In the
Breviary
of Hereford,5 his Ecclesiastical Office is set down as a double.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
'*' He called his monks around him, and they wept, at the prospect of his near dissolution.
He departed this life, at Dun- ning; but,hisremainswerebroughtforfinaldepositiontoCulenros,where he was religiously interred, psalms, hymns and canticles being heard about his grave.
^^ The foregoing accounts we find, in the Legendary Acts ; and, the following have been drawn, from other sources.
By some writers, St.
with you, and to ask you some questions. "
"
not God form a new man, and send him to free the human race ? " The saint answered " Because no one different from Adam's pos- terity could have belonged to us. " " Why are you men, and not we demons, liberated
St. Servan returned for answer :
you miserable creature, be. i;in. " Satan then asked, " Where was God before he created Heaven and earth, and all his creatures. " Blessed Servan faid to him : "As he is not confined to any place, he was within himself; being neither bound wiihin nor extended by any place, nor subject to the movements of time, everywhere he is whole. " The De\ il enquired: "For what reason hath God made creatures? ' The saint returned:
" Because he could not be a Creator without
creatures. " " Why did he make them very
good ? " To this question, the holy man re-
" Because God could not do evil, nor seem to be envious, as if lie willed not any thing to be good but himself. " The Devil said: "Where did God create Adam? " The saint said : "In Ebron. " Satan asked : "Where was he after having been cast out ofPaiadise? " The saint replied : "Where he is formed. " Satan then enquired : "How long did he remain in Paradise after his sin? "
"
plied :
you
no further can I dispute with you. " Then
Only seven hours. " Satan " Why did God permit Adanr and Eve to sin in Paradise ? " To this, the ' ' Because the fore-
Said the saint :
then said
:
saint replied
Almighty
sees something great to come, for Christ should not have taken human flesh, but for the sin of Adam and of Eve. " Satan asked : " Why could not Adam and Eve be liberated of their own accord? " Serv. in said, "Be- fell not of their own accord, but
they
:
through Christ, born of one among tlieir
cause
through another, that is, the Devil templing them. Thoefore, throu. t;h another, that is,
posterity, they are liberated. "
"
Why did
Begin,
Because
the holy man replied: "Go, go, you wretch, hastily depart fiom this pl. ice, nor dare further to appear in it to any person. " The spot was aferwards deemed most vene- rable, as connected with the memory of St. Servan, and because it was believed, that there the Devil could not dwell.
3» All of these places, mentioned in the text, are on the nortli side of theTorth, and extend from Sterling to Alloa. See William F. Skene's " Celtic Scotland," Book ii. , chap, vi. , p. 257.
'" At that day, more will be found, regard- ing St. Servanus.
"See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 446, 447.
'•' SeetheLifeofSt. Seivanus,inWilliam F. Skene's "Chronicles of the Picts, Chroni- cles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," Appendix vi. , pp. 412 to 420.
through the Passion of Christ ?
the original fall was not through ourselves, but through you, Devils. But you Devils, be- cause you were not of a fragile nature, and because you would not repent, and because of yourselves you have willingly contracted original sin, as a consequence, the Passion of Christ cannot profit you. ' Then the Devil, finding he could effect nothing against the saint, who overturned all his interrogatories, cried out, "O Servanus, are wise, and
'"
April 20. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 253
Servanus is styled the first bishop, the Apostle and founder of the Orkneyan Church/3 therefore he is regarded as the Patron. Again, the Lections, in the Breviary of Aberdeen, make Servanus a Scot, who lived under the rite and form of theprimitive Church, until the arrival of Palladius,''-' who was sent by St. Celestine,'«5 to convert the Scots, and who, finding Servanus there, ordained him as his suflFragan. ** Moved by divine inspiration, Palladius in- structedhim,andmadeServanushisassistant. ^' Hewasfound,wearetold, atCulros. AccordingtoBoece,*'PalladiusmadeSt. Serfabishop,andsent him into Orkney, to instruct the rude people there in the Faith. Palladius is said to have preached, with his followers, through all Scotland. ' The re- mains of Servanus were at Culros, in 1530, according to the Martyrology of Aberdeen. InScotland,thisholymanwaschieflyvenerated. 5° Aboutthe
year 15 11, George Browne, Bishop of Dunkeld, dedicated the parochial church of Petcarnia to St. Servan. " Monivard is one of his churches, in Perthshire. 5' Servanus is the patron of Creich and Dysart. sj He was com- memorated, at Dunning, where there were lands, attached to the chapel of St. Servanus. 5-» In the parish church of Monkege, now called Keith-Hall, there was an altar of "St. Serwe," another form of his name. This was in Aber- deenshire. 55 The present parish church is situated, upon a portion of St. Sare's bank, where it is said St. Sare's fair was held, before its removal to Culsamond. 5* AstraditionholdsSt. ServanustohavebeenaScot,itseems probable enough, that he may have been an Irish missionary, who laboured in Scotland. However, we must have more light thrown on his personal his- tory, to decide belter, regarding his native country, and about his period.
ArticleV. —St. Sobhartan,Bishop. Theinfluenceofaholybishop over his flock is greater even than that of a great king over his subjects, or than agreatmihtarycommanderoverhistroops. IntheMartyrologyofTallagh," at this same date, we read St. Sobairihein, a Bishop. However, we have no
account of his- age and place, among our Irish prelates. The Martyrology of »
Donegal records a festival, in honour of Sobhartan, on this day,
" For the»e titles, Dempster cites John Colman, St. Mamach, St. Moloch, Su "
Lesley, Historia bcolorum," lib. iv. , p. Notlilan, St. Marnan, St. Rumold, St.
cxxxvii. , Polydoras Virgilus'
"
Histona Tigernach, St. Medanach, St. Machut, St.
Anglorum. " lib. iii. , p. Iviii. , Antonios Pos- Cormach, St. Dagamach. See Rev. Dr.
"
icTinus' Apparatus Sacer," p. ccx.
• His feast occurs, at the 6th of July.
« See his Life, already given, at the 6lh of
'"
Gordon's Scotichronicon," vol. i. , p. 68.
s" Alexandro . Millo teste, adds Dempster, in "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomus ii. , lib. xviL, num. lOJo,
p. 573.
s' See " New Statistical Survey of Scot-
land," Perthshire, p. 723.
» According to Commissary Records of the Diocese ol Glasguw.
s* According to Ketours, Perth, p. 954.
ss See View of the Diocese of Aberdeen,
April.
* See Bshop Forbes'
Scottish S. iinU," p. 445. " See ibid.
" Kalendars of
"
* Sre Bellenden's translation of Boece's History . nnd Chronicles of Scotland," voL
\,, Book vii. , cap. 18, p. 286.
<* See Breviary of Aberdeen, Pars. Estir. , fol. XXV.
5° HU name is found, in a Procesiional
note.
5° " Tliis great fair stands to the N W. of
the Church [of Culsamond], and i—s holden from a Manuscript Scotichronicon by Prior on the last Tuesday in June. " Bishop
Litany of the Monastery of Dunlield, copied Brockie, of . St. James Ratisbon. The fo—l-
lowing List of Scotcii Bishops are invoked
St. Martn, St. Ninan, St. P. iUadius, St. Serf, St. P. itrick. St. Modnch, St. Fcrran. ich, St. Makessocb, St. Makkoloch, St. Cainach, St. Convall, St. Baldred, St. Colmach, St. Comacli, St. Kelloch, St. Kothalh, St. Cuthbercb, St. Edhan, St. Finoancb, St.
Forbes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints,
p. 447.
Article v. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xxi. The Franciscan copy reads simply Sob^ipchen.
"
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 106, 107.
:
p. 569,
254
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 20.
Article VI. —St. Setrach, or Sedrach, Bishop. In the Martyro- logy of Tallagh,^ a St. Setrach, Bishop, is set down, on this day. There is no due, however, to the place where he Hved, or to the time when he flourished. We find mentioned, in the Martyrology of Donegalj^" that Sedrach, Bishop,hadvenerationpaidhim,atthisdate; and,. thisisalltherecord,we can find, in connexion with his memory.
Article VII. —Reputed Festival for the Translation of the Relics of St. Adelarius. {Eighth Century. '] The Translation of Adela- rius, born in Scotia, first Bishop of Hereford, and then Apostle of Franconia, who erected a monastery for his Scots, is a feast we find placed, at the 20th ofApril,byThomasDempster;' while,thesamewritermakeshimoneofthe companions of St. Boniface, whose martyrdom took place, on the Sth of Tune. ' To this latter date, his chief festival is referred ;
although, weare told, that one eminent writer has the Natalis of St. Adelarius, at the 20th of
TheBoUandists noticehim,atthisdate,also,andremark,thathe
April. 3
is venerated in several Martyrologies, chiefly of the more recent dates.
In the Breviary of Hereford,5 his Ecclesiastical Office is set down as a double. There seems to have been a Translation of his relics, as likewise an inspec- tion of these, made in 1633 ; and, some accounts regarding these events, have been committed to writing. This holy Martyr flourished, in the eighth
century.
ArticleVIII. —FestivalofHerodius. Wefind,intheFeilireofSt.
^ngus,' the feast of Herodius, Martyr, set down in the Stanza, for the_20th of Apri'l,^ and, as an appendage, a festival at Rome, in honour of Martin, is given. 3 At this date, we do not find, in the BoUandists' great collection, any notice of a Martyr, or Saint, called Herodius, so that it is difficult to find, in what part of the world he had been venerated.
Article VI . —'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p xxi. The Franciscan copy has SeDt\Ac e^rp.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
5 This was printed, in 15x8. Arti"cle viii. — In the
Leabhar
106,107. " Article vil—* In his
Ucer^tj hei\ot> Ct\uimchii\ ci\och'oA X^<^1^"*""1^^"DAile noemtieoi\ApAuiLe.
Menologium Scotorum,"wefind; xx. "HeifordiKAde- larii episcopi primi translalio, qui Fran- conis Apostolus, Scolis suis monasterium
cuiLe
erexit "—Bi-^hop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scotti^sh Saints," p. 197- .
" With (the) suffering of Herodius a pnest
'
See Dempster's
right
' A marginal commentary is also found :
Gentis Scotorum," tomusi. , lib. i. , o
« Laces ad herodi 7rl. comune solemne sanc-
^*
" IHstoria Ecclesiastica
^'
^\° <^TM7'^"^ '^'f r"^f'i'^"
Tt! '"
num. 33,
3 These are the words of Dempster :— torum hiberniae et britanis et totius eorapae
" Colitur die v. Tunii, quo passus, et trans- latio XX. April. Petius Cratepolius, Uvion lib II Lie Vitae cap. XLI. Male Tiithem, lib", iv! Vir. illustr. Ord. S. Bened. , cap. CXXCIII. ei natalem assignat xx Aprilis. "- jl^. j
* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap- rilis XX. Among the pretermitted feasts, P-744-
et specialiter martini.
Breac
copy we read :—
'"
noble town ! -of all Europe s saints.
3 this is a comment, >" Following
Ir'fh, and thus translated into English, by Whitley
Stokes, LL. D. :_" A great tree was in the world in the east, and the heathen used to adore it, and the Christians fasted against all the saints of Europe that the tree might fall, and forthwith it fell.
April 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
255
Ctuentp-firsit ©ap of apri'U
ARTICLE I. —ST. MAELRUBIUS, OR MAOLRUBHA, OF BANGOR, COUNTY OF DOWN, AND OF APPLECROSS, SCOTLAND.
[SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. ^
in Scottish Ecclesiastical History, there is no other saint
if we except Columkille'—whose life-particuiars are marked with greater exactness, than are those of St. Maelrubha, or whose commemorations are more numerous, especially in the west of Scotland ; yet, only a few years have elapsed, since any correct account of him has appeared. Thefirst attempt of this kind was m a communication to the " Irish Ecclesiastical Journal,'" by the Rev. Dr. William Reeves. Thus, the history of St. Maelrubha has
gamed very considerable illustration, from that distinguished Irish ecclesias- ticalhistorianandantiquary. Thisnoticehasreceivedlateradditions,3from the same writer,'* who alterwards had an opportunity, for visiting the scenes of St. Maelrubha's labours, and for studying Scottish works, bearing on the in-
dividual and on his age. s More recently, Bishop Forbes « has entries regarding this saint. Some notices of Maolrubha are contained, in the Rev. Alban Butler's work,? at this date ; but, the saint is represented as being of Abur- Crossain, and this most incorrectly is placed, in the county of Ross, in Ire- land. Now, it is well known, there is no county bearing that name in Ireland. Moreover, the Rev. Alban Butler incorrectly states, that his festival was kept m Connaught,and that he was slain, by Norwegian pirates, in 721.
This saint had been descended, on the father's side, from the Cinel- Eoghain family ;« and subordinately, through that branch, called the Cinel Binnigh. This clan, at an early period, had obtained a settlement, in the south-eastern part of the present county of Londonderry, where they gave name to a particular district. ' Maelrubha was the son of Elganach, son to Garbh, son of Ollarbach, son to Cuboirenn, son of Crimthann, son to Eochaidh Binnigh," son of Eoghan," son to the celebrated Niall of the Nine
ALTHOUGH
Article i. — His Life will be found, at the 9th of June.
In vol. v. , July, 1849, num. 108, p.
,v ^
*9f-,. J. 1 ,.
It need scarcely be observed, the sub- stance of this exhaustive account has mainly
furnished the notices, we have inserted, in the
' See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other principal saints," vol. iv. , April xxi.
He refers to Colgan's Manuscripts.
*5f3- See
Breac copy of
. Proceedmgs of the Society of An- tiquanes of Scotland," voL iii. Rev. Dr. Reeves' St. Maelrubha : His History and Churches, Commun. caUon 11. , pp. 258 to
"' Article.
'He dates from the Vicarage, Lusk,
April 20th, 1859. His communication was r^ before the Society, Tuesday, 14th June,
so stated.
" Until 1591, it belonged to the princi-
pality of Tyrone. It comprehended all the modern barony of Loughinsholin, west of the River Bann. It is now comprised, in the
County of Londonderry.
" Krom him the Cinel Binny descended
Pfff
of Tyrone* which extended to Tullaghoge on the south' It gave name to a rural deanery in the diocese of Derry, called Bynnagh or Ben- ""E^- Se« "Acts of Archbishop Coiton in his Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of Derry, A. D. Mcccxcvii," edited by the
»e„tr, J , ^ P- 302.
.
bee Kalendars of the Scottish Saints,"
.
*
In a to the Leabhar gloss
the Felire Unguis, at the 21st of April,.
i'
»U
Their was a sub-division territory
t "
i
2s6
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 21.
His mother was named Subtaire, according to a commentator's the scholiast^ on the Leabhar Breac version of the Feilire of St. . ^ngus,callsherSublhan and,shewasthedaughterofSetna,''shebeingthe
Hostages. authority ;
;
sister—other accounts have it the kinswoman—to St. Comhgall, Abbot
of Bangor. 'J This statement of his parentage, however, involves a difficulty ; for, Congall died, a. d. 601, or 602, at the age of ninety years, while Maolruba wasborn,a. d. 641,'•or642. 'S TheAbbeyofBangorwasthecradleofmany holy monks, and it was recognised, as the head of various other religious houses,fromthetimeofitsfoundation,toamuchlaterperiod. '^ Subtanwas the daugliter of Setna,"' or Sedna, who was son to Eochaidh, son of Brian, son to Forgo, son of Ernan, son of Crimthann, son of Lughaidh. '* St. Maol- rubha is said to have been born, on the nth or 12th of January, a. d. 641. '9 However, the accurate Annalist, Tighernach, determines^" the correct date
to be, the 3rd day of that month, a. d. 642.
According to the national usage of family association, St. Maelrubha be-
came a member of St. Comgall's^' society, at Bangor, county of Down. There is no authority for the assertion, in earlier records, that our saint had
been superior over that house, and, indeed, there is negative proof to the con- trary. '" If we are to credit some writers, he appears to have succeeded Critan, the Abbot of Bangor, who died a. d. 668. =3 It would seem, that the Four Masters were led to make such a statement, from a gloss, attached to the MartyrologyofMarianusO'Gorman. Hewasmostprobablyonlyasubor- dinatememberofthatreligiouscommunity. Maolrubharesignedthedignity of Abbot, it is said, in the year 671 ;'» and then, he went over into Scotland,'^ at the age of twenty-nine. Even, after this period, his connexion witii Bangor did not cease ; for, his foundation in Alba was regarded, as an affiliation of the celebrated Irish establishment. There are some grounds for supposing, that, in the first instance, he spent some time, at the famous Hebridean monastery of St. Columba. '* A local tradition regarding St. Maolrubha is, that he came from lona ^^ to Applecross,^^ which was the chief place of his
""
Rev. William Reeves, n. (y), p. 74. Cujus atavus floruit A. D. 236. "
" He died a. d. 465. He gave name to '' This conclusion might be adduced, from
"
the territory of Tir-Eoghan, the land of the account of his death, by the Four
Eugene," or Tyrone. The peninsular por- Masters.
tion of north-eastern Donegal, from liim, was °° When recording this saint's obit.
"" called Inis-Eoghain, or the Island of
See his Life, at the loth of May. "Thus, his name is not to be found in that Catalogue of Abbots, recited in the An- tiphonaiy 01 Bangor. See the " Ulster Jour- nal of Archeology," vol. i. , pp. 177 to 179. "^ Acconling to the Annals of Ulster and
those of the Four Masters.
'* According to Tighernach and the Four Masters. TheAnn. ilsofUlsterhaveit at670. °5 Xhe O'Clerys states: He blessed also
a church in Alb. i, i. e. at Apurcrossan.
"'
See his Life, at the gtli of June.
°' It IS said, by the Messrs. Anderson, that '5 According to Tighernach's Chrono- the monks ol lona, at an early period, fixed on Applecross, as a suitable site for a supple- mentaiy monastery, to convert the northern
Eugene,"since known as the Barony of Inish- owen.
" The O'Clerys state, that Suaibhseach
was the name of his mother ; or, perhaps
Subhthan, daughter of Sedna, the sister of Comhgall was his mother.
'3 See Ur. O Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , p. 32P, n. (i).
'* See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesiasti-
cal Antiquities of ^Down, Connor and Dro-
more," Appendix LL, pp. 377, 378, and n. (u). Ibid.
logy.
'° "
See Father Stephen White's Apolo-
"
Guide to the Highlands. "
logical Manuscript, p. 7yi b. teer of Scotland," vol. i,, pp. 59, 60.
gia pro Hibernia," cap. iii. , pp. 21, 22.
'' According to the Tract, on the Mothers of the Saints of Ireland ; while the same
clans. See
=' This is an extensive parish, on the west
coast ol Ro-s-shire, and its name among the authority gives as an alternative name natives is Comrich or Comaraich. For a Suaibsech, according to Mac Firbis Geuea- description of it, see the "Imperial Gazet-
April 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 257
residence during life.
with you, and to ask you some questions. "
"
not God form a new man, and send him to free the human race ? " The saint answered " Because no one different from Adam's pos- terity could have belonged to us. " " Why are you men, and not we demons, liberated
St. Servan returned for answer :
you miserable creature, be. i;in. " Satan then asked, " Where was God before he created Heaven and earth, and all his creatures. " Blessed Servan faid to him : "As he is not confined to any place, he was within himself; being neither bound wiihin nor extended by any place, nor subject to the movements of time, everywhere he is whole. " The De\ il enquired: "For what reason hath God made creatures? ' The saint returned:
" Because he could not be a Creator without
creatures. " " Why did he make them very
good ? " To this question, the holy man re-
" Because God could not do evil, nor seem to be envious, as if lie willed not any thing to be good but himself. " The Devil said: "Where did God create Adam? " The saint said : "In Ebron. " Satan asked : "Where was he after having been cast out ofPaiadise? " The saint replied : "Where he is formed. " Satan then enquired : "How long did he remain in Paradise after his sin? "
"
plied :
you
no further can I dispute with you. " Then
Only seven hours. " Satan " Why did God permit Adanr and Eve to sin in Paradise ? " To this, the ' ' Because the fore-
Said the saint :
then said
:
saint replied
Almighty
sees something great to come, for Christ should not have taken human flesh, but for the sin of Adam and of Eve. " Satan asked : " Why could not Adam and Eve be liberated of their own accord? " Serv. in said, "Be- fell not of their own accord, but
they
:
through Christ, born of one among tlieir
cause
through another, that is, the Devil templing them. Thoefore, throu. t;h another, that is,
posterity, they are liberated. "
"
Why did
Begin,
Because
the holy man replied: "Go, go, you wretch, hastily depart fiom this pl. ice, nor dare further to appear in it to any person. " The spot was aferwards deemed most vene- rable, as connected with the memory of St. Servan, and because it was believed, that there the Devil could not dwell.
3» All of these places, mentioned in the text, are on the nortli side of theTorth, and extend from Sterling to Alloa. See William F. Skene's " Celtic Scotland," Book ii. , chap, vi. , p. 257.
'" At that day, more will be found, regard- ing St. Servanus.
"See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 446, 447.
'•' SeetheLifeofSt. Seivanus,inWilliam F. Skene's "Chronicles of the Picts, Chroni- cles of the Scots, and other early Memorials of Scottish History," Appendix vi. , pp. 412 to 420.
through the Passion of Christ ?
the original fall was not through ourselves, but through you, Devils. But you Devils, be- cause you were not of a fragile nature, and because you would not repent, and because of yourselves you have willingly contracted original sin, as a consequence, the Passion of Christ cannot profit you. ' Then the Devil, finding he could effect nothing against the saint, who overturned all his interrogatories, cried out, "O Servanus, are wise, and
'"
April 20. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 253
Servanus is styled the first bishop, the Apostle and founder of the Orkneyan Church/3 therefore he is regarded as the Patron. Again, the Lections, in the Breviary of Aberdeen, make Servanus a Scot, who lived under the rite and form of theprimitive Church, until the arrival of Palladius,''-' who was sent by St. Celestine,'«5 to convert the Scots, and who, finding Servanus there, ordained him as his suflFragan. ** Moved by divine inspiration, Palladius in- structedhim,andmadeServanushisassistant. ^' Hewasfound,wearetold, atCulros. AccordingtoBoece,*'PalladiusmadeSt. Serfabishop,andsent him into Orkney, to instruct the rude people there in the Faith. Palladius is said to have preached, with his followers, through all Scotland. ' The re- mains of Servanus were at Culros, in 1530, according to the Martyrology of Aberdeen. InScotland,thisholymanwaschieflyvenerated. 5° Aboutthe
year 15 11, George Browne, Bishop of Dunkeld, dedicated the parochial church of Petcarnia to St. Servan. " Monivard is one of his churches, in Perthshire. 5' Servanus is the patron of Creich and Dysart. sj He was com- memorated, at Dunning, where there were lands, attached to the chapel of St. Servanus. 5-» In the parish church of Monkege, now called Keith-Hall, there was an altar of "St. Serwe," another form of his name. This was in Aber- deenshire. 55 The present parish church is situated, upon a portion of St. Sare's bank, where it is said St. Sare's fair was held, before its removal to Culsamond. 5* AstraditionholdsSt. ServanustohavebeenaScot,itseems probable enough, that he may have been an Irish missionary, who laboured in Scotland. However, we must have more light thrown on his personal his- tory, to decide belter, regarding his native country, and about his period.
ArticleV. —St. Sobhartan,Bishop. Theinfluenceofaholybishop over his flock is greater even than that of a great king over his subjects, or than agreatmihtarycommanderoverhistroops. IntheMartyrologyofTallagh," at this same date, we read St. Sobairihein, a Bishop. However, we have no
account of his- age and place, among our Irish prelates. The Martyrology of »
Donegal records a festival, in honour of Sobhartan, on this day,
" For the»e titles, Dempster cites John Colman, St. Mamach, St. Moloch, Su "
Lesley, Historia bcolorum," lib. iv. , p. Notlilan, St. Marnan, St. Rumold, St.
cxxxvii. , Polydoras Virgilus'
"
Histona Tigernach, St. Medanach, St. Machut, St.
Anglorum. " lib. iii. , p. Iviii. , Antonios Pos- Cormach, St. Dagamach. See Rev. Dr.
"
icTinus' Apparatus Sacer," p. ccx.
• His feast occurs, at the 6th of July.
« See his Life, already given, at the 6lh of
'"
Gordon's Scotichronicon," vol. i. , p. 68.
s" Alexandro . Millo teste, adds Dempster, in "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scoto- rum," tomus ii. , lib. xviL, num. lOJo,
p. 573.
s' See " New Statistical Survey of Scot-
land," Perthshire, p. 723.
» According to Commissary Records of the Diocese ol Glasguw.
s* According to Ketours, Perth, p. 954.
ss See View of the Diocese of Aberdeen,
April.
* See Bshop Forbes'
Scottish S. iinU," p. 445. " See ibid.
" Kalendars of
"
* Sre Bellenden's translation of Boece's History . nnd Chronicles of Scotland," voL
\,, Book vii. , cap. 18, p. 286.
<* See Breviary of Aberdeen, Pars. Estir. , fol. XXV.
5° HU name is found, in a Procesiional
note.
5° " Tliis great fair stands to the N W. of
the Church [of Culsamond], and i—s holden from a Manuscript Scotichronicon by Prior on the last Tuesday in June. " Bishop
Litany of the Monastery of Dunlield, copied Brockie, of . St. James Ratisbon. The fo—l-
lowing List of Scotcii Bishops are invoked
St. Martn, St. Ninan, St. P. iUadius, St. Serf, St. P. itrick. St. Modnch, St. Fcrran. ich, St. Makessocb, St. Makkoloch, St. Cainach, St. Convall, St. Baldred, St. Colmach, St. Comacli, St. Kelloch, St. Kothalh, St. Cuthbercb, St. Edhan, St. Finoancb, St.
Forbes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints,
p. 447.
Article v. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xxi. The Franciscan copy reads simply Sob^ipchen.
"
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 106, 107.
:
p. 569,
254
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 20.
Article VI. —St. Setrach, or Sedrach, Bishop. In the Martyro- logy of Tallagh,^ a St. Setrach, Bishop, is set down, on this day. There is no due, however, to the place where he Hved, or to the time when he flourished. We find mentioned, in the Martyrology of Donegalj^" that Sedrach, Bishop,hadvenerationpaidhim,atthisdate; and,. thisisalltherecord,we can find, in connexion with his memory.
Article VII. —Reputed Festival for the Translation of the Relics of St. Adelarius. {Eighth Century. '] The Translation of Adela- rius, born in Scotia, first Bishop of Hereford, and then Apostle of Franconia, who erected a monastery for his Scots, is a feast we find placed, at the 20th ofApril,byThomasDempster;' while,thesamewritermakeshimoneofthe companions of St. Boniface, whose martyrdom took place, on the Sth of Tune. ' To this latter date, his chief festival is referred ;
although, weare told, that one eminent writer has the Natalis of St. Adelarius, at the 20th of
TheBoUandists noticehim,atthisdate,also,andremark,thathe
April. 3
is venerated in several Martyrologies, chiefly of the more recent dates.
In the Breviary of Hereford,5 his Ecclesiastical Office is set down as a double. There seems to have been a Translation of his relics, as likewise an inspec- tion of these, made in 1633 ; and, some accounts regarding these events, have been committed to writing. This holy Martyr flourished, in the eighth
century.
ArticleVIII. —FestivalofHerodius. Wefind,intheFeilireofSt.
^ngus,' the feast of Herodius, Martyr, set down in the Stanza, for the_20th of Apri'l,^ and, as an appendage, a festival at Rome, in honour of Martin, is given. 3 At this date, we do not find, in the BoUandists' great collection, any notice of a Martyr, or Saint, called Herodius, so that it is difficult to find, in what part of the world he had been venerated.
Article VI . —'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p xxi. The Franciscan copy has SeDt\Ac e^rp.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
5 This was printed, in 15x8. Arti"cle viii. — In the
Leabhar
106,107. " Article vil—* In his
Ucer^tj hei\ot> Ct\uimchii\ ci\och'oA X^<^1^"*""1^^"DAile noemtieoi\ApAuiLe.
Menologium Scotorum,"wefind; xx. "HeifordiKAde- larii episcopi primi translalio, qui Fran- conis Apostolus, Scolis suis monasterium
cuiLe
erexit "—Bi-^hop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scotti^sh Saints," p. 197- .
" With (the) suffering of Herodius a pnest
'
See Dempster's
right
' A marginal commentary is also found :
Gentis Scotorum," tomusi. , lib. i. , o
« Laces ad herodi 7rl. comune solemne sanc-
^*
" IHstoria Ecclesiastica
^'
^\° <^TM7'^"^ '^'f r"^f'i'^"
Tt! '"
num. 33,
3 These are the words of Dempster :— torum hiberniae et britanis et totius eorapae
" Colitur die v. Tunii, quo passus, et trans- latio XX. April. Petius Cratepolius, Uvion lib II Lie Vitae cap. XLI. Male Tiithem, lib", iv! Vir. illustr. Ord. S. Bened. , cap. CXXCIII. ei natalem assignat xx Aprilis. "- jl^. j
* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap- rilis XX. Among the pretermitted feasts, P-744-
et specialiter martini.
Breac
copy we read :—
'"
noble town ! -of all Europe s saints.
3 this is a comment, >" Following
Ir'fh, and thus translated into English, by Whitley
Stokes, LL. D. :_" A great tree was in the world in the east, and the heathen used to adore it, and the Christians fasted against all the saints of Europe that the tree might fall, and forthwith it fell.
April 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
255
Ctuentp-firsit ©ap of apri'U
ARTICLE I. —ST. MAELRUBIUS, OR MAOLRUBHA, OF BANGOR, COUNTY OF DOWN, AND OF APPLECROSS, SCOTLAND.
[SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. ^
in Scottish Ecclesiastical History, there is no other saint
if we except Columkille'—whose life-particuiars are marked with greater exactness, than are those of St. Maelrubha, or whose commemorations are more numerous, especially in the west of Scotland ; yet, only a few years have elapsed, since any correct account of him has appeared. Thefirst attempt of this kind was m a communication to the " Irish Ecclesiastical Journal,'" by the Rev. Dr. William Reeves. Thus, the history of St. Maelrubha has
gamed very considerable illustration, from that distinguished Irish ecclesias- ticalhistorianandantiquary. Thisnoticehasreceivedlateradditions,3from the same writer,'* who alterwards had an opportunity, for visiting the scenes of St. Maelrubha's labours, and for studying Scottish works, bearing on the in-
dividual and on his age. s More recently, Bishop Forbes « has entries regarding this saint. Some notices of Maolrubha are contained, in the Rev. Alban Butler's work,? at this date ; but, the saint is represented as being of Abur- Crossain, and this most incorrectly is placed, in the county of Ross, in Ire- land. Now, it is well known, there is no county bearing that name in Ireland. Moreover, the Rev. Alban Butler incorrectly states, that his festival was kept m Connaught,and that he was slain, by Norwegian pirates, in 721.
This saint had been descended, on the father's side, from the Cinel- Eoghain family ;« and subordinately, through that branch, called the Cinel Binnigh. This clan, at an early period, had obtained a settlement, in the south-eastern part of the present county of Londonderry, where they gave name to a particular district. ' Maelrubha was the son of Elganach, son to Garbh, son of Ollarbach, son to Cuboirenn, son of Crimthann, son to Eochaidh Binnigh," son of Eoghan," son to the celebrated Niall of the Nine
ALTHOUGH
Article i. — His Life will be found, at the 9th of June.
In vol. v. , July, 1849, num. 108, p.
,v ^
*9f-,. J. 1 ,.
It need scarcely be observed, the sub- stance of this exhaustive account has mainly
furnished the notices, we have inserted, in the
' See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
other principal saints," vol. iv. , April xxi.
He refers to Colgan's Manuscripts.
*5f3- See
Breac copy of
. Proceedmgs of the Society of An- tiquanes of Scotland," voL iii. Rev. Dr. Reeves' St. Maelrubha : His History and Churches, Commun. caUon 11. , pp. 258 to
"' Article.
'He dates from the Vicarage, Lusk,
April 20th, 1859. His communication was r^ before the Society, Tuesday, 14th June,
so stated.
" Until 1591, it belonged to the princi-
pality of Tyrone. It comprehended all the modern barony of Loughinsholin, west of the River Bann. It is now comprised, in the
County of Londonderry.
" Krom him the Cinel Binny descended
Pfff
of Tyrone* which extended to Tullaghoge on the south' It gave name to a rural deanery in the diocese of Derry, called Bynnagh or Ben- ""E^- Se« "Acts of Archbishop Coiton in his Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of Derry, A. D. Mcccxcvii," edited by the
»e„tr, J , ^ P- 302.
.
bee Kalendars of the Scottish Saints,"
.
*
In a to the Leabhar gloss
the Felire Unguis, at the 21st of April,.
i'
»U
Their was a sub-division territory
t "
i
2s6
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 21.
His mother was named Subtaire, according to a commentator's the scholiast^ on the Leabhar Breac version of the Feilire of St. . ^ngus,callsherSublhan and,shewasthedaughterofSetna,''shebeingthe
Hostages. authority ;
;
sister—other accounts have it the kinswoman—to St. Comhgall, Abbot
of Bangor. 'J This statement of his parentage, however, involves a difficulty ; for, Congall died, a. d. 601, or 602, at the age of ninety years, while Maolruba wasborn,a. d. 641,'•or642. 'S TheAbbeyofBangorwasthecradleofmany holy monks, and it was recognised, as the head of various other religious houses,fromthetimeofitsfoundation,toamuchlaterperiod. '^ Subtanwas the daugliter of Setna,"' or Sedna, who was son to Eochaidh, son of Brian, son to Forgo, son of Ernan, son of Crimthann, son of Lughaidh. '* St. Maol- rubha is said to have been born, on the nth or 12th of January, a. d. 641. '9 However, the accurate Annalist, Tighernach, determines^" the correct date
to be, the 3rd day of that month, a. d. 642.
According to the national usage of family association, St. Maelrubha be-
came a member of St. Comgall's^' society, at Bangor, county of Down. There is no authority for the assertion, in earlier records, that our saint had
been superior over that house, and, indeed, there is negative proof to the con- trary. '" If we are to credit some writers, he appears to have succeeded Critan, the Abbot of Bangor, who died a. d. 668. =3 It would seem, that the Four Masters were led to make such a statement, from a gloss, attached to the MartyrologyofMarianusO'Gorman. Hewasmostprobablyonlyasubor- dinatememberofthatreligiouscommunity. Maolrubharesignedthedignity of Abbot, it is said, in the year 671 ;'» and then, he went over into Scotland,'^ at the age of twenty-nine. Even, after this period, his connexion witii Bangor did not cease ; for, his foundation in Alba was regarded, as an affiliation of the celebrated Irish establishment. There are some grounds for supposing, that, in the first instance, he spent some time, at the famous Hebridean monastery of St. Columba. '* A local tradition regarding St. Maolrubha is, that he came from lona ^^ to Applecross,^^ which was the chief place of his
""
Rev. William Reeves, n. (y), p. 74. Cujus atavus floruit A. D. 236. "
" He died a. d. 465. He gave name to '' This conclusion might be adduced, from
"
the territory of Tir-Eoghan, the land of the account of his death, by the Four
Eugene," or Tyrone. The peninsular por- Masters.
tion of north-eastern Donegal, from liim, was °° When recording this saint's obit.
"" called Inis-Eoghain, or the Island of
See his Life, at the loth of May. "Thus, his name is not to be found in that Catalogue of Abbots, recited in the An- tiphonaiy 01 Bangor. See the " Ulster Jour- nal of Archeology," vol. i. , pp. 177 to 179. "^ Acconling to the Annals of Ulster and
those of the Four Masters.
'* According to Tighernach and the Four Masters. TheAnn. ilsofUlsterhaveit at670. °5 Xhe O'Clerys states: He blessed also
a church in Alb. i, i. e. at Apurcrossan.
"'
See his Life, at the gtli of June.
°' It IS said, by the Messrs. Anderson, that '5 According to Tighernach's Chrono- the monks ol lona, at an early period, fixed on Applecross, as a suitable site for a supple- mentaiy monastery, to convert the northern
Eugene,"since known as the Barony of Inish- owen.
" The O'Clerys state, that Suaibhseach
was the name of his mother ; or, perhaps
Subhthan, daughter of Sedna, the sister of Comhgall was his mother.
'3 See Ur. O Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , p. 32P, n. (i).
'* See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesiasti-
cal Antiquities of ^Down, Connor and Dro-
more," Appendix LL, pp. 377, 378, and n. (u). Ibid.
logy.
'° "
See Father Stephen White's Apolo-
"
Guide to the Highlands. "
logical Manuscript, p. 7yi b. teer of Scotland," vol. i,, pp. 59, 60.
gia pro Hibernia," cap. iii. , pp. 21, 22.
'' According to the Tract, on the Mothers of the Saints of Ireland ; while the same
clans. See
=' This is an extensive parish, on the west
coast ol Ro-s-shire, and its name among the authority gives as an alternative name natives is Comrich or Comaraich. For a Suaibsech, according to Mac Firbis Geuea- description of it, see the "Imperial Gazet-
April 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 257
residence during life.
