In the published
Martyrology
of
his
Abbot of Ia-Coluim-Cille.
his
Abbot of Ia-Coluim-Cille.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
223.
l8? See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. x. , chap.
i. , p. 20, n. 2.
Thisis a
Scotia manuscript kept
Sacra," p. 387.
in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.
180 The relic was enclosed in the right
arm. 181
The remains of Candida Casa were to
only
of l8s The Galloway.
Caledonia," chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411.
iii. ,
l83 In 1581, an act of the Scottish Parlia-
ment rendered those
1&* A Presbyterian minister, John Mac-
lellan, who lived in the reign of Charles I. , states, that Whithern owed all its celebrity to Ninian, who was the tutelar saint of the place. He wrote an account of Galloway, and which was published in Blaeu's Atlas, p. 59.
pilgrimages illegal,
4i° LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Septemberj. 6.
Whithern was established a community of Premonstratensian Monks over whom a Prior had been placed. In their church some of St. Ninian's relics
and
were 188 The mediaeval cathedral is now deposited.
roofless,
with ivy, measuring 72 by 24 feet, in the Romanesque first Pointed and second Pointed styles of architecture. The chief vestige of its former magnificence is a beautiful round-headed archway, with remains of vaults and
l8
other buildings in connection with the ancient priory. 9 Four Gothic
arches whicli formed stand,
of a modern of 1 ? place worship.
part
When the Roman Empire was falling to pieces before the inroads of bar-
barians from the north and east, the last of the legionaries was withdrawn from Britain, in a. d. 410, while St. Ninian was still preaching among the Southern Picts. When the Imperial legions had failed to maintain their position, this pioneer of the Gospel had begun to lay the foundations of the Church, in the centre and south-west parts of Scotland. His work was
102 St.
greatest of the ancient British Apostles, of whom we have any clear and
1*1 St.
and other holy missionaries; but, St. Ninian remains the foremost and
taken St. up by
Palladius,
Ternan,
Kentigern,
1 distinct tradition. For now ages
the once of the powerful Empire
long past,
West has shared the fate of all conquests founded on greed and rapine ; but, the small mustard seed of the Gospel grew into a flourishing tree and spread its branches over the ruins, If many of those branches have perished during the fierce storm of the Reformation in Scotland; still does the parent stock remain, and the roots deeply-planted are vigorous, in our age of enlighten- ment, while destined yet to restore over the length and breadth of that
beautiful land the benign influences of the Holy Catholic Church.
Article II. —St. Laisren, Abbot of Iona. [Sixth and Seventh
Centuries. ] The father of this holy man was son of Ninnidh, son to Fergus,
son of Conall and he first cousin of St. Columba. 1 Gulban, was, therefore,
He was born in the earlier half of the sixth century, and he became a
disciple of his renowned relative. He was also with St. Columba to Scot-
land, and he seems to have spent some time under him as a monk, in the
monastery of Iona. He was besides the companion of the holy Abbot, during
his missionary excursions in Scotland, and we find special allusion to him.
This incident happened, while St. Columba was travelling through a rough
and which was called Artda 2 now Ardnamurchan,3 rocky country, Muirchol,
a peninsular district, on the northern boundary of Argyleshire. It consists
of mountains, hills, and high moors, in general more rugged and precipitous, than of great elevation. '* The old parochial name was Kilchoan, and so called from the church, which stood on the south-coast near Kilchoan Bay. s His companions, Laisren, son of Feradach, and Diarmuit, his minister,
speaking
188
on the
two Irish 6 Baetan Mac way regarding Kings,
Muircheartaigh
See Chalmers'
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411.
June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
'9° See Robert
Forsyth's Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 420.
Height
3 in , 2q2, it was called Ardenmwrich, and
"
l8» See Francis H. Groome's "Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. vi. , pp. 485, 486.
"Beauties of
2 The name on the text seems to signify "Height of the two Sea-hazels," but the modern one " of the Sea-calf. "
'** His feast occurs at the 6th of July.
192 Honoured on the 12th of June.
'*» His feast is held on the 13th of January,
in 1309 Ardnameerchin.
4 See "Old Statistical Survey of Scot-
land," vol. xx. , p. 289.
ssee " Parochiales C. Innes' Origines
Scotiae," part i. , p. 194
6 When monarch of Ireland Ainmire,
and
194 Venerated on the 1st of July. Article 11. —' See his at the
13th
of November.
Caledonia," vol. hi. ,
life,
9th
of
overgrown
1Q3 St. ,Q4 Servanus,
September 16. I LIVES OP THE IRISH SAINTS.
411
and Eochaidh Find Mac Domhnaill,? he uttered these words to them, u Oh ! my dear sons, why do you talk so foolishly of them ? for both of those kings of whom you are now speaking, are slain, and their heads have been cut off by their enemy. This very day, moreover, some sailors coming here from Scotia 8 will tell you the same about these two kings. " That very same day,
sailors from Hibernia 9 at the landing
place
Paradisi, or of Paradise," told the two above-named companions, sailing in
the same ship with the saint, that the prophecy of the holy man, regarding
the death of the kings had been exactly fulfilled.
12
Before the death of St.
Columkille, Laisran had been appointed Abbot over the monastery at Durrow,'3 in Ireland. As we have already seen, in the Life of St.
1 * the
from that Island, how at that same moment in winter the monks of Durrow hadsomeseverelabourimposedonthem,andhebegantoweep. Butsoon hearing the voice of Laisran ordering them rest and refreshment, he ceased weeping, and blessing their Abbot for his kindness, St. Columkille told his brethren in Iona what had in Ireland. 15 In the l6
Columkille,
great
archimandrite of Iona had a in which he knew vision,
just passed year 598, according to some accounts, Laisranus was promoted from his subordinate •
charge at Durrow, to be Abbot of Hy. 17 He was the third who filled that
office, in succession to the celebrated founder. However, the Rev. Dr.
l8
Reeves places his accession at a. d. 600. During his term of rule, the
viz. , St. Canice in Achadh T 9 Bo,
a. d. 605, according to Tighernach's Annals,22 followed by the Chronicum Scotorum. 23 The annals of Inisfallen place his death, at an earlier date,
deaths of three renowned saints took
St. 20 the Kentigern,
place : Comgall
of 21 Over the monas- Bangor.
and St.
tery at Iona Laisran presided, until he died on the 16th day of September,
was slain in 569, Baedan and his nephew Eochaidh became joint sovereigns over Ireland. These were descended from Muiredhach, son of Eoghan, and Earc, the daughter of Loam.
7 Their deaths here referred to are thus
13 Iona and Durrow, called "Campus
Roborum," by Venerable Bede, are said by him to have been the two chief monasteries founded by Columba, and from which houses "perplurima exinde monasteria per discipulos ejus et in Britannia et in Hibernia
recorded by Tigernach :
"
A. C. 572. X)& propagata sunt ; in quibus omnibus idem
hui
i. e. Baetan mac Muircheartaigh et Eochaidh Find mac Domhnaill [anno] tertio regni sui[occisi]. Cronan mac Tighernaigh ru^h
monasterium insulanum, in — re- quo ipse
quiescit corpore, principatum tenet. " "His- toria Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib.
iii. , cap. iv.
14 See the Sixth Volume of this work, at
muirveuAigh [duo nepotes Muiredaci],
Bishop,
Cin-achta occisor eorum erat. " See
Rev. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hiberni- the 9th of June, Art. i. , chap. x.
[rex]
carum Scriptores," tomus ii. Tigernachi Annales.
15 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Lite
of St. Columba, lib. i. , cap. 29, pp. 57, 58. 16 At this date, the rest of Baithen, tences, showing that Ardnamurchan was second Abbot of Hy is recorded in the
8 Or, Hibcrnice, as found in the next sen-
not in Scotia, when Adamnan wrote. 9 In the text of Adamnan.
10 This is a
Irish muirbolg nem-o. The name has
been locally preserved, but it probably catalogue of the abbots of Hy, which has belonged to a sheltered bay in or near Ard- been perpetuated by his copyists.
18
See his Adamnan's "Life of St. Co- a " sea-inlet. " In Ireland it is modernized lumba. " Additional Notes o, p. 372.
very singular compound,
in
Hennessy, pp. 64, 65.
17 The omission of his name in the
namurchan. The word TYlurvbolg signifies
Murlough. See the Annals of the Four Masters at A. M. 2859, 3501.
19 In the eighty-fourth year of his age, on the nth of October, a. d. 600.
11
20
The Irish word for Paradise here is
" 21
ndmidh, i. e. , sacred grove. " This place is supposed to be on the shore in Argyleshire. " See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
In the year 601.
In the year 602.
See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hiber-
See William M. Hennessy's edition, pp. 70, 71.
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. II, pp. 40, 41, andnn. (a, b c, d, e, f. )
25
which was called '° Muirbolg
"Chronicum Scotorum
"
Annals of Ulster created a gap in Ussher's
22
nicarum Scriptores," tomus ii.
of William M.
4i2 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September16.
viz. , a. d. 600 ; while those of the Four Masters have it, at a. d. 601. His festival is noted in our Irish Calendars.
In the published Martyrology of
his
Abbot of Ia-Coluim-Cille.
Laisren,
Martyrology.
[Sixth and Seventh Centuries? ^
to the of published Martyrology
Veneration was given at this date, according
Book of Leinster is a similar copy
entry.
following
notice, which
Tallagh,
2
1 to Molaisse Mac In the Lugair.
From the
does not seem to be applicable to the Saint of this name we have placed first
in order, it would seem to be, that Lugair was the name of the present holy * man's father. At the 16th of September, the " Feilire "3 of St. -<Engus enters thefeastofLaisrentheGreat,ofMen. ThescholiastontheLeabharBreac copy has an added commentary on this latter name of his place, in which
he states, that Men was the name of a river in Dalnaraid and Cen£l Eogain utjcrunt, and Mo-laise on its brink. * So far as we can interpret this latter suppositious scholion, it would seem to mean, that Laisren, otherwise called Mo-Laise, lived on the brink of the River Men. However, a better con-
jecture about his locality occupies the secondary place, in the writer's
estimation, and yet it is the correct one. Again, we are told, that Mena is
thenameofa whichis in or it was froma 6 which river, Laoighes ;S bridge,
is on that river, the place was named Mena. 7 With that fondness for attempted local derivations—often so frivolous and fallacious—yet which appears to have been customary among Irish writers, a subsequent note has
8
been appended by the scholiast on the Leabhar Breac copy of the Feilire.
we find Lasriani a* in the Book only ;
at the 16th of
of Leinster copy he is particularised as Lasriani, Abbot of Hi Columkille. 's In the Leabhar Breac copy of the Feilire of St. ^Engus, 26 a festival is entered at the 1 6th of September, to commemorate Laisren the Happy in Iona. Likewise, in conjunction with the saint of his name of whom notices are to follow, Marianus O'Gorman commemorates him at the 16th of September in
September,
2? Also,in the of 28 wehave Martyrology Donegal,
Article III. —St. Laisren, of Menadrehid, Queen's County
Tallagh,
24 See edition of Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxiv.
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
2 SThus, IdfiM-am 4b m hi Col C. 26 "
part i. cxxxviii.
On the Calendar of Oengus, p.
See Transactions of the Royal Irish
Irish Series, vol. Academy," Manuscript i. ,
part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxviii.
27 The commentator supplies an Irish
4 See ibid. , cxlvi. p.
5OrratherofOssoryterritory; butwhich
at some time at least in part may have been
incorporated with Leix
" Laisren al la Coiuim cille. Lais-
ren Mena . i. Mena ainm abhann fil il-
Laoighis, man. rec. i Mordha. " Thus Mondrehid, which is the lame of a town- rendered into English by the editor : "Lais-
xin, abbot of Columbcille Hf (Iona). Laisren
of Mena, i. e. Mena, the name of a river
which is in Leix. " The latter Irish word
omitted in the translation evidently means
" the country of the O'Moores, to whom
Menadrochid belonged in the glossographer's
time. See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui
gloss :
Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
a8 "
Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 248, 249. —
Article hi. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxxiv.
a Thus moLAfre mac Lu^Ain.
3 See " Transactions of the Royal Irish
of which was Rubha Mena, the point of Men," now Shanescastle.
6 A note Dr. Reeves here " From by says :
tnen4T>r\oicec, 'bridge of Men,'" is formed
land, in the parish of Offerlane, Queen's County.
1 Mena, though put in casu recto, in the text, is properly the genitive of Men, as appears by the note in the Felire of Aengus, at the 1 6th of September ; as also by the pronunciation of the same name in the County of Antrim, where is the well-known river Main, formerly the Myn, at the mouth
8
It runs thus
"Ata no mena
:
droichit . i.
is min droichet [. i. qusedam congregatio multorum sanctorum ad illam civitatem fuit
aliquando propter aliquam causam etquidam
September i6. | LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4i3
St. Laisre'n was the son of Ua-Loegairi, according to the commentator on the
LeabharBreaccopyoftheFeilireofSt. ^Engus. Hebelongedtotherace
of Cathaoir Mor, monarch of Erin, as we are informed by t—he O'Clerys.
ThisSaint'sexactlocalityisnowknownastheformerMenadrehid situatedon
asmallstreamcalledMeana—intheQueen'sCounty. ' Theplaceislessthan
twoEnglishmiles,andduenorth,fromBorris-in-Ossory. Mostprobably,also, this is the Saint to whom allusion is made when it is said, that ruins of a
monastery of Monderhilt, in the parish of Offerlane, exist, and that St.
Lasirian ruled over the as Abbot about the 600. IO A scholiast on place year
St. ^Eengus, when allusion is made to the present St. Molaise, at the 16th of September, says that Mena drochit was then in the ancient territory of Leix,"
although for a long time past known to be in the barony of Upper Ossory. The traces of Mendrehid old church were to be seen12 in a townland of the same name, and is a very fertile field beside the Turtawn stream, which falls
T
into the River Nore, about half-a-mile below. 3 This streamlet takes a bend
andrunsquiteclosetotheantientsiteofthechurch1* andagraveyardlong
sincedisused. Theploughhaspassedoverthegravesanddisturbedhuman
remains in its 1* The church foundations in for the most progress, 1872,
part, were traceable. They measured 34 feet in length internally, and they
were probably about 12 feet in width, while the form of the church appears to
havebeenaparallelogram. Besidetheburialground,the"churchmeadow,"
as it was called, extended to the Tartawn's banks. An enclosure near it
"
was called the friar's garden. " Adjoining these fertile tracts was a fie—ld
called 4< " or " Gortarota," as another account has it
popular
and here a remarkable rath had been levelled net many years back.
robber, one of 1
smoothly (min)
(doroichet) to us ;' *
the inhabitants, said, have all those come and one of the visitors
Gortavoragh
Traces of an ancient road might be seen leading from the old burial ground
1
through that field, and it continued on by Skiogh Bush * in a direction
latro de habitatoribus dixit is min doroichit] O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four ad nos omnes isti et quidam dixit [de Masters," vol. i. , n. (e), pp. 225, 226.
aduenientibus] bid he ainm in baile min- droichet. " We are told by Whitley Stokes, who translates the foregoing into English, that the passages in brackets are from the
"
Franciscan copy.
it is a smooth bridge, to wit, a certain congregation of many saints were once at that town for some cause, and a certain
12
About the year 1870. They have since
Or Mena-droichit, *'. *. ,
been entirely removed, and the old graves with their rude head-stones levelled, by the occupant of the lands on whose farm they stood.
13 In the year 1847, a new cut was formed for its channel to the Nore, and the former course is now only seen as a hollow channel leading towards the River Nore.
14 Not far from it, and on the Nore's southern bank, is the old castle ot Derrin.
15 Such was the account given by an aged
man near the who had seen residing place,
these up-turned remains, and who declared, that the burial ground had been very
extensive, comprising two or three acres,
"
grave-yard field. " In August, 1872, when visited by the writer, no traces of graves were to be seen over the
said, this shall be the name of the stead,
' "—« Trans- Smoothbridge (Mindroichet).
actions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , p. i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxlvi.
9 Note annexed to William M. Hennessy's copy of the Martyrology of Donegal.
yet called the
10
of Ireland," vol. 16 A who was in this work ii. , pp. 446, 447. man, engaged
See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary surface.
11 It runs as follows : meana Airmi abann
pi 1 L&igir, no 50 m<vo 6 T>poicio pi yon
an abamn pn nohAmmmigeA-o An baile,"
i. e. , Mena is the name of a river which is
in Laighis, or it is from a bridge —which is on
that river that the place is called. O'Clery,
Calendar, 1 6th September. See Dr, then recited, and the procession moved on,
of destruction, stated, that to his knowledge death or very severe accidents soon after occurred to all concerned in the demolition.
17 At this place, it was customary to deposit a coffin and a corpse, when borne to Mon-
di ehid burial
ground
.
The De was Profundus
16
414 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 16
towards Clonfert Molua or church. 18 Kyle
weird stories1? were current in the neighbourhoad, regarding the various places to which allusion has here been made. 20 When last visited by the writer a few
years ago, no trace of the graveyard remained, but the few aged hawthorns growing around part of its site. 21 Legends concerning Druids or Magicians lend some colouring to a belief, that this part of the country must have been
a stronghold of Pagan superstition in earlier times j and even yet, many of the peasantry are believers in their evil influence, and fear the effects of their
Monadrohid Cemetery, Queen's County.
22 "
magic practices. In the Chronicum Scotorum," this Saint's death has
been assigned to a. d. 604. 23 He was a near neighbour of St Molua of Clonfert Molua,2* and most probably both were on intimate terms of friend-
until death them in that same 2s As we have parted year.
already
ship,
18
It is thought by the peasantry, that St. Molua, the founder of this church, was also the founder of Mondrehid.
19 One of these relates to a Druid, who is
represented in the accompanying illustration. It was drawn on the wood and engraved by
Gregor Grey.
22 The Ccach-a-bowcr, its headless horses
and conductors are said to appear during the witching hours of night ; while few mortals desire to behold such sights, which are thought to prelude local deaths or mis- fortunes to individuals seeing them. The
said yet to appear frequently in the day-time
and like a little black man, dressed in a com-
plete suit of armour, with a sash around his
waist, and a scabbard by his side. A sort
of earthquake and a tremendous sound herald
his appearance. He then flourishes a sword angle of land between the River Nore and
round his head and runs in a circle round
the adjoining grave-yard. Several persons living aver, that they have been chased away
this See " Irish Local strange apparition.
the Turtawn is an elevated ridge
23 In William M. Hennessy's edition we
read at that date " Lasren Mena Drochit
by
Legends," by Lageniensis, No. x. , pp. 29, 30.
" See
See his Acts at the 4th of August in the
Eighth Volume of this work, Art. i.
25 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 230, 231.
20
Golden treasures have frequently been
sought for in various places.
21
Then a sketch of, the spot was taken, as
quievit. 24
pp.
68,
69.
Extraordinary
September 16. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 415
noticed in the preceding Article, Marianus O'Gorman commemorates the
two Lasrens in his Martyrology, at the 16th of September. 36 The Martyr-
2
ology of Donegal ? records a festival, at the 16th of September, in honour of
St. Laisren, of Mena.
Article IV. —St. Criotan, or Critan Certronnach of Bangor,
County of Down. {Seventh Century. '] An entry of Critain is found in
1
the Book of Leinster copy of the Martyrology of Tallagh for the 16th day
of September ; but, it is omitted from the published edition of Rev. Dr. Kelly. However, the festival of Critan is found in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, at this date. 3 Veneration was given, at the 16th of September, as we find set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 to Criotan Certronnach, Cellarer of Comhgall, of Bennchor. Eithne, daughter to Saran, son of Colgan, and sister to Ronan, was the mother of this Criotan Certronnach, who was so called because he used to divide fairly. * The present Saint is entered in our Calendars without such a distinction ;5 and, therefore, we may doubt, if he filled any higher office than that of Cellarer in the Monastery. The Annals of Ulster6 and of the Four Masters placed
250,251.
Article iv. —l Thus : Cnicain.
2 A commentator calls him Criotan Cer-
tronnach Celloir Comhgaill Bennchair, which
has been translated by the editor, " Critan,
7 See Dr. O'Donovan's
Annals of the
the — of Benchor's xxxiv.
Justly-dividing, Comgall
cellarer. " Dr. Whitley Stokes' Felire Hui Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
250, 251.
4 In a note Dr. Reeves says, at the fore-
going words, "From ce^c, 'right,' 'just,'
and |\omn, or r\Ann, 'a division. '
s See Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiasti-
of Down Connor and Dro-
Article vi. — Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 250, 251.
cal
more, Appendix LL. , p. 380.
l8? See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. x. , chap.
i. , p. 20, n. 2.
Thisis a
Scotia manuscript kept
Sacra," p. 387.
in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.
180 The relic was enclosed in the right
arm. 181
The remains of Candida Casa were to
only
of l8s The Galloway.
Caledonia," chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411.
iii. ,
l83 In 1581, an act of the Scottish Parlia-
ment rendered those
1&* A Presbyterian minister, John Mac-
lellan, who lived in the reign of Charles I. , states, that Whithern owed all its celebrity to Ninian, who was the tutelar saint of the place. He wrote an account of Galloway, and which was published in Blaeu's Atlas, p. 59.
pilgrimages illegal,
4i° LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Septemberj. 6.
Whithern was established a community of Premonstratensian Monks over whom a Prior had been placed. In their church some of St. Ninian's relics
and
were 188 The mediaeval cathedral is now deposited.
roofless,
with ivy, measuring 72 by 24 feet, in the Romanesque first Pointed and second Pointed styles of architecture. The chief vestige of its former magnificence is a beautiful round-headed archway, with remains of vaults and
l8
other buildings in connection with the ancient priory. 9 Four Gothic
arches whicli formed stand,
of a modern of 1 ? place worship.
part
When the Roman Empire was falling to pieces before the inroads of bar-
barians from the north and east, the last of the legionaries was withdrawn from Britain, in a. d. 410, while St. Ninian was still preaching among the Southern Picts. When the Imperial legions had failed to maintain their position, this pioneer of the Gospel had begun to lay the foundations of the Church, in the centre and south-west parts of Scotland. His work was
102 St.
greatest of the ancient British Apostles, of whom we have any clear and
1*1 St.
and other holy missionaries; but, St. Ninian remains the foremost and
taken St. up by
Palladius,
Ternan,
Kentigern,
1 distinct tradition. For now ages
the once of the powerful Empire
long past,
West has shared the fate of all conquests founded on greed and rapine ; but, the small mustard seed of the Gospel grew into a flourishing tree and spread its branches over the ruins, If many of those branches have perished during the fierce storm of the Reformation in Scotland; still does the parent stock remain, and the roots deeply-planted are vigorous, in our age of enlighten- ment, while destined yet to restore over the length and breadth of that
beautiful land the benign influences of the Holy Catholic Church.
Article II. —St. Laisren, Abbot of Iona. [Sixth and Seventh
Centuries. ] The father of this holy man was son of Ninnidh, son to Fergus,
son of Conall and he first cousin of St. Columba. 1 Gulban, was, therefore,
He was born in the earlier half of the sixth century, and he became a
disciple of his renowned relative. He was also with St. Columba to Scot-
land, and he seems to have spent some time under him as a monk, in the
monastery of Iona. He was besides the companion of the holy Abbot, during
his missionary excursions in Scotland, and we find special allusion to him.
This incident happened, while St. Columba was travelling through a rough
and which was called Artda 2 now Ardnamurchan,3 rocky country, Muirchol,
a peninsular district, on the northern boundary of Argyleshire. It consists
of mountains, hills, and high moors, in general more rugged and precipitous, than of great elevation. '* The old parochial name was Kilchoan, and so called from the church, which stood on the south-coast near Kilchoan Bay. s His companions, Laisren, son of Feradach, and Diarmuit, his minister,
speaking
188
on the
two Irish 6 Baetan Mac way regarding Kings,
Muircheartaigh
See Chalmers'
chap, iv. , sect, viii. , p. 411.
June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
'9° See Robert
Forsyth's Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 420.
Height
3 in , 2q2, it was called Ardenmwrich, and
"
l8» See Francis H. Groome's "Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. vi. , pp. 485, 486.
"Beauties of
2 The name on the text seems to signify "Height of the two Sea-hazels," but the modern one " of the Sea-calf. "
'** His feast occurs at the 6th of July.
192 Honoured on the 12th of June.
'*» His feast is held on the 13th of January,
in 1309 Ardnameerchin.
4 See "Old Statistical Survey of Scot-
land," vol. xx. , p. 289.
ssee " Parochiales C. Innes' Origines
Scotiae," part i. , p. 194
6 When monarch of Ireland Ainmire,
and
194 Venerated on the 1st of July. Article 11. —' See his at the
13th
of November.
Caledonia," vol. hi. ,
life,
9th
of
overgrown
1Q3 St. ,Q4 Servanus,
September 16. I LIVES OP THE IRISH SAINTS.
411
and Eochaidh Find Mac Domhnaill,? he uttered these words to them, u Oh ! my dear sons, why do you talk so foolishly of them ? for both of those kings of whom you are now speaking, are slain, and their heads have been cut off by their enemy. This very day, moreover, some sailors coming here from Scotia 8 will tell you the same about these two kings. " That very same day,
sailors from Hibernia 9 at the landing
place
Paradisi, or of Paradise," told the two above-named companions, sailing in
the same ship with the saint, that the prophecy of the holy man, regarding
the death of the kings had been exactly fulfilled.
12
Before the death of St.
Columkille, Laisran had been appointed Abbot over the monastery at Durrow,'3 in Ireland. As we have already seen, in the Life of St.
1 * the
from that Island, how at that same moment in winter the monks of Durrow hadsomeseverelabourimposedonthem,andhebegantoweep. Butsoon hearing the voice of Laisran ordering them rest and refreshment, he ceased weeping, and blessing their Abbot for his kindness, St. Columkille told his brethren in Iona what had in Ireland. 15 In the l6
Columkille,
great
archimandrite of Iona had a in which he knew vision,
just passed year 598, according to some accounts, Laisranus was promoted from his subordinate •
charge at Durrow, to be Abbot of Hy. 17 He was the third who filled that
office, in succession to the celebrated founder. However, the Rev. Dr.
l8
Reeves places his accession at a. d. 600. During his term of rule, the
viz. , St. Canice in Achadh T 9 Bo,
a. d. 605, according to Tighernach's Annals,22 followed by the Chronicum Scotorum. 23 The annals of Inisfallen place his death, at an earlier date,
deaths of three renowned saints took
St. 20 the Kentigern,
place : Comgall
of 21 Over the monas- Bangor.
and St.
tery at Iona Laisran presided, until he died on the 16th day of September,
was slain in 569, Baedan and his nephew Eochaidh became joint sovereigns over Ireland. These were descended from Muiredhach, son of Eoghan, and Earc, the daughter of Loam.
7 Their deaths here referred to are thus
13 Iona and Durrow, called "Campus
Roborum," by Venerable Bede, are said by him to have been the two chief monasteries founded by Columba, and from which houses "perplurima exinde monasteria per discipulos ejus et in Britannia et in Hibernia
recorded by Tigernach :
"
A. C. 572. X)& propagata sunt ; in quibus omnibus idem
hui
i. e. Baetan mac Muircheartaigh et Eochaidh Find mac Domhnaill [anno] tertio regni sui[occisi]. Cronan mac Tighernaigh ru^h
monasterium insulanum, in — re- quo ipse
quiescit corpore, principatum tenet. " "His- toria Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib.
iii. , cap. iv.
14 See the Sixth Volume of this work, at
muirveuAigh [duo nepotes Muiredaci],
Bishop,
Cin-achta occisor eorum erat. " See
Rev. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hiberni- the 9th of June, Art. i. , chap. x.
[rex]
carum Scriptores," tomus ii. Tigernachi Annales.
15 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Lite
of St. Columba, lib. i. , cap. 29, pp. 57, 58. 16 At this date, the rest of Baithen, tences, showing that Ardnamurchan was second Abbot of Hy is recorded in the
8 Or, Hibcrnice, as found in the next sen-
not in Scotia, when Adamnan wrote. 9 In the text of Adamnan.
10 This is a
Irish muirbolg nem-o. The name has
been locally preserved, but it probably catalogue of the abbots of Hy, which has belonged to a sheltered bay in or near Ard- been perpetuated by his copyists.
18
See his Adamnan's "Life of St. Co- a " sea-inlet. " In Ireland it is modernized lumba. " Additional Notes o, p. 372.
very singular compound,
in
Hennessy, pp. 64, 65.
17 The omission of his name in the
namurchan. The word TYlurvbolg signifies
Murlough. See the Annals of the Four Masters at A. M. 2859, 3501.
19 In the eighty-fourth year of his age, on the nth of October, a. d. 600.
11
20
The Irish word for Paradise here is
" 21
ndmidh, i. e. , sacred grove. " This place is supposed to be on the shore in Argyleshire. " See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
In the year 601.
In the year 602.
See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hiber-
See William M. Hennessy's edition, pp. 70, 71.
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. II, pp. 40, 41, andnn. (a, b c, d, e, f. )
25
which was called '° Muirbolg
"Chronicum Scotorum
"
Annals of Ulster created a gap in Ussher's
22
nicarum Scriptores," tomus ii.
of William M.
4i2 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September16.
viz. , a. d. 600 ; while those of the Four Masters have it, at a. d. 601. His festival is noted in our Irish Calendars.
In the published Martyrology of
his
Abbot of Ia-Coluim-Cille.
Laisren,
Martyrology.
[Sixth and Seventh Centuries? ^
to the of published Martyrology
Veneration was given at this date, according
Book of Leinster is a similar copy
entry.
following
notice, which
Tallagh,
2
1 to Molaisse Mac In the Lugair.
From the
does not seem to be applicable to the Saint of this name we have placed first
in order, it would seem to be, that Lugair was the name of the present holy * man's father. At the 16th of September, the " Feilire "3 of St. -<Engus enters thefeastofLaisrentheGreat,ofMen. ThescholiastontheLeabharBreac copy has an added commentary on this latter name of his place, in which
he states, that Men was the name of a river in Dalnaraid and Cen£l Eogain utjcrunt, and Mo-laise on its brink. * So far as we can interpret this latter suppositious scholion, it would seem to mean, that Laisren, otherwise called Mo-Laise, lived on the brink of the River Men. However, a better con-
jecture about his locality occupies the secondary place, in the writer's
estimation, and yet it is the correct one. Again, we are told, that Mena is
thenameofa whichis in or it was froma 6 which river, Laoighes ;S bridge,
is on that river, the place was named Mena. 7 With that fondness for attempted local derivations—often so frivolous and fallacious—yet which appears to have been customary among Irish writers, a subsequent note has
8
been appended by the scholiast on the Leabhar Breac copy of the Feilire.
we find Lasriani a* in the Book only ;
at the 16th of
of Leinster copy he is particularised as Lasriani, Abbot of Hi Columkille. 's In the Leabhar Breac copy of the Feilire of St. ^Engus, 26 a festival is entered at the 1 6th of September, to commemorate Laisren the Happy in Iona. Likewise, in conjunction with the saint of his name of whom notices are to follow, Marianus O'Gorman commemorates him at the 16th of September in
September,
2? Also,in the of 28 wehave Martyrology Donegal,
Article III. —St. Laisren, of Menadrehid, Queen's County
Tallagh,
24 See edition of Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxiv.
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
2 SThus, IdfiM-am 4b m hi Col C. 26 "
part i. cxxxviii.
On the Calendar of Oengus, p.
See Transactions of the Royal Irish
Irish Series, vol. Academy," Manuscript i. ,
part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxviii.
27 The commentator supplies an Irish
4 See ibid. , cxlvi. p.
5OrratherofOssoryterritory; butwhich
at some time at least in part may have been
incorporated with Leix
" Laisren al la Coiuim cille. Lais-
ren Mena . i. Mena ainm abhann fil il-
Laoighis, man. rec. i Mordha. " Thus Mondrehid, which is the lame of a town- rendered into English by the editor : "Lais-
xin, abbot of Columbcille Hf (Iona). Laisren
of Mena, i. e. Mena, the name of a river
which is in Leix. " The latter Irish word
omitted in the translation evidently means
" the country of the O'Moores, to whom
Menadrochid belonged in the glossographer's
time. See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui
gloss :
Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
a8 "
Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 248, 249. —
Article hi. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxxiv.
a Thus moLAfre mac Lu^Ain.
3 See " Transactions of the Royal Irish
of which was Rubha Mena, the point of Men," now Shanescastle.
6 A note Dr. Reeves here " From by says :
tnen4T>r\oicec, 'bridge of Men,'" is formed
land, in the parish of Offerlane, Queen's County.
1 Mena, though put in casu recto, in the text, is properly the genitive of Men, as appears by the note in the Felire of Aengus, at the 1 6th of September ; as also by the pronunciation of the same name in the County of Antrim, where is the well-known river Main, formerly the Myn, at the mouth
8
It runs thus
"Ata no mena
:
droichit . i.
is min droichet [. i. qusedam congregatio multorum sanctorum ad illam civitatem fuit
aliquando propter aliquam causam etquidam
September i6. | LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4i3
St. Laisre'n was the son of Ua-Loegairi, according to the commentator on the
LeabharBreaccopyoftheFeilireofSt. ^Engus. Hebelongedtotherace
of Cathaoir Mor, monarch of Erin, as we are informed by t—he O'Clerys.
ThisSaint'sexactlocalityisnowknownastheformerMenadrehid situatedon
asmallstreamcalledMeana—intheQueen'sCounty. ' Theplaceislessthan
twoEnglishmiles,andduenorth,fromBorris-in-Ossory. Mostprobably,also, this is the Saint to whom allusion is made when it is said, that ruins of a
monastery of Monderhilt, in the parish of Offerlane, exist, and that St.
Lasirian ruled over the as Abbot about the 600. IO A scholiast on place year
St. ^Eengus, when allusion is made to the present St. Molaise, at the 16th of September, says that Mena drochit was then in the ancient territory of Leix,"
although for a long time past known to be in the barony of Upper Ossory. The traces of Mendrehid old church were to be seen12 in a townland of the same name, and is a very fertile field beside the Turtawn stream, which falls
T
into the River Nore, about half-a-mile below. 3 This streamlet takes a bend
andrunsquiteclosetotheantientsiteofthechurch1* andagraveyardlong
sincedisused. Theploughhaspassedoverthegravesanddisturbedhuman
remains in its 1* The church foundations in for the most progress, 1872,
part, were traceable. They measured 34 feet in length internally, and they
were probably about 12 feet in width, while the form of the church appears to
havebeenaparallelogram. Besidetheburialground,the"churchmeadow,"
as it was called, extended to the Tartawn's banks. An enclosure near it
"
was called the friar's garden. " Adjoining these fertile tracts was a fie—ld
called 4< " or " Gortarota," as another account has it
popular
and here a remarkable rath had been levelled net many years back.
robber, one of 1
smoothly (min)
(doroichet) to us ;' *
the inhabitants, said, have all those come and one of the visitors
Gortavoragh
Traces of an ancient road might be seen leading from the old burial ground
1
through that field, and it continued on by Skiogh Bush * in a direction
latro de habitatoribus dixit is min doroichit] O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four ad nos omnes isti et quidam dixit [de Masters," vol. i. , n. (e), pp. 225, 226.
aduenientibus] bid he ainm in baile min- droichet. " We are told by Whitley Stokes, who translates the foregoing into English, that the passages in brackets are from the
"
Franciscan copy.
it is a smooth bridge, to wit, a certain congregation of many saints were once at that town for some cause, and a certain
12
About the year 1870. They have since
Or Mena-droichit, *'. *. ,
been entirely removed, and the old graves with their rude head-stones levelled, by the occupant of the lands on whose farm they stood.
13 In the year 1847, a new cut was formed for its channel to the Nore, and the former course is now only seen as a hollow channel leading towards the River Nore.
14 Not far from it, and on the Nore's southern bank, is the old castle ot Derrin.
15 Such was the account given by an aged
man near the who had seen residing place,
these up-turned remains, and who declared, that the burial ground had been very
extensive, comprising two or three acres,
"
grave-yard field. " In August, 1872, when visited by the writer, no traces of graves were to be seen over the
said, this shall be the name of the stead,
' "—« Trans- Smoothbridge (Mindroichet).
actions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , p. i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxlvi.
9 Note annexed to William M. Hennessy's copy of the Martyrology of Donegal.
yet called the
10
of Ireland," vol. 16 A who was in this work ii. , pp. 446, 447. man, engaged
See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary surface.
11 It runs as follows : meana Airmi abann
pi 1 L&igir, no 50 m<vo 6 T>poicio pi yon
an abamn pn nohAmmmigeA-o An baile,"
i. e. , Mena is the name of a river which is
in Laighis, or it is from a bridge —which is on
that river that the place is called. O'Clery,
Calendar, 1 6th September. See Dr, then recited, and the procession moved on,
of destruction, stated, that to his knowledge death or very severe accidents soon after occurred to all concerned in the demolition.
17 At this place, it was customary to deposit a coffin and a corpse, when borne to Mon-
di ehid burial
ground
.
The De was Profundus
16
414 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 16
towards Clonfert Molua or church. 18 Kyle
weird stories1? were current in the neighbourhoad, regarding the various places to which allusion has here been made. 20 When last visited by the writer a few
years ago, no trace of the graveyard remained, but the few aged hawthorns growing around part of its site. 21 Legends concerning Druids or Magicians lend some colouring to a belief, that this part of the country must have been
a stronghold of Pagan superstition in earlier times j and even yet, many of the peasantry are believers in their evil influence, and fear the effects of their
Monadrohid Cemetery, Queen's County.
22 "
magic practices. In the Chronicum Scotorum," this Saint's death has
been assigned to a. d. 604. 23 He was a near neighbour of St Molua of Clonfert Molua,2* and most probably both were on intimate terms of friend-
until death them in that same 2s As we have parted year.
already
ship,
18
It is thought by the peasantry, that St. Molua, the founder of this church, was also the founder of Mondrehid.
19 One of these relates to a Druid, who is
represented in the accompanying illustration. It was drawn on the wood and engraved by
Gregor Grey.
22 The Ccach-a-bowcr, its headless horses
and conductors are said to appear during the witching hours of night ; while few mortals desire to behold such sights, which are thought to prelude local deaths or mis- fortunes to individuals seeing them. The
said yet to appear frequently in the day-time
and like a little black man, dressed in a com-
plete suit of armour, with a sash around his
waist, and a scabbard by his side. A sort
of earthquake and a tremendous sound herald
his appearance. He then flourishes a sword angle of land between the River Nore and
round his head and runs in a circle round
the adjoining grave-yard. Several persons living aver, that they have been chased away
this See " Irish Local strange apparition.
the Turtawn is an elevated ridge
23 In William M. Hennessy's edition we
read at that date " Lasren Mena Drochit
by
Legends," by Lageniensis, No. x. , pp. 29, 30.
" See
See his Acts at the 4th of August in the
Eighth Volume of this work, Art. i.
25 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 230, 231.
20
Golden treasures have frequently been
sought for in various places.
21
Then a sketch of, the spot was taken, as
quievit. 24
pp.
68,
69.
Extraordinary
September 16. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 415
noticed in the preceding Article, Marianus O'Gorman commemorates the
two Lasrens in his Martyrology, at the 16th of September. 36 The Martyr-
2
ology of Donegal ? records a festival, at the 16th of September, in honour of
St. Laisren, of Mena.
Article IV. —St. Criotan, or Critan Certronnach of Bangor,
County of Down. {Seventh Century. '] An entry of Critain is found in
1
the Book of Leinster copy of the Martyrology of Tallagh for the 16th day
of September ; but, it is omitted from the published edition of Rev. Dr. Kelly. However, the festival of Critan is found in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, at this date. 3 Veneration was given, at the 16th of September, as we find set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 to Criotan Certronnach, Cellarer of Comhgall, of Bennchor. Eithne, daughter to Saran, son of Colgan, and sister to Ronan, was the mother of this Criotan Certronnach, who was so called because he used to divide fairly. * The present Saint is entered in our Calendars without such a distinction ;5 and, therefore, we may doubt, if he filled any higher office than that of Cellarer in the Monastery. The Annals of Ulster6 and of the Four Masters placed
250,251.
Article iv. —l Thus : Cnicain.
2 A commentator calls him Criotan Cer-
tronnach Celloir Comhgaill Bennchair, which
has been translated by the editor, " Critan,
7 See Dr. O'Donovan's
Annals of the
the — of Benchor's xxxiv.
Justly-dividing, Comgall
cellarer. " Dr. Whitley Stokes' Felire Hui Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
250, 251.
4 In a note Dr. Reeves says, at the fore-
going words, "From ce^c, 'right,' 'just,'
and |\omn, or r\Ann, 'a division. '
s See Rev. William Reeves' " Ecclesiasti-
of Down Connor and Dro-
Article vi. — Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 250, 251.
cal
more, Appendix LL. , p. 380.
