turning the water of St. Moling's mill-race into the surrounding trench, have made it a formida- ble fortress, at a time when the arrow and celt or spear were —the only known imple- ments of wariare. " "Ancient Life of St. Molyng," by Patrick O'Leaiy, pp. 8, 9,, and Notes (g), pp. 33, 34 (/), p. 3/ ; also, Ap- pendix, pp. 48, 49, 50, 52.
36 See Very Rev. Michael Comerford's •'Collections relating to the Diocese of
tree of Let hglen, known as the to Kossa, which fell, and St. Molaise divided it among
the saints of Ireland, and St. Moling having claimed his share sent lor the famous artist Goban to construct an oratory lor him of the wood. " —
:
Leslie " of Stephen's Dictionary
National Biography," vol. xiii. , p. 3S0.
28
It is said, parts of that timber were in the house ol God, when the author ol St. Moling's ancient Life had been written. It is probable, the tree was oak, which lasts for centuries in a dry place, and time appeals to have hardly any effect on Irish bog-oak.
M Be of good
June 17. ] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS.
703
not knowing the cause for their idleness ; but, the saint was unwilling to dis- close to them the reason, until the builder should make mention of the Holy Ghost. Bydivinegrace,hewasatlastinspired,andonacertainmorninghe
:
said "Inthenameofthe
saidwithacheerfulcountenance "
: To-day, you ought
Father,
let us begin on this good day our work. "
Holy Ghost, The holy bishop on hearing this
andofthe andofthe Son,
this day, the grace of the Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, has appeared to you. " Then, knowing that the holy father Molyng had hindered the builder, because their master did not say on every day, of the Holy Ghost, together with the mention of the Father and of the Son, all glorified the bishop, because he would labour only in the name of the Most
Holy Trinity.
At a certain time, the pious senior Molyng had assembled several persons
to remove a great rock from its place. This was an obstruction on a certain highway. Wishing to displace that stone, but being in no manner able, the
LagenianKing,whowasnamedDesgabur,cametothatspotoneday. The holy bishop Molyng applied to him, that with his army he would try to remove the stone from that road. Willingly the king and his army prepared for the work ; and, all began with the greatest labour and sweat to effect removal of
2
that stone. 9 Their efforts, however, were unavailing. Having declined to
continue the work with human assistance, St. Molyng entreated the Almighty that the barrier might be removed. On that very night, it was found, that through Divine aid, it had been fixed in the very place desired by St. Molyng. That king and all others, who knew and heard of this extraordinary miracle, effected through the holy man's prayers, gave praises to God. On a certain occasion, also, a great stone had been carried to St. Molyng by many persons; but, when near his monastery, it fell on the ground off the waggon, and it broke into two parts. The bishop had desired to make a dial of that stone. The carriers and craftsmen greatly lamented such an occurrence. However, going towards the broken stone, St. Molyng marked it with a sign of the cross. Owing to a prayer, which he offered, on the morrow that stone was found to be joined together, as if it had never been broken . 3° It was converted into
1
One day, while Molyng sat on the bank of the river, before his monastery, a certain woman approached him. The wretched mother bore a son lying dead onherbosom. SheentreatedthemanofGodwithearnestprayer,andin tears, that he would resuscitate her only son, who was very young, from death.
: ThemanofGod,mistrustfulofhisownmerits,saidtoher "Itisnotmy
province, woman, but bury him, and pray to God for yourself and for him. " The saint of God was unwilling, that the fame of raising the dead should be spread abroad. Seeing that St. Molyng was hesitating to resuscitate her son, that woman cast the cold corpse from her arms, and it fell on the saint's bosom. Beinggreatlyastonished,heimmediatelythrewthecorpseintotheriver. The holy man afterwards touching that boy, he was resuscitated instantly through the power of God. He began to swim skilfully, of which art he was ignorant before, and he went straight to St. Molyng. The holy bishop, seeing him alive and swimming, took him up cheerfully out of the water. Then, the saint
torum Hibernise," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. Opera Caroli de Smedt et Josephi de Backer, e soc. Jesu, Acta Sancti Moling,
•
3* The writer of the old Lite ot bt. Molyng, in the Liber Kilkennensis, relates, it was to be seen in his tune.
a dial, and for a long time subsequent, the mark of that breakage was visible. 3 Those who had before grieved at the accident, then rejoiced exceedingly.
=5 la the Legend of our saint's Life, as
published in the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto-
rum," this action is attributed to the Ossorian
army. See tomus iii. , Junii xvii. De S. num. 2, col. 820.
Molingo sive Dayrgello, Episcopo Fernensi
in Hibernia, num. 2, p. 409.
30 See the Marquis of Bute's ' ' Acta Sane-
to becauseon begin,
704 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 17.
returned that boy to his mother, giving thanks to Christ. She who had come in
thegreatestgrief, whencarryingthedeadcorpse,returnedhomeveryjoyfulwith her son revived. Walking with her on their way home, she magnified God and the merits of his saint. Another boy, and a paralytic, who was leprous, blind, dumb, and lame, with his parents hardly able to feed him, was brought to St. Molyng, that he might be cured in the name of Christ. This lie undertook to do. 32 Then, St. Molyng warmed a caldron full of water, while the other brethrenwereengagedatotheroccupations. ThemanofGod,seeingtheboy's wretchedness, took him and put him into the water, and immediately he was healed from all his infirmities. Being restored, he gave thanks to God. He then returned to his own people.
During the time of St. Moling, the people of Ossory, who lived in the
western tract of Leinster, and on the borders of Munster, owed allegiance to
the King of Leinster. However, owing to some unexplained cause, they re-
belledagainsthisauthority. Accordingly,theKingoftheLageniansmarched to attack them with an army, and he devastated the country of Ossory. 33 He
brought from it great plunder, with preys of herds and flocks. Whereupon, greatly commiserating the people who had been plundered, his sense of justice and of compassion having been greatly excited, St. Molyng went forth from his place to meet the Lagenians. Praying and looking up to Heaven, he stood opposed to the cattle. The army could neither urge the animals forward by cries nor by lashes, so long as he remained there, and the Leinster people all believed, that Heaven was not on their side. Accordingly, they resolved to deliver all their preys and plunder to St. Molyng. These he afterwards returned to the Ossorians. Ho\ve\er, as a reward for their ready compliance, he blessed the Lagenians, and he assured them, that the Ossorians should
soon become subject to them. This prediction came to pass. According to a local tradition,35 the foregoing occurrences happened at a place, where, to commemorate the event, St. Moyling afterward built a little church or oratory, called Thornpie na-bo, or the Church of the Cows. There,36 as it
"
3* See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus iii. , Junii xvii. De S. Molingo sive
Dayrgello, Fpiscopo Fernensi in Hibemia, Vita ex nostro MS. Salmanticensi, num. 5,
trust in God, and going out from his monas- tery, he met the cattle coming near the top of
thehillofThomple-na-bo,andmakingthesign of the cross at the place, the cattle all com- menced 'gadding,' so that all the king's
6, p. 409.
33 At the year 688, in the Annals of army couldn't get any good of them ; and
Clonmacnoise," there is an account of a battle between the Leinstermen and those of Ossory. In the " Annals of the Four Masters," it is placed at a. d. 690. See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 294, 295. In the " Annals of Ulster," it is noticed, at A. D. 692. We cannot assume, however, that this was the strife to which refeience is made.
34 See Mr. Patrick O'Leary's "Ancient
Life of St. Molyng," pp. 10 to 15.
35 According to Mr. Patrick O'Leary, this is still quaintly told by the old people, and it re-
fers to the event as given in the Life of our saint: " The king's arm had collected all the cattle of the whoL- country and were driving
'
them down to St. Mullins to 'cant them on
the poor widow woman, seeing the miracle
that was performed, ran dow n to St. Moling,
and said she ' haun bowling anttuith' {i. e. ,
the day is with us). And the king's army
had to leave all the cattle thereto the saint,
who got the cow for the poor w idow, and re-
turned the rest to their rightful owners.
And St. Moling built a little church or ora-
tory, on the spot where the cattle stopped,
and it was called 'Thomple-na-bo,' or the
the for the tax, and at that time ' green
be still traced, by the side of the road near
the top of the big hill, and at your right hand side going to Graig. The townland on which it stood takes its name from it, and the steep hill is called the hdl of Thomple- na-bo. " See " Ancient Life of St.
Molyng,"
Note (g), pp. 41. 42-
36 In former times, funerals on the way to
St. Mullins used to stop here while a prayer would be offered up lor the soul of the de- ceased, and unbaptized infants were buried at this place. See ibid.
they wouldn't lave a man a penn'orth,' but they'd take; when a poor widow woman, whose only cow had been taken, came to St. Moling and implored him to get her cow for her, as she had no other support in the wide world. He sent her away, telling her to pray and
"
'
Church of the Cows. ' The ruins of this can
June 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 705
shouldseem,thecattlewerereleased. Atonetime,whileSt. Molyngwasat Fearna, a fire chanced to break out in a house, that had been firmly closed.
It so happened, that its occupants had gone abroad, and they incautiously leftfireinthehouseduringtheirabsence. Theirneighbourswishedtoenter
into the house, to extinguish the fire; but, they could not by any means. Then, a clamour and great tumult arising, the people of the city came and began to break open the house.
At that time, the smoke and the flame began to come out through the openings ; the neighbours in the circuit adjoining that house began to remove their effects, having despaired of saving their own houses. Hearing of this danger, St. Molyng went thither, and without showing any fear, he approached to the door of that house, which had been closed on the inside. Placing his hand against the fastenings, the door was instantly opened, and he went inside. A great volume of smoke, mixed with flames, then came out through the door, and permitted no one to approach any nearer. Thepeoplebegantoweepandtocryaloud,notonaccountofthefire, but thinking that their holy bishop must have been consumed, on the inside, while they were in no manner able to relieve him. Being protected by the grace of the Holy Spirit from the smoke and the flames—as formerly the holy
Imme-
diately praying, and making the holy sign on the house, however, the fire was
totallyextinguishedthroughthegoodnessofGod. Agreatpartofthehouse
had been burned during this conflagration. When the smoke and flames
vanished,manypersonsenteredintothehouse. Seeingthefireextinguished and the saint safe and untouched by the fire, they set up a shout of rejoicing,
and in praise of God. Being grateful for this merciful interposition, they glorified Christ and his holy servant. Then all returned to their homes.
Unless on Sundays and chief Festivals, St. Molyng fasted daily until sun-
8
set ; but when guests or pilgrims came to him, he relaxed such observance^ In imitation of Christ with his disciples, the holy Bishop was in the habit of waiting for those strangers, that they might eat together with himself.
CHAPTER III.
ST. MOLYNG'S VISION AFTER ST. FECHIN'S DEATH—THE BORUMHA-LAIGHEAN OR LEINSTER TRIBUTE—ST. MOLYNG PROCURES ITS REMISSION—HE OBTAINS THE RELEASE OF A CAPTIVE—LEGENDARY ACCOUNTS OF THE HOLY ABBOT—HIS PRO- PHECIES—HIS KINDLINESS TOWARDS IRRATIONAL ANIMALS—PUNISHMENT OF PRIDE AND REWARD OF HUMILITY.
It is greatly to be regretted, that so many fa—lse traditions have crept into the
from true romantic
children in the furnace—the venerable senior remained uninjured.
37
various stupid bardic and prosaic inventions so remote
fancies—
legend—ofnoauthenticityhowever makesSt. Ciaran contemporary Moling, which is not very likely, as St. Ciaran must have been deceased more than onehundredyearsbeforeSt. Molingwasborn. 1 Havingperseveredinprayerfor
the —Abbot and Bishop. Thus, an Ossory regarding present holy
37 Seethe Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
rum," tomus iii. , Junii xvii. De S. Molingo sive Dayrgello, Episcopo Fernensi in Hiber- nia. Vita ex nostro MS. Salmanticensi, num. 2, p. 409.
38 See Mr. Patrick O'Leary's "Ancient Life of St. Molyng," pp. 15 to 17.
x
Chapteriil— InFatherJohnFrancis
Shearman's "Loca Patriciana," we read, that St. Ciaran and St. Moling had a dispute about the fishery of the Rivers Barrow and Nore; theymetataplacenowcalled1lg- narinka, near the junction of these waters ; the saint of Ossory, they say, outwitted St.
IY
Vol. VI. —No. 12.
a ofSt.
706 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 17.
a long time, on one occasion, St. Moling had a remarkable vision, after the death of St. Fechin,2 Abbot of Fore, in 664,3 as has been already related in theLifeofthatholyman. Thetruedate,forSt. Molinghavingbeenraised to the episcopacy over Ferns, has been assigned to a. d. 691/
An oppressive tribute, known as the Borumha-Laighean or " Leinster
Tribute," had been imposed by Tuathal, King of Ireland, a. d. 106, in punish- ment for the crime of Eochaidh Aincheann, who was then King of Leinster. Thelatterhadperfidiouslyespoused—butinsuccession—twoofthemonarch's daughters. 5 The monarch Tuathal, having ascertained the injury and insult inflicted by that fraud upon his two daughters, as their untimely death followed the discovery, he forthwith raised a powerful force, and marched into Lein- ster. Tuathal then burned and ravaged the whole province. He likewise compelled the king and his people, to bind themselves and their descendants for ever, to the payment of a triennial tribute, which was to be levied for the monarch of Erinn. 6 This was distinguished as the Borumha, meaning the assessment of cattle. ? For five hundred years, the levying of this degrading and oppressive tribute was the cause of periodical sanguinary conflicts. These continued from Tuathal's time down to the reign of Finnachta Fleadhach,8 or the Festive, who lived contemporaneously with St. Moling. After the death of Aid Mac Ainmire, the tribute was still exacted by successive kings from Colman Rimidh, a. d. 595, down to the time of Blaithmic Sechnasach, a. d. 665. 9 ThelatterdidnotgettheBorumha,tillheassembledthemenofthe North of Ireland. 10 Thus matters went on until the time of Finnac—hta
; if Fleadhach, in whose reign this —vexatious tribute was remitted through
we are to credit the bardic story under circumstances not exactly creditable
to any of the parties concerned. This Finnachta u bore away the Tribute
twice without opposition," but on the third occasion of his coming to exact
it, the Leinstermen rose up against him. Great preparations were made on
both sides, and the Leinstermen were naturally anxious to have the powerful *
Moling ; as St. Ciaran got the salmon in his river the Nore, and the shads betook themselves to the Barrow. It is needless to state, that this story has been coined to ac- count for the abundance of good and rich salmon for which the Nore is noted
after died ofa broken heart,
6
while the Barrow does not possess the reputation of being a river favourable to the culture of
This tribute was to consist of 5,000 ounces of silver, 5,000 cloaks, 5,000 fat cows, 5,000 fat hogs, 5,000 fat wethers, and 5,000 large vessels of brass and bronze. It was known as the Boromean Tribute. It is said to have been so named, owing to —the great number of cows paid through it ho being Irish for cow ; but, as the proportion was equal on all the other items enumerated, we may attribute to bardic exaggeration much that has been stated, in reference to this
word Bovaticum, or "cattle uibute," some- times alluded to.
to be found, in the " Book of Leinster," sometimes called the Book of Glendalough, edited by Robert Atkinson, M. A. , LL. D. It extends from p. 294 to p. 308, but here the Manuscript breaks off abruptly, and the re- mainder of the tale is lost
'°The "Book of Leinster," professing to give an account of these particulars, relates that he sang this lay invoking their advi—ce
the salmon. See No. vi. , p. 94, n. 3.
"See his Life, at the 20th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. ii. ,
chap. iii.
"ActaSanctorumHiber-
3 See
Colgan's
subject.
7 In mediaeval Latin Tracts, we find the
niae," xx. Januarii. Secunda Vita S.
Fechini, cap. 1. , p. 139.
" Ecclesiastical iii. , chap, xviii. , sect, xiii. , p. 132, and n. 170, pp. 134,
135.
s Eochaidh Ainchean married first Dairine\
whom he afterwards confined in a prison, and pretending that she had died, he next asked for and obtained her sister in mar- riage. Dairine escaped from the prison, in which she had been immured, and made her appearance before her faithless husband and his new wife. Seeing her sister, whom she had thought to be dead, still living, owing to the shock, the latter espoused sister fell dead on the spot. The injured wife soon
4 See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
History
Ireland,"
reign,
year 673.
of
8 He to began
vol.
in the
» The History of the Borumha Tribute is
;
Denaid duin bar comairle, &c. See p. 304, b. 2.
and help
"His death is placed in the "Annals
:
1
June 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
707
aid of St. Moling. They requested him to assist at an assembly, which appears
to have been convoked for the purposes of deliberation. This is said to have
beenheld,underthepresidencyofBranUaFaelain,KingofLeinster. 11 St.
Moling willingly accepted that invitation, and on arriving at the place of
assembly, he received a joyous welcome, and he was seated at the king's
side. 12 After some consultation, it was determined, that St. Moling should
become their delegate, and he accepted the commission J 3 entrusted to his
management. Then, King Bran requested him to arise, and to proceed north-
wards on his mission, I4 taking with him the poet Tollcend, who was to go
with him to the house of King Finnachta. ^ St. Moling recited a hymn of 16
Companions were selected, and accordingly they set out for the
praise.
house of Cobthach Mac Colman, and in it they were entertained. It should seem, that the Lagenians had resolved to avail of St. Moling's influence to represent the hardships of their case to the King of Temoria, the Ui Niall.
was there enjoying the annual sports. Knowing the cause for the arrival of St. Molyng and his companions, the Hy-Neill were not in a mood to remove their tribute. J ? The princes and chiefs of the Hy-Neill did not give due honour to St. Molyng, nor would they in any manner remit the debt. But, the kingdidnotgiveanunfavourableanswertotheholyprelate. TheOmnipo- tent Lord, wishing to honour his own bishop, caused heavy rain, mixed with hail, to fall upon his enemies, and did not suffer them to enjoy the sports. This greatly disconcerted them. However, in the place where St. Molyng was, the rain did not descend. Seeing this miracle, they requested St. Molyng
%i
royalfairhadthenbeenassembled. Theking,withhisprincesandchiefs,
Accordingly, deputies
accompanied
of the Four Masters," at A. D. 690. See Dr.
O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 294, 295.
" Then spake King Bran: "What counsel shall we adopt ? shall we make war with Cond's Half? Or shall we go and seek the remission of the Borumha in re- liance on the intercession of the saints? and if it is to be their intercession, whom of the saints of Leinster shall we send to seek the remission ? " This speech of Bran's is then put in the form of a poem, in which Bran asks this question of Tuathal Mac Ailella, and Tuathal replies, that St. Moling is, of course, the most fitting person. Then follows a series of far-fetched eulogistic compari- sons relating to the saints. It begins : "Turchan duin a Thuathail," &c. See p.
305. b. 3.
13 Then, it is related, he made the follow-
ing song, telling of the saints who were ready to go with him on his mission : *' In- mair triar a Christ grind gluair," &c. See p. 305, a. 35. Two stanzas of this poem are given in the Martyrology of Donegal, at May 3rd and at October 8th.
14 King Bran recounted to him the re- wards he would bestow on the saint, ' ' a hood of satin shall be thine," &c, "Eriga
intended to be Tollcend's function, to recite the Song of Praise made by Moling.
16 While Molyng was preparing for his difficult task, he recited a hymn invoking
aid, in the name of the Trinity : "In the Name of the Manhood and the Godhead of
Christ, in the name of the Archangels who are with him in Heaven, and of the twelve chief Apostles who are around his bright face. " " In anmum na Trinoite," &c. See p. 306, a. 20.
"? In the "Martyrology of Donegal," at St. Cuan's festival, October 15th, occurs this entry : St. Moling in the work called "Borumha," mentions the following as having gone with him, to seek a remission from the—Borumha from Finnachta, King
&c. See b. 46. p. 305,
Moiling,"
15 In the house of King Finnachta, it was
x s This word, Borumha, means the Tri- "
them to Onach 18 where a Tailltean,
of Erin
" Dear the three who met the difficulty, Who went with me for my welfare, Dubhtach, Dubhan, who concealed
sorrow,
And Cuan of Clonmore. "
O'Clery adds, in a note : I think the Cluain- more of which he speaks, is Cluain-mor Maedhog in Leinster, In another work, it is stated, that Forannan Bishop of Kildare, and Colman of the Ossorians also accom-
panied
:
St. Moling, on his visit to King Finnachta's court.
18 Now known as Teltown, in the county of Meath.
bute of Oxen. See O'Donovan's Frag-
ments of Annals," pp. 77, 89.
19 680. Inthe It is said, about the year
708 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J une i 7.
to drive away, in the name of the Lord, the rain from them, that they might
exercise themselves in the sports. They promised also to satisfy the saint, after the sports had concluded. Believing them to be in earnest, St. Molyng
prayed to the Lord, and then blessing the heavens, the rain ceased instantly,
andthesunappearedbright.
22 See Very Rev. Michael Comerford's
" Collections relating to the Diocese of Kil-
dareand Leighlin," vol. hi. , pp. 308, 309. 2J The accompanying illustration has been drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake- man, and it has been engraved by Mrs. Mil-
lard.
24 An old custom is preserved here, at
funerals, as in many other old burial places,
a Dun Mullins, great
702 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June 17.
rior or chieftain of pagan antiquity. From this moat, a fine view may be obtained and embracing the old monastic ruins, the River Barrow flowing majestically on to the sea, with its elevated and richly wooded banks. It is joined at this spot by an humble tributary. This rivulet passes through a deep ravine, from the village of Glyn to St. Mullins. This is only the distance of one mile, and it presents many points of attraction 10 lovers of the pic-
26 to build an edifice for the honour of God in his own turesque. Wishing
monastery, a skilful builder was employed by the holy Abbot, and he began to do the work, which was ordered. That builder went on a certain day, together with his workmen, into a wood to cut timber for the use of that edifice. Hacking during the whole day a very large oak, about evening that tree fell precipitately, and contrary to their will, into the ditches and the dense wood of a very rough valley. The tradesmen could by no means split it there, or take it thence. Seeing this failure, alter much and useless labour, the workers
St. Molyng said to his workmen " Go and divide your log, which has been
:
brought to the port of our monastery, owing to the flood-tide and through
Divineagency. " Theyandothersranthither,andimmediatelyonwitnessing that miracle, they blessed God and their saint. 38
The holy bishop entertained a great love for and a most respectful homage towards the Most Blessed Trinity, as a result of his deep reli- gious feeling. The following is an instance furnished. At one time, he had employed a famous builder, who addressed his workmen at the early
:
dawnofday "Letusbeginourwork,inthenameoftheFatherandofthe
Son. " He omitted the name of the Holy Ghost. St. Molyng who was pre-
returned sad to their home. However, St. Molyng cried out
cheer, for this has been effected by the will of God. " Afterwards, the blessed man poured forth a prayer to the Lord, that he would assist and comfort his workmen. Whereupon, the good God, on account of the prayer of his servant, caused that log to be removed from its place in the River Berba. 2? When it had come in, the tide carried that tree to its proper place. In the morning,
"
duringthisday. " Nextmorning,thesamebuildersaidtohisworkmen,and
in like manner " In the name of the Father and of the Son, let us rise and
:
begin. " The Bishop again interposed : " Bathe to-day, and refresh your bodies. " On the third day, the builder said: "Rise speedily, as for these two days we have been sufficiently refreshed, and let us work in the name of the Father and of the Son. " On hearing this, St. Molyng interfered in a similarmanner. Andsoitwasdoneforaconsiderabletime,whilethesaint gavethelabourersdietandwages,asiftheyworked. Theyallwondered,
as " On the top of the moat maybe seen the Kildare and Leighlin," vol. iii. , pp. 314,
sent
replied :
To-day
you shall not
begin,
but whet
your
iron
implements
foundations of a building, probably a fort or
315.
breastwork constructed by the banes while "7 The Latin is M lignum. " Allusion is
"
in possession of St. Mullins ; they usually here made, probably, to the great yew
took advantage of those old pagan monu- ments when waging war against the native
Irish, and in this place could, by turning the water of St. Moling's mill-race into the surrounding trench, have made it a formida- ble fortress, at a time when the arrow and celt or spear were —the only known imple- ments of wariare. " "Ancient Life of St. Molyng," by Patrick O'Leaiy, pp. 8, 9,, and Notes (g), pp. 33, 34 (/), p. 3/ ; also, Ap- pendix, pp. 48, 49, 50, 52.
36 See Very Rev. Michael Comerford's •'Collections relating to the Diocese of
tree of Let hglen, known as the to Kossa, which fell, and St. Molaise divided it among
the saints of Ireland, and St. Moling having claimed his share sent lor the famous artist Goban to construct an oratory lor him of the wood. " —
:
Leslie " of Stephen's Dictionary
National Biography," vol. xiii. , p. 3S0.
28
It is said, parts of that timber were in the house ol God, when the author ol St. Moling's ancient Life had been written. It is probable, the tree was oak, which lasts for centuries in a dry place, and time appeals to have hardly any effect on Irish bog-oak.
M Be of good
June 17. ] LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS.
703
not knowing the cause for their idleness ; but, the saint was unwilling to dis- close to them the reason, until the builder should make mention of the Holy Ghost. Bydivinegrace,hewasatlastinspired,andonacertainmorninghe
:
said "Inthenameofthe
saidwithacheerfulcountenance "
: To-day, you ought
Father,
let us begin on this good day our work. "
Holy Ghost, The holy bishop on hearing this
andofthe andofthe Son,
this day, the grace of the Holy Trinity, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, has appeared to you. " Then, knowing that the holy father Molyng had hindered the builder, because their master did not say on every day, of the Holy Ghost, together with the mention of the Father and of the Son, all glorified the bishop, because he would labour only in the name of the Most
Holy Trinity.
At a certain time, the pious senior Molyng had assembled several persons
to remove a great rock from its place. This was an obstruction on a certain highway. Wishing to displace that stone, but being in no manner able, the
LagenianKing,whowasnamedDesgabur,cametothatspotoneday. The holy bishop Molyng applied to him, that with his army he would try to remove the stone from that road. Willingly the king and his army prepared for the work ; and, all began with the greatest labour and sweat to effect removal of
2
that stone. 9 Their efforts, however, were unavailing. Having declined to
continue the work with human assistance, St. Molyng entreated the Almighty that the barrier might be removed. On that very night, it was found, that through Divine aid, it had been fixed in the very place desired by St. Molyng. That king and all others, who knew and heard of this extraordinary miracle, effected through the holy man's prayers, gave praises to God. On a certain occasion, also, a great stone had been carried to St. Molyng by many persons; but, when near his monastery, it fell on the ground off the waggon, and it broke into two parts. The bishop had desired to make a dial of that stone. The carriers and craftsmen greatly lamented such an occurrence. However, going towards the broken stone, St. Molyng marked it with a sign of the cross. Owing to a prayer, which he offered, on the morrow that stone was found to be joined together, as if it had never been broken . 3° It was converted into
1
One day, while Molyng sat on the bank of the river, before his monastery, a certain woman approached him. The wretched mother bore a son lying dead onherbosom. SheentreatedthemanofGodwithearnestprayer,andin tears, that he would resuscitate her only son, who was very young, from death.
: ThemanofGod,mistrustfulofhisownmerits,saidtoher "Itisnotmy
province, woman, but bury him, and pray to God for yourself and for him. " The saint of God was unwilling, that the fame of raising the dead should be spread abroad. Seeing that St. Molyng was hesitating to resuscitate her son, that woman cast the cold corpse from her arms, and it fell on the saint's bosom. Beinggreatlyastonished,heimmediatelythrewthecorpseintotheriver. The holy man afterwards touching that boy, he was resuscitated instantly through the power of God. He began to swim skilfully, of which art he was ignorant before, and he went straight to St. Molyng. The holy bishop, seeing him alive and swimming, took him up cheerfully out of the water. Then, the saint
torum Hibernise," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. Opera Caroli de Smedt et Josephi de Backer, e soc. Jesu, Acta Sancti Moling,
•
3* The writer of the old Lite ot bt. Molyng, in the Liber Kilkennensis, relates, it was to be seen in his tune.
a dial, and for a long time subsequent, the mark of that breakage was visible. 3 Those who had before grieved at the accident, then rejoiced exceedingly.
=5 la the Legend of our saint's Life, as
published in the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto-
rum," this action is attributed to the Ossorian
army. See tomus iii. , Junii xvii. De S. num. 2, col. 820.
Molingo sive Dayrgello, Episcopo Fernensi
in Hibernia, num. 2, p. 409.
30 See the Marquis of Bute's ' ' Acta Sane-
to becauseon begin,
704 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 17.
returned that boy to his mother, giving thanks to Christ. She who had come in
thegreatestgrief, whencarryingthedeadcorpse,returnedhomeveryjoyfulwith her son revived. Walking with her on their way home, she magnified God and the merits of his saint. Another boy, and a paralytic, who was leprous, blind, dumb, and lame, with his parents hardly able to feed him, was brought to St. Molyng, that he might be cured in the name of Christ. This lie undertook to do. 32 Then, St. Molyng warmed a caldron full of water, while the other brethrenwereengagedatotheroccupations. ThemanofGod,seeingtheboy's wretchedness, took him and put him into the water, and immediately he was healed from all his infirmities. Being restored, he gave thanks to God. He then returned to his own people.
During the time of St. Moling, the people of Ossory, who lived in the
western tract of Leinster, and on the borders of Munster, owed allegiance to
the King of Leinster. However, owing to some unexplained cause, they re-
belledagainsthisauthority. Accordingly,theKingoftheLageniansmarched to attack them with an army, and he devastated the country of Ossory. 33 He
brought from it great plunder, with preys of herds and flocks. Whereupon, greatly commiserating the people who had been plundered, his sense of justice and of compassion having been greatly excited, St. Molyng went forth from his place to meet the Lagenians. Praying and looking up to Heaven, he stood opposed to the cattle. The army could neither urge the animals forward by cries nor by lashes, so long as he remained there, and the Leinster people all believed, that Heaven was not on their side. Accordingly, they resolved to deliver all their preys and plunder to St. Molyng. These he afterwards returned to the Ossorians. Ho\ve\er, as a reward for their ready compliance, he blessed the Lagenians, and he assured them, that the Ossorians should
soon become subject to them. This prediction came to pass. According to a local tradition,35 the foregoing occurrences happened at a place, where, to commemorate the event, St. Moyling afterward built a little church or oratory, called Thornpie na-bo, or the Church of the Cows. There,36 as it
"
3* See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus iii. , Junii xvii. De S. Molingo sive
Dayrgello, Fpiscopo Fernensi in Hibemia, Vita ex nostro MS. Salmanticensi, num. 5,
trust in God, and going out from his monas- tery, he met the cattle coming near the top of
thehillofThomple-na-bo,andmakingthesign of the cross at the place, the cattle all com- menced 'gadding,' so that all the king's
6, p. 409.
33 At the year 688, in the Annals of army couldn't get any good of them ; and
Clonmacnoise," there is an account of a battle between the Leinstermen and those of Ossory. In the " Annals of the Four Masters," it is placed at a. d. 690. See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 294, 295. In the " Annals of Ulster," it is noticed, at A. D. 692. We cannot assume, however, that this was the strife to which refeience is made.
34 See Mr. Patrick O'Leary's "Ancient
Life of St. Molyng," pp. 10 to 15.
35 According to Mr. Patrick O'Leary, this is still quaintly told by the old people, and it re-
fers to the event as given in the Life of our saint: " The king's arm had collected all the cattle of the whoL- country and were driving
'
them down to St. Mullins to 'cant them on
the poor widow woman, seeing the miracle
that was performed, ran dow n to St. Moling,
and said she ' haun bowling anttuith' {i. e. ,
the day is with us). And the king's army
had to leave all the cattle thereto the saint,
who got the cow for the poor w idow, and re-
turned the rest to their rightful owners.
And St. Moling built a little church or ora-
tory, on the spot where the cattle stopped,
and it was called 'Thomple-na-bo,' or the
the for the tax, and at that time ' green
be still traced, by the side of the road near
the top of the big hill, and at your right hand side going to Graig. The townland on which it stood takes its name from it, and the steep hill is called the hdl of Thomple- na-bo. " See " Ancient Life of St.
Molyng,"
Note (g), pp. 41. 42-
36 In former times, funerals on the way to
St. Mullins used to stop here while a prayer would be offered up lor the soul of the de- ceased, and unbaptized infants were buried at this place. See ibid.
they wouldn't lave a man a penn'orth,' but they'd take; when a poor widow woman, whose only cow had been taken, came to St. Moling and implored him to get her cow for her, as she had no other support in the wide world. He sent her away, telling her to pray and
"
'
Church of the Cows. ' The ruins of this can
June 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 705
shouldseem,thecattlewerereleased. Atonetime,whileSt. Molyngwasat Fearna, a fire chanced to break out in a house, that had been firmly closed.
It so happened, that its occupants had gone abroad, and they incautiously leftfireinthehouseduringtheirabsence. Theirneighbourswishedtoenter
into the house, to extinguish the fire; but, they could not by any means. Then, a clamour and great tumult arising, the people of the city came and began to break open the house.
At that time, the smoke and the flame began to come out through the openings ; the neighbours in the circuit adjoining that house began to remove their effects, having despaired of saving their own houses. Hearing of this danger, St. Molyng went thither, and without showing any fear, he approached to the door of that house, which had been closed on the inside. Placing his hand against the fastenings, the door was instantly opened, and he went inside. A great volume of smoke, mixed with flames, then came out through the door, and permitted no one to approach any nearer. Thepeoplebegantoweepandtocryaloud,notonaccountofthefire, but thinking that their holy bishop must have been consumed, on the inside, while they were in no manner able to relieve him. Being protected by the grace of the Holy Spirit from the smoke and the flames—as formerly the holy
Imme-
diately praying, and making the holy sign on the house, however, the fire was
totallyextinguishedthroughthegoodnessofGod. Agreatpartofthehouse
had been burned during this conflagration. When the smoke and flames
vanished,manypersonsenteredintothehouse. Seeingthefireextinguished and the saint safe and untouched by the fire, they set up a shout of rejoicing,
and in praise of God. Being grateful for this merciful interposition, they glorified Christ and his holy servant. Then all returned to their homes.
Unless on Sundays and chief Festivals, St. Molyng fasted daily until sun-
8
set ; but when guests or pilgrims came to him, he relaxed such observance^ In imitation of Christ with his disciples, the holy Bishop was in the habit of waiting for those strangers, that they might eat together with himself.
CHAPTER III.
ST. MOLYNG'S VISION AFTER ST. FECHIN'S DEATH—THE BORUMHA-LAIGHEAN OR LEINSTER TRIBUTE—ST. MOLYNG PROCURES ITS REMISSION—HE OBTAINS THE RELEASE OF A CAPTIVE—LEGENDARY ACCOUNTS OF THE HOLY ABBOT—HIS PRO- PHECIES—HIS KINDLINESS TOWARDS IRRATIONAL ANIMALS—PUNISHMENT OF PRIDE AND REWARD OF HUMILITY.
It is greatly to be regretted, that so many fa—lse traditions have crept into the
from true romantic
children in the furnace—the venerable senior remained uninjured.
37
various stupid bardic and prosaic inventions so remote
fancies—
legend—ofnoauthenticityhowever makesSt. Ciaran contemporary Moling, which is not very likely, as St. Ciaran must have been deceased more than onehundredyearsbeforeSt. Molingwasborn. 1 Havingperseveredinprayerfor
the —Abbot and Bishop. Thus, an Ossory regarding present holy
37 Seethe Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
rum," tomus iii. , Junii xvii. De S. Molingo sive Dayrgello, Episcopo Fernensi in Hiber- nia. Vita ex nostro MS. Salmanticensi, num. 2, p. 409.
38 See Mr. Patrick O'Leary's "Ancient Life of St. Molyng," pp. 15 to 17.
x
Chapteriil— InFatherJohnFrancis
Shearman's "Loca Patriciana," we read, that St. Ciaran and St. Moling had a dispute about the fishery of the Rivers Barrow and Nore; theymetataplacenowcalled1lg- narinka, near the junction of these waters ; the saint of Ossory, they say, outwitted St.
IY
Vol. VI. —No. 12.
a ofSt.
706 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 17.
a long time, on one occasion, St. Moling had a remarkable vision, after the death of St. Fechin,2 Abbot of Fore, in 664,3 as has been already related in theLifeofthatholyman. Thetruedate,forSt. Molinghavingbeenraised to the episcopacy over Ferns, has been assigned to a. d. 691/
An oppressive tribute, known as the Borumha-Laighean or " Leinster
Tribute," had been imposed by Tuathal, King of Ireland, a. d. 106, in punish- ment for the crime of Eochaidh Aincheann, who was then King of Leinster. Thelatterhadperfidiouslyespoused—butinsuccession—twoofthemonarch's daughters. 5 The monarch Tuathal, having ascertained the injury and insult inflicted by that fraud upon his two daughters, as their untimely death followed the discovery, he forthwith raised a powerful force, and marched into Lein- ster. Tuathal then burned and ravaged the whole province. He likewise compelled the king and his people, to bind themselves and their descendants for ever, to the payment of a triennial tribute, which was to be levied for the monarch of Erinn. 6 This was distinguished as the Borumha, meaning the assessment of cattle. ? For five hundred years, the levying of this degrading and oppressive tribute was the cause of periodical sanguinary conflicts. These continued from Tuathal's time down to the reign of Finnachta Fleadhach,8 or the Festive, who lived contemporaneously with St. Moling. After the death of Aid Mac Ainmire, the tribute was still exacted by successive kings from Colman Rimidh, a. d. 595, down to the time of Blaithmic Sechnasach, a. d. 665. 9 ThelatterdidnotgettheBorumha,tillheassembledthemenofthe North of Ireland. 10 Thus matters went on until the time of Finnac—hta
; if Fleadhach, in whose reign this —vexatious tribute was remitted through
we are to credit the bardic story under circumstances not exactly creditable
to any of the parties concerned. This Finnachta u bore away the Tribute
twice without opposition," but on the third occasion of his coming to exact
it, the Leinstermen rose up against him. Great preparations were made on
both sides, and the Leinstermen were naturally anxious to have the powerful *
Moling ; as St. Ciaran got the salmon in his river the Nore, and the shads betook themselves to the Barrow. It is needless to state, that this story has been coined to ac- count for the abundance of good and rich salmon for which the Nore is noted
after died ofa broken heart,
6
while the Barrow does not possess the reputation of being a river favourable to the culture of
This tribute was to consist of 5,000 ounces of silver, 5,000 cloaks, 5,000 fat cows, 5,000 fat hogs, 5,000 fat wethers, and 5,000 large vessels of brass and bronze. It was known as the Boromean Tribute. It is said to have been so named, owing to —the great number of cows paid through it ho being Irish for cow ; but, as the proportion was equal on all the other items enumerated, we may attribute to bardic exaggeration much that has been stated, in reference to this
word Bovaticum, or "cattle uibute," some- times alluded to.
to be found, in the " Book of Leinster," sometimes called the Book of Glendalough, edited by Robert Atkinson, M. A. , LL. D. It extends from p. 294 to p. 308, but here the Manuscript breaks off abruptly, and the re- mainder of the tale is lost
'°The "Book of Leinster," professing to give an account of these particulars, relates that he sang this lay invoking their advi—ce
the salmon. See No. vi. , p. 94, n. 3.
"See his Life, at the 20th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. ii. ,
chap. iii.
"ActaSanctorumHiber-
3 See
Colgan's
subject.
7 In mediaeval Latin Tracts, we find the
niae," xx. Januarii. Secunda Vita S.
Fechini, cap. 1. , p. 139.
" Ecclesiastical iii. , chap, xviii. , sect, xiii. , p. 132, and n. 170, pp. 134,
135.
s Eochaidh Ainchean married first Dairine\
whom he afterwards confined in a prison, and pretending that she had died, he next asked for and obtained her sister in mar- riage. Dairine escaped from the prison, in which she had been immured, and made her appearance before her faithless husband and his new wife. Seeing her sister, whom she had thought to be dead, still living, owing to the shock, the latter espoused sister fell dead on the spot. The injured wife soon
4 See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
History
Ireland,"
reign,
year 673.
of
8 He to began
vol.
in the
» The History of the Borumha Tribute is
;
Denaid duin bar comairle, &c. See p. 304, b. 2.
and help
"His death is placed in the "Annals
:
1
June 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
707
aid of St. Moling. They requested him to assist at an assembly, which appears
to have been convoked for the purposes of deliberation. This is said to have
beenheld,underthepresidencyofBranUaFaelain,KingofLeinster. 11 St.
Moling willingly accepted that invitation, and on arriving at the place of
assembly, he received a joyous welcome, and he was seated at the king's
side. 12 After some consultation, it was determined, that St. Moling should
become their delegate, and he accepted the commission J 3 entrusted to his
management. Then, King Bran requested him to arise, and to proceed north-
wards on his mission, I4 taking with him the poet Tollcend, who was to go
with him to the house of King Finnachta. ^ St. Moling recited a hymn of 16
Companions were selected, and accordingly they set out for the
praise.
house of Cobthach Mac Colman, and in it they were entertained. It should seem, that the Lagenians had resolved to avail of St. Moling's influence to represent the hardships of their case to the King of Temoria, the Ui Niall.
was there enjoying the annual sports. Knowing the cause for the arrival of St. Molyng and his companions, the Hy-Neill were not in a mood to remove their tribute. J ? The princes and chiefs of the Hy-Neill did not give due honour to St. Molyng, nor would they in any manner remit the debt. But, the kingdidnotgiveanunfavourableanswertotheholyprelate. TheOmnipo- tent Lord, wishing to honour his own bishop, caused heavy rain, mixed with hail, to fall upon his enemies, and did not suffer them to enjoy the sports. This greatly disconcerted them. However, in the place where St. Molyng was, the rain did not descend. Seeing this miracle, they requested St. Molyng
%i
royalfairhadthenbeenassembled. Theking,withhisprincesandchiefs,
Accordingly, deputies
accompanied
of the Four Masters," at A. D. 690. See Dr.
O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 294, 295.
" Then spake King Bran: "What counsel shall we adopt ? shall we make war with Cond's Half? Or shall we go and seek the remission of the Borumha in re- liance on the intercession of the saints? and if it is to be their intercession, whom of the saints of Leinster shall we send to seek the remission ? " This speech of Bran's is then put in the form of a poem, in which Bran asks this question of Tuathal Mac Ailella, and Tuathal replies, that St. Moling is, of course, the most fitting person. Then follows a series of far-fetched eulogistic compari- sons relating to the saints. It begins : "Turchan duin a Thuathail," &c. See p.
305. b. 3.
13 Then, it is related, he made the follow-
ing song, telling of the saints who were ready to go with him on his mission : *' In- mair triar a Christ grind gluair," &c. See p. 305, a. 35. Two stanzas of this poem are given in the Martyrology of Donegal, at May 3rd and at October 8th.
14 King Bran recounted to him the re- wards he would bestow on the saint, ' ' a hood of satin shall be thine," &c, "Eriga
intended to be Tollcend's function, to recite the Song of Praise made by Moling.
16 While Molyng was preparing for his difficult task, he recited a hymn invoking
aid, in the name of the Trinity : "In the Name of the Manhood and the Godhead of
Christ, in the name of the Archangels who are with him in Heaven, and of the twelve chief Apostles who are around his bright face. " " In anmum na Trinoite," &c. See p. 306, a. 20.
"? In the "Martyrology of Donegal," at St. Cuan's festival, October 15th, occurs this entry : St. Moling in the work called "Borumha," mentions the following as having gone with him, to seek a remission from the—Borumha from Finnachta, King
&c. See b. 46. p. 305,
Moiling,"
15 In the house of King Finnachta, it was
x s This word, Borumha, means the Tri- "
them to Onach 18 where a Tailltean,
of Erin
" Dear the three who met the difficulty, Who went with me for my welfare, Dubhtach, Dubhan, who concealed
sorrow,
And Cuan of Clonmore. "
O'Clery adds, in a note : I think the Cluain- more of which he speaks, is Cluain-mor Maedhog in Leinster, In another work, it is stated, that Forannan Bishop of Kildare, and Colman of the Ossorians also accom-
panied
:
St. Moling, on his visit to King Finnachta's court.
18 Now known as Teltown, in the county of Meath.
bute of Oxen. See O'Donovan's Frag-
ments of Annals," pp. 77, 89.
19 680. Inthe It is said, about the year
708 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J une i 7.
to drive away, in the name of the Lord, the rain from them, that they might
exercise themselves in the sports. They promised also to satisfy the saint, after the sports had concluded. Believing them to be in earnest, St. Molyng
prayed to the Lord, and then blessing the heavens, the rain ceased instantly,
andthesunappearedbright.
