There he built on a rising ground, or Eiscir, a little
distance
to the north-west of
"
10
"Great," &c.
"
10
"Great," &c.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
Drs.
Todd and Reeves, pp.
302, 303, at the ioth of November.
hurdles of the black This is said to pool. "
have been the ancient name for the present Metropolis of Ireland, and since known as Dublin.
s°He is said to have had four-and-twenty sons. Among these, we find the names of Echin, or Echenus, Duach Gallach, Fer- gussius, Eochad, Ercus Derg, ^Engussius, Ball-Derg, Tenedus, and Muchitius.
479 to 503, or twenty-five years, according Benignus. See this whole account, taken
46 See " of edited Martyrology Donegal,"
SI His wife and children also refused
bap- tism ; yet, afterwards, she sought to be reconciled with the Irish Apostle, and her 47 His reign over Ireland was from A. n. husband, Echen. was baptised by St.
to the chronology of the Four Masters.
48
This early period for his biith seems in- consistent with other statements in reference to him.
from a Life of the latter, in Colgan's, "Trias
Thaumaturga," Appendix iii. ad Acta S. Patricii, pp. 203, 204.
S2 He is called "frater junior de filiis Briain. "
49
In English it means, "the ford of the
states,*
legend
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 425
Striped. "" Themiraculouscrozierwasthenceforwardheldingreatvenera- tion. It is said, that Duach Gallach was a Christian, having been baptised by St. Patrick, while the wife of Echin, called Fortrui, was aunt to St. Benignus,54 a favourite disciple of the Irish Apostle. The latter proclaimed that he should be a king, and that from his race kings should proceed. In fine, Eachin was baptised at Kilbennin, near Tuam. ss
CHAPTER II.
A TRACT OF LAND BESTOWED ON ST. GRELLAN BY DUACH GALLACH. AND AFTER- WARDS KNOWN AS CRAOBH GREALLAIN—WAR BETWEEN THE FIRBOLGS AND MAINE MOR—ST. GRELLAN SETTLES AT KILCLOONEY—DESTRUCTION OF THE FIRBOLG HOST—THE Hif-MAINE OCCUPY THEIR TERRITORY, AND BIND THEM- SELVES TO PAY AN ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO ST. GRELLAN—FESTIVAL—HIS CROZIER PRESERVED BY THE O'CRONELLYS—FORTUNES OF THE o'KELLYS, OR HOUSE OF HY-MAINE—CONCLUSION.
At Achadh Fionnabhrach, Duach Gallach bestowed a tract of land, a—nd he gave possession of it to St. Grellan. The name was even changed owing to this peculiarity of circumstance—from Achadh Fionnabhrach to that of Craobh Greallain, which signifies, the " Branch of Grellan. " This name is said in his Irish Life to have been owing to a branch, which Duach and St. Patrick gave our saint in token of possession. Here, east of Magh- Luirg, this saint is said to have built a Church, before the arrival of Maine-Mor in Connaught. When alluding to Craobh Ghreallain, Mr. O'Curry remarks, that he believed its precise situation was not known. 1 As a token of the veneration for our saint, Duach required that every chieftain's wife should give seven garments as a tribute to Grellan j and, for payment of this ecclesiastical assessment, the guarantee of St. Patrick had been asked and obtained afterwards by the local Patron.
tionable narrative of particulars regarding the conquest of Hy-Many by Maine-Mor and the Colla da Chrioch's race is given, in the Life of our
Saint. We are there told, that Eochaidh Ferdaghiall, father to Maine-Mor, took counsel with his son as to how their Colla da Chrioch tribe, over whom they ruled, should be able to procure a sufficient scope of territory for their numerous and increasing population, A greed for conquest furnished the motive. Then they held possession of Oirghialla, with the hostages of this place,andofUlidia. Itwasgenerallyallowed,thatquarrelsmightbreakout amongst the chiefs of this ascendant tribe, were they to be confined within any one province. But, considering the Firbolgic territory of Hy-Many as a fair object for a predatory excursion, and as it had been thinly inhabited, they resolved on securing a considerable portion of it by conquest.
Under the leadership of Maine-Mor, the enterprising Colla da Crioch
See
A romantic and—as there are good reasons for supposing—a very ques-
5? "St. Greallan's Irish Life," chap. iii.
"
"Aryan Origin of the Gaelic Race and
of
Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 302,303.
edited —xiii. , Donegal," by Language," chap, pp.
Leinster. O'Curry, First Series, vol. ii. , pp. 445, ss See Very Rev. Ulick J. Bourke's 446.
408, 409. Chapter ii. 'See a brief description of this specified Life of St. Greallain in the of St. Patrick ; and his mother was called " Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts of the Sadeliua, descended from Cather, King of Royal Irish Academy," by Eugene
Martyrology
54 He was the son of Sesonean, a disciple
426 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September17.
assembled their forces at Clogher, in the* county of Tyrone, and then they
proceeded in battle array, towards the territory of Hy-Many. This nomadic tribe —for such it had now become—collected the herds and flocks, which belonged to them j and these animals were driven on their line of march by the invading host, who set out in quest of new settlements. Crossing the Shannon, they came to Drain) Clasach, and plundered all that district of country, lying between Lough Ree and the River Suck. They also despatched messengers to Cian, Chief of the Firbolgs, who dwelt at a place called
length and breadth of the plain was from Dun-na-riogh to the river of Bairrduin, and from Ath-n-fasdoig to Ath-dearg-duin, which was afterwards called Ath-an-Chorrdhaire. 2 They required from him tribute and territory. This unjust demand he refused, and he also prepared to resist. He raised a force of 3,000,3 or, as some accounts have it, of 4,000 Firbolgs,* armed with swords, bucklers, and helmets. s These dwelt in the plain of Magh Seincheineoil. 6 At their head, Cian marched to meet the invaders.
About this time, St. Grellan, who had journeyed over the territory of Hy- Many, came to a place, denominated Cill Cluaine, and now called Kilclooney,
in the neighbourhood of Ballinasloe, and in the present barony of Clon- macnoon, County of Galway.
Thus, in a manner, he was placed between the contending forces ; and his name and influence seem to have been respected, by chieftains on both
sides. He was waited upon by Cian, who, in all probability, gave the saint an exaggerated account, regarding his means for defence against the invaders. However this may be, Grellan induced the Colla da Crioch race to enter into articles of truce with the Firbolgs, and to deliver twenty-seven chiefs of the invading host, as hostages for the observance of peace. Amhalgaidh, son to Maine, was one of these hostages, and he was delivered for keeping to Cian's Brehon. But the Brehon's wife conceived an unlawful passion for
this young prince. The particulars of that affair becoming known to the lawgiver, he was filled with jealousy and resentment. Having great influence over the mind of Cian, this latter was persuaded to murder all his hostages.
It is, indeed, a difficult matter to understand that mixture of generosity and ferociousness, which has been known to characterise the manners of our forefathers. The wild excesses of barbarity owe their origin to ungovernable fits of passion, whch overcharge man's nature with the ripe growth of licentiousness. Innate generosity is overshadowed or extinguished, where customsanctionsactionsoftreacheryandbloodshed. Thebarbarousdeed it was designed to put into execution during the cover of night and darkness.
However, the most awful punishments are inflicted by Divine Provi- dence, on the crimes of perfidy and cruelty, as happened in this case. To complete his perfidious proceeding, Cian invited the Colla da Crioch chiefs to a feast which was prepared, as he said, for them. His real intention was to surprise them, and at a moment when they should be least on their guard
•The limits of this plain are given, in s See Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition of "Cam- that portion of the Life of St. Grellan, brensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , pp.
The
old tribe," probably in allusion to the aboriginal colony there settled. The
Magh-Seincheineoil.
English equivalent
to this
is,
quoted by Dr. O'Donovan, in "Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many," p. II.
3 According to Dr. Lynch.
4 This latter seems to have been the num-
ber, according to an old Irish poem, in the Life of St. Greallan.
260, 261.
°See an account of the Firbolg possession
of Hy-Many, in Eugene O'Curry's work "On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish," edited by Dr. W. K. Sullivan, vol. iii. , sect, xxii. , pp. 83. 84.
" the of the plain
September 17.
j
LIVES OF 7 II h IRISH SAINTS.
427
against his treacherous designs. • With such a purpose formed, he placed
some soldiers in ambuscade, to slay the expected guests. Religious feeling and principle are necessary to control heartless savagery. True civilization can only follow, in the wake of Christian morals and influences, while here too, the miraculous power possessed by the holy Grellan, and also his prophetic spirit, were rendered manifest to all concerned.
The Colla da Crioch host was then encamped, at the foot of Seisidh- beag, in the territory of Maenmagh. At this time, Eochaidh and Maine were at the foot of Bearnach na n-arm. Having some intimation respecting the design of Cian and of his armed bands, and being apprehensive regarding the violation of a truce to which he was the principal guarantee, St. Grellan perceived the armed bands from the door of his church. Raising his hands towards heaven, and beseeching the God of hosts to avert the consequences of such foul treachery from those chiefs who were doomed to destruction, his prayer was heard, as the account declares. The hosts of Cian, with their leader, were swallowed up, and buried beneath the plain, on which they stood. It was suddenly changed into a quagmire, and here
they all miserably perished. This place afterwards received the name Magh "
Liach, i. e. , the plain of sorrow," since it proved such to the perfidious Firbolgs? ; and, Dr. Lynch declares, that in his day this marsh was quite
impassable either for man or "beast5
It is said, St. Grellan then informed Maine and his people about this treacherous plot contrived against them, and its signal failure followed in the manner described. He then coun- selled them, to take possession of the Firbolgs' territory, to cultivate brotherly love, to abominate treachery, and to establish a legal rate for ecclesiastical purposes, by accepting a law imposed on them by himself.
The Clan Colla agreed to his proposals, and Maine desired the saint to name his own award. In compliance with such request, he is said to have repeated in the Irish language some verses given in his Life. These, how- ever, bear intrinsic evidences of having been extracted from Bardic remains, or of having been composed by his biographer. The following is the literal English trans—lation, as furnished, from the original Irish verses, by Dr. John 0' Donovan
:
M Great is my tribute on the race of Maine,9 a screaball (scruple) out of every townland.
Their successes shall be bright and easy ; it is not a tribute acquired without cause.
The first-born of every family to me, that are all baptized by me.
Their tribute paid to me is a severe tribute, every firstling pig and firstling lamb.
7" Hodieque invia est; incendentium fourteenth century? ''—"Tribes and Cus-
gressibus ita coedens, ut in ea nee homine—s nee pecudes vestigia figere possint. "
" Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , pp. 260, 262.
toms of Hy-Many," p. 12, note (z).
9 In another of the "Tribes and part
Customs of Hy Many," p. 8 1, we are told, that " The race of Maine, both women and
8
Regarding this event, Mr. O'Donovan men, pay a sgreaball caethrach to St.
remarks, " It is to be lamented that no Fir- bolgic writer survived to relate the true account of this transaction, for every acute investigator of history will be apt to suspect that the treachery was on the side of the
conquerors, the Claim Colk, But who would have the courage to write this in the
Grellan. " And Mr. O'Donovan, in a note "
.
on the passage, remarks, Sgreaball caet- rach {Sgreaball), which literally means a
scuptulum or scruple, and was at three-pence,
is sometimes indefinitely used to denote any
tribute. " Here sgreaball caethrach signi-
"*
fies tribute," or tribute in sheep. "
428 LIVES OF THE IRISH SA1N7S. [September 17.
To me belongs—may their cattle thence be* the more numerous —from the ;
race of Maine, the firstling foal.
Let them convey their tribute to my church, besides territory and land. From Dal Druithne I am not entitled to tribute or other demands.
Their fame is much heard of; the Muinntir Maeilfinnain belong not to me. Of all the Hy-Many, these excepted, the tributes and rents are mine.
Let them protect my church for its God. Their chief and his subjects are
mine.
Their success and injunctions it was I that ordained, without defect.
While they remain obedient to my will, they shall be victorious in every
battle.
Let the warlike chiefs observe the advice of my successor.
And among the Gaels, north and south, their's shall be the unerring
director.
Frequent my sacred church, which has protected each refugee.
Refuse not to pay your tribute to me, and you shall receive as I have
promised.
My blessing on the agile race, the sons of Maine of chess boards.
That race shall not be subdued, so as they carry my crozier.
Let the battle standard of the race be my crozier of true value.
And battles will not overwhelm them, their successors will be very great.
JI
10
In the "Tribes and Customs of Hy- Many," p. 81, it is said of Maine's race, " St. Grellan presides over their battles," i. e. , " the crozier of St. Grellan," or some such object is borne in the standard of the King of Hy-Many.
"See Mr. O'Donovan's translation, in Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many," pp. 13, 14. The illustration annexed is from a photograph furnished by Thomas A. Kelly, drawn on the wood and engraved by Gregor
Grey.
Kilclooney Old Church, Co. Galway.
Afterwards, St. Grellan selected at Kilcloony the site for a church.
There he built on a rising ground, or Eiscir, a little distance to the north-west of
"
10
"Great," &c.
,
Ballinasloe town. Some ruins are yet remaining there, but it would be altogether hazardous to assert the walls date back to the fifth century.
The Irish were accustomed to impose voluntary assessments of the nature, already indicated by the record we iiave quoted, to mark their con- sideration and respect for those distinguished by their ministerial works. It is stated, in the Irish Life of St. Grellan, that he received the first offspring of any brood animal ; such as hog, and lamb, and foal, in Hy-Many. 12 These tributes were regularly paid to the successors of the holy man in the church honoured by his presence and labours during life.
Notwithstanding the statements in his own Irish Life, that St. Grellan flourished in the time of St. Patrick, it seems most likely he was not then born, and, moreover, it has been stated, his father's name was Natfraich,
1
that Grellan had been a disciple to St. Finian of Clonard, * and that he
assisted at the great Council at Easdra, held by St. Columkille before he returned to Scotland ; wherefore, Colgan was justified in placing his career at a. d. 590. '4 Whether or not he lived in the seventh century cannot be ascertained from any known record.
St. Grellan was honoured with particular devotion in the Church of
Killcluian, diocese of Clonfert, on the 17th of September. ^ On this day
his feast 16 to Marianus O'Gorman, 1 ? our traditions and occurs, according
Calendars,18 while he seems to have had a second festival, at the 10th of
T
November. 9 It seems strange, that at neither day he is mentioned in the
Feilire of St. ^Engus the Culdee, nor is the date for his death recorded in our Annals. However, we may fairly assume, that he lived on, until near the close of the sixth century.
St. Grellan is the principal patron of those portions of Galway and Ros-
common counties, formerly known by the designation of Hy-Many ; and, for many centuries, even to the present age, the crozier of St. Grellan had
been preserved in the territory. Dr. Lynch declares also, that in his
time this staff of St. Grellan was held in veneration. 20 A pastoral great
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIIVTS. 429
relic of this kind, when used as a standard, was usually called cathach,
21
22
such as the celebrated cathach of St. Columkille. This crozier of St. Grellan was preserved for ages, in the family of
/. <? . , prceliator,
12
The same is stated by Dr. John Lynch, in his "Cambrensis Eversus," p. 186. " E singulis Manachiae domibus patroni sui S. Grillani successoribus tres denarii quotannis, primus porculus, primus agnus, et primus equinus, deferrebantur. "
14 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xv. I9 See some further notices, at this date, "
13 His feast has been assigned to February
the 23rd, at which date notices of him may
be found in the Second Volume of this
work, Art. ix. His life has been reserved,
however, for the 12th day of December, Yet no other seems in either record to which is his chief festival. aecount for his feast.
Februarii. Vita S. Farannani Confessoris, in the Martyrology of Donegal," pp.
cap. vii. , and n. 30, pp. 337, 339. Also xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finniani seu Finneni,
cap. xxviii. and nn. 32, 33, pp. 396, 399.
Dr. Lynch's "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , p. 262.
302, 303.
20
See "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , p. 262.
2I
15
16
See Colgan "Trias Thaumaturga," p.
In the "Martyrology of Donegal,"
409, col. 2.
vulgo appellatur, fertque traditio quod si circa illius exercitum, antequam hostem adoriantur tertio cum debita reverentia cir- cumducatur, eveniat ut victoriam reportet. ''
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, there we
find the " Greallan,
only simple entry Bishop. " Seepp. 250,251.
1 He thus enters it with the
words,
22 Described
Sir William Betham Researches. "
in
Grellan meaning "Grellan, whom his " guidim,
by Antiquarian
I entreat," at the 17th of September. See
Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui-Gor-
main," pp. 178, 179.
l8
Whether the entry in the Book of Leinster Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 17th of September, 5r\eLl*ir» epi . 1. o Lymt), or '* Giallani Eps. o Laind," at this date, in the "Martyrology of Tallagh," edited by Dr. Kelly, have reference to our
saint or not, I am unable to determine,
"
Et cathach, id est prceliator,
43o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 17.
O'Cronghaile, or Cronelly, who were the ancient Comharbas of the saint. This term of Comharba had moreover an ecclesiastical meaning, and
according to the usages which prevailed in early times, and in our country, generally it signified successor in a see, church, or monastery; but, in due c—ourse, it had a wider signification, and the Comhorba was regarded as the vicar
alegalrepresentativeofthePatronSaint,orfounderoftheChurch. But, the word Comhorba is not exclusively ecclesiastical ; for in the ancient laws of Erin, it meant the heir and conservator of the inheritance ; and, in the latter
sense,
it is
always used,
in our ecclesiastical 23 The crozier of St. writings.
Grellan was in existence, so late as the year 1836, it being then in the pos-
session of a poor man, named John Crcnelly, the senior representative of
the Comharbas of the saint, who lived near Ahascra, in the east of the
2 county of Galway ; but, it is not to be found at present, in that county. * It
was probably sold to some collector of antiquities, and it is not now known to
be in the possession of any person ; yet it seems incredible, that such an interesting relic could have been lost, as we have been enabled to ascertain
the fact of its preservation to a comparatively recent period.
The house of Imaney was known, since the eleventh century, by the
name of O'Kelly. Formerly this renowned family enjoyed all the rights of sovereignty in the western parts of Ireland, where they possessed so very extensive a territory. Even from the invasion of the English down to the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, the chiefs of this house maintained their
2* The name occurs in the civil and ecclesiastical frequently
independence.
annals of the country, especially during the middle ages. At the beginning of the fifteenth century the house of O'Kelly divided into four principal branches, each family of which had for its appanage one of the four baronies
73 In addition to the foregoing, the late
Professor Eugene O'Curry, whose acquaint- ance with the laws, manners and customs of
to discharge the offices of the church, according to its dignity, whilst the natural abbot administered the temporal offices and the management of the land,
"The Airchinnech or Erenach was a mere temporal agent or steward of the church lands, under the Comhorba, whoever he might be. He sometimes took the ton-
any insult or injury offered to him. He was generally a married man, without any official value or reverence of person, but what was derived from the character, or ecclesiastical dignity of the Patron Saint, whosesecularinheritancehemanaged. It happened often, however, that the whole administration of the Church and its land was performed by one and the same person. This was when the abbot, bishop, or priest performed himself the clerical duties, and also acted as his own Airchinnech. or steward. "
24 Such is the statement of Canon Ulick
J. Bourke, P. P. , of Claremorris, Co. Mayo, in a letter, dated thence March 7th, 1879, and in reply to queries addressed to him by Thomas A. Kelly, Esq. , St. Grellan's Monkstown.
^According to Charles Denis Count
O'Kelly Farrell's Manuscript, "Gone Days of I Mainey, Memorials of Clan-Kellae," p. \.
our ancestors, renders his opinions of great weight on a subject of this nature, has given the following information to the author, and for a much fuller account, the reader is re- ferred to his " Life of St. Malachy
O'Morgair," chap. xiii. : —
"There was an understood original com-
and
sure some other
pact, recognised by the ' Brehon Laws,' which vested the Comhorbship of the Church and its lands in two families ; namely, in that of the Patron Saint or founder, and in that of the person who gave the original site and endowment.
" It was the family of the Patron Saint,
that invariably supplied the Abbot, as long as there could be found among them even a
p>alm-singer, to take the office ; and when they failed to supply a fit person, then he was sought from the family of the owner of the land. If, in the meantime, a better and more learned man of the Patron's
family should spring up, the abbacy was to be handed over to him ; but, if he were not better, he should wait until it became vacant
by death or otherwise.
"
If, however, in the absence of a quali- fied person from either family, an unqualified person should succeed as temporal heir, he was obliged to provide a suitable clergyman
minor
raised his Kric, or composition, in case of
order,
which
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 431
of Kilyan, Athlone, Tiaquin, and Kilconnel ; the southern half-barony of Ballymo falling to the share of the branch of Kilyan.
The government of Imaney was alternatively exercised by the chiefs of the first and two last of those branches. However, that of Kilconnel or
Aughrim, though a younger branch, held in latter times the dignity of chieftain of the O'Kellys. The principal seat of their residence was at Aughrim, while their burial place was at Clonmacnoise, and in latter years they were interred at Kilconnel Among the western clans they are distin- guished. ThechieftainoftheKilconnelorAughrimO'Kellyswasbuttitular
at the accession of James I. This branch was dispersed under Cromwell, and at this day it is extinct. The branches of Kilyan and Tiaquin, or Gallagh, also lost the greater part of their properties during the Revolutions of 1641 and of 1 6 88. The chieftains of Athlone or Skryne, whose territory lay still nearer to the English settlements, required all their watchfulness to guard against the common enemy. These O'Kellys did not lay claim to their rightsofalternativegovernment. Weariedatlastwithdisastrouswarswhich had retarded the march of civilization in their unfortunate country, they submitted to Mary Queen of England, thus sacrificing their feelings to take a step which they believed should secure to their posterity civil and religious liberty. However, they found themselves compromised and deceived under the following reigns.
The Athlone branch of the O'Kellys still possesses part of the ancient
principality of Imaney, of which Colonel O'Kelly, its lord, was deprived under Cromwell. He was afterwards reinstated in it by letters patent from Charles II,, in reward for services rendered by him to the Royal cause during the Revolution. 26 These were rendered freely to his brother King James II. in his closing struggle with King William III. Like most of their countrymen, the O'Kellys were remarkable in every age for their attachment to the faith of their fathers ; but abroad were most of them expatriated gentlemen, distinguished in the camps, cabinets, and courts of the Continent.
More ample details than the author could be expected to insert, in the present brief Memoir, will be found in that work, to which allusion has beenalreadymade,"TheTribesandCustomsofHy-Many. " There,not only are the O'Kellys' territory, family and kindred tribes recorded ; but in his Appendices to that Tract, its learned editor has very fully treated regarding personal history and genealogy, which must have an interest for Irishmen, who are anxious to be informed about the career and fortunes of their gallant, adventurous and enterprising countrymen, at home and abroad. After a scarcely interrupted struggle during many ages at home, yielding
at last to the advantages of an enemy favoured by more fortunate circum-
stances,theO'KellyswereobligedtocapitulateandyieldtotheEnglish. Our Irish Annals record their valiant opposition to the invading hosts, and they were among the last Irish chieftains who fell under the foreign yoke.
Article II. —St. Rodino or St. Rouin, Abbot of Beaulieu, France. At the 17th of September, Colgan intended to publish the Acts of St,
26
Since the death of his relative, Denis H. Manuscript, "Gone Days of I Mainey," Kelly, of Castle Kelly, Count Conor O'Kelly "Memorials of Clan-Kellae," &c. His Farrell, a Major in the 59th French ancestors, belonging to the branch of the Regiment of the Line, is the present Skryne O'Kellys, settled in the south of representative of the O'Kellys of Skryne France. In 1776, the title of Count was or Castle Kelly. He served with distinction conferred on the living representative by in the Crimea, and in the late Franco- Louis XVI. The family was engaged in the Prussian wars. He is the son of Charles Irish Brigade of Spain, and in the French Penis Count O'Kelly Farrell, who wrote the Diplomatic Service.
432 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS [September17. 12
Menard edited two Lives of this Saint. Baillet,3 Mabillon,*
Rodingus.
and D'Achery have published this Saint's Acts. * In like manner the
6
Bollandists, following Mabillon, have inserted the Life of St. Rodingus or
Cheaudingus, founder and abbot ofBellilocensis/and attributed to the pen of Abbot Richard. This is preceded by a Previous Commentary8 of Father Constantine Suysken, S. J. , with accompanying notes. 9 A small Life of this
Saint has been written in French by Dr. Jules Didiat.
10
This Saint has
been variously named Rouin, Rovin," Rodinagus, Chaudingus, and
Chrodincus. 12 He was born in about the his Ireland, year 594. During
minority, he exhibited all marks of that sublime vocation, to which he aspired in after life. Humble, modest, and of retiring manners, he cherished within his breast most inflamed desires for an intimate union with Jesus Christ, to whom his actions were ever referred. His purity and charity becamedistinguishingfeaturesinthischildofgrace. Prayerwasatalltimes his delight. To this, he was accustomed to add meditations, on the most moving truths of Religion. At an early age, he embraced a monastic life.
He was promoted to Holy Orders, after passing with distinction, through a sufficient course of sacred learning. As this Saint is named Bishop in the Benedictine and Gallican Martyrologies, it may be possible, he had been elevated to the rank of chorepiscopus or rural Bishop, before leaving Ireland ; since from accounts of his life most to be relied on, St. Rouin was not appointed to any See after his departure from that country. In order to perfect himself still more in religious observances, and to contribute his share of labour, in extending God's holy worship, he abandoned his native couutry and arrived in France. He sought an asylum about the year 628, in Tholey monastery, situated in the diocese of Treves. Although he entered this establishment to learn those virtues, which he conceived were wanting in him to become a perfect religious ; yet, all the monks of this house soon learned to look on St. Rouin as a master, from whom they might derive most desirable lessons for their monastic profession. In the faithful observance of rule, in attention to all wants of the brethren, in obedience to his superiors, and in various practices of piety, Rouin was a model for the imitation of all those religious, among whom he dwelt. At that time, St. Paul, afterwards elevated to the episcopal seat of Verdun, taught Holy Scripture, and delivered Lectures on sacred science within this house. A tender intimacy sprung up between him and St. Rouin, owing as much to a
Article 11. —x See " Actuum Abbot, is contained in 14 Catalogus
paragraphs: Sanctorum quae MS. habentur, ordine there are previous observations in four
Mensium et Dierum. "
2 In his observations on the Benedictine 5 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the
Martyrology, Mabillon says, "unam in lib. 2 Fathers, Martyrs and other principal ex schedis Bellilocensibus, alteram ad Saints," vol. ix. , September xvii. operiscalcemexmscodiceCatalaunensi. "— 6See"ActaSanctorum,"tomusv. , Sep- "Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti, tembris xvii. , pp.
hurdles of the black This is said to pool. "
have been the ancient name for the present Metropolis of Ireland, and since known as Dublin.
s°He is said to have had four-and-twenty sons. Among these, we find the names of Echin, or Echenus, Duach Gallach, Fer- gussius, Eochad, Ercus Derg, ^Engussius, Ball-Derg, Tenedus, and Muchitius.
479 to 503, or twenty-five years, according Benignus. See this whole account, taken
46 See " of edited Martyrology Donegal,"
SI His wife and children also refused
bap- tism ; yet, afterwards, she sought to be reconciled with the Irish Apostle, and her 47 His reign over Ireland was from A. n. husband, Echen. was baptised by St.
to the chronology of the Four Masters.
48
This early period for his biith seems in- consistent with other statements in reference to him.
from a Life of the latter, in Colgan's, "Trias
Thaumaturga," Appendix iii. ad Acta S. Patricii, pp. 203, 204.
S2 He is called "frater junior de filiis Briain. "
49
In English it means, "the ford of the
states,*
legend
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 425
Striped. "" Themiraculouscrozierwasthenceforwardheldingreatvenera- tion. It is said, that Duach Gallach was a Christian, having been baptised by St. Patrick, while the wife of Echin, called Fortrui, was aunt to St. Benignus,54 a favourite disciple of the Irish Apostle. The latter proclaimed that he should be a king, and that from his race kings should proceed. In fine, Eachin was baptised at Kilbennin, near Tuam. ss
CHAPTER II.
A TRACT OF LAND BESTOWED ON ST. GRELLAN BY DUACH GALLACH. AND AFTER- WARDS KNOWN AS CRAOBH GREALLAIN—WAR BETWEEN THE FIRBOLGS AND MAINE MOR—ST. GRELLAN SETTLES AT KILCLOONEY—DESTRUCTION OF THE FIRBOLG HOST—THE Hif-MAINE OCCUPY THEIR TERRITORY, AND BIND THEM- SELVES TO PAY AN ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO ST. GRELLAN—FESTIVAL—HIS CROZIER PRESERVED BY THE O'CRONELLYS—FORTUNES OF THE o'KELLYS, OR HOUSE OF HY-MAINE—CONCLUSION.
At Achadh Fionnabhrach, Duach Gallach bestowed a tract of land, a—nd he gave possession of it to St. Grellan. The name was even changed owing to this peculiarity of circumstance—from Achadh Fionnabhrach to that of Craobh Greallain, which signifies, the " Branch of Grellan. " This name is said in his Irish Life to have been owing to a branch, which Duach and St. Patrick gave our saint in token of possession. Here, east of Magh- Luirg, this saint is said to have built a Church, before the arrival of Maine-Mor in Connaught. When alluding to Craobh Ghreallain, Mr. O'Curry remarks, that he believed its precise situation was not known. 1 As a token of the veneration for our saint, Duach required that every chieftain's wife should give seven garments as a tribute to Grellan j and, for payment of this ecclesiastical assessment, the guarantee of St. Patrick had been asked and obtained afterwards by the local Patron.
tionable narrative of particulars regarding the conquest of Hy-Many by Maine-Mor and the Colla da Chrioch's race is given, in the Life of our
Saint. We are there told, that Eochaidh Ferdaghiall, father to Maine-Mor, took counsel with his son as to how their Colla da Chrioch tribe, over whom they ruled, should be able to procure a sufficient scope of territory for their numerous and increasing population, A greed for conquest furnished the motive. Then they held possession of Oirghialla, with the hostages of this place,andofUlidia. Itwasgenerallyallowed,thatquarrelsmightbreakout amongst the chiefs of this ascendant tribe, were they to be confined within any one province. But, considering the Firbolgic territory of Hy-Many as a fair object for a predatory excursion, and as it had been thinly inhabited, they resolved on securing a considerable portion of it by conquest.
Under the leadership of Maine-Mor, the enterprising Colla da Crioch
See
A romantic and—as there are good reasons for supposing—a very ques-
5? "St. Greallan's Irish Life," chap. iii.
"
"Aryan Origin of the Gaelic Race and
of
Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 302,303.
edited —xiii. , Donegal," by Language," chap, pp.
Leinster. O'Curry, First Series, vol. ii. , pp. 445, ss See Very Rev. Ulick J. Bourke's 446.
408, 409. Chapter ii. 'See a brief description of this specified Life of St. Greallain in the of St. Patrick ; and his mother was called " Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts of the Sadeliua, descended from Cather, King of Royal Irish Academy," by Eugene
Martyrology
54 He was the son of Sesonean, a disciple
426 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September17.
assembled their forces at Clogher, in the* county of Tyrone, and then they
proceeded in battle array, towards the territory of Hy-Many. This nomadic tribe —for such it had now become—collected the herds and flocks, which belonged to them j and these animals were driven on their line of march by the invading host, who set out in quest of new settlements. Crossing the Shannon, they came to Drain) Clasach, and plundered all that district of country, lying between Lough Ree and the River Suck. They also despatched messengers to Cian, Chief of the Firbolgs, who dwelt at a place called
length and breadth of the plain was from Dun-na-riogh to the river of Bairrduin, and from Ath-n-fasdoig to Ath-dearg-duin, which was afterwards called Ath-an-Chorrdhaire. 2 They required from him tribute and territory. This unjust demand he refused, and he also prepared to resist. He raised a force of 3,000,3 or, as some accounts have it, of 4,000 Firbolgs,* armed with swords, bucklers, and helmets. s These dwelt in the plain of Magh Seincheineoil. 6 At their head, Cian marched to meet the invaders.
About this time, St. Grellan, who had journeyed over the territory of Hy- Many, came to a place, denominated Cill Cluaine, and now called Kilclooney,
in the neighbourhood of Ballinasloe, and in the present barony of Clon- macnoon, County of Galway.
Thus, in a manner, he was placed between the contending forces ; and his name and influence seem to have been respected, by chieftains on both
sides. He was waited upon by Cian, who, in all probability, gave the saint an exaggerated account, regarding his means for defence against the invaders. However this may be, Grellan induced the Colla da Crioch race to enter into articles of truce with the Firbolgs, and to deliver twenty-seven chiefs of the invading host, as hostages for the observance of peace. Amhalgaidh, son to Maine, was one of these hostages, and he was delivered for keeping to Cian's Brehon. But the Brehon's wife conceived an unlawful passion for
this young prince. The particulars of that affair becoming known to the lawgiver, he was filled with jealousy and resentment. Having great influence over the mind of Cian, this latter was persuaded to murder all his hostages.
It is, indeed, a difficult matter to understand that mixture of generosity and ferociousness, which has been known to characterise the manners of our forefathers. The wild excesses of barbarity owe their origin to ungovernable fits of passion, whch overcharge man's nature with the ripe growth of licentiousness. Innate generosity is overshadowed or extinguished, where customsanctionsactionsoftreacheryandbloodshed. Thebarbarousdeed it was designed to put into execution during the cover of night and darkness.
However, the most awful punishments are inflicted by Divine Provi- dence, on the crimes of perfidy and cruelty, as happened in this case. To complete his perfidious proceeding, Cian invited the Colla da Crioch chiefs to a feast which was prepared, as he said, for them. His real intention was to surprise them, and at a moment when they should be least on their guard
•The limits of this plain are given, in s See Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition of "Cam- that portion of the Life of St. Grellan, brensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , pp.
The
old tribe," probably in allusion to the aboriginal colony there settled. The
Magh-Seincheineoil.
English equivalent
to this
is,
quoted by Dr. O'Donovan, in "Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many," p. II.
3 According to Dr. Lynch.
4 This latter seems to have been the num-
ber, according to an old Irish poem, in the Life of St. Greallan.
260, 261.
°See an account of the Firbolg possession
of Hy-Many, in Eugene O'Curry's work "On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish," edited by Dr. W. K. Sullivan, vol. iii. , sect, xxii. , pp. 83. 84.
" the of the plain
September 17.
j
LIVES OF 7 II h IRISH SAINTS.
427
against his treacherous designs. • With such a purpose formed, he placed
some soldiers in ambuscade, to slay the expected guests. Religious feeling and principle are necessary to control heartless savagery. True civilization can only follow, in the wake of Christian morals and influences, while here too, the miraculous power possessed by the holy Grellan, and also his prophetic spirit, were rendered manifest to all concerned.
The Colla da Crioch host was then encamped, at the foot of Seisidh- beag, in the territory of Maenmagh. At this time, Eochaidh and Maine were at the foot of Bearnach na n-arm. Having some intimation respecting the design of Cian and of his armed bands, and being apprehensive regarding the violation of a truce to which he was the principal guarantee, St. Grellan perceived the armed bands from the door of his church. Raising his hands towards heaven, and beseeching the God of hosts to avert the consequences of such foul treachery from those chiefs who were doomed to destruction, his prayer was heard, as the account declares. The hosts of Cian, with their leader, were swallowed up, and buried beneath the plain, on which they stood. It was suddenly changed into a quagmire, and here
they all miserably perished. This place afterwards received the name Magh "
Liach, i. e. , the plain of sorrow," since it proved such to the perfidious Firbolgs? ; and, Dr. Lynch declares, that in his day this marsh was quite
impassable either for man or "beast5
It is said, St. Grellan then informed Maine and his people about this treacherous plot contrived against them, and its signal failure followed in the manner described. He then coun- selled them, to take possession of the Firbolgs' territory, to cultivate brotherly love, to abominate treachery, and to establish a legal rate for ecclesiastical purposes, by accepting a law imposed on them by himself.
The Clan Colla agreed to his proposals, and Maine desired the saint to name his own award. In compliance with such request, he is said to have repeated in the Irish language some verses given in his Life. These, how- ever, bear intrinsic evidences of having been extracted from Bardic remains, or of having been composed by his biographer. The following is the literal English trans—lation, as furnished, from the original Irish verses, by Dr. John 0' Donovan
:
M Great is my tribute on the race of Maine,9 a screaball (scruple) out of every townland.
Their successes shall be bright and easy ; it is not a tribute acquired without cause.
The first-born of every family to me, that are all baptized by me.
Their tribute paid to me is a severe tribute, every firstling pig and firstling lamb.
7" Hodieque invia est; incendentium fourteenth century? ''—"Tribes and Cus-
gressibus ita coedens, ut in ea nee homine—s nee pecudes vestigia figere possint. "
" Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , pp. 260, 262.
toms of Hy-Many," p. 12, note (z).
9 In another of the "Tribes and part
Customs of Hy Many," p. 8 1, we are told, that " The race of Maine, both women and
8
Regarding this event, Mr. O'Donovan men, pay a sgreaball caethrach to St.
remarks, " It is to be lamented that no Fir- bolgic writer survived to relate the true account of this transaction, for every acute investigator of history will be apt to suspect that the treachery was on the side of the
conquerors, the Claim Colk, But who would have the courage to write this in the
Grellan. " And Mr. O'Donovan, in a note "
.
on the passage, remarks, Sgreaball caet- rach {Sgreaball), which literally means a
scuptulum or scruple, and was at three-pence,
is sometimes indefinitely used to denote any
tribute. " Here sgreaball caethrach signi-
"*
fies tribute," or tribute in sheep. "
428 LIVES OF THE IRISH SA1N7S. [September 17.
To me belongs—may their cattle thence be* the more numerous —from the ;
race of Maine, the firstling foal.
Let them convey their tribute to my church, besides territory and land. From Dal Druithne I am not entitled to tribute or other demands.
Their fame is much heard of; the Muinntir Maeilfinnain belong not to me. Of all the Hy-Many, these excepted, the tributes and rents are mine.
Let them protect my church for its God. Their chief and his subjects are
mine.
Their success and injunctions it was I that ordained, without defect.
While they remain obedient to my will, they shall be victorious in every
battle.
Let the warlike chiefs observe the advice of my successor.
And among the Gaels, north and south, their's shall be the unerring
director.
Frequent my sacred church, which has protected each refugee.
Refuse not to pay your tribute to me, and you shall receive as I have
promised.
My blessing on the agile race, the sons of Maine of chess boards.
That race shall not be subdued, so as they carry my crozier.
Let the battle standard of the race be my crozier of true value.
And battles will not overwhelm them, their successors will be very great.
JI
10
In the "Tribes and Customs of Hy- Many," p. 81, it is said of Maine's race, " St. Grellan presides over their battles," i. e. , " the crozier of St. Grellan," or some such object is borne in the standard of the King of Hy-Many.
"See Mr. O'Donovan's translation, in Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many," pp. 13, 14. The illustration annexed is from a photograph furnished by Thomas A. Kelly, drawn on the wood and engraved by Gregor
Grey.
Kilclooney Old Church, Co. Galway.
Afterwards, St. Grellan selected at Kilcloony the site for a church.
There he built on a rising ground, or Eiscir, a little distance to the north-west of
"
10
"Great," &c.
,
Ballinasloe town. Some ruins are yet remaining there, but it would be altogether hazardous to assert the walls date back to the fifth century.
The Irish were accustomed to impose voluntary assessments of the nature, already indicated by the record we iiave quoted, to mark their con- sideration and respect for those distinguished by their ministerial works. It is stated, in the Irish Life of St. Grellan, that he received the first offspring of any brood animal ; such as hog, and lamb, and foal, in Hy-Many. 12 These tributes were regularly paid to the successors of the holy man in the church honoured by his presence and labours during life.
Notwithstanding the statements in his own Irish Life, that St. Grellan flourished in the time of St. Patrick, it seems most likely he was not then born, and, moreover, it has been stated, his father's name was Natfraich,
1
that Grellan had been a disciple to St. Finian of Clonard, * and that he
assisted at the great Council at Easdra, held by St. Columkille before he returned to Scotland ; wherefore, Colgan was justified in placing his career at a. d. 590. '4 Whether or not he lived in the seventh century cannot be ascertained from any known record.
St. Grellan was honoured with particular devotion in the Church of
Killcluian, diocese of Clonfert, on the 17th of September. ^ On this day
his feast 16 to Marianus O'Gorman, 1 ? our traditions and occurs, according
Calendars,18 while he seems to have had a second festival, at the 10th of
T
November. 9 It seems strange, that at neither day he is mentioned in the
Feilire of St. ^Engus the Culdee, nor is the date for his death recorded in our Annals. However, we may fairly assume, that he lived on, until near the close of the sixth century.
St. Grellan is the principal patron of those portions of Galway and Ros-
common counties, formerly known by the designation of Hy-Many ; and, for many centuries, even to the present age, the crozier of St. Grellan had
been preserved in the territory. Dr. Lynch declares also, that in his
time this staff of St. Grellan was held in veneration. 20 A pastoral great
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIIVTS. 429
relic of this kind, when used as a standard, was usually called cathach,
21
22
such as the celebrated cathach of St. Columkille. This crozier of St. Grellan was preserved for ages, in the family of
/. <? . , prceliator,
12
The same is stated by Dr. John Lynch, in his "Cambrensis Eversus," p. 186. " E singulis Manachiae domibus patroni sui S. Grillani successoribus tres denarii quotannis, primus porculus, primus agnus, et primus equinus, deferrebantur. "
14 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xv. I9 See some further notices, at this date, "
13 His feast has been assigned to February
the 23rd, at which date notices of him may
be found in the Second Volume of this
work, Art. ix. His life has been reserved,
however, for the 12th day of December, Yet no other seems in either record to which is his chief festival. aecount for his feast.
Februarii. Vita S. Farannani Confessoris, in the Martyrology of Donegal," pp.
cap. vii. , and n. 30, pp. 337, 339. Also xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Finniani seu Finneni,
cap. xxviii. and nn. 32, 33, pp. 396, 399.
Dr. Lynch's "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , p. 262.
302, 303.
20
See "Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xv. , p. 262.
2I
15
16
See Colgan "Trias Thaumaturga," p.
In the "Martyrology of Donegal,"
409, col. 2.
vulgo appellatur, fertque traditio quod si circa illius exercitum, antequam hostem adoriantur tertio cum debita reverentia cir- cumducatur, eveniat ut victoriam reportet. ''
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, there we
find the " Greallan,
only simple entry Bishop. " Seepp. 250,251.
1 He thus enters it with the
words,
22 Described
Sir William Betham Researches. "
in
Grellan meaning "Grellan, whom his " guidim,
by Antiquarian
I entreat," at the 17th of September. See
Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui-Gor-
main," pp. 178, 179.
l8
Whether the entry in the Book of Leinster Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 17th of September, 5r\eLl*ir» epi . 1. o Lymt), or '* Giallani Eps. o Laind," at this date, in the "Martyrology of Tallagh," edited by Dr. Kelly, have reference to our
saint or not, I am unable to determine,
"
Et cathach, id est prceliator,
43o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 17.
O'Cronghaile, or Cronelly, who were the ancient Comharbas of the saint. This term of Comharba had moreover an ecclesiastical meaning, and
according to the usages which prevailed in early times, and in our country, generally it signified successor in a see, church, or monastery; but, in due c—ourse, it had a wider signification, and the Comhorba was regarded as the vicar
alegalrepresentativeofthePatronSaint,orfounderoftheChurch. But, the word Comhorba is not exclusively ecclesiastical ; for in the ancient laws of Erin, it meant the heir and conservator of the inheritance ; and, in the latter
sense,
it is
always used,
in our ecclesiastical 23 The crozier of St. writings.
Grellan was in existence, so late as the year 1836, it being then in the pos-
session of a poor man, named John Crcnelly, the senior representative of
the Comharbas of the saint, who lived near Ahascra, in the east of the
2 county of Galway ; but, it is not to be found at present, in that county. * It
was probably sold to some collector of antiquities, and it is not now known to
be in the possession of any person ; yet it seems incredible, that such an interesting relic could have been lost, as we have been enabled to ascertain
the fact of its preservation to a comparatively recent period.
The house of Imaney was known, since the eleventh century, by the
name of O'Kelly. Formerly this renowned family enjoyed all the rights of sovereignty in the western parts of Ireland, where they possessed so very extensive a territory. Even from the invasion of the English down to the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, the chiefs of this house maintained their
2* The name occurs in the civil and ecclesiastical frequently
independence.
annals of the country, especially during the middle ages. At the beginning of the fifteenth century the house of O'Kelly divided into four principal branches, each family of which had for its appanage one of the four baronies
73 In addition to the foregoing, the late
Professor Eugene O'Curry, whose acquaint- ance with the laws, manners and customs of
to discharge the offices of the church, according to its dignity, whilst the natural abbot administered the temporal offices and the management of the land,
"The Airchinnech or Erenach was a mere temporal agent or steward of the church lands, under the Comhorba, whoever he might be. He sometimes took the ton-
any insult or injury offered to him. He was generally a married man, without any official value or reverence of person, but what was derived from the character, or ecclesiastical dignity of the Patron Saint, whosesecularinheritancehemanaged. It happened often, however, that the whole administration of the Church and its land was performed by one and the same person. This was when the abbot, bishop, or priest performed himself the clerical duties, and also acted as his own Airchinnech. or steward. "
24 Such is the statement of Canon Ulick
J. Bourke, P. P. , of Claremorris, Co. Mayo, in a letter, dated thence March 7th, 1879, and in reply to queries addressed to him by Thomas A. Kelly, Esq. , St. Grellan's Monkstown.
^According to Charles Denis Count
O'Kelly Farrell's Manuscript, "Gone Days of I Mainey, Memorials of Clan-Kellae," p. \.
our ancestors, renders his opinions of great weight on a subject of this nature, has given the following information to the author, and for a much fuller account, the reader is re- ferred to his " Life of St. Malachy
O'Morgair," chap. xiii. : —
"There was an understood original com-
and
sure some other
pact, recognised by the ' Brehon Laws,' which vested the Comhorbship of the Church and its lands in two families ; namely, in that of the Patron Saint or founder, and in that of the person who gave the original site and endowment.
" It was the family of the Patron Saint,
that invariably supplied the Abbot, as long as there could be found among them even a
p>alm-singer, to take the office ; and when they failed to supply a fit person, then he was sought from the family of the owner of the land. If, in the meantime, a better and more learned man of the Patron's
family should spring up, the abbacy was to be handed over to him ; but, if he were not better, he should wait until it became vacant
by death or otherwise.
"
If, however, in the absence of a quali- fied person from either family, an unqualified person should succeed as temporal heir, he was obliged to provide a suitable clergyman
minor
raised his Kric, or composition, in case of
order,
which
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 431
of Kilyan, Athlone, Tiaquin, and Kilconnel ; the southern half-barony of Ballymo falling to the share of the branch of Kilyan.
The government of Imaney was alternatively exercised by the chiefs of the first and two last of those branches. However, that of Kilconnel or
Aughrim, though a younger branch, held in latter times the dignity of chieftain of the O'Kellys. The principal seat of their residence was at Aughrim, while their burial place was at Clonmacnoise, and in latter years they were interred at Kilconnel Among the western clans they are distin- guished. ThechieftainoftheKilconnelorAughrimO'Kellyswasbuttitular
at the accession of James I. This branch was dispersed under Cromwell, and at this day it is extinct. The branches of Kilyan and Tiaquin, or Gallagh, also lost the greater part of their properties during the Revolutions of 1641 and of 1 6 88. The chieftains of Athlone or Skryne, whose territory lay still nearer to the English settlements, required all their watchfulness to guard against the common enemy. These O'Kellys did not lay claim to their rightsofalternativegovernment. Weariedatlastwithdisastrouswarswhich had retarded the march of civilization in their unfortunate country, they submitted to Mary Queen of England, thus sacrificing their feelings to take a step which they believed should secure to their posterity civil and religious liberty. However, they found themselves compromised and deceived under the following reigns.
The Athlone branch of the O'Kellys still possesses part of the ancient
principality of Imaney, of which Colonel O'Kelly, its lord, was deprived under Cromwell. He was afterwards reinstated in it by letters patent from Charles II,, in reward for services rendered by him to the Royal cause during the Revolution. 26 These were rendered freely to his brother King James II. in his closing struggle with King William III. Like most of their countrymen, the O'Kellys were remarkable in every age for their attachment to the faith of their fathers ; but abroad were most of them expatriated gentlemen, distinguished in the camps, cabinets, and courts of the Continent.
More ample details than the author could be expected to insert, in the present brief Memoir, will be found in that work, to which allusion has beenalreadymade,"TheTribesandCustomsofHy-Many. " There,not only are the O'Kellys' territory, family and kindred tribes recorded ; but in his Appendices to that Tract, its learned editor has very fully treated regarding personal history and genealogy, which must have an interest for Irishmen, who are anxious to be informed about the career and fortunes of their gallant, adventurous and enterprising countrymen, at home and abroad. After a scarcely interrupted struggle during many ages at home, yielding
at last to the advantages of an enemy favoured by more fortunate circum-
stances,theO'KellyswereobligedtocapitulateandyieldtotheEnglish. Our Irish Annals record their valiant opposition to the invading hosts, and they were among the last Irish chieftains who fell under the foreign yoke.
Article II. —St. Rodino or St. Rouin, Abbot of Beaulieu, France. At the 17th of September, Colgan intended to publish the Acts of St,
26
Since the death of his relative, Denis H. Manuscript, "Gone Days of I Mainey," Kelly, of Castle Kelly, Count Conor O'Kelly "Memorials of Clan-Kellae," &c. His Farrell, a Major in the 59th French ancestors, belonging to the branch of the Regiment of the Line, is the present Skryne O'Kellys, settled in the south of representative of the O'Kellys of Skryne France. In 1776, the title of Count was or Castle Kelly. He served with distinction conferred on the living representative by in the Crimea, and in the late Franco- Louis XVI. The family was engaged in the Prussian wars. He is the son of Charles Irish Brigade of Spain, and in the French Penis Count O'Kelly Farrell, who wrote the Diplomatic Service.
432 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS [September17. 12
Menard edited two Lives of this Saint. Baillet,3 Mabillon,*
Rodingus.
and D'Achery have published this Saint's Acts. * In like manner the
6
Bollandists, following Mabillon, have inserted the Life of St. Rodingus or
Cheaudingus, founder and abbot ofBellilocensis/and attributed to the pen of Abbot Richard. This is preceded by a Previous Commentary8 of Father Constantine Suysken, S. J. , with accompanying notes. 9 A small Life of this
Saint has been written in French by Dr. Jules Didiat.
10
This Saint has
been variously named Rouin, Rovin," Rodinagus, Chaudingus, and
Chrodincus. 12 He was born in about the his Ireland, year 594. During
minority, he exhibited all marks of that sublime vocation, to which he aspired in after life. Humble, modest, and of retiring manners, he cherished within his breast most inflamed desires for an intimate union with Jesus Christ, to whom his actions were ever referred. His purity and charity becamedistinguishingfeaturesinthischildofgrace. Prayerwasatalltimes his delight. To this, he was accustomed to add meditations, on the most moving truths of Religion. At an early age, he embraced a monastic life.
He was promoted to Holy Orders, after passing with distinction, through a sufficient course of sacred learning. As this Saint is named Bishop in the Benedictine and Gallican Martyrologies, it may be possible, he had been elevated to the rank of chorepiscopus or rural Bishop, before leaving Ireland ; since from accounts of his life most to be relied on, St. Rouin was not appointed to any See after his departure from that country. In order to perfect himself still more in religious observances, and to contribute his share of labour, in extending God's holy worship, he abandoned his native couutry and arrived in France. He sought an asylum about the year 628, in Tholey monastery, situated in the diocese of Treves. Although he entered this establishment to learn those virtues, which he conceived were wanting in him to become a perfect religious ; yet, all the monks of this house soon learned to look on St. Rouin as a master, from whom they might derive most desirable lessons for their monastic profession. In the faithful observance of rule, in attention to all wants of the brethren, in obedience to his superiors, and in various practices of piety, Rouin was a model for the imitation of all those religious, among whom he dwelt. At that time, St. Paul, afterwards elevated to the episcopal seat of Verdun, taught Holy Scripture, and delivered Lectures on sacred science within this house. A tender intimacy sprung up between him and St. Rouin, owing as much to a
Article 11. —x See " Actuum Abbot, is contained in 14 Catalogus
paragraphs: Sanctorum quae MS. habentur, ordine there are previous observations in four
Mensium et Dierum. "
2 In his observations on the Benedictine 5 See Rev. Alban Butler's " Lives of the
Martyrology, Mabillon says, "unam in lib. 2 Fathers, Martyrs and other principal ex schedis Bellilocensibus, alteram ad Saints," vol. ix. , September xvii. operiscalcemexmscodiceCatalaunensi. "— 6See"ActaSanctorum,"tomusv. , Sep- "Acta Sanctorum Ordinis S. Benedicti, tembris xvii. , pp.
