Such assumed limits makes Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- this diocese include the present counties of Fiachrach,
commonly
called O'Dowda's Dublin, Wicklow, and a great part of nor-
Country.
Country.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
, p.
139.
Ware,
vol.
iii. ,
" The Writers of
Ireland,"
" De Usu Ecclesiastico," which was to contain the whole series of the Divine Oflfice. Alluding to a book Gille wrote, to
February 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 329
the patriarchs hold in the East, seems to be occupied by primates, in the West; while, both arc placed under the Roman Pontiff, who takes foremost rank.
But, because the patriarchs preside over the Apostolic sees, such as are Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, therefore, do they consecrate archbishops, and in a certain sense, they rank with the Roman Pontiff. But, to Peter
" Thou art
Church. " 59 Wherefore, the Pope alone presides over the Universal Church,
and he rules and judges all, while placed in his position by all ; for, with con- sent of the whole Church, the Romans exalt him, who daily assumes the purplerobe,thatalwayshemaybereadyformartyrdom. WhileMuirchear- tach Mor O'Brian,^^ great grandson to the celebrated Bryan Boroimhe, was
monarch over Ireland, a great synod was convened, a. d. iiii, at Fidh mic- Aenghusa. ^' Thisissaidtohavebeenthenameofaplace,neartheHillof Uisneach,inthecountyofWestmeath. ^^ Greatnumbersofbishops,abbots, priors, priests and students, with the Ard Righ himself and several represen- tative laymen, were present. At this synod, laws, regulations and customs were enacted, for guidance both of the clergy and of the laity. During that same monarch's reign, it is thought, and soon after the former, another generalcouncilorsynodwasconvened,atRathBresail. ^3 Thisissupposed, by some, to have been only a prorogation of the synod, held at Fiadh mic- Aenghusa. The principal affairs, transacted in the synod at Rath Bresail, were contained in the ancient " Book of Clonenagh. " It states, that Gilla- Esbog, Bishop of Luimnech or Limerick, who, at that time, was the Pope's
Apostolic Legate in Ireland, presided. Be? ides the many good statutes, decreed at this holy synod, those defining the number and boundaries of the respectiveIrishdiocesesarenottheleastdeservingofnotice. Thecomplete freedom of sees and churches, from the authority or rent of any temporal lord, was decreed. Churches were given up, in full possession, to the Irish prelates. The ancient divisions of Leth Cuinn and of Leth Mogha seem to have regulated, in a great measure, if not altogether, the ecclesiastical boun- daries of Armagh and of Cashel, when grouping the subordinate sees under their respective jurisdictions. Including the Primate of Armagh, six bishops were appointed to rule the Ulster Province : these were, the bishops over the sees of Armagh,^* of Clogher,^5 of Ardstra,^^ of Derry,^7 of Connor/^ of
alone was it said,
Peter,
and
upon
this rock will I build
my
book i. ,chap. ix. , p. 68. Here he is in error, and still more so, where Gille is made "the author of a book de Statu Ecclesioc, which is the same with the book de Usii Ecclesice. " This, too, he says, "contains the different forms of liturgies, and the various ways of celebrating Divine Service in the Church of Ireland. "
'''
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 990, 991.
^^
The Rev. Robert King takes some pains to prove, that the synod of Fiadh-mic- ^ngusa was not distinct from that of Rath- Breasail. See " Memoir Introductory to the Early History of the Primacy of Ar- magh," p. 81.
^3 Xhis council is said to have been as- sembled, a. d. 1118. See Rev. Dr. Reeves'
Ware, vol. of i. , "Bishops
See Harris' Limerick," p.
"
which he thought the same as the other,
504. Now the tract,
De Statu Ecclesice,"
"
contains no such matter, nor any liturgy, whatsoever. "And as to what was con- tained in the book De usu Ecclesiastico, we may be sure, that they were not Irish litur- gies, but —what Gillebert styles the canonical custom" Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxv,, sect, xi. , n. 70, p. 30.
and Dromore. " Appendix A, p. 139.
^'» The extent and boundaries of these
mediaeval Irish dioceses are given, from the
"
ancient
Dr. Keating, as follows : Armagh extended from Siiabh Breagh or Slieve Bregh, in the county of Louth, to Cualli Kiannacta, or Coolkenagh, in the townland of Foremass, not far distant from the junction of Errigal Keerogue parish with Termonmaguirk and Clogherny ; and from Birra to the Amhaiu Mor, or River Blackwater. See Rev. Dr.
55 See Matt, xvi. , 18.
^ See Maurice Lenihan's "Limerick ;
its
History and Antiquities, Ecclesiastical, Civil and Military," &c. , chap, liv. , p. 545.
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor
Book of Clonenagh," quoted by
3ZO LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 4.
Down*9—five were to nile over the Connaught Province, viz. , the Bishops of Tuam,7° o—f Clonfert,7i' of Cong,72 ^f Killala,73 and of Ardcarne, also called Ard-acadh74 twoweretopresideintheMeathProvince,viz. ,theBishops of Duleek7s and of Clonard -J^ all the foregoing acknowledged the Primate, as their Metropolitan. The Archbishop of Cashel, besides his own see,77 had for his suffragans, in the Munster Province, the Bishops of Lismore, or of Waterford,7^ of Cork,79 of Rath-maighe-deskirt,^^ of Emly,^' and of
Reeves' " Acts of Archbishop Colton m his an-termainn in quite a different position.
"
Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of See
Derry, A. D. Mcccxcvii. ," &c. , pp. 136, n. (f), p. 982.
137-
°s Clogher diocese extended from the Am-
hain Mor, or Blackwater River, to Gabail-
liuin, or Galloon, county Fermanagh, and from Sliabh Betha or Slieve Beagh to Sliabh Larga, a denomination now known as Slieve Largy, in the county of Tyrone. See ibid.
7* The Bishopric of Clonfert extended from the Sinainn or River Shannon to Boi- renn, now Burren, in the northern part of Clare county ; and from Sliabh Echtighe, or Slieve Aughty, on the confines of the counties of Galway and Clare, to the Suca, or River Suck.
72 The diocese of Cong extended from Amhain O-m-Broin in the north to Neim- thin or Mount Nephin, and from Ath-an-
^^
Ardstraw diocese extended from Sliabh
Larga, or Slieve Largy, to Carn-glas, near
Raphoe ; and from Lough Craei to Benn termainn westwards to the sea.
Foibni, now Benyevenagh Mountain, east
73 The diocese of Killala extended from Neimthinn or Mount Nephin to Esruadh, or Assai-oe, near Ballyshannon, and from Kill-Ard-bili to Srathan Ferainn.
74 The diocese of Ardagh, which is also called Ard-acadh, extended from Ardcarne, to Siabh-an-iarainn, a mountain in the county of Leitrim, and from Keiscorainn, or Kish- corran, to Ur-coillti. See Eugene O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," lect. v. , pp. loi, 102.
75 The diocese of Dukek extended from Sliabh }keagha, or Slieve Bregh, to the Carn of Dun Cuair, or Rath Core, on the borders of Meath and Leinster, and from Lochan na-h-Imirki to the sea. See " On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient
of Lough Foyle, in the county of London- "
derry. See Dr. Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," n. (v), pp. 251,252.
^^ The diocese of the Bishop of Derry or
of Raphoe extended from Es-ruadh, now
Assaroe, near Ballyshannon, to the Srubh Broinn, and from Srubh Broinn to Carn-
glas. ^^
The diocese of the Bishop of Connor extended from Benn Foibni, or Benyevenagh, to Tor Buirg, now Torr Head, in the parish of Culfeightrin, and from Port Murbuilg, now Murlough Bay, in the jDarish of Cul- feightrin, to OUarba, now Inver or Lame, and below Lame, to the harbour of Snamh
Aighni, or Carlingford Lough, and from
Glenn Righe, or the vale of the Newry Irish," by Eugene O'Curry. Edited by Dr. "
River, to Colba n-Germainn, or the pillar \V. K. Sullivan, vol. i. , introduction, p.
of Germonn. " The latter place is unknown,
but Dr. O'Donovan suggests, that it must be
a natural rock, like the Torr of Donegal.
See Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities
of Down, Connor and Dromore," nn. (v, w,
X, y, z, a, b), pp. 251 to 253. By these dare. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of boundaries, a diocese, equal in extent to the
sum of Down, Connor and Dromore, with the north-east part of Derry, was defined.
^ The boundaries of Down and Dromore are not defined in the "Bookof Clonenagh;'* but, it seems most probable they were iden- tical with the limits as at present known, or included within those previously given under the head of Connor.
7° The diocese of Tuam extended from the Suca, or River Suck, to Ard Carna or Ardcarne, and from Ath-an-termainn, the situation of which is unknown, but probably, as Dx-. O'Donovan thinks, it was near Ter-
monbarry, county of Roscommon, to the SinainnorRiverShannon. However,the description here would seem to place Ath-
the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (n), p. 212. 77 The archdiocese of Cashel extended from Sliabh Eiblinni, or Slieve Phelim, in Tipperary county, to the River Suir, and from Cnamh-coill, now Cleghile, near Ti-
braid Arann, or the town of Tipperary, eastwards to Grian Airb, now Greane, in
the barony of Crannagh, county Kilkenny, and to Cros Greni. See "The Circuit of
edited Dr. by
7^ The diocese of Lismore, or Port Largi, extended from Port Largi, now Waterford city, to Miledach, on the brink of the River Berba, to Cumar-na-thri-n-iski, and thence to Cork, and from the River Suir south- wards to the sea.
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. ,
xxx. , and n. 83, ibid.
7^ The diocese of Clonard extended from
Clochan, westwards to the Sinainn, or River Shannon ; and from Ur-Coillti, to Cluain Conari, or Cloncurry, in the county of Kil-
Muircheartach Mac
Neill," O'Donovan, n. 87, p. 39,
February 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. ZZ^
Killaloe^^—in all seven f^ while, the Leinster Province had five sees and
bishops subject to him, viz. , these of Kilkenny,^* of Leighlin,^s of Kildare,^ of Glendalough,^7 and of Ferns :^^ thus, twelve subordinate sees altogether
79 The diocese of Cork extended from its chief church. "And," added the De- Corcach or Cork, to Cam Ui Neid, near cree of the Council, " if any person go be- Mizen-head, in the south-west of Cork yond these limits, he will act in violation of county, and from the Southern Amhain the will of the Deity, and of St. Peter, St.
Mor, or River Blackwater, to the sea. See Paul, and St. Patrick, and the men that
"
Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four
have succeeded these saints in the govern-
Masters," vol. v. n. (x), p. 1631, and pp. 1732, 1733. nn. (h, i), ibid.
"
Lenihan's "Limerick ; its History and An-
tiquities, Ecclesiastical, Civil and Military," chap, liv. , p. 545, n. Also, William F.
^ The diocese of Rath-maighe-deskirt, or Ardfert, extended from Baei Bera, or Dun-
Wakeman's "
Hand-Book of Irish Antiquities, Pagan and Christian : especially of such as are easy of access from the Irish Metropolis," part i. Pagan Antiquities, chap, v. , p. 50.
of Cork, Beare, county
Hibernica. A
in the
to Kenn-mara or Kenmare, and from the
Archaeologia
boy,
territory
River Fial or Feale to the sea. See
''
Mis-
cellany of the Celtic Society," edited by
John O'Donovan, Esq. , LL. D. , M. R. I. A. ,
n. 358. Also, Rev. M. Brennan's (d), p. J.
"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland. " Twelfth
century, chap, i. , p. 226.
^^ The diocese of Emly extended from
^'^ The diocese of extended from Kilkenny
Sliabh Bladma, or Slieve Bloom, to Mile- dach, or Waterford Harbour, and from Grian Airb or Greane, in the barony of Crannagh, county Kilkenny, to Sliabh Margi or Slieve- marigue, in the southern part of the Queen's
Cluain Caein, or Clonkeen, to the River
Amhain Mor, or Blackwater ; and from Cnamh-coill, or Cleghile, near Tibraid County.
Arann, or Tipperary town, to the River Ella. ^^ The diocese of Killaloe extended from the great south-western road, called Bealach- mor Muighe-Dala, or Slighe Dala, extending from the southern side of Tara Hill, in the direction of the castle of Ballaghmore, in the territory of Ossory, to Leim Conculainn, Anglicized Cuchullainn's Leap, now cor- ruptly called Loophead, for Leaphead, the
extreme south-western point of Clare county, and from Sliabh Eehtighe or Slieve Aghty
to Sliabh Oighedh-an-righ or Slieve Eeyan- ree, now the Cratloe or Glennagross Moun-
tain, county Clare, and thence to Sliabh Caein, or Glenn Caein. See Dr. O'Dono-
^5 The diocese of Leighlin extended from Sliabh Bladma or Slieve Bloom, to Sliabh Uighe of Leinster, from Sliabh Margi or Slievemarigue to Belach Carcrach, and from Belach Mughna or Ballaghmoon, to
Tigh Moling or St. Mullin's, in the county of Carlow, and its Termons.
^^ The diocese of Kildare extended from Ros Finn-glasi or Rosenallis to Nas or Naas of Leinster, and from Naas to the Cumar of Clonard, on the southern borders of ancient Meath.
^7 The diocese of Glenn-da-lough extended
van's
Annals of the Four Masters," vol.
Little Ireland Isle, near the town of Wex-
"
to or oath barony. County Meath— Beg Eri,
i. , n. (q), p. 104, and vol. vi. , n. (1), pp. ford, and from Naas to Rechrainn, or Lam- "
2108, 2109. See, also, his edition of The bay Island.
Such assumed limits makes Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- this diocese include the present counties of Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Dublin, Wicklow, and a great part of nor-
Country. " Addenda,p. 344.
^3 We find the diocese of Luimnech or
Limerick omitted in this enumeration, al- though its bounds are afterwards defined as follows : it extended from Mael-carn, the name of a stream which i-uns through Six- Mile-Bridge, in the county of Clare, south- wards to the Shannon, and eastwards by Ath-ar-coinni-Lodain and Loch Guir, or Lough Gur, a short distance north of the little town of BrufF, where yet may be seen a remarkable stone circle of great magnitude, and to the Lathach Mor, or the Great Bog, and westwards from Ani, taking in Ard Padraig, Belach Febradh, and Tulach Lias, or Tullylease, towards the south, as far as the Fial or Feale, and Tarbert, including Cuin- chi, in Thomond, and the Crosses, on Sliabh- Oighedh-an-righ, or Cratloe Mountain, and the Dubh-amhain, or the River Blackwater. The Temple of St. Mary in Luimnech was
thernWexford.
^^ The diocese of Ferns or Loch Carman,
now Wexford town, extended from Beg Eri or Erinn to Miledach, on the west side of the Berba, or River Barrow, and from Sliabh Uighe of Leinster, southwards to the sea. " And," continue the Fathers of the Coun- cil, "we now pass this Decree, subject to the approbation of the clergy. Should the arrangement therein made not seem good to them, let them adopt another ; but, there shall nevertheless, be not more than five bishops among them. " Besides, we are told, "the Benediction of the Trinity, and of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Patrick was invoked upon each bishop of the twenty- five here appointed, that no Easter might ever pass over them without their consecrat-
ment of the Church of Christ.
See Maurice
from Granach—perhaps Greenoge, in Rat-
ing and blessing the sacred oil.
''
O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ireland," book ii. ,
part i. , chap, i. , p. 6cx).
332 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February 4.
acknowledged the Archbishop of Cashel for Metropolitan. The Bishop of Dublin is exempted from the foregoing enumeration ; because, it was cus-
tomary for him to receive consecration, from the Archbishop of Canterbury. ^9 Thus, the numerous small sees, which had previously existed in Ireland, were re-arranged and consolidated. Their number was reduced to twenty- six ;9° but, it seems probable, the decree constituting them was provisional, subject to future applotment and to more detailed regulations, in reference to boundaries, while the division, most likely, was not to take place, until after the death of some bishops, who were then incumbents. Furthermore, the Benediction of the Comarba or successor of St. Peter, and of his Legate, Gilla-Esbog, Bishop of Luimnech, and the blessing of Gilla-Kellaigh, Comorba of St. Patrick, that is, the Primate of Ireland, and that of Mael-Isa O'h-Anmiri, Archbishop of Cashel, and of all the laymen and clergymen, who attended that synod of Rath Bresail, was pronounced upon all, who should carry out its ordinances, and their malediction was given to all who should rebel against the same. 9' We are informed,^^ that Bishop Gille assisted in West- minster Abbey, at the consecration of Bernard, Bishop of Menevia, or St. David's, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a. d. 1115. Pitts states, that towards the end of his lite, Gille travelled to Ireland, and he was there created Bishop of Limerick. 93 Having become old and infirm, in 1139, Gillibert was anxious to be released from his higher responsibilities, and he requested the Holy See to relieve him from the duties of the Legatine office. St. Malachy O'Morgair—who happened to visit Rome^^—was then appointed to succeed him, in that office, by Pope Innocent II. Bishop Gillibert did notlongsurvivethisinvestiture,forheresigned^sordied,a. d. 1140. 9^ We think it probable, he was the saint, venerated on this day. If by the present St. Gille, we are to understand, however, a holy man called Giolla Aedha97 O'Muidhin, he was born, probably late in the eleventh, or early in the twelfth, century. It is thought, he was a native of Connaught. 92 The family name, O'Muidhin, is said to be unknown -p but, it is probably not extinct, and very likely, it is now represented by Moon. The present holy man"=° belonged to the people of Errew, on Lough Conn. '°^ He is eulogized, as being a man full of the grace^''^' of God, the tower of the virginity and wisdom of his
^5 See John D'Alton's "Memoirs of the
Archbishops of Dublin," pp. 26 to 51.
5*" See Rev. Sylvester Malone's "Church
History of Ireland," chap, i. , pp. 18, 19.
Antiquitatibus ejus," cap. xxiv. , p. 122.
50 jjee Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of
Limerick," p. 504.
97 Meaning, "the servant of St. Aodh,"
or " St. Aldus. "
98 gee Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops
of Cork," p. 557.
wSee Dr. O'Donovan's statement, in
" Annals of the Four Masters," vol. iii. , n.
9' See " O'Mahony's Keating's
History of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , pp.
596 to 601, with the accompanying notes. 9' By Eadmerus.
93 This statement is incorrect, for, it virould.
seem, he exercised the office of bishop over this see, for thirty years. Equally incorrect is the account of Pitts, that he died A. D. II 17; for, he survived this period, over twenty years.
9* Baronius refers the visit of Malachy to
Rome, to the year 1137. Pagius, his com-
mentor, with his usual accuracy, has detected
the error of the date, and asserts that Ma- county of Mayo. On a point of Errew,
lachy arrived at Rome, in the year 1139 or stretching into Lough Conn, are the ruins of "
1 140, Pagius apud Baronium, Hisioria an abbey, dedicated to St. Tighearnan. Ecclesiastica" ad. An. 1137, sec. xx. , in See"TheGenealogies,TribesandCustoms notes. St. Malachy remained "mensem of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dow-
integrum" at Rome, according to St. da's Country," n. (i), p. 239.
Bernard. "^ The word
which is now used to
|\ac1i,
95 '* '* '•
(c), p. 3.
"^" "
In O'Mahony's Keating's
Ireland," he is called
"
din, Bishop of Corcach," book ii. , part i. ,
chap, i. , p. 611.
*"' Dr. O'Donovan has it, Ay\xt toCA
Con. Errew is situated in the parish of Crossmolina, barony of Tyrawley, and
See Sir James Ware, De Hibemia et denote prosperity" or luck," is employed
History of Gilla-Criosd O'Mui-
February 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 333
time. We are told, that he became abbot over a monastery at St. Finnbar's
Cave, near Cork. It is said, Augustinian Canons lived here, and, from their
holy superior, this place afterwards received the name of Gille Abbey. He
is reckoned, among the principal benefactors to the church of Cork ; and,
he is enumerated, among the bishops of that see. Sanctified by God
above,^°3 he was a man full of God's blessing. '°* He assisted, a. d. 1152, at
the synod of Kells, in Meath. '°5 Before this period, it would seem, that he
had been elevated to the episcopacy of Cork,'°'5 having probably succeeded,
on the demise of that holy foreign bishop, whom St. Malachy 0'Morgair'°7
had nominated to the see, about a. d. 1140, and who does not appear to have
survived his appointment for many years. The national council or synod,
'°^
commenced its session, on the day before the Nones of March,correspondingwiththe6thofthesamemonth. Thiswasanevent
held at Kells,
of more than
ordinary significance,
in the Annals of the Irish Church. ^"'^
Previous to this time, there had been only two regularly appointed arch-
bishops, in Ireland ; these were, the Archbishop of Armagh, always recog-
nised as Primate, and the Archbishop of Cashel. Under them were various suffragan bishops. The Holy See"° had deemed it advisable, to create an
Archbishop for Dublin, which had grown to be a city of great importance, after having been colonized by the Danes and Norwegians, now converted
to Christianity ; while, it was resolved, that Tuam should enjoy a like privi-
lege. "^ The Pope had appointed Cardinal Joannes Papiron, or Paparo,"^ and Gilla-Criost O'Conary, Bishop of Lismore, head of the monks of Ireland, and Apostolic Legate, to preside over that council. Four pallia were dis-
tributed to the four archbishops, while their respective jurisdiction, over the suffragan bishops, was regulated and decreed. "3 There can be no doubt
throughout the Leabhar Breac to translate the Latin word gratia, from which the mo- dern word St^Ai'A has been obviously de- rived.
"3 See Rev. Sylvester Malone's " Church History of Ireland," chap, i. , p, 26.
or Louth, of Ardacadh or Ardagh, of Rath- both or Raphoe, of Rath-Lurigli, Rathlury,
or Maghera, in the county of Londonderry, of Duleek and of Derry. The Archbishop of Cashel's jurisdiction extended over the
sees of Killaloe, of Limerick, of Iniscattery, ^°* So it is stated, in some anonymous of Kilfenora, of Emly, of Roscrea, of Port
Annals, quoted in Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
Largi, or Waterford, of Lismore, of Cluain Uamha, or Cloyne, of Cork, of Ross, and of Ardfert. The Archbishop of Ath-Cliath or Dublin's jurisdiction extended over the
sees of Glendalough, of Ferns, of Ossory, of Kildare, and of Leighlin. The Arch- bishop of Tuam's jurisdiction extended over the sees of Mayo, of Killala, of Roscommon, of Clonfert, of Achonry, of Clonmacnoise,
and of Dr. Keat- Kilmacduagh. Jeoffrey
ing, who gives this account, also states,
that in his time, the whole of these sees did
not exist, several of them having been united
under one bishop. See O'Maliony's Keat-
"
"
Bishops of Cork," n. (k), p. 557.
^°s See O'Mahony's Keating's "History
of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , p. 61 1. ^°* Yet, John Windale only sets him down
as the Abbot of Cork, assisting at the synod of Kells. See "Historical and Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and its Vi- cinity," &c. , p. 4.
^°7 See his Life, at the
of November. ^^ It seems strange, that in the " Annals of the Four Masters," this synod is said to have been held at Droichet-atha, now Dro- gheda. See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol.
3i-d
ii. , pp. 1100, lioi, and n. (x), ibid. All ing's
other authorities have it, at Kells, in Meath. *°5 See Rev. Sylvester Malone's "Church
History of Ireland," chap, i,, p. 27.
^*° Pope Eugene III. was Sovereign Pon- tiff at this time. He ruled from H45 to
'" He came to Ireland, A. D. 1 15 1, as we
"
learn, from the
ters," to establish rules and good morals, and to set all to rights from their faults. Cardinal John Papiron remained a week, in the house of the Archbishop of Armagh, and the Pope's representative imparted his bles- sing. See Dr. O' Donovan s edition, vol. ii,, pp. 1094, 1095.
^'3 Keating gives the fullest and most de-
1 153. See Berti's
"
Ecclesiasticse Historias
BreViarium," pars ii. , saec. xii. , cap. i. , p. 66.
^" We are informed, that at this synod,
the Archbishop of Armagh presided over the sees of Connor, of Down, of Lugh-magh,
History of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , pp. 611, 612.
Annals of the Four Mas-
334 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 4.
whatever, that grievous abuses against Church discipline and ecclesiastical orders had prevailed in Ireland, before this period ; and, hence, the enforce- ment of reforms and regulations, to restore good government, was absolutely needed. "-* Twenty-two bishops, and five bishops elect,"5 were assembled atthiscouncil; severalabbotsandpriors,withcanons,monksandecclesi- astics, to the number of three hundred, attended. The Primacy was con- firmed to the see of Armagh. "^ Simony was condemned, as also usury ; regulations for the payment of tithes were decreed. Proper rules were established against concubinage, as also to secure honour and virtue in the ecclesiastical state. The stringent payment of fees for baptizing and anoint- ingwasabrogated. "7 Theseappeartohavebeenthechiefprovisionsen- forced; but,itmustberegretted,thatthecanonsofthisimportantcouncil arenotnowknowntobepreserved. "^ Wehavereasontobelieve,thatthe decrees of this national synod, at Kells, received confirmation, at Rome. The death of the saintly Giolla Aedha O'Muidhin is set down at the year 1172. "9 Thecityoverwhichhepresided,asbishop,issaidtohavehada
"° Its name is derived from its situation. "^ It does marshy
very early origin.
not appear to have had a defined existence, until after the commencement of the seventh century, when St. Barr or St. Finnbarr became an abbot and a bishop. "^ TotheperiodofGiollaAedhaO'Muidhin,wecanscarcelydoubt.
Ware,
vol.
iii. ,
" The Writers of
Ireland,"
" De Usu Ecclesiastico," which was to contain the whole series of the Divine Oflfice. Alluding to a book Gille wrote, to
February 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 329
the patriarchs hold in the East, seems to be occupied by primates, in the West; while, both arc placed under the Roman Pontiff, who takes foremost rank.
But, because the patriarchs preside over the Apostolic sees, such as are Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, therefore, do they consecrate archbishops, and in a certain sense, they rank with the Roman Pontiff. But, to Peter
" Thou art
Church. " 59 Wherefore, the Pope alone presides over the Universal Church,
and he rules and judges all, while placed in his position by all ; for, with con- sent of the whole Church, the Romans exalt him, who daily assumes the purplerobe,thatalwayshemaybereadyformartyrdom. WhileMuirchear- tach Mor O'Brian,^^ great grandson to the celebrated Bryan Boroimhe, was
monarch over Ireland, a great synod was convened, a. d. iiii, at Fidh mic- Aenghusa. ^' Thisissaidtohavebeenthenameofaplace,neartheHillof Uisneach,inthecountyofWestmeath. ^^ Greatnumbersofbishops,abbots, priors, priests and students, with the Ard Righ himself and several represen- tative laymen, were present. At this synod, laws, regulations and customs were enacted, for guidance both of the clergy and of the laity. During that same monarch's reign, it is thought, and soon after the former, another generalcouncilorsynodwasconvened,atRathBresail. ^3 Thisissupposed, by some, to have been only a prorogation of the synod, held at Fiadh mic- Aenghusa. The principal affairs, transacted in the synod at Rath Bresail, were contained in the ancient " Book of Clonenagh. " It states, that Gilla- Esbog, Bishop of Luimnech or Limerick, who, at that time, was the Pope's
Apostolic Legate in Ireland, presided. Be? ides the many good statutes, decreed at this holy synod, those defining the number and boundaries of the respectiveIrishdiocesesarenottheleastdeservingofnotice. Thecomplete freedom of sees and churches, from the authority or rent of any temporal lord, was decreed. Churches were given up, in full possession, to the Irish prelates. The ancient divisions of Leth Cuinn and of Leth Mogha seem to have regulated, in a great measure, if not altogether, the ecclesiastical boun- daries of Armagh and of Cashel, when grouping the subordinate sees under their respective jurisdictions. Including the Primate of Armagh, six bishops were appointed to rule the Ulster Province : these were, the bishops over the sees of Armagh,^* of Clogher,^5 of Ardstra,^^ of Derry,^7 of Connor/^ of
alone was it said,
Peter,
and
upon
this rock will I build
my
book i. ,chap. ix. , p. 68. Here he is in error, and still more so, where Gille is made "the author of a book de Statu Ecclesioc, which is the same with the book de Usii Ecclesice. " This, too, he says, "contains the different forms of liturgies, and the various ways of celebrating Divine Service in the Church of Ireland. "
'''
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 990, 991.
^^
The Rev. Robert King takes some pains to prove, that the synod of Fiadh-mic- ^ngusa was not distinct from that of Rath- Breasail. See " Memoir Introductory to the Early History of the Primacy of Ar- magh," p. 81.
^3 Xhis council is said to have been as- sembled, a. d. 1118. See Rev. Dr. Reeves'
Ware, vol. of i. , "Bishops
See Harris' Limerick," p.
"
which he thought the same as the other,
504. Now the tract,
De Statu Ecclesice,"
"
contains no such matter, nor any liturgy, whatsoever. "And as to what was con- tained in the book De usu Ecclesiastico, we may be sure, that they were not Irish litur- gies, but —what Gillebert styles the canonical custom" Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxv,, sect, xi. , n. 70, p. 30.
and Dromore. " Appendix A, p. 139.
^'» The extent and boundaries of these
mediaeval Irish dioceses are given, from the
"
ancient
Dr. Keating, as follows : Armagh extended from Siiabh Breagh or Slieve Bregh, in the county of Louth, to Cualli Kiannacta, or Coolkenagh, in the townland of Foremass, not far distant from the junction of Errigal Keerogue parish with Termonmaguirk and Clogherny ; and from Birra to the Amhaiu Mor, or River Blackwater. See Rev. Dr.
55 See Matt, xvi. , 18.
^ See Maurice Lenihan's "Limerick ;
its
History and Antiquities, Ecclesiastical, Civil and Military," &c. , chap, liv. , p. 545.
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor
Book of Clonenagh," quoted by
3ZO LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 4.
Down*9—five were to nile over the Connaught Province, viz. , the Bishops of Tuam,7° o—f Clonfert,7i' of Cong,72 ^f Killala,73 and of Ardcarne, also called Ard-acadh74 twoweretopresideintheMeathProvince,viz. ,theBishops of Duleek7s and of Clonard -J^ all the foregoing acknowledged the Primate, as their Metropolitan. The Archbishop of Cashel, besides his own see,77 had for his suffragans, in the Munster Province, the Bishops of Lismore, or of Waterford,7^ of Cork,79 of Rath-maighe-deskirt,^^ of Emly,^' and of
Reeves' " Acts of Archbishop Colton m his an-termainn in quite a different position.
"
Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of See
Derry, A. D. Mcccxcvii. ," &c. , pp. 136, n. (f), p. 982.
137-
°s Clogher diocese extended from the Am-
hain Mor, or Blackwater River, to Gabail-
liuin, or Galloon, county Fermanagh, and from Sliabh Betha or Slieve Beagh to Sliabh Larga, a denomination now known as Slieve Largy, in the county of Tyrone. See ibid.
7* The Bishopric of Clonfert extended from the Sinainn or River Shannon to Boi- renn, now Burren, in the northern part of Clare county ; and from Sliabh Echtighe, or Slieve Aughty, on the confines of the counties of Galway and Clare, to the Suca, or River Suck.
72 The diocese of Cong extended from Amhain O-m-Broin in the north to Neim- thin or Mount Nephin, and from Ath-an-
^^
Ardstraw diocese extended from Sliabh
Larga, or Slieve Largy, to Carn-glas, near
Raphoe ; and from Lough Craei to Benn termainn westwards to the sea.
Foibni, now Benyevenagh Mountain, east
73 The diocese of Killala extended from Neimthinn or Mount Nephin to Esruadh, or Assai-oe, near Ballyshannon, and from Kill-Ard-bili to Srathan Ferainn.
74 The diocese of Ardagh, which is also called Ard-acadh, extended from Ardcarne, to Siabh-an-iarainn, a mountain in the county of Leitrim, and from Keiscorainn, or Kish- corran, to Ur-coillti. See Eugene O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," lect. v. , pp. loi, 102.
75 The diocese of Dukek extended from Sliabh }keagha, or Slieve Bregh, to the Carn of Dun Cuair, or Rath Core, on the borders of Meath and Leinster, and from Lochan na-h-Imirki to the sea. See " On the Manners and Customs of the Ancient
of Lough Foyle, in the county of London- "
derry. See Dr. Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," n. (v), pp. 251,252.
^^ The diocese of the Bishop of Derry or
of Raphoe extended from Es-ruadh, now
Assaroe, near Ballyshannon, to the Srubh Broinn, and from Srubh Broinn to Carn-
glas. ^^
The diocese of the Bishop of Connor extended from Benn Foibni, or Benyevenagh, to Tor Buirg, now Torr Head, in the parish of Culfeightrin, and from Port Murbuilg, now Murlough Bay, in the jDarish of Cul- feightrin, to OUarba, now Inver or Lame, and below Lame, to the harbour of Snamh
Aighni, or Carlingford Lough, and from
Glenn Righe, or the vale of the Newry Irish," by Eugene O'Curry. Edited by Dr. "
River, to Colba n-Germainn, or the pillar \V. K. Sullivan, vol. i. , introduction, p.
of Germonn. " The latter place is unknown,
but Dr. O'Donovan suggests, that it must be
a natural rock, like the Torr of Donegal.
See Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities
of Down, Connor and Dromore," nn. (v, w,
X, y, z, a, b), pp. 251 to 253. By these dare. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of boundaries, a diocese, equal in extent to the
sum of Down, Connor and Dromore, with the north-east part of Derry, was defined.
^ The boundaries of Down and Dromore are not defined in the "Bookof Clonenagh;'* but, it seems most probable they were iden- tical with the limits as at present known, or included within those previously given under the head of Connor.
7° The diocese of Tuam extended from the Suca, or River Suck, to Ard Carna or Ardcarne, and from Ath-an-termainn, the situation of which is unknown, but probably, as Dx-. O'Donovan thinks, it was near Ter-
monbarry, county of Roscommon, to the SinainnorRiverShannon. However,the description here would seem to place Ath-
the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (n), p. 212. 77 The archdiocese of Cashel extended from Sliabh Eiblinni, or Slieve Phelim, in Tipperary county, to the River Suir, and from Cnamh-coill, now Cleghile, near Ti-
braid Arann, or the town of Tipperary, eastwards to Grian Airb, now Greane, in
the barony of Crannagh, county Kilkenny, and to Cros Greni. See "The Circuit of
edited Dr. by
7^ The diocese of Lismore, or Port Largi, extended from Port Largi, now Waterford city, to Miledach, on the brink of the River Berba, to Cumar-na-thri-n-iski, and thence to Cork, and from the River Suir south- wards to the sea.
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. ,
xxx. , and n. 83, ibid.
7^ The diocese of Clonard extended from
Clochan, westwards to the Sinainn, or River Shannon ; and from Ur-Coillti, to Cluain Conari, or Cloncurry, in the county of Kil-
Muircheartach Mac
Neill," O'Donovan, n. 87, p. 39,
February 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. ZZ^
Killaloe^^—in all seven f^ while, the Leinster Province had five sees and
bishops subject to him, viz. , these of Kilkenny,^* of Leighlin,^s of Kildare,^ of Glendalough,^7 and of Ferns :^^ thus, twelve subordinate sees altogether
79 The diocese of Cork extended from its chief church. "And," added the De- Corcach or Cork, to Cam Ui Neid, near cree of the Council, " if any person go be- Mizen-head, in the south-west of Cork yond these limits, he will act in violation of county, and from the Southern Amhain the will of the Deity, and of St. Peter, St.
Mor, or River Blackwater, to the sea. See Paul, and St. Patrick, and the men that
"
Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four
have succeeded these saints in the govern-
Masters," vol. v. n. (x), p. 1631, and pp. 1732, 1733. nn. (h, i), ibid.
"
Lenihan's "Limerick ; its History and An-
tiquities, Ecclesiastical, Civil and Military," chap, liv. , p. 545, n. Also, William F.
^ The diocese of Rath-maighe-deskirt, or Ardfert, extended from Baei Bera, or Dun-
Wakeman's "
Hand-Book of Irish Antiquities, Pagan and Christian : especially of such as are easy of access from the Irish Metropolis," part i. Pagan Antiquities, chap, v. , p. 50.
of Cork, Beare, county
Hibernica. A
in the
to Kenn-mara or Kenmare, and from the
Archaeologia
boy,
territory
River Fial or Feale to the sea. See
''
Mis-
cellany of the Celtic Society," edited by
John O'Donovan, Esq. , LL. D. , M. R. I. A. ,
n. 358. Also, Rev. M. Brennan's (d), p. J.
"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland. " Twelfth
century, chap, i. , p. 226.
^^ The diocese of Emly extended from
^'^ The diocese of extended from Kilkenny
Sliabh Bladma, or Slieve Bloom, to Mile- dach, or Waterford Harbour, and from Grian Airb or Greane, in the barony of Crannagh, county Kilkenny, to Sliabh Margi or Slieve- marigue, in the southern part of the Queen's
Cluain Caein, or Clonkeen, to the River
Amhain Mor, or Blackwater ; and from Cnamh-coill, or Cleghile, near Tibraid County.
Arann, or Tipperary town, to the River Ella. ^^ The diocese of Killaloe extended from the great south-western road, called Bealach- mor Muighe-Dala, or Slighe Dala, extending from the southern side of Tara Hill, in the direction of the castle of Ballaghmore, in the territory of Ossory, to Leim Conculainn, Anglicized Cuchullainn's Leap, now cor- ruptly called Loophead, for Leaphead, the
extreme south-western point of Clare county, and from Sliabh Eehtighe or Slieve Aghty
to Sliabh Oighedh-an-righ or Slieve Eeyan- ree, now the Cratloe or Glennagross Moun-
tain, county Clare, and thence to Sliabh Caein, or Glenn Caein. See Dr. O'Dono-
^5 The diocese of Leighlin extended from Sliabh Bladma or Slieve Bloom, to Sliabh Uighe of Leinster, from Sliabh Margi or Slievemarigue to Belach Carcrach, and from Belach Mughna or Ballaghmoon, to
Tigh Moling or St. Mullin's, in the county of Carlow, and its Termons.
^^ The diocese of Kildare extended from Ros Finn-glasi or Rosenallis to Nas or Naas of Leinster, and from Naas to the Cumar of Clonard, on the southern borders of ancient Meath.
^7 The diocese of Glenn-da-lough extended
van's
Annals of the Four Masters," vol.
Little Ireland Isle, near the town of Wex-
"
to or oath barony. County Meath— Beg Eri,
i. , n. (q), p. 104, and vol. vi. , n. (1), pp. ford, and from Naas to Rechrainn, or Lam- "
2108, 2109. See, also, his edition of The bay Island.
Such assumed limits makes Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- this diocese include the present counties of Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Dublin, Wicklow, and a great part of nor-
Country. " Addenda,p. 344.
^3 We find the diocese of Luimnech or
Limerick omitted in this enumeration, al- though its bounds are afterwards defined as follows : it extended from Mael-carn, the name of a stream which i-uns through Six- Mile-Bridge, in the county of Clare, south- wards to the Shannon, and eastwards by Ath-ar-coinni-Lodain and Loch Guir, or Lough Gur, a short distance north of the little town of BrufF, where yet may be seen a remarkable stone circle of great magnitude, and to the Lathach Mor, or the Great Bog, and westwards from Ani, taking in Ard Padraig, Belach Febradh, and Tulach Lias, or Tullylease, towards the south, as far as the Fial or Feale, and Tarbert, including Cuin- chi, in Thomond, and the Crosses, on Sliabh- Oighedh-an-righ, or Cratloe Mountain, and the Dubh-amhain, or the River Blackwater. The Temple of St. Mary in Luimnech was
thernWexford.
^^ The diocese of Ferns or Loch Carman,
now Wexford town, extended from Beg Eri or Erinn to Miledach, on the west side of the Berba, or River Barrow, and from Sliabh Uighe of Leinster, southwards to the sea. " And," continue the Fathers of the Coun- cil, "we now pass this Decree, subject to the approbation of the clergy. Should the arrangement therein made not seem good to them, let them adopt another ; but, there shall nevertheless, be not more than five bishops among them. " Besides, we are told, "the Benediction of the Trinity, and of St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Patrick was invoked upon each bishop of the twenty- five here appointed, that no Easter might ever pass over them without their consecrat-
ment of the Church of Christ.
See Maurice
from Granach—perhaps Greenoge, in Rat-
ing and blessing the sacred oil.
''
O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ireland," book ii. ,
part i. , chap, i. , p. 6cx).
332 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February 4.
acknowledged the Archbishop of Cashel for Metropolitan. The Bishop of Dublin is exempted from the foregoing enumeration ; because, it was cus-
tomary for him to receive consecration, from the Archbishop of Canterbury. ^9 Thus, the numerous small sees, which had previously existed in Ireland, were re-arranged and consolidated. Their number was reduced to twenty- six ;9° but, it seems probable, the decree constituting them was provisional, subject to future applotment and to more detailed regulations, in reference to boundaries, while the division, most likely, was not to take place, until after the death of some bishops, who were then incumbents. Furthermore, the Benediction of the Comarba or successor of St. Peter, and of his Legate, Gilla-Esbog, Bishop of Luimnech, and the blessing of Gilla-Kellaigh, Comorba of St. Patrick, that is, the Primate of Ireland, and that of Mael-Isa O'h-Anmiri, Archbishop of Cashel, and of all the laymen and clergymen, who attended that synod of Rath Bresail, was pronounced upon all, who should carry out its ordinances, and their malediction was given to all who should rebel against the same. 9' We are informed,^^ that Bishop Gille assisted in West- minster Abbey, at the consecration of Bernard, Bishop of Menevia, or St. David's, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a. d. 1115. Pitts states, that towards the end of his lite, Gille travelled to Ireland, and he was there created Bishop of Limerick. 93 Having become old and infirm, in 1139, Gillibert was anxious to be released from his higher responsibilities, and he requested the Holy See to relieve him from the duties of the Legatine office. St. Malachy O'Morgair—who happened to visit Rome^^—was then appointed to succeed him, in that office, by Pope Innocent II. Bishop Gillibert did notlongsurvivethisinvestiture,forheresigned^sordied,a. d. 1140. 9^ We think it probable, he was the saint, venerated on this day. If by the present St. Gille, we are to understand, however, a holy man called Giolla Aedha97 O'Muidhin, he was born, probably late in the eleventh, or early in the twelfth, century. It is thought, he was a native of Connaught. 92 The family name, O'Muidhin, is said to be unknown -p but, it is probably not extinct, and very likely, it is now represented by Moon. The present holy man"=° belonged to the people of Errew, on Lough Conn. '°^ He is eulogized, as being a man full of the grace^''^' of God, the tower of the virginity and wisdom of his
^5 See John D'Alton's "Memoirs of the
Archbishops of Dublin," pp. 26 to 51.
5*" See Rev. Sylvester Malone's "Church
History of Ireland," chap, i. , pp. 18, 19.
Antiquitatibus ejus," cap. xxiv. , p. 122.
50 jjee Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of
Limerick," p. 504.
97 Meaning, "the servant of St. Aodh,"
or " St. Aldus. "
98 gee Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops
of Cork," p. 557.
wSee Dr. O'Donovan's statement, in
" Annals of the Four Masters," vol. iii. , n.
9' See " O'Mahony's Keating's
History of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , pp.
596 to 601, with the accompanying notes. 9' By Eadmerus.
93 This statement is incorrect, for, it virould.
seem, he exercised the office of bishop over this see, for thirty years. Equally incorrect is the account of Pitts, that he died A. D. II 17; for, he survived this period, over twenty years.
9* Baronius refers the visit of Malachy to
Rome, to the year 1137. Pagius, his com-
mentor, with his usual accuracy, has detected
the error of the date, and asserts that Ma- county of Mayo. On a point of Errew,
lachy arrived at Rome, in the year 1139 or stretching into Lough Conn, are the ruins of "
1 140, Pagius apud Baronium, Hisioria an abbey, dedicated to St. Tighearnan. Ecclesiastica" ad. An. 1137, sec. xx. , in See"TheGenealogies,TribesandCustoms notes. St. Malachy remained "mensem of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dow-
integrum" at Rome, according to St. da's Country," n. (i), p. 239.
Bernard. "^ The word
which is now used to
|\ac1i,
95 '* '* '•
(c), p. 3.
"^" "
In O'Mahony's Keating's
Ireland," he is called
"
din, Bishop of Corcach," book ii. , part i. ,
chap, i. , p. 611.
*"' Dr. O'Donovan has it, Ay\xt toCA
Con. Errew is situated in the parish of Crossmolina, barony of Tyrawley, and
See Sir James Ware, De Hibemia et denote prosperity" or luck," is employed
History of Gilla-Criosd O'Mui-
February 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 333
time. We are told, that he became abbot over a monastery at St. Finnbar's
Cave, near Cork. It is said, Augustinian Canons lived here, and, from their
holy superior, this place afterwards received the name of Gille Abbey. He
is reckoned, among the principal benefactors to the church of Cork ; and,
he is enumerated, among the bishops of that see. Sanctified by God
above,^°3 he was a man full of God's blessing. '°* He assisted, a. d. 1152, at
the synod of Kells, in Meath. '°5 Before this period, it would seem, that he
had been elevated to the episcopacy of Cork,'°'5 having probably succeeded,
on the demise of that holy foreign bishop, whom St. Malachy 0'Morgair'°7
had nominated to the see, about a. d. 1140, and who does not appear to have
survived his appointment for many years. The national council or synod,
'°^
commenced its session, on the day before the Nones of March,correspondingwiththe6thofthesamemonth. Thiswasanevent
held at Kells,
of more than
ordinary significance,
in the Annals of the Irish Church. ^"'^
Previous to this time, there had been only two regularly appointed arch-
bishops, in Ireland ; these were, the Archbishop of Armagh, always recog-
nised as Primate, and the Archbishop of Cashel. Under them were various suffragan bishops. The Holy See"° had deemed it advisable, to create an
Archbishop for Dublin, which had grown to be a city of great importance, after having been colonized by the Danes and Norwegians, now converted
to Christianity ; while, it was resolved, that Tuam should enjoy a like privi-
lege. "^ The Pope had appointed Cardinal Joannes Papiron, or Paparo,"^ and Gilla-Criost O'Conary, Bishop of Lismore, head of the monks of Ireland, and Apostolic Legate, to preside over that council. Four pallia were dis-
tributed to the four archbishops, while their respective jurisdiction, over the suffragan bishops, was regulated and decreed. "3 There can be no doubt
throughout the Leabhar Breac to translate the Latin word gratia, from which the mo- dern word St^Ai'A has been obviously de- rived.
"3 See Rev. Sylvester Malone's " Church History of Ireland," chap, i. , p, 26.
or Louth, of Ardacadh or Ardagh, of Rath- both or Raphoe, of Rath-Lurigli, Rathlury,
or Maghera, in the county of Londonderry, of Duleek and of Derry. The Archbishop of Cashel's jurisdiction extended over the
sees of Killaloe, of Limerick, of Iniscattery, ^°* So it is stated, in some anonymous of Kilfenora, of Emly, of Roscrea, of Port
Annals, quoted in Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
Largi, or Waterford, of Lismore, of Cluain Uamha, or Cloyne, of Cork, of Ross, and of Ardfert. The Archbishop of Ath-Cliath or Dublin's jurisdiction extended over the
sees of Glendalough, of Ferns, of Ossory, of Kildare, and of Leighlin. The Arch- bishop of Tuam's jurisdiction extended over the sees of Mayo, of Killala, of Roscommon, of Clonfert, of Achonry, of Clonmacnoise,
and of Dr. Keat- Kilmacduagh. Jeoffrey
ing, who gives this account, also states,
that in his time, the whole of these sees did
not exist, several of them having been united
under one bishop. See O'Maliony's Keat-
"
"
Bishops of Cork," n. (k), p. 557.
^°s See O'Mahony's Keating's "History
of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , p. 61 1. ^°* Yet, John Windale only sets him down
as the Abbot of Cork, assisting at the synod of Kells. See "Historical and Descriptive Notices of the City of Cork and its Vi- cinity," &c. , p. 4.
^°7 See his Life, at the
of November. ^^ It seems strange, that in the " Annals of the Four Masters," this synod is said to have been held at Droichet-atha, now Dro- gheda. See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol.
3i-d
ii. , pp. 1100, lioi, and n. (x), ibid. All ing's
other authorities have it, at Kells, in Meath. *°5 See Rev. Sylvester Malone's "Church
History of Ireland," chap, i,, p. 27.
^*° Pope Eugene III. was Sovereign Pon- tiff at this time. He ruled from H45 to
'" He came to Ireland, A. D. 1 15 1, as we
"
learn, from the
ters," to establish rules and good morals, and to set all to rights from their faults. Cardinal John Papiron remained a week, in the house of the Archbishop of Armagh, and the Pope's representative imparted his bles- sing. See Dr. O' Donovan s edition, vol. ii,, pp. 1094, 1095.
^'3 Keating gives the fullest and most de-
1 153. See Berti's
"
Ecclesiasticse Historias
BreViarium," pars ii. , saec. xii. , cap. i. , p. 66.
^" We are informed, that at this synod,
the Archbishop of Armagh presided over the sees of Connor, of Down, of Lugh-magh,
History of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , chap, i. , pp. 611, 612.
Annals of the Four Mas-
334 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 4.
whatever, that grievous abuses against Church discipline and ecclesiastical orders had prevailed in Ireland, before this period ; and, hence, the enforce- ment of reforms and regulations, to restore good government, was absolutely needed. "-* Twenty-two bishops, and five bishops elect,"5 were assembled atthiscouncil; severalabbotsandpriors,withcanons,monksandecclesi- astics, to the number of three hundred, attended. The Primacy was con- firmed to the see of Armagh. "^ Simony was condemned, as also usury ; regulations for the payment of tithes were decreed. Proper rules were established against concubinage, as also to secure honour and virtue in the ecclesiastical state. The stringent payment of fees for baptizing and anoint- ingwasabrogated. "7 Theseappeartohavebeenthechiefprovisionsen- forced; but,itmustberegretted,thatthecanonsofthisimportantcouncil arenotnowknowntobepreserved. "^ Wehavereasontobelieve,thatthe decrees of this national synod, at Kells, received confirmation, at Rome. The death of the saintly Giolla Aedha O'Muidhin is set down at the year 1172. "9 Thecityoverwhichhepresided,asbishop,issaidtohavehada
"° Its name is derived from its situation. "^ It does marshy
very early origin.
not appear to have had a defined existence, until after the commencement of the seventh century, when St. Barr or St. Finnbarr became an abbot and a bishop. "^ TotheperiodofGiollaAedhaO'Muidhin,wecanscarcelydoubt.
