Maximini et
Coloniensi
Carmelita- rum.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
With these it remained, until the time of tlie Reformation, when the site and lands were assigned, by Queen Elizabeth, in the twenty-seventh year of her reign.
* There is, also, a Crookhaven townland and village,' in the parish of Kilmoe,'° in the western division of the Barony of West Carberr)-, county of Cork ; and, tiie harbour tliere was formerly much frequented by ships; yet, this place can hardly be identified widi the present saint.
Again, there is a Crookstown," in the parish of Narraghmore, barony of Narragh and Reban East, county of Kildare ; while, there was a Crookstown," a name imposed by the family of Crook, but its former denomination was Inshira- hill,'3 and this is in the parish of Moviddy,'-* Barony of East Muskerry, and county of Cork.
The very ancient church and graveyard of Creeach, now pronounced Crook, otherwise called Creevy,'5 are on a rising bank, over a
branch of the Dodder, about one mile above Ballyboden,'* in the county of Dublin. Whether Cruach and St. Naindidh were connected, with any of the foregoing places, is still questionable.
Article IV. —St. Berach, Abbot of Bangor, County of Down.
\Seventh Century^ To comprehend the feelings and thoughts, that made monasticism so natural in the early days, we sliould keep in view, a state of
life and society then prevalent. Since the Gospel had been preached, and the church had been founded, two great aspects of human society are notice- able. The decaying and corrupt civilization of the Roman Empire had been falling into collapse ; while the spirit of Christianity confronted an evil and an
Townland Maps for the County Leitrim," sheets 35, 36.
'5 In the parish of Kilfian, and barony of Tirawley, shown, on the" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County o( Mayo," sheets 29, 30. —
Article hi,
'
Edited by Drs. Todd and
148, 152, 153.
" See " Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Kildare," sheets 32, 36.
parish
p. 435.
of Clonfert, and of barony
'< 111 the
Longford,siiown,onihe'UrilnanceSurvey
Townland Maps for the Couniy of Galway," Maps for the County of Cork," sheets sheets loi, loS, 109.
Reeves, pp. 106, 107.
^ See his Life, at the 12th of October.
^" " the
. See Trias Thaumaturga. . Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xxii. , pp. 152,
153, and n. 41, p. 185.
* These are described, on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Waterford," sheet l8.
5IntheparishofKillSt. Nicholas. See
ibid.
'"
See Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. i. , p. 545.
'This illustrat on has been drawn from
a sketch, preserved in the Royal Irish Aca- demy, by William F. Wakeman, and it has
tion of 1641, to Crooks.
been engraved, by Mis. JliHard. *"
See Lewis' Topogr. iphical Dictionary
of Ireland," vol. i. ,
'See "Ordnnnce Survey Townland
147, 152.
'" See ibid. , sheets 138, 139, 146, 147,
"It formerly belonged to the Earl of
Clancarty, who forfeited it, in the Insurrec-
'^ See
"
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. i. , p. 546.
'* It is described, on the
"
vey Townland Maps for the County of
Cork," sheets 71, 72, 83, 84,95. '=Tothisallusionhasbeenmade,inour
notices of St. Dalua of Dun-Tighe-Bretan,
at the 7th day of January,
'' A village, in the parish of Whitechurch,
and Baiony of Rathdown, it is noted, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Dublin," sheet 22.
Ordnance Sur-
April 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 269
almost hopeless condition of afiliirs, in real life, with the loftiest moral teach- ing and the most sublime doctrines, tlie world had ever before known. A con- fused and wild barbarism followed the triumph of new nations, formed on the wreck of that great centralization. Noble germs for the future gradually re- placed and extinguished paganism ; and, altiiough Christianity iiad not been able to convert all in the world, it effected much, by acting on human affairs, while its influence on individuals was vast and astonishing. ' If this be true, so far as the European Continentals were concerned, with much greater force does it apply, to the monastic tendencies of our own islanders. The whole of Ireland was filled with monastic houses of great extent. Among these, the famous Abbey of Bangor ^ sent many of its holy inmates from earth, to people the courts of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The name of Berach, Abbot of Bennchair, occurs, in the Marlyrology of Tallagh,3 at the 21st of April. He was born, most probably, towards the opening of the seventh century. We know not the place of his nativity ; but, it seems not improbable, he belonged to the community at Bangor, where St. Mac Laisre,^ the Abbot, died, a. d. 645. 5 WefindanotherAbbot,St. SeganO'Cuinn,*whodeparted,a. d. 662. 7 The holy man Berach was probably his immediate successor ; and, if such be the case, he could not have long survived, to rule over that establishment He died, in the year 663, according to the Annals of Ulster, and of the Four Masters. ' AccordingtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,'onthisdaywasvene- rated, Berach, Abbot of Bennchar.
Article V. —St. Bugno, or Bughna, in Tir Bret, or Bretan.
We find entered, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 21st of April, the name of Bugno, in Tir Bret. This means in the land of Britain, where we
suppose, he must have dwelt. This day was venerated, Bughna, in Tir Bretan,' as we read, and have it set down, in the Martyrology of Donegal. '
Article VI. —St. Edilald, a Saxon, otherwise called CEdiluald, or Odilwald, or Athelwald, a Priest. \_SneiM Century. '] Venera- tion was given, at this date, to Edilald, a Saxon, as we find his name entered, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. ' From this entry, we should be inclined to conclude, that by descent, birth, education, or residence, he had some con- nexion with Ireland. This saint is regarded, as an illustrious virgin j by which term, we are probably to suppose, that he was distinguished for great continency and piety. Marianus O'Gorman ' is the authority quoted, for such
Article iv. — See Rev. R. W. Church's
"Saint Anselm," chnp. i. , pp. 2, 3.
* The name of Bangor is s. Tid to be derived
"
274, 275, and n. (n), Hid. See, also, Rev.
from
See J. B. Coyle's "Tours in UUter,'' p. 93.
ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," Ap-
pendix LL. , p. 377.
» Edited by Urs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
106, 107. — Edited Article v.
Bane-choraidh," the White Choir.
There is also a lithographed engraving of the ancient Castle of Bangor, in this work.
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxii. In the Franciscan copy, we find, to^ipec ^^a benchiin.
* Wu least occurs, on the l6th of May.
Rev. Dr.
p. xxii. In the Franciscan copy, we have
"
cal Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro-
more,"Ajppendix LL. , p. 378.
'
5 See Rev. William Reeves'
Eccksiasti-
His feast occurs, at the loth of Sep- Kelly, p. xxi. In the Franciscan copy is tember. e-oiliLtii ^&x.
'
'=
William Reeves'
"
Ecclesiasiical Antiqui-
by
In a note, Dr. Todd says, at Tir Bretan, "i. e. , in the l. ind of Briiain or Wales. "
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
106, 107.
Article vl— Edited by Rev. Dr.
busno 1 Ci)\ bpcAc.
»
See ibid. , p. 380. He enters etJilALo 05 epsriA "Edilald, See 0'£>onovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. illustrioiu virgin. "
Kelly,
270 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 21.
eulogy. 3 In the ancient Hieronymian Martyrology of Eptemac,4 as also in other old authorities, the Deposition of St. Oediluald, Edilwald, Eadilwald,
or Odilvvald, Edilwald, Oidilwald, Ethelwold, or Atlielwald,5 a Priest, is commemorated, on the 21st of April, as the Bollandists* take care to men-
tion. They refer, likewise, to a St. jEdelwaldus, a Priest, and an Anchoret, in England, whose festival has been assigned to the 23rd of March,' as if he
Venerable Bede ^ some account of gives
might
have been the same
person.
the latter ; and, from it, we may probably infer, that tlie holy man, ^thel-
waldus, received his education, at Lindisfarne, in the time of St. Cuthbert. s
For many years, he was a monk, and then lie advancad to the grade of an
anchoret, in the Island of Lindisfarne. He lived, also, as a Priest, at Ripon. While he was a hermit, in Lindisfarne, by his prayers some monks were saved from shipwreck. '" There he led a very chaste and holy life, contem- poraneously with the illustrious St. Cuthbert ;" for a period of twelve years he survived the latter, and became his successor, as Abbot over Lindisfarne. St. Cuthbert having departed this life, a. d. 687, the death of . iEdelwald has been referred, to a. d. 699 or 700. While St. Cuthbert lived there, in a wooden or boarded cell, some chinks allowed the rains and wind to penetrate, and these he stuffed with hay, or other filling ; but, his successor . (Edelwald, hav- ing obtained the skin of a calf, from soine of his brother monks, fastened it with nails around the corner, where his predecessor was accustomed to stand or pray, so that the effects of storms might be prevented. The holy man . /Edelwald died, at Lindisfarne, where his body was interred. No particular day has been assigned, as that on which his death took place. Afterwards, when the Danes made an incursion upon Northumbria, a. d. 874, Eardulf,
bishop, and Eadred, Abbot of Lisdisfarne, taking the remains of St. Cuthbert and of other saints there preserved, fled with them to more distant places.
At length, they were brought to Durham, about the year 995. Among the relics of saints, belonging to this church, were the bones and hair of St. Ethel- wold, Priest, who succeeded St. Cuthbert as anchoret. " Different dates have been assigned, for the festival of this saint ; thus, the 6th day of January,'3 the nth of June,"'* 14th and 23rd of March,'5 have been specially noted. '* If
'"
3 From a note of Rev. Dr. Todd, appended
to tfie notice of St. Naindidh, of Cruach, it
would seem, that the present saiiu is set
down as a Saxon, by a recent hand, who Venerable Bede's " Historia Ecclesiastica gives in Roman characters " tdilwaldus Gentis Angloium," lib. v. , cap. i. , pp. 367 Mar. "
•The BoUandists add, "juxta Anglicum
scripto aliquod exemplar, item in Kalendario MS. ante computum Bedas in MSS. Trevi- rensi S.
Maximini et Coloniensi Carmelita- rum. "
"
to 369.
" See his Life, at the 20th of March,
noble or
nobility," and Wald or \Vold, signifies "a Biicelm.
5 Athel, Adel, or Edel, signifies
potentate; and. hence, according to Cam- den, in Anglo-Saxon, the name of this holy man should mean "a noble governor. "
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap- rilis xxi. Among the pretermitted sain's, p. 840.
'< According to the English Martyrology, printed in the year 1608, which Ferrarius follows in his General Catalogue.
'5 This appears to have been the day, selected by moit Calendarists; as by Edward
"
7 At this date, they have published his
Acts. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii.
Martii xxiii. De S. /Edelwaldo Presbytero
et Anachoreta in Anglia. A historic com- tomus iii. , Martii xxiii. De S. . 'Edelwaldo
mentary, in two sections and nine para- graphs, contains hi- Acts, pp. 463 to 465.
* Both in his Ecclesiastical History of England, and in his Life of St. ' Cuthbert.
'His feast occurs, at tfie 20th of Marcti.
See an account of this incident and of other transactions, relating to this saint, in
"'
This is stated, in the Appendix to the
History of Durham, by Turgot, according to Simeon of Durham,
" According to Menard, but without any apparent authority, and he is followed by
In Floiibus Vitarum magis illiistrium . Sanctorum Anglise,
Mailiew, by Jerome Porter,
Scotise et Hibernije," and by liucelin.
""
Presbyfero et Anachoreta in Anglia, Com- mentanus historicus, sect, ii. , num. 7,8,9, pp. 464, 465.
See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
April 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 271
we are right, in supposing St. Edilald to be the same person as the St. ^del- wald, to whom allusion has been made, the Irish Calendarists assign his feast
to the present day.
ARTictE VII. —Reputed Festival of St. Domitius. Quoting the authority of Camerarius, who cites Wion for his introduction of St. Domitius,
— Abbas, the Bollandists ' not finding him, in the latter writer's work yet,
have a notice of the festival, at this particular date. ' Again, in Scotland, one Domitius, an Abbot and a Disciple of St. Columba, was venerated, on the
2ist of April, according to Thomas Dempster;^ and, for this statement, he cites a Scottish Breviary and Hector Boetius. * Following the authority
ofDempster,PhilipFerrarius5 hasasimilaraccount. Besides,Dempster introduces this holy man, among the eminent natives of Scotland ; and, he tells us, moreover, that Domitius wrote some special Tracts, tlie titles of which are quoted. * He lived, in the year 606,' according to the same authority, and he died, on the present day. *
CbJcntp-'Sitconij I9ap of ^pnl.
ARTICLE I. —ST. RUFIN, BISHOP OF GLENDALOUGH, COUNTY OF WICKLOW, AND OF BANGOR, COUNTY OF DOWN.
[SEVENTH CENTURY. ]
to furnished in our — this man accounts, Calendars, holy
to have the at he led a ACCOaRppDeaIrsNG enjoyed episcojial dignity or, least,
religious life, in two different and very distant localities of Ireland. ' Thus, St. Rufin, or Rufiinus, is said to have been Bishop of Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow, and, likewise, to have been of Bangor, in the county of
Down, according to a statement, furnished by Archdall,' and, on the authority of Ward. 3 This is to be found, in the Historic Dissertation* concerning the
Article vh. —» See " Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Aprilis xx. Among the preter- mitteii saints, p. 841.
people of both races with a knowleiige of the Christian Religion and with excellent mo- rals. See "Historise Scotorum," lib. ix. ,p. clxvi.
' In " Generalis Sanctorum. " Catalogus
' These are said to have been : Sermones
ad Fratres, lib. i. , Sanctae Vilae Reyula, lib.
i. , Episiolaead Columbam magistrum, lib. i. , Meditaiiones, lib. i.
'For this statement, Joannes Leslaetis, Hist. Scot. , lib. iv. . p. clii. , is quoted.
'
They promised more regarding him, if
authentic could be at the particulars found,
9tb of June, when treating about St. Co- lumba.
' Thus do we read, in the "Menologium
"
S. Columba: discipuli. "—Bisliop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 197.
'Domitius is enumerated, among the twelve companions of . St. Columba, who left Ireland, when the holy man was about to found lona
Scotorum :" xxi.
In Scotia Domitii Abbatis
these arc said to have visited various territories of the Scots and Picts, where by their labours, exhortations, teachings and writings, they imbued the
See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor
;
and,
i.
' See Thomas Dempster's "HistoriaEc- clesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iv. , num. 367, — 202, 203.
and Dromore," Appendix LL. , p. 377.
' See " Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 766.
Article
pp. '
272 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 22.
country of St. Runiold. s as postfixed to his Acts. In the Tallagh Martyrology, the festival " Rufini Glinn da loclia" is entered, at the x. of the Kalends of
May, corresponding with the 22nd of April. ^ In tiiis instance, tlierefore, nothing is to be found, which warrants an assumption, that he was bishop. Nor, do we find any reference to him, in the Annals of the Four Masters. He seems to iiave liad a rehgious connexion, both with Bangor and with
Glendalough ; and, probably, he exercised the monastic profession, in both places. WeareincUnedtobelieve,however,thatRufinpossiblyreceivedhis
education, only at Bangor; for, his name does not appear in the list of its abbots, or bishops, which has come down to our times. It may be, that this
holy man, attracted by the reputation of the great St. Kevin,' left Bangor, to place himself under direction of such a master of the spiritual life, and, in his
quiet retreat, at Glendalough ; for, both appear to have lived as contempora- ries,' some time after that monastic establishment had been built by the
founder. Here, at the entrance to a gorge, within over-topping mountains, andbelowthedeepUpperLake,themonasterywassituated; and,afterwards a city grew up,' the chief traces of which are now to be found, in what the inhabitants are accustomed to " The Seven
Churches," although, indeed, the ruins of no less than ten are to be distinguished. " Our most pre-
9, p. 158.
s His Life will be found, on the 1st of
"Calendar of
' See his Life, at the 3rd of June.
" According to Mr. Hills.
" See " The Ecclesiastical Architecture
and Round Towers of Ireland," ii. , part
sect, i. , subsect. i. , iv. , vii. Annexed are elegant and accurate woodcuts, repre- senting the doorway of Our Lady's
July.
' See Rev. Dr.
Kelly's Irish Saints," &c. , p. xxii.
designate
sumptions and ignorant of ])rofessing antiquaries, the Rev. Edward Ledwich, has assumed to treat about the details and technicalities of the architectural figures and remains. This writer could only find seven churches, in Glenda- lough, although he counted, one of these, the ivy church, twice under different names. " But, very different has been the careful treatment of his subject,
3 In " Sancti Rumoldi Martyris inclyti, Arcliiepiscopi Dubliniensis, Mechliniensium Apostoli, &c. , Acta," &c. , per R. P. F. Hugonem Vardeum. Tins posthumous work
was ediied, by Fatlier Thomas O'Sheerin,
and published, at Louvaiii, in 1662, 4to. 1864.
* See sect. num. 9,
land," v. , 548. p.
' Among the Poems of William Cullen
Bryant, these lines following, taken from Church, and cross carved on the soffit "A Forest Hymn," pp. 89, 90, seem to ac- of its lintel ; doorway of the Reefert
cord with their state of life — Church window in :;
"There have been holy men, who hid themselves
Deep in the woody wilderness, and gave
Their lives to thought and prayer, till dral
they outlived
The generation born wilh them, nor seemed
Lessagedthanthehoarytreesandrocks Aroundthem. "
;
face of its architraves and cornice ; plan of
themouldingsofits pilasters or mouldings atitsangles; existingremainsofitsmould-
Lamp,"
ments in tympanum of doorway inthepriest's ;
cathedml church ; sculptures on the frieze of the interior face of the east window; mould-
onarchivolt,andsectionofthe
ing pilasters
of the same window; dooiway in the west wall of the cathedral church ; pilasters in the chancel arch of the monastery church, at
heading "Vox Hibernica," and under it as No. XX—. , is a versified description of—Glenda- lough theCityofthe—TwoLakes byA. ua B. , and beginning :
"Fair city of the Lakes! the day is long gone past,
When choral voices lent rich echoes to the blast,"
^ See the Article of Mr. Hills, in the "Gentleman's Magazine," part i. , A. D,
"
Notes on the Architecture of Ire-
the east wall of Trinity Church ; window in the south wall of the chancel of Trinity Church ; view of the interior of Trinity Church ; specimen of the inner masonry of west end of the cathe-
view of the arched recess on the east front of the priest's house ; sculptures on the two faces of its capitals ornaments on the
;
vol. viii. , No. 28 of ings, wilh one their bases ; sculptured orna-
9 In "The
July 14th, 1855, pp. 460, 461, there is a house interior of the east window of the
April 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 273
by a more modern antiquary ; and, no student can forget, to read the valu- able observations of the learned George Petrie, LL. D. ," referring to the antiquities of Glenda-
lough. Thesearestill
within ready access, to the tourist and visi- tor, who may desire
to linger even for days
and nights, in the
midst of most roman- ;
Moonlight View m Glendalough, County of Wicklow. likely,StRufinhadbeeninterredatGlendalough. AccordingtoWard'9and
Glendalough ; devices on the capitals of its
south side ; capilalf> of its outer pier ; orna-
ments on the bases of its coUimns—four dis-
'3 The annexed
engraving, by Mrs. Millard,
tinct illustrations ; specimen of the bases of
the piers on its north side ; ornaments on the
base —on stones which formed its ; sculptures
six
arch-mouldings illustrations ; sculpture
on one of the stones which formed the arch-
— stones which formed moulding; sculptureson
the arch-moulding seven illustrations; sculptureon one ofthestoneswhich formed the
arch-moulding;ground-planofoneofthepiers in the same chancel arch ; other sculptured stones found near the monastery church— three illustrations ; ground-plan of one side of the church arch-way ; sepulchral cross at the Reefert church ; doorway of the Tower at Glendalough; view of St. Kevin's bouse ;
from a photograph by Frederick W. Mares,
'
,
tic scenery. '3 St. Kevin is said to have
[died,intheyear6i7,or jeiS;'* while St. Rufus
,is made to precede '5 5 St. Colman, Abbot of
|Glendalough, who de- ; parted on the 2nd
:of December, 659. '*
jTherefore, we may ^suppose him to have 5 lived, about the mid-
* die of the seventh cen-
^tury.
fregarding St. Rufin, \ and the position he is jmade to occupy, we ^should be inclined to
iSinfer, that he must
,
have immediately suc- ceededSt. Kevin. Our
presents a moonlight view of Glendalough.
'* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
FourMasters,"vol. i. ,
'5 At least, such is the order found in
who follows the
Archdall, arrangement,
set down, by Ward.
*See ibid. , pp. 270, 271.
as
'' In Butler's
"
Lives of the Fathers,
From notices
-
holy bishop's name,
Rufin, sometimes ren-
dered Rufus,'7 usually occurs after that of
It is
doorway of St. Kevin's house ; gateway of the Cashel ; ground-plan of this gateway.
Molibba; but, the date for his death has not
transpired. '*
pp. 240, 24l,andn. (h).
Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. iv. , April xxii. , and in the "Circle of the Seasons," St. Rufus or Rufuo, Anchoret at Glendalough, near Dublin, is entered at the
22nd of April.
branch of the Dodder, about one mile above Ballyboden,'* in the county of Dublin. Whether Cruach and St. Naindidh were connected, with any of the foregoing places, is still questionable.
Article IV. —St. Berach, Abbot of Bangor, County of Down.
\Seventh Century^ To comprehend the feelings and thoughts, that made monasticism so natural in the early days, we sliould keep in view, a state of
life and society then prevalent. Since the Gospel had been preached, and the church had been founded, two great aspects of human society are notice- able. The decaying and corrupt civilization of the Roman Empire had been falling into collapse ; while the spirit of Christianity confronted an evil and an
Townland Maps for the County Leitrim," sheets 35, 36.
'5 In the parish of Kilfian, and barony of Tirawley, shown, on the" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County o( Mayo," sheets 29, 30. —
Article hi,
'
Edited by Drs. Todd and
148, 152, 153.
" See " Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Kildare," sheets 32, 36.
parish
p. 435.
of Clonfert, and of barony
'< 111 the
Longford,siiown,onihe'UrilnanceSurvey
Townland Maps for the Couniy of Galway," Maps for the County of Cork," sheets sheets loi, loS, 109.
Reeves, pp. 106, 107.
^ See his Life, at the 12th of October.
^" " the
. See Trias Thaumaturga. . Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xxii. , pp. 152,
153, and n. 41, p. 185.
* These are described, on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Waterford," sheet l8.
5IntheparishofKillSt. Nicholas. See
ibid.
'"
See Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. i. , p. 545.
'This illustrat on has been drawn from
a sketch, preserved in the Royal Irish Aca- demy, by William F. Wakeman, and it has
tion of 1641, to Crooks.
been engraved, by Mis. JliHard. *"
See Lewis' Topogr. iphical Dictionary
of Ireland," vol. i. ,
'See "Ordnnnce Survey Townland
147, 152.
'" See ibid. , sheets 138, 139, 146, 147,
"It formerly belonged to the Earl of
Clancarty, who forfeited it, in the Insurrec-
'^ See
"
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. i. , p. 546.
'* It is described, on the
"
vey Townland Maps for the County of
Cork," sheets 71, 72, 83, 84,95. '=Tothisallusionhasbeenmade,inour
notices of St. Dalua of Dun-Tighe-Bretan,
at the 7th day of January,
'' A village, in the parish of Whitechurch,
and Baiony of Rathdown, it is noted, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Dublin," sheet 22.
Ordnance Sur-
April 21. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 269
almost hopeless condition of afiliirs, in real life, with the loftiest moral teach- ing and the most sublime doctrines, tlie world had ever before known. A con- fused and wild barbarism followed the triumph of new nations, formed on the wreck of that great centralization. Noble germs for the future gradually re- placed and extinguished paganism ; and, altiiough Christianity iiad not been able to convert all in the world, it effected much, by acting on human affairs, while its influence on individuals was vast and astonishing. ' If this be true, so far as the European Continentals were concerned, with much greater force does it apply, to the monastic tendencies of our own islanders. The whole of Ireland was filled with monastic houses of great extent. Among these, the famous Abbey of Bangor ^ sent many of its holy inmates from earth, to people the courts of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The name of Berach, Abbot of Bennchair, occurs, in the Marlyrology of Tallagh,3 at the 21st of April. He was born, most probably, towards the opening of the seventh century. We know not the place of his nativity ; but, it seems not improbable, he belonged to the community at Bangor, where St. Mac Laisre,^ the Abbot, died, a. d. 645. 5 WefindanotherAbbot,St. SeganO'Cuinn,*whodeparted,a. d. 662. 7 The holy man Berach was probably his immediate successor ; and, if such be the case, he could not have long survived, to rule over that establishment He died, in the year 663, according to the Annals of Ulster, and of the Four Masters. ' AccordingtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,'onthisdaywasvene- rated, Berach, Abbot of Bennchar.
Article V. —St. Bugno, or Bughna, in Tir Bret, or Bretan.
We find entered, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 21st of April, the name of Bugno, in Tir Bret. This means in the land of Britain, where we
suppose, he must have dwelt. This day was venerated, Bughna, in Tir Bretan,' as we read, and have it set down, in the Martyrology of Donegal. '
Article VI. —St. Edilald, a Saxon, otherwise called CEdiluald, or Odilwald, or Athelwald, a Priest. \_SneiM Century. '] Venera- tion was given, at this date, to Edilald, a Saxon, as we find his name entered, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. ' From this entry, we should be inclined to conclude, that by descent, birth, education, or residence, he had some con- nexion with Ireland. This saint is regarded, as an illustrious virgin j by which term, we are probably to suppose, that he was distinguished for great continency and piety. Marianus O'Gorman ' is the authority quoted, for such
Article iv. — See Rev. R. W. Church's
"Saint Anselm," chnp. i. , pp. 2, 3.
* The name of Bangor is s. Tid to be derived
"
274, 275, and n. (n), Hid. See, also, Rev.
from
See J. B. Coyle's "Tours in UUter,'' p. 93.
ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," Ap-
pendix LL. , p. 377.
» Edited by Urs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
106, 107. — Edited Article v.
Bane-choraidh," the White Choir.
There is also a lithographed engraving of the ancient Castle of Bangor, in this work.
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxii. In the Franciscan copy, we find, to^ipec ^^a benchiin.
* Wu least occurs, on the l6th of May.
Rev. Dr.
p. xxii. In the Franciscan copy, we have
"
cal Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro-
more,"Ajppendix LL. , p. 378.
'
5 See Rev. William Reeves'
Eccksiasti-
His feast occurs, at the loth of Sep- Kelly, p. xxi. In the Franciscan copy is tember. e-oiliLtii ^&x.
'
'=
William Reeves'
"
Ecclesiasiical Antiqui-
by
In a note, Dr. Todd says, at Tir Bretan, "i. e. , in the l. ind of Briiain or Wales. "
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
106, 107.
Article vl— Edited by Rev. Dr.
busno 1 Ci)\ bpcAc.
»
See ibid. , p. 380. He enters etJilALo 05 epsriA "Edilald, See 0'£>onovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. illustrioiu virgin. "
Kelly,
270 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 21.
eulogy. 3 In the ancient Hieronymian Martyrology of Eptemac,4 as also in other old authorities, the Deposition of St. Oediluald, Edilwald, Eadilwald,
or Odilvvald, Edilwald, Oidilwald, Ethelwold, or Atlielwald,5 a Priest, is commemorated, on the 21st of April, as the Bollandists* take care to men-
tion. They refer, likewise, to a St. jEdelwaldus, a Priest, and an Anchoret, in England, whose festival has been assigned to the 23rd of March,' as if he
Venerable Bede ^ some account of gives
might
have been the same
person.
the latter ; and, from it, we may probably infer, that tlie holy man, ^thel-
waldus, received his education, at Lindisfarne, in the time of St. Cuthbert. s
For many years, he was a monk, and then lie advancad to the grade of an
anchoret, in the Island of Lindisfarne. He lived, also, as a Priest, at Ripon. While he was a hermit, in Lindisfarne, by his prayers some monks were saved from shipwreck. '" There he led a very chaste and holy life, contem- poraneously with the illustrious St. Cuthbert ;" for a period of twelve years he survived the latter, and became his successor, as Abbot over Lindisfarne. St. Cuthbert having departed this life, a. d. 687, the death of . iEdelwald has been referred, to a. d. 699 or 700. While St. Cuthbert lived there, in a wooden or boarded cell, some chinks allowed the rains and wind to penetrate, and these he stuffed with hay, or other filling ; but, his successor . (Edelwald, hav- ing obtained the skin of a calf, from soine of his brother monks, fastened it with nails around the corner, where his predecessor was accustomed to stand or pray, so that the effects of storms might be prevented. The holy man . /Edelwald died, at Lindisfarne, where his body was interred. No particular day has been assigned, as that on which his death took place. Afterwards, when the Danes made an incursion upon Northumbria, a. d. 874, Eardulf,
bishop, and Eadred, Abbot of Lisdisfarne, taking the remains of St. Cuthbert and of other saints there preserved, fled with them to more distant places.
At length, they were brought to Durham, about the year 995. Among the relics of saints, belonging to this church, were the bones and hair of St. Ethel- wold, Priest, who succeeded St. Cuthbert as anchoret. " Different dates have been assigned, for the festival of this saint ; thus, the 6th day of January,'3 the nth of June,"'* 14th and 23rd of March,'5 have been specially noted. '* If
'"
3 From a note of Rev. Dr. Todd, appended
to tfie notice of St. Naindidh, of Cruach, it
would seem, that the present saiiu is set
down as a Saxon, by a recent hand, who Venerable Bede's " Historia Ecclesiastica gives in Roman characters " tdilwaldus Gentis Angloium," lib. v. , cap. i. , pp. 367 Mar. "
•The BoUandists add, "juxta Anglicum
scripto aliquod exemplar, item in Kalendario MS. ante computum Bedas in MSS. Trevi- rensi S.
Maximini et Coloniensi Carmelita- rum. "
"
to 369.
" See his Life, at the 20th of March,
noble or
nobility," and Wald or \Vold, signifies "a Biicelm.
5 Athel, Adel, or Edel, signifies
potentate; and. hence, according to Cam- den, in Anglo-Saxon, the name of this holy man should mean "a noble governor. "
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Ap- rilis xxi. Among the pretermitted sain's, p. 840.
'< According to the English Martyrology, printed in the year 1608, which Ferrarius follows in his General Catalogue.
'5 This appears to have been the day, selected by moit Calendarists; as by Edward
"
7 At this date, they have published his
Acts. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii.
Martii xxiii. De S. /Edelwaldo Presbytero
et Anachoreta in Anglia. A historic com- tomus iii. , Martii xxiii. De S. . 'Edelwaldo
mentary, in two sections and nine para- graphs, contains hi- Acts, pp. 463 to 465.
* Both in his Ecclesiastical History of England, and in his Life of St. ' Cuthbert.
'His feast occurs, at tfie 20th of Marcti.
See an account of this incident and of other transactions, relating to this saint, in
"'
This is stated, in the Appendix to the
History of Durham, by Turgot, according to Simeon of Durham,
" According to Menard, but without any apparent authority, and he is followed by
In Floiibus Vitarum magis illiistrium . Sanctorum Anglise,
Mailiew, by Jerome Porter,
Scotise et Hibernije," and by liucelin.
""
Presbyfero et Anachoreta in Anglia, Com- mentanus historicus, sect, ii. , num. 7,8,9, pp. 464, 465.
See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
April 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 271
we are right, in supposing St. Edilald to be the same person as the St. ^del- wald, to whom allusion has been made, the Irish Calendarists assign his feast
to the present day.
ARTictE VII. —Reputed Festival of St. Domitius. Quoting the authority of Camerarius, who cites Wion for his introduction of St. Domitius,
— Abbas, the Bollandists ' not finding him, in the latter writer's work yet,
have a notice of the festival, at this particular date. ' Again, in Scotland, one Domitius, an Abbot and a Disciple of St. Columba, was venerated, on the
2ist of April, according to Thomas Dempster;^ and, for this statement, he cites a Scottish Breviary and Hector Boetius. * Following the authority
ofDempster,PhilipFerrarius5 hasasimilaraccount. Besides,Dempster introduces this holy man, among the eminent natives of Scotland ; and, he tells us, moreover, that Domitius wrote some special Tracts, tlie titles of which are quoted. * He lived, in the year 606,' according to the same authority, and he died, on the present day. *
CbJcntp-'Sitconij I9ap of ^pnl.
ARTICLE I. —ST. RUFIN, BISHOP OF GLENDALOUGH, COUNTY OF WICKLOW, AND OF BANGOR, COUNTY OF DOWN.
[SEVENTH CENTURY. ]
to furnished in our — this man accounts, Calendars, holy
to have the at he led a ACCOaRppDeaIrsNG enjoyed episcojial dignity or, least,
religious life, in two different and very distant localities of Ireland. ' Thus, St. Rufin, or Rufiinus, is said to have been Bishop of Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow, and, likewise, to have been of Bangor, in the county of
Down, according to a statement, furnished by Archdall,' and, on the authority of Ward. 3 This is to be found, in the Historic Dissertation* concerning the
Article vh. —» See " Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Aprilis xx. Among the preter- mitteii saints, p. 841.
people of both races with a knowleiige of the Christian Religion and with excellent mo- rals. See "Historise Scotorum," lib. ix. ,p. clxvi.
' In " Generalis Sanctorum. " Catalogus
' These are said to have been : Sermones
ad Fratres, lib. i. , Sanctae Vilae Reyula, lib.
i. , Episiolaead Columbam magistrum, lib. i. , Meditaiiones, lib. i.
'For this statement, Joannes Leslaetis, Hist. Scot. , lib. iv. . p. clii. , is quoted.
'
They promised more regarding him, if
authentic could be at the particulars found,
9tb of June, when treating about St. Co- lumba.
' Thus do we read, in the "Menologium
"
S. Columba: discipuli. "—Bisliop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 197.
'Domitius is enumerated, among the twelve companions of . St. Columba, who left Ireland, when the holy man was about to found lona
Scotorum :" xxi.
In Scotia Domitii Abbatis
these arc said to have visited various territories of the Scots and Picts, where by their labours, exhortations, teachings and writings, they imbued the
See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor
;
and,
i.
' See Thomas Dempster's "HistoriaEc- clesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iv. , num. 367, — 202, 203.
and Dromore," Appendix LL. , p. 377.
' See " Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 766.
Article
pp. '
272 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 22.
country of St. Runiold. s as postfixed to his Acts. In the Tallagh Martyrology, the festival " Rufini Glinn da loclia" is entered, at the x. of the Kalends of
May, corresponding with the 22nd of April. ^ In tiiis instance, tlierefore, nothing is to be found, which warrants an assumption, that he was bishop. Nor, do we find any reference to him, in the Annals of the Four Masters. He seems to iiave liad a rehgious connexion, both with Bangor and with
Glendalough ; and, probably, he exercised the monastic profession, in both places. WeareincUnedtobelieve,however,thatRufinpossiblyreceivedhis
education, only at Bangor; for, his name does not appear in the list of its abbots, or bishops, which has come down to our times. It may be, that this
holy man, attracted by the reputation of the great St. Kevin,' left Bangor, to place himself under direction of such a master of the spiritual life, and, in his
quiet retreat, at Glendalough ; for, both appear to have lived as contempora- ries,' some time after that monastic establishment had been built by the
founder. Here, at the entrance to a gorge, within over-topping mountains, andbelowthedeepUpperLake,themonasterywassituated; and,afterwards a city grew up,' the chief traces of which are now to be found, in what the inhabitants are accustomed to " The Seven
Churches," although, indeed, the ruins of no less than ten are to be distinguished. " Our most pre-
9, p. 158.
s His Life will be found, on the 1st of
"Calendar of
' See his Life, at the 3rd of June.
" According to Mr. Hills.
" See " The Ecclesiastical Architecture
and Round Towers of Ireland," ii. , part
sect, i. , subsect. i. , iv. , vii. Annexed are elegant and accurate woodcuts, repre- senting the doorway of Our Lady's
July.
' See Rev. Dr.
Kelly's Irish Saints," &c. , p. xxii.
designate
sumptions and ignorant of ])rofessing antiquaries, the Rev. Edward Ledwich, has assumed to treat about the details and technicalities of the architectural figures and remains. This writer could only find seven churches, in Glenda- lough, although he counted, one of these, the ivy church, twice under different names. " But, very different has been the careful treatment of his subject,
3 In " Sancti Rumoldi Martyris inclyti, Arcliiepiscopi Dubliniensis, Mechliniensium Apostoli, &c. , Acta," &c. , per R. P. F. Hugonem Vardeum. Tins posthumous work
was ediied, by Fatlier Thomas O'Sheerin,
and published, at Louvaiii, in 1662, 4to. 1864.
* See sect. num. 9,
land," v. , 548. p.
' Among the Poems of William Cullen
Bryant, these lines following, taken from Church, and cross carved on the soffit "A Forest Hymn," pp. 89, 90, seem to ac- of its lintel ; doorway of the Reefert
cord with their state of life — Church window in :;
"There have been holy men, who hid themselves
Deep in the woody wilderness, and gave
Their lives to thought and prayer, till dral
they outlived
The generation born wilh them, nor seemed
Lessagedthanthehoarytreesandrocks Aroundthem. "
;
face of its architraves and cornice ; plan of
themouldingsofits pilasters or mouldings atitsangles; existingremainsofitsmould-
Lamp,"
ments in tympanum of doorway inthepriest's ;
cathedml church ; sculptures on the frieze of the interior face of the east window; mould-
onarchivolt,andsectionofthe
ing pilasters
of the same window; dooiway in the west wall of the cathedral church ; pilasters in the chancel arch of the monastery church, at
heading "Vox Hibernica," and under it as No. XX—. , is a versified description of—Glenda- lough theCityofthe—TwoLakes byA. ua B. , and beginning :
"Fair city of the Lakes! the day is long gone past,
When choral voices lent rich echoes to the blast,"
^ See the Article of Mr. Hills, in the "Gentleman's Magazine," part i. , A. D,
"
Notes on the Architecture of Ire-
the east wall of Trinity Church ; window in the south wall of the chancel of Trinity Church ; view of the interior of Trinity Church ; specimen of the inner masonry of west end of the cathe-
view of the arched recess on the east front of the priest's house ; sculptures on the two faces of its capitals ornaments on the
;
vol. viii. , No. 28 of ings, wilh one their bases ; sculptured orna-
9 In "The
July 14th, 1855, pp. 460, 461, there is a house interior of the east window of the
April 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 273
by a more modern antiquary ; and, no student can forget, to read the valu- able observations of the learned George Petrie, LL. D. ," referring to the antiquities of Glenda-
lough. Thesearestill
within ready access, to the tourist and visi- tor, who may desire
to linger even for days
and nights, in the
midst of most roman- ;
Moonlight View m Glendalough, County of Wicklow. likely,StRufinhadbeeninterredatGlendalough. AccordingtoWard'9and
Glendalough ; devices on the capitals of its
south side ; capilalf> of its outer pier ; orna-
ments on the bases of its coUimns—four dis-
'3 The annexed
engraving, by Mrs. Millard,
tinct illustrations ; specimen of the bases of
the piers on its north side ; ornaments on the
base —on stones which formed its ; sculptures
six
arch-mouldings illustrations ; sculpture
on one of the stones which formed the arch-
— stones which formed moulding; sculptureson
the arch-moulding seven illustrations; sculptureon one ofthestoneswhich formed the
arch-moulding;ground-planofoneofthepiers in the same chancel arch ; other sculptured stones found near the monastery church— three illustrations ; ground-plan of one side of the church arch-way ; sepulchral cross at the Reefert church ; doorway of the Tower at Glendalough; view of St. Kevin's bouse ;
from a photograph by Frederick W. Mares,
'
,
tic scenery. '3 St. Kevin is said to have
[died,intheyear6i7,or jeiS;'* while St. Rufus
,is made to precede '5 5 St. Colman, Abbot of
|Glendalough, who de- ; parted on the 2nd
:of December, 659. '*
jTherefore, we may ^suppose him to have 5 lived, about the mid-
* die of the seventh cen-
^tury.
fregarding St. Rufin, \ and the position he is jmade to occupy, we ^should be inclined to
iSinfer, that he must
,
have immediately suc- ceededSt. Kevin. Our
presents a moonlight view of Glendalough.
'* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
FourMasters,"vol. i. ,
'5 At least, such is the order found in
who follows the
Archdall, arrangement,
set down, by Ward.
*See ibid. , pp. 270, 271.
as
'' In Butler's
"
Lives of the Fathers,
From notices
-
holy bishop's name,
Rufin, sometimes ren-
dered Rufus,'7 usually occurs after that of
It is
doorway of St. Kevin's house ; gateway of the Cashel ; ground-plan of this gateway.
Molibba; but, the date for his death has not
transpired. '*
pp. 240, 24l,andn. (h).
Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. iv. , April xxii. , and in the "Circle of the Seasons," St. Rufus or Rufuo, Anchoret at Glendalough, near Dublin, is entered at the
22nd of April.
