The name of Cronan, without any 1
further designation, is set down in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, and of 2
Donegal, at the 12th of June.
further designation, is set down in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, and of 2
Donegal, at the 12th of June.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
, p.
86.
Mr.
O'Donovan's Letter is not dated,
but it was written in that year,
654 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Article VII. —St. Agatan, of Disert-Agatain, on the River Inny. 1
According to the Martyrology of Donegal, at the 12th of June, a festival was celebrated in honour of Agatan, of Disert-Agatain, on the brink of the Eithne. His name has been Latinized, Agathanus, in the Table postfixed to
2 He descended from the race of Cairbre
son to
Martyrology.
Conaire, son of Moghlamha, according to the Sanctilogium.
the O'Clerys, he was a brother to Torannan, Abbot of Bennchor, and of
Tulach Foirtcern, in Leinster, and of Druim-Cliabh, in Cairpre, in Connaught, of whom we have already treated, at this date. Thus, it appears, that the
O'Clerys were disposed to identify Torannan with St. Motrianocc Ruiscaid, one of the seven sons of Aengus, son ofAedh,son to Ere, son of EochaidhMuin- remhair,belongingtotheraceofCairbreRiada. 3 Eithne,nowknownasthe Inny River,4 passing through the north-western part of Westmeath, and the southern part of Longford County, and falling into the extreme eastern expan- sion of Lough Ree, near All Saints Island, on the River Shannon, is said to havebrokenoutforthefirsttimeintheyearoftheworld3510. 5 Theriver was originally called Glaisi-Bearamain. It is thought to have derived its present name from Eithne, daughter of King Eochaidh Feidhleach, and wife of Conchobhair Mac Nessa, King of Ulster, in the first century of the Chris- tian era. 6 In St. Patrick's time, this river formed the boundary between North and South Teffia. ?
Article VIII. —St. Mochuille, of Innsnat, in Fotharta Fea, County of Carlow. This saint belonged to the race of Cairbre Riada,
that
Riada,
son of Conaire, according to the O'Clerys. 2
1
This appears to have been the
Mochulleus,sonofDichuill, whoseActsColganpromisedtogivemorefully at this day. From these Acts, it would appear, this saint lived after the beginning of the seventh century. * We find set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,4 that veneration was given at the 12th of June, to Mochulle,5 of Inns- nat, in Fotharta Fea. Fortharta Fea was anciently called Magh Fea, and it isnowknownasthe of
barony Forth,
St. Duan, patron of Hook, is popu- 33 A —
6inthe ofCarlow. Thechurch county
larly remembered in this county perhaps the same person.
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 32, 33.
6
According to the Book of Lecan, fol. 175a, b, quoted by Dr. O'Donovan, n. (a),
ibid.
? See Roderick " O'Flaherty's Ogygia,"
pars, hi. , cap. xxxv. , p. 403.
"
34 See " Brief Description of the Barony
of Forth, in the of Wexford,
County together
with a Relation of the and some Disposition
—tandPresent peculiar Customs of the Ancien
Native Inhabitants thereof. ' "Journal of
the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland
New vol. Archaeological Society. series,
—
—and nn. 8. Irish Saints, iv. , part i. , p. 67, 4,
cap. 31.
Article vii. Edited by Drs. Todd See "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Septima
'3
and Reeves, pp. 166, 167. S. Patricii, n. 49, p. 174.
2 See ibid. , 4 Edited Drs. Todd and pp. 354, 355. by
Reeves, pp.
3 According to the Sanctilogium Genealo- 168, 169.
gicum, in the Book of Lecan, fol. 43^, 5 See likewise, Appendix to the Introduc- col. It tion of that work, p. xlvii. In the Table
4 The upper part of its course is through appended to the work already quoted, he is aflat, tame and boggy country ; "but the said to have been of Indresnat, and refer- lower part of its run is through a district not ence seems to be made to a Life, fairly copied only rich and beautiful, but rendered classic from a Cologne Manuscript. See ibid. , pp.
by association with the names and writings 448, 449. 6
o—f Oliver Goldsmith and Maria Edgeworth. " This is said to have been the country of
"
vol. ii. , p. 325. that part of Carlow County.
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the ? See Keating's "History of Ireland,'
Article VIII.
Donegal," edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 168, 169.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," the O'Nolans, a name still very numerous in
*
a to the According
See
of
of the
According to
Martyrology
Genealogies
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
655
of Cill-Osnadha, near Kellistown, four Irish miles to the east of Leighlin, was situated in this plain,? comprising the barony of Forth. 8
Article IX. —St. Troscan, of Ard Brecan, County of Meath. In addition to the foregoing, we find also Troscan, of Ard Brecain. He and
the three 1 as we are 2 to preceding brothers, told, belonged
the race of Conaire,sontoMoghlamha. HisplacewasinthecountyofMeath.
ArticleX. —St. Lochen,orLoichein. IntheMartyrologyofTal-
1 thenameofLochenisset
a St. Lochenius or Lochen Meann, who flourished in the seventh century. He is called the " silent " or the " wise. " He became Abbot of Kildare, and he died in the year 694. Colgan says, he was venerated on the 12th of
2 or on the 12th of June, otherwise,
lagh,
down,
atthe12th of Therewas day June.
January.
correct date. A different saint, usually named Laidgenn figures at the 12th
of January. 3 In the barony of Lower Ormond, and county of Tipperary, there is an interesting old church, in an ancient burial-ground, and it is called
Aglish, or Aglish Loghane. 4 We cannot presume to assert, however, that it
had any relation to the present saint. Again, we are told, Loichein is the
same as Lochinia,s sister to St. Enda,6 Abbot of Aran, and that she was vene-
ratedonthis ' Inthe of 8 we find the nameof day. Martyrology Donegal,
Lochein set down, at the 12th of June.
ArticleXL—St. TommenmachBirn,Ailithir,Lochauane. At
1
this date, a festival is recorded in the Marytrology of Tallagh, in honour of
Tommen mac h Birn i Ailithir, Locha uane. The latter spelling is probably intended for Loch-Uamha, which is situated in West Breifne.
Article XII. —Festival of St. Nicholas, Bishop and Martyr. At
Peebles, in Scotland, on the 12th of June, a festival was held in honour of
Nicholas, Bishop and Martyr. He is supposed to have suffered under Dio-
12
cletian, a. d. 296. In 1 26 1, his relics were discovered. Already at the 9th
ofMay,therearenoticesregardinghim. TheBollandistshavenofestivalin relation to a St. Nicholas, at this date.
book ii. , reign of Lughaidh, monarch of Ireland, a. d. 473 to 493.
8 It was called Fotharta-Fea, to distin- guish it from the barony of Forth, in the county of Wexford, and which was called Fortharta-on-Chairn, from Carnsore Point. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. —, n. (i), p. 5, and n. (u), ibid.
4 This parish is marked, on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Tipperary," sheets 4, 5, 78.
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nian," xxi. Martii, Appendix ad Vitam S.
Endei, cap. iv. , p. 713.
6 See his Life in the Third Volume of this
work, at the 21st of March, Art. i.
Rev. Dr. Todd, the other three mentioned were
^
17th of April, there are other saints bearing the name of Loichen.
Article ix. In the opinion of
undoubtedly of the race of Conaire.
p.
8 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
2 the
By Clerys.
»
Article x. — Edited by Rev.
Dr.
2 Archdall asserts, that Lochen, abbot of Kelly, p. xxvii. —
xxvii.
»
J
Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kildare, died on the 12th of June, without having had any authority for his statement.
"
See Bishop Forbes Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 420.
2 See Ussher's Works, vol. vi. , "Britan
See
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 323.
"
3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," Januarii xii. De S. Laidgenno, Con- fessore, pp. 57, 58.
nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xv.
pp. 175, 176. Also Index Chronologicus, ad A. D. MCCLXI. , p. 622.
Kelly,
168, 169. — Article xi.
5 See Colgan's
The former is the probably
At the 12th and 20th of and January,
Article xii.
656
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 13.
Article XIII. —St. Diucaill or Dichuill, of Achadh-na-cro. 1
Onthe12thofJune,accordingtotheMartyrologiesofTallagh, andofDone-
2 veneration was to Diucaill, or Dichuill, of Achadh-na-crd. This given
gal,
place has not been identified.
Article XIV. —St. Cronan.
The name of Cronan, without any 1
further designation, is set down in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, and of 2
Donegal, at the 12th of June.
the THIS
Carilla, in Tir mentioned at the of
rios, 13th June,
C&frteentb 23ay of Suite*
ARTICLE I. —ST. CAIRELL, BISHOP AT TIR ROIS.
\PROBABLYIN THESEVENTHCENTURY. \
holy prelate seems to have lived in the west of Ireland.
We find
entry
in the 1 He was one of Nessan's sons. 2 Little is known
of Martyrology Tallagh.
but that his festival was on this — He regarding him, kept day. 3 was,
in some
measure, connected with a place, called Tagh-rois the precise locality of which is not well known. He flourished, probably, in the seventh century. The Life of Colum Ela states,4 that Bishop Cairell was along with him, when he went to Lann Ela. This latter place is identical with Lynally, in the King's County. A parchment 4to Manuscripts of Messrs. Hodges and Smith Collection in the Royal Irish Academy has a Poem ascribed to a Coireall; but,wearenotgoingtoassume,thathewasindenticalwiththepre- sent holy man. At the same date, in the Martyrology of Donegal,6 is regis- tered Cairell, Bishop, at Tir Rois, as also in the Calendar compiled by Dudley Mac Firbis. ? It is said, Tir Rois is in the county of Monaghan ; yet, we cannot find on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps any denomination corres-
ponding
Ballymacward
county
168, 169. —
by
Shirley's History County ghan. '
Kelly, p. xxvii.
with it. 8 At
and Clonkeen IO in the Kerrill,
s No. 223.
9
very complete and learned work, Evelyn Philip Article I. • Edited Rev. Dr. " ofthe ofMona-
Article xiii. —' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
6
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
168, 169. Article xiv.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
—
Edited by Rev. Dr.
168, 169.
7 See " of the Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," vol. i. , part i. , Irish Manuscript Series, pp. 130, 131.
Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves,
by pp.
8 Neither is it to be in that found,
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xv. Martii. Acta SS. Dichulli, connell and Tiaquin, shown on the "Ord-
a See
Munissae et Neslugii fratrum, p. 609, and n. 9. See, also, the account of Saints Dichull, Munissa and Neslug, at the 15th of March, text and notes.
» This is a in the baronies of Kil- parish,
Colgan's
3
By mistake, Colgan Julii. '
,0 Clonkeen is a in the of 13 parish, barony
4 The Second Chapter is quoted, as an authoiity for this account.
Tiaquin, and county of Galway. See sheets 59, 72, 85, ibid. The townland of Clon- keenkerrill is marked on sheets 59, 72.
has entered "
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Galway," sheets 59, 60, 72, 73, 85, 86. The townland of Ballymacward
proper is on sheet 73.
June 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 657
of Galway, the festival of this pious bishop was kept," as a holy day, on the 13thofJune. Theoldpeoplethereshowhisholywell,andalsothesaint's bed; but, no further tradition remains. 12
Article II. —St. Mac Nessi, Abbot of Clonmacnoise, King's County. [SixthCentury. ~\ Thisholymanismentioned,bySt. . /Engusthe Culdee, as deserving of religious veneration from an early date. Among the Burgundian Library Manuscripts, at Bruxelles, there is a Latin Life of Mcenis- sus. 1 Whether he was the saint, or the Mac of Connor,
present Nissi, Bishop
venerated at the 3rd of September, the short account given by Mr. S. Bindon
The Ruins at Clonmacnoise, King's County.
does not enable us to determine. In the Feilire * of iEngus, Mac Nissi the chaste of Cluain is commemorated, on the 13th of June. We also find the name of Mac Nesi, Abbot of Cluana mic nois, occurring m the Martyro ogy of Tallagh,3 and in that of Marianus O'Gorman, as having had a festival, at the 13th of June. Nearly contemporaneously with the death ot bt. lta,« 01 Killeedy, the predecessor of Mac Nissi, and who is called the abbot Aneas, departed this life. St. Macnessius immediately succeeded him, in tne government of Clonmacnoise,? at a time when this sanctuary of holiness, on the banks of the Shannon, was in the zenith of its splendour, as a house ana
"
As we are informed, about the year
—translated by Dr. Whitley Stokes ing lines,
1840.
12 Letter from Rev. Patrick Cannon, P. P. ,
Ballymacward and Clonkeen Kerrill, county of Galway.
appear :
—
3 In the Leabhar Breac copy, the follow-
LApA^chAlon mb}\erc4 •dcmer* mAne cIiuaLa
uAirm Cechains copiS'OA
true mrri CAro C1-UA,1A'
Article ii. fol. 217.
"
It is noted in vol.
xx. ,
at
"With Bartholomew the active—thou art
the
weak if thou hear not—from us to Kings
IT
658 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 13.
homeofretreat. 6 Heruledfromabouta. d. 574,foraperiodofsixteenyears, according to a gloss on Marianus O'Gorman. ? The account of his being abbot, during the lifetime of Eneas, must be taken to signify, either that he was elected at this abbot's express wish, when on his death-bed, according to a custom of the time ; or that the term abbot, said to have been applied to him by St. Ita, was rather an expression used by the author of her Life, and
8 The this saint's O'Clerys place
Article III. —St. Psalmodius, Hermit, Diocese of Limoges, France.
[Sixth or Seventh Century. ~\ The present holy man, whose original Celtic name seems to be unknown, is assumed to have been born of respectable
referable to at a future Macnessius,
period.
death,ata. d. 590. TheMartyrologyofDonegal°recordshimasMacNessi,
Abbot of Cluain-mic-nois.
andtohavebeeneducatedin 1 wherehereceivedtheelements Scotia,
parents,
of instruction when a
ciplehebecame. AnancientBreviary,3havingspecialrelationtotheDio- cese of Limoges, France, has the feast of Saints Psalmodius and Anthony of Padua,atthe13thofJune. Thisseemstobethechiefauthority,forwhatis related regarding the present saint. Gaufredus,* or Geoffroi,* a coenobite of the monastery of St. Martial of Limoges, has an account of the Blessed
6
Psalmodius, enumerated among the chief saints of Limoges, and who was
connected with the monastery of Aentum, or Eymoutiers,? in Haute-Vienne.
This holy man is said to have been a contemporary with Pope St. Gregory
out in the Atlantic Ocean—
boy
from St.
2 of whose dis- Brendan, Bishop Clonfert,
8
theGreat. Itisstated,thatwhileveryyoung,forthreedayshewasexposed
to the sea-waves 9
— probably
but from this the advice of his
danger master, Psalmodius passed over to Gaul. Here he visited St. Leontius," Bishop of
he 10 providentially escaped.
Afterwards, following
(of heaven) went Mac Nissi the chaste of Cluain. "—" Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xciv.
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvii.
* See her Life, at the 15th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
s See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nian," xv. Januarii, Vita S. Itse, n. 27, p. 72.
6 The accompanying view of Clonmac- noise, drawn on the wood by William F. W'akeman, and from a drawing by himself
on the spot, has been engraved by Mrs. Millard.
7 In a note, the Rev. Dr. Todd says at this word, Marian, introduced by some writer: "The words within brackets, quoted from the gloss on the Martyrology of Marian O'Gorman, are inserted by the more recent hand. "
8 " Uti dicimus quod Sanctus Kieranus
understood of Ireland. However, the Con- tinental writers have very generally sup- posed, that the saint was born in Great Britain, as they thought Scotia applied ex- clusively to Scotland.
* His wonderful Acts have been already given, in the Fifth Volume of this work, at the 1 6th of May, the date for his festival. See Art. i.
3 This was printed A. D. 1625, by Ray- mond de la Martonia, Bishop.
4 He was appointed prior of Vigeois in Lower Limousin, June 14th, 1 178.
s He wrote a valuable chronicle, which ends with the year 1 184. It had a Prologue, and it is divided into two parts. The first comprises 74 chapters, and the second 22 chapters. See account of him in M. I. e Dr. Iloefer's " Nouvelle Biographie Generale," tome xx. , cols. 21, 22.
6 The Chonicle of Geoffroi has been pub- lished by Le Pere Labbe in " Bibliotheca
Abbas natus sit Febr. licet eo die — Nova tomus
24. quo Manuscriptorum," ii. , p. 279.
7
natus, non fuerit Abbus vel sanctus.
"
This place is about 14 miles distant from Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xv. Januarii, the city of Limoges.
n. 8 He March 27, p. 72. died,
A. n.
9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
168, 169. — Article hi.
henp of sea-weeds, he was carried out h until a returning tidal-wave brought him back to the shore.
This is stated, by Saussay, and the circumstances show, that it must be
12th,
9 The legend states, that sleeping on a
604.
June 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 659
Saintes, by whom he was directed to embrace a life of celestial contempla-
tion, in that stranger's country. He retired to a lonely forest in Limousin,
12
nearEymoutiers, farfromthehauntsofmen,andwherehisvirtuesendeared
him to the Almighty, who was pleased to distinguish him by the gift of mira- cles. J 3 One woman, who was blind, he restored to the use of sight, by bath- ing her eyes in that water, in which he had washed his hands. The daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine, who had been bitten by a viper, he healed, also, by sprinkling holy water upon her. He was reverenced for his power over wild beasts and demons, as also for his curing of diseases. Such was his love for
singing psalms, that he obtained from that circumstance the name Psalmo- "
diusorPsalmode,meaning Psalm-singer,"bywhichheisatpresentdistin- guished. There he lived a most holy life, and there too he closed it, with a
reputation for great sanctity. '* The year-date of his death, however, does not appear on record, although it is related, that he departed on the Ides of June. When his soul had passed to Heaven, his body was brought from the wood
to the Collegiate Church of St. Stephen, belonging to the monastery of
Aentum, or Eymoutiers. There, it was enclosed in a silver shrine, which
was preserved with great veneration, and many resorted thither to pray at his tomb. His office was celebrated under a Double Rite. There are notices of this saint in the Kalendar of Limoges, at this date, in the Menology of
Article IV.
but it was written in that year,
654 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 12.
Article VII. —St. Agatan, of Disert-Agatain, on the River Inny. 1
According to the Martyrology of Donegal, at the 12th of June, a festival was celebrated in honour of Agatan, of Disert-Agatain, on the brink of the Eithne. His name has been Latinized, Agathanus, in the Table postfixed to
2 He descended from the race of Cairbre
son to
Martyrology.
Conaire, son of Moghlamha, according to the Sanctilogium.
the O'Clerys, he was a brother to Torannan, Abbot of Bennchor, and of
Tulach Foirtcern, in Leinster, and of Druim-Cliabh, in Cairpre, in Connaught, of whom we have already treated, at this date. Thus, it appears, that the
O'Clerys were disposed to identify Torannan with St. Motrianocc Ruiscaid, one of the seven sons of Aengus, son ofAedh,son to Ere, son of EochaidhMuin- remhair,belongingtotheraceofCairbreRiada. 3 Eithne,nowknownasthe Inny River,4 passing through the north-western part of Westmeath, and the southern part of Longford County, and falling into the extreme eastern expan- sion of Lough Ree, near All Saints Island, on the River Shannon, is said to havebrokenoutforthefirsttimeintheyearoftheworld3510. 5 Theriver was originally called Glaisi-Bearamain. It is thought to have derived its present name from Eithne, daughter of King Eochaidh Feidhleach, and wife of Conchobhair Mac Nessa, King of Ulster, in the first century of the Chris- tian era. 6 In St. Patrick's time, this river formed the boundary between North and South Teffia. ?
Article VIII. —St. Mochuille, of Innsnat, in Fotharta Fea, County of Carlow. This saint belonged to the race of Cairbre Riada,
that
Riada,
son of Conaire, according to the O'Clerys. 2
1
This appears to have been the
Mochulleus,sonofDichuill, whoseActsColganpromisedtogivemorefully at this day. From these Acts, it would appear, this saint lived after the beginning of the seventh century. * We find set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,4 that veneration was given at the 12th of June, to Mochulle,5 of Inns- nat, in Fotharta Fea. Fortharta Fea was anciently called Magh Fea, and it isnowknownasthe of
barony Forth,
St. Duan, patron of Hook, is popu- 33 A —
6inthe ofCarlow. Thechurch county
larly remembered in this county perhaps the same person.
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 32, 33.
6
According to the Book of Lecan, fol. 175a, b, quoted by Dr. O'Donovan, n. (a),
ibid.
? See Roderick " O'Flaherty's Ogygia,"
pars, hi. , cap. xxxv. , p. 403.
"
34 See " Brief Description of the Barony
of Forth, in the of Wexford,
County together
with a Relation of the and some Disposition
—tandPresent peculiar Customs of the Ancien
Native Inhabitants thereof. ' "Journal of
the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland
New vol. Archaeological Society. series,
—
—and nn. 8. Irish Saints, iv. , part i. , p. 67, 4,
cap. 31.
Article vii. Edited by Drs. Todd See "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Septima
'3
and Reeves, pp. 166, 167. S. Patricii, n. 49, p. 174.
2 See ibid. , 4 Edited Drs. Todd and pp. 354, 355. by
Reeves, pp.
3 According to the Sanctilogium Genealo- 168, 169.
gicum, in the Book of Lecan, fol. 43^, 5 See likewise, Appendix to the Introduc- col. It tion of that work, p. xlvii. In the Table
4 The upper part of its course is through appended to the work already quoted, he is aflat, tame and boggy country ; "but the said to have been of Indresnat, and refer- lower part of its run is through a district not ence seems to be made to a Life, fairly copied only rich and beautiful, but rendered classic from a Cologne Manuscript. See ibid. , pp.
by association with the names and writings 448, 449. 6
o—f Oliver Goldsmith and Maria Edgeworth. " This is said to have been the country of
"
vol. ii. , p. 325. that part of Carlow County.
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the ? See Keating's "History of Ireland,'
Article VIII.
Donegal," edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 168, 169.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," the O'Nolans, a name still very numerous in
*
a to the According
See
of
of the
According to
Martyrology
Genealogies
June 12. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
655
of Cill-Osnadha, near Kellistown, four Irish miles to the east of Leighlin, was situated in this plain,? comprising the barony of Forth. 8
Article IX. —St. Troscan, of Ard Brecan, County of Meath. In addition to the foregoing, we find also Troscan, of Ard Brecain. He and
the three 1 as we are 2 to preceding brothers, told, belonged
the race of Conaire,sontoMoghlamha. HisplacewasinthecountyofMeath.
ArticleX. —St. Lochen,orLoichein. IntheMartyrologyofTal-
1 thenameofLochenisset
a St. Lochenius or Lochen Meann, who flourished in the seventh century. He is called the " silent " or the " wise. " He became Abbot of Kildare, and he died in the year 694. Colgan says, he was venerated on the 12th of
2 or on the 12th of June, otherwise,
lagh,
down,
atthe12th of Therewas day June.
January.
correct date. A different saint, usually named Laidgenn figures at the 12th
of January. 3 In the barony of Lower Ormond, and county of Tipperary, there is an interesting old church, in an ancient burial-ground, and it is called
Aglish, or Aglish Loghane. 4 We cannot presume to assert, however, that it
had any relation to the present saint. Again, we are told, Loichein is the
same as Lochinia,s sister to St. Enda,6 Abbot of Aran, and that she was vene-
ratedonthis ' Inthe of 8 we find the nameof day. Martyrology Donegal,
Lochein set down, at the 12th of June.
ArticleXL—St. TommenmachBirn,Ailithir,Lochauane. At
1
this date, a festival is recorded in the Marytrology of Tallagh, in honour of
Tommen mac h Birn i Ailithir, Locha uane. The latter spelling is probably intended for Loch-Uamha, which is situated in West Breifne.
Article XII. —Festival of St. Nicholas, Bishop and Martyr. At
Peebles, in Scotland, on the 12th of June, a festival was held in honour of
Nicholas, Bishop and Martyr. He is supposed to have suffered under Dio-
12
cletian, a. d. 296. In 1 26 1, his relics were discovered. Already at the 9th
ofMay,therearenoticesregardinghim. TheBollandistshavenofestivalin relation to a St. Nicholas, at this date.
book ii. , reign of Lughaidh, monarch of Ireland, a. d. 473 to 493.
8 It was called Fotharta-Fea, to distin- guish it from the barony of Forth, in the county of Wexford, and which was called Fortharta-on-Chairn, from Carnsore Point. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. —, n. (i), p. 5, and n. (u), ibid.
4 This parish is marked, on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Tipperary," sheets 4, 5, 78.
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nian," xxi. Martii, Appendix ad Vitam S.
Endei, cap. iv. , p. 713.
6 See his Life in the Third Volume of this
work, at the 21st of March, Art. i.
Rev. Dr. Todd, the other three mentioned were
^
17th of April, there are other saints bearing the name of Loichen.
Article ix. In the opinion of
undoubtedly of the race of Conaire.
p.
8 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
2 the
By Clerys.
»
Article x. — Edited by Rev.
Dr.
2 Archdall asserts, that Lochen, abbot of Kelly, p. xxvii. —
xxvii.
»
J
Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kildare, died on the 12th of June, without having had any authority for his statement.
"
See Bishop Forbes Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 420.
2 See Ussher's Works, vol. vi. , "Britan
See
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 323.
"
3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," Januarii xii. De S. Laidgenno, Con- fessore, pp. 57, 58.
nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xv.
pp. 175, 176. Also Index Chronologicus, ad A. D. MCCLXI. , p. 622.
Kelly,
168, 169. — Article xi.
5 See Colgan's
The former is the probably
At the 12th and 20th of and January,
Article xii.
656
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 13.
Article XIII. —St. Diucaill or Dichuill, of Achadh-na-cro. 1
Onthe12thofJune,accordingtotheMartyrologiesofTallagh, andofDone-
2 veneration was to Diucaill, or Dichuill, of Achadh-na-crd. This given
gal,
place has not been identified.
Article XIV. —St. Cronan.
The name of Cronan, without any 1
further designation, is set down in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, and of 2
Donegal, at the 12th of June.
the THIS
Carilla, in Tir mentioned at the of
rios, 13th June,
C&frteentb 23ay of Suite*
ARTICLE I. —ST. CAIRELL, BISHOP AT TIR ROIS.
\PROBABLYIN THESEVENTHCENTURY. \
holy prelate seems to have lived in the west of Ireland.
We find
entry
in the 1 He was one of Nessan's sons. 2 Little is known
of Martyrology Tallagh.
but that his festival was on this — He regarding him, kept day. 3 was,
in some
measure, connected with a place, called Tagh-rois the precise locality of which is not well known. He flourished, probably, in the seventh century. The Life of Colum Ela states,4 that Bishop Cairell was along with him, when he went to Lann Ela. This latter place is identical with Lynally, in the King's County. A parchment 4to Manuscripts of Messrs. Hodges and Smith Collection in the Royal Irish Academy has a Poem ascribed to a Coireall; but,wearenotgoingtoassume,thathewasindenticalwiththepre- sent holy man. At the same date, in the Martyrology of Donegal,6 is regis- tered Cairell, Bishop, at Tir Rois, as also in the Calendar compiled by Dudley Mac Firbis. ? It is said, Tir Rois is in the county of Monaghan ; yet, we cannot find on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps any denomination corres-
ponding
Ballymacward
county
168, 169. —
by
Shirley's History County ghan. '
Kelly, p. xxvii.
with it. 8 At
and Clonkeen IO in the Kerrill,
s No. 223.
9
very complete and learned work, Evelyn Philip Article I. • Edited Rev. Dr. " ofthe ofMona-
Article xiii. —' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
6
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
168, 169. Article xiv.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
—
Edited by Rev. Dr.
168, 169.
7 See " of the Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," vol. i. , part i. , Irish Manuscript Series, pp. 130, 131.
Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves,
by pp.
8 Neither is it to be in that found,
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xv. Martii. Acta SS. Dichulli, connell and Tiaquin, shown on the "Ord-
a See
Munissae et Neslugii fratrum, p. 609, and n. 9. See, also, the account of Saints Dichull, Munissa and Neslug, at the 15th of March, text and notes.
» This is a in the baronies of Kil- parish,
Colgan's
3
By mistake, Colgan Julii. '
,0 Clonkeen is a in the of 13 parish, barony
4 The Second Chapter is quoted, as an authoiity for this account.
Tiaquin, and county of Galway. See sheets 59, 72, 85, ibid. The townland of Clon- keenkerrill is marked on sheets 59, 72.
has entered "
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Galway," sheets 59, 60, 72, 73, 85, 86. The townland of Ballymacward
proper is on sheet 73.
June 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 657
of Galway, the festival of this pious bishop was kept," as a holy day, on the 13thofJune. Theoldpeoplethereshowhisholywell,andalsothesaint's bed; but, no further tradition remains. 12
Article II. —St. Mac Nessi, Abbot of Clonmacnoise, King's County. [SixthCentury. ~\ Thisholymanismentioned,bySt. . /Engusthe Culdee, as deserving of religious veneration from an early date. Among the Burgundian Library Manuscripts, at Bruxelles, there is a Latin Life of Mcenis- sus. 1 Whether he was the saint, or the Mac of Connor,
present Nissi, Bishop
venerated at the 3rd of September, the short account given by Mr. S. Bindon
The Ruins at Clonmacnoise, King's County.
does not enable us to determine. In the Feilire * of iEngus, Mac Nissi the chaste of Cluain is commemorated, on the 13th of June. We also find the name of Mac Nesi, Abbot of Cluana mic nois, occurring m the Martyro ogy of Tallagh,3 and in that of Marianus O'Gorman, as having had a festival, at the 13th of June. Nearly contemporaneously with the death ot bt. lta,« 01 Killeedy, the predecessor of Mac Nissi, and who is called the abbot Aneas, departed this life. St. Macnessius immediately succeeded him, in tne government of Clonmacnoise,? at a time when this sanctuary of holiness, on the banks of the Shannon, was in the zenith of its splendour, as a house ana
"
As we are informed, about the year
—translated by Dr. Whitley Stokes ing lines,
1840.
12 Letter from Rev. Patrick Cannon, P. P. ,
Ballymacward and Clonkeen Kerrill, county of Galway.
appear :
—
3 In the Leabhar Breac copy, the follow-
LApA^chAlon mb}\erc4 •dcmer* mAne cIiuaLa
uAirm Cechains copiS'OA
true mrri CAro C1-UA,1A'
Article ii. fol. 217.
"
It is noted in vol.
xx. ,
at
"With Bartholomew the active—thou art
the
weak if thou hear not—from us to Kings
IT
658 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 13.
homeofretreat. 6 Heruledfromabouta. d. 574,foraperiodofsixteenyears, according to a gloss on Marianus O'Gorman. ? The account of his being abbot, during the lifetime of Eneas, must be taken to signify, either that he was elected at this abbot's express wish, when on his death-bed, according to a custom of the time ; or that the term abbot, said to have been applied to him by St. Ita, was rather an expression used by the author of her Life, and
8 The this saint's O'Clerys place
Article III. —St. Psalmodius, Hermit, Diocese of Limoges, France.
[Sixth or Seventh Century. ~\ The present holy man, whose original Celtic name seems to be unknown, is assumed to have been born of respectable
referable to at a future Macnessius,
period.
death,ata. d. 590. TheMartyrologyofDonegal°recordshimasMacNessi,
Abbot of Cluain-mic-nois.
andtohavebeeneducatedin 1 wherehereceivedtheelements Scotia,
parents,
of instruction when a
ciplehebecame. AnancientBreviary,3havingspecialrelationtotheDio- cese of Limoges, France, has the feast of Saints Psalmodius and Anthony of Padua,atthe13thofJune. Thisseemstobethechiefauthority,forwhatis related regarding the present saint. Gaufredus,* or Geoffroi,* a coenobite of the monastery of St. Martial of Limoges, has an account of the Blessed
6
Psalmodius, enumerated among the chief saints of Limoges, and who was
connected with the monastery of Aentum, or Eymoutiers,? in Haute-Vienne.
This holy man is said to have been a contemporary with Pope St. Gregory
out in the Atlantic Ocean—
boy
from St.
2 of whose dis- Brendan, Bishop Clonfert,
8
theGreat. Itisstated,thatwhileveryyoung,forthreedayshewasexposed
to the sea-waves 9
— probably
but from this the advice of his
danger master, Psalmodius passed over to Gaul. Here he visited St. Leontius," Bishop of
he 10 providentially escaped.
Afterwards, following
(of heaven) went Mac Nissi the chaste of Cluain. "—" Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xciv.
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvii.
* See her Life, at the 15th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
s See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nian," xv. Januarii, Vita S. Itse, n. 27, p. 72.
6 The accompanying view of Clonmac- noise, drawn on the wood by William F. W'akeman, and from a drawing by himself
on the spot, has been engraved by Mrs. Millard.
7 In a note, the Rev. Dr. Todd says at this word, Marian, introduced by some writer: "The words within brackets, quoted from the gloss on the Martyrology of Marian O'Gorman, are inserted by the more recent hand. "
8 " Uti dicimus quod Sanctus Kieranus
understood of Ireland. However, the Con- tinental writers have very generally sup- posed, that the saint was born in Great Britain, as they thought Scotia applied ex- clusively to Scotland.
* His wonderful Acts have been already given, in the Fifth Volume of this work, at the 1 6th of May, the date for his festival. See Art. i.
3 This was printed A. D. 1625, by Ray- mond de la Martonia, Bishop.
4 He was appointed prior of Vigeois in Lower Limousin, June 14th, 1 178.
s He wrote a valuable chronicle, which ends with the year 1 184. It had a Prologue, and it is divided into two parts. The first comprises 74 chapters, and the second 22 chapters. See account of him in M. I. e Dr. Iloefer's " Nouvelle Biographie Generale," tome xx. , cols. 21, 22.
6 The Chonicle of Geoffroi has been pub- lished by Le Pere Labbe in " Bibliotheca
Abbas natus sit Febr. licet eo die — Nova tomus
24. quo Manuscriptorum," ii. , p. 279.
7
natus, non fuerit Abbus vel sanctus.
"
This place is about 14 miles distant from Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xv. Januarii, the city of Limoges.
n. 8 He March 27, p. 72. died,
A. n.
9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
168, 169. — Article hi.
henp of sea-weeds, he was carried out h until a returning tidal-wave brought him back to the shore.
This is stated, by Saussay, and the circumstances show, that it must be
12th,
9 The legend states, that sleeping on a
604.
June 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 659
Saintes, by whom he was directed to embrace a life of celestial contempla-
tion, in that stranger's country. He retired to a lonely forest in Limousin,
12
nearEymoutiers, farfromthehauntsofmen,andwherehisvirtuesendeared
him to the Almighty, who was pleased to distinguish him by the gift of mira- cles. J 3 One woman, who was blind, he restored to the use of sight, by bath- ing her eyes in that water, in which he had washed his hands. The daughter of the Duke of Aquitaine, who had been bitten by a viper, he healed, also, by sprinkling holy water upon her. He was reverenced for his power over wild beasts and demons, as also for his curing of diseases. Such was his love for
singing psalms, that he obtained from that circumstance the name Psalmo- "
diusorPsalmode,meaning Psalm-singer,"bywhichheisatpresentdistin- guished. There he lived a most holy life, and there too he closed it, with a
reputation for great sanctity. '* The year-date of his death, however, does not appear on record, although it is related, that he departed on the Ides of June. When his soul had passed to Heaven, his body was brought from the wood
to the Collegiate Church of St. Stephen, belonging to the monastery of
Aentum, or Eymoutiers. There, it was enclosed in a silver shrine, which
was preserved with great veneration, and many resorted thither to pray at his tomb. His office was celebrated under a Double Rite. There are notices of this saint in the Kalendar of Limoges, at this date, in the Menology of
Article IV.
