How- ever, the exact number does not appear, and the
testimony
of the "Feilire" of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
D.
11 38.
-5 See " Historise Catholicse Ibernias
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50, and cap. xii. , p. 53.
^*
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. I132, 1133.
''^
^^ See vol. i. , "Bishops of Lismore," pp; 550, 551.
The parish of O'Dorney, in the barony of Clanmaurice, is noted on the " Ordnance
Kerry," Sheets 15, 21.
and n. 88,
177. Also lib.
iii. ,cap. xxxvii. ,
25, 31.
Ibid. in the " Also,
p. and n.
Parliamentary i. , p. 253.
baronies, and it is noted, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Tipperary," Sheets 31, 37.
4 These and the succeeding particulars, we
glean, from a series of papers, published by
the proprietor and editor, Maurice Lenihan,
p. 157,
Article viii. See
"3 Acta Sancto-
Ireland,"
in the parish of Kilvellane, in the same
rum," tomus ii. , Martii xviii.
pretermitted saints, p. 614. ""
Among the
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i8.
ArticleVII. —St. Caemhan,theHoly. Caemhan,denominatedthe
Holy, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ as having a festival, at this date. The BoUandists^ notice a St. Caimanus, a Bishop, occurring at the 1 8th of March, in two distinct Irish Martyrologies. Colgan thinks a disciple of St. Patrick, known as Coeman of Kill-rath, may be identified with the present saint. The same writer identifies the latter with a Coeman, Deacon, mentioned in St. Patrick's Acts. 3 There appears to be much con- fusion, in the short notes of writers, as relating to the present saint's identity.
Article VIII. —Natalis of St. Fridian, or Frigidian, Bishop, and
Patron of Lucca, Italy. \Sixth Century. '] St. Frigidian's festival is com- memorated on this day—said to have been his Natalis—in the Roman Martyrology, as in many of the more ancient Calendars. However, as the Bollandists observe,^ his chief festival is kept, in the city of Lucca, which honours him as patron, on the iSth of November, the day on which his relics were transferred ; and, at this date, more extended notices of him will be foundelsewhere. InStephenWhite,"inColgan,3intheRev. AlbanButler,* and in various other works,5 there iare accounts of him, at this date.
Article IX. —St. Commaneth, of Kilcomenty Parish, County of TiPPERARY. Thisalmostunknownsainthasatraditionalfameamongthe
—formerly called TuUagh—there is to be seen an old graveyard, containing several tombs and graves, the most curious of holy wells, and places of pilgrimage, with the remains of an ancient church. They well reward a visit from the tourist or antiquary. * Old men remember the walls of the ancient church standing. A curiously-cut holy water font was taken at a former time, out of the ruins, and brought to Birdhill. In and about the churchyard, there are remains of well-carved muUions, and other work, which show how beautiful was the tracery, and mouldings, in the windows of the old church. It is said to have been dedicated to St. Cummaneth, whose festival is observed, in the parish of Kilcomenty, on the iSth of March. The district is called Kilcommenthy, or the country about the church of St. Commenath. The well is shaded over by an enormous ash tree, which near the base of the trunkdividesitselfintotwogreatshafts. Fromthese,aquantityofbranches project, all covered with leaves in summer, and these shelter numerous
people of Kilcomenty parish,' county of Tipperary. Within two and a-half miles of Birdhill" railway station, and two and a-half of the town of Newport^
Article vii. —' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 80, 81.
s See " Circle—of the Seasons," p. 78.
"See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Martii xviii. Anaong the pretermitted scribed on the Ordnance Survey Town-
saints, p. 613.
3 See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima
Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xlvii. , p. 136,
land Maps for the County of Tipperary," Sheets 25, 31, 37.
— 186. Gazetteer of 68, p.
vol.
»
See Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. ii,, p. 15, cap. iv. , pp. 36, 37.
3 See Martii.
'*
Acta Sanctorum Hibernire," xviii.
Vita S. Fridiani sive Findiani
Epis. , pp. 633 to 651.
in the
"
Limerick Vindicator. " See
See "Lives of the " Cashel of the Fathers, Martyrs, Kings,"
and other principal Saints," March xviii. 3rd, 1S73.
in the No. for
June
Article ix,
* It is in the situated,
baronies of Owney and Arra, and it is de- *'
==
See a description of this place, on Sheets
March i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
pilgrims, who make their " rounds "5 of the well, and who pray for the inter- cession of the local saint, in order to be relieved from bodily and mental ail- ments. In this well are two of the mysterious trout, said to frequent nearly every holy well in Ireland. ^ The water,? by which the well is supplied, comes in a rivulet or stream, from Ballinahinch, some two miles off. Various traditional stories are current, among the people about Birdhill. ^ About two hundred yards north-east of the well, in the midst of hawthorn and alder trees, there is a great Druidic rock basin, of brown sandstone, quite unHke stone of the immediate place, which is limestone. The stone is about two and a-half feet in height from the ground, in breath at the top, it is two and a-half feet, and rounding off in form, it becomes broader, until at the extremity, it is about four and a-half feet in breadth. Within a few yards from the stone, the well runs under the ground, for about two hundred yards, and then it emerges from under the great shady ash tree, within a few yards of the churchyard. The stream thence continues to run a considerable distance, until it empties into the bog of Shower. 9 On the top of the stone are two circular basins, about a foot in diameter, always full or half full of
water
on the — of the there are two
; and, top stone, perpendicularcuttings,
six
like Ogam characters the top one, containing strokes, the lower one, or
one about the middle of the stone, eight. This curious stone, according to
a popular tradition, had been the bed of St. Cummaneth, and the perpen- dicular strokes, are regarded, as the marks of his hands, and of his ribs. '" The period of this saint is not discoverable to us.
Article X. —St. Finan. The festival of St. Finianus, or Finan, in the
Martyrology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen, is entered for the i8th
of March," or the xv. Kalends of April, which corresponds. ^ In the Breviary of Aberdeen, his ofhce is in nine Lessons. In Adam King's Calendar, we
s The "rounds" are seven in number.
Each time they are made by the individual
Ossian's famous hounds, killed on Moon a Lua, "the bog of the Black Bird, "i and on which the railway station has been built, a
pilgrim, who, in the first instance, takes up
seven bright pebbles from the brook which celebrated prehistoric Black Bird, from
runs out of the well, and having seven times
repeated the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Creed, and the Gloria, &c. , he throws a pebble into the brook or well. Then he proceeds to walk around the ground, about the well, through the churchyard, and from the churchyard to the front of the well, where the pilgrim kneels and prays. So on he continues, until the rounds are concluded, and until the seven pebbles are returned to the brook.
A
7 It rises in the lands of Mr. Patrick
which the Tipperary hill and parish derive their name. In a History of the Dalcassians,
published in the Limerick Vindicator, Mr. Lenihan fui'nishes interesting notes of these traditions.
5 There is a curious story told about the
well. It is said, that at some distant period,
it was situated near the stone, just described, but that the shepherds and herds of the place allowed sheep and cattle to sully the water, and, in one night, the well moved
down to its site, existing
* The
person of the neighbourhood, at one time, scorning to respect the well, took one of these trout home, and made an effort to roast it ; nothing but blood appeared, and the rascal had to bring the trout back to the well ; but from that day forward, the family have not had good luck.
following
is a local
legend.
Coffee, of that place, and increasing by perfectly correct. —
'
small tributary streams, it comes through
butter-cup covered,
^ One of these runs, that Ossian's bronze trumpet is buried beneath a rock, on Carri- geen» Again, it is stated, Bran, one of
See Bishop Forbes* p. 347.
and in the summer season.
pleasant fields, daisy
" xv. Kl.
'°
There is no doubt, that the stone lay, in
its present position, long before the period of the patron saint. On the conversion of the Druids, he may have used the basins for baptizing the early Christians of the place, and may have rested on it occasionally, There is nothing impossible or improbable in this presumption, and tradition may be
Article x.
" Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
* Thus do we find him noticed
Aprilis. In Scotia Sancti Finniani episcopi et confessoris qui abiectis calcatisque viciis orationi et ieiuniis vacare studuit gloriosum-
:
844 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 19.
read of " S. Finnane bischope confess, in Scotland vnder king ferquhard 2,"3 at the i8th of March. 4 The Bollandists,^ who notice this holy man, state, that they consider him to be hardly diiferent from the St. Finnan, who came from lona, as a monk, and who was afterwards known as Bishop over Lin- disfarne, in Northumbria, of which province he became the Apostle, accord- ing to Dempster. ^ Ferrarius has followed this account. We have only to refer the reader to his life, given at the 9th of January, and to some notices, regarding him, at the i6th and 17th of February.
Article XI. —Festival of St. Timothy, and of his Companions, Martyrs. In the Festilogy of St. ^-Engus, the Culdee, we find entered, at the 18th of IVIarch, the festival of St. Timothy, and of his companions,^ who
were martyrs.
5. xu. kl.
Co mo|\ bui-oin md]\CA TlApcA^ Viite LocVicA
La ciATtTOA
xx. TniLet) nioclicA.
With the great troops of March, Who were not all faulty,
With Timothy are reckoned Twenty champions who perished. ^
^meUentl) Bai) of Alanlj.
yvo ^ximit)
ARTICLE I. —ST. LACTEAN, OR LACTINUS, ABBOT OF FRESHFORD, COUNTY OF KILKENNY.
[SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES. ]
some of our large modern towns and cities, the thought of death
NEAR
under the
seems to be even in their
cemeteries,
concealed,
garniture
of shrubs and flowers, or under those refined sentiments, produced by the
sculptor'schisel,andoverpartialepitaph. Notso,however,doholypersons
seek to disguise from themselves, realities of life and death, in a religious course. This saint, called also Lactenus, Lactinius, and Lactanus,^ is com-
que sanctitatis nome« promeruit et miracu- lisclaruit. "—" Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p.
263.
3 Ferchardus II. is said to have flourished,
about A. D. 660.
• See Bishop Forbes' work, at p. 147.
s See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Martyrologies, as may be seen, by consult- ing the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Martii xviii. De Sanctis Martyri- bus Curento, Timotheo, Saldia, Feliciano, Jocundo in Mauritania, pp. 619, 620.
How- ever, the exact number does not appear, and the testimony of the "Feilire" of St. /Engus alone determines it.
' The Irish stanza was copied from the
Leabhar Breac, by Professor O'Looney, who also furni—shed the English translation.
Article ' "
i. Lactinus vulgo, Lacte-
nus & Lactanus ab authoribus supra in vita
Martii xviii. saints, p. 613.
Among
the
pretermitted
* In his " Menologium Scoticum," at p.
of F—orbes' work. 195 Bishop
'
Article XI. These appear to be the
martyrs in Mauritania, Saints Curentus, citatis. Lactocus a Calend. Casselensi, &
and Molactocus a S. —
Timotheus, Saldia, Felicianus, Jocun- . ^ngussio appellatur juxta
'
dus, who are noticed in some ancient dicenda num. ultimo. " Colgan's "Acta
March 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 845
raemorated in Colgan's work, and in the Bollandists' great collection. ^ He
was a member of Corpre Musc'ss illustrious family, belonging to Muskerry,
in the county of Cork. An imperfect Life, in which our saint is constantly
called Laccinus, was obtained by the Bollandists, from a Dublin Manuscript,
and that memoir appears to have been originally of some length, since only
the early period of his career is preserved, and written with some degree of
prolixity. It states, that while St. Molua* lived under the discipline of St.
Comgall, at Bangor, an angel appeared to him, and predicted the birth of Lactinus—after an interval of fifteen years—who was to be his future friend
and companion. Afterwards, it was related, that Molua never smiled, until he heardoftheinfant'sbirth. Hewaslineallydescended,fromConnortheSecond, King of Ireland. 5 The father of our saint is called Torphurus,^ and Torben, by some, according to a mode of speaking, not uncommon among our ancient writers ; however, Colgan supposes, that this had been the name of an ancestor ofLactinus,omittedinthegenealogy. ? Elsewhere,thispedigreededuceshis origin, from Connor, Monarch of Ireland. According to other accounts, he is called son to Corpre, son of Nuachar, son to Carthinn, son of Cannach, son to Corpre IMusc, son of King Connor, who was the son of Moglam. ^ Our saint was born some time in the sixth century, and his mother is called Senecha. 9 TheRev. S. Baring-Gouldhassomeaccountofthissaint. '°
Before the birth of the infant, and while he was borne in his mother's
womb,amiracleisrecorded,asforeshadowinghisgreatsanctity; forablind old man, called Mohemeth," received light, which gave him a miraculous vision of Rome, and of distant places, on land and on sea. Thus might the
child be compared to Jacob, Jeremias and St. John the Baptist, sanctified in advance of their nativities. At the time of his birth, no river, spring, or
water,wastobefoundnear; but,thevenerableMohemeth,takingthechild's hand, made with it a sign of the cross on the dry earth, and immediately a living fountain sprung up from the soil. Then Mohemeth, giving thanks to God, baptized the infant in the water, delivered him to his parent, and then
departedwithgreatjoy,towardshisownpartofthecountry. Eitherforget- ting or ignorant of the fact, that the infant had been duly baptized, some of his friends brought him to Blessed Elpheus'^ for baptism. But, the latter
^
According to the old Life, given by the Bollandists.
^ What renders this still more supposition
probable, is the circumstance, that St. Finan of Kinnety was descended from the same
3 For an account of Corpre Muse and his
brothers, Colgan refers the reader of his
work, to the Appendix for his Life of St.
Senan (chap. ii. and iii. ), at the 8th of to show, in his Acts, which were intended March. There he treats, regarding these
their and saints brothers, posterity, deriving
descent from them. He promised to say
more regarding them, in his Appendix to St. Finan's Life, at the 7th of April. See
" Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xix. Martii, n. 3, p. 657.
* His feast occurs, at the 4th of August.
5 According to the Annals of the Four
Masters, since the aforesaid Conaire, King of Ireland, had been slain in the year of
Christ, 165, and in the eighth year of his reign, and, as according to the same aut—ho-
Sanctorum Hibernice," xix. Martii. Vita S. Lactini, n. i. , p. 657.
-See "Acta
Sanctorum,"
tomus
iii. ,
Martii xix. De S. Lactino Abbate in Hi-
bernia, pp. 31 to 33.
rity, St. Lactinus died in the year 622
would seem probable, that more than six
generations intervened, between both of
these
personages.
'^ The old' Life states
:
•* Hoc virO itaque
it
Conaire, through ten generations, and he nevertheless flourished in the sixth century,
with St. Lactinus. This Colgan promised
for publication, at the 7th of April,
* The " at Sanctilogium Genealogicum,"
cap. 19, thus gives the genealogy of our saint. Two other old MSS. , in which
genealogies of the principal saints of Ireland are to be found, agree with the foregoing account, as to the name of this saint's father, and as to his being of Corpre Muse's race.
^ According to the fragmentaiy Life, pub- lished by the Bollandists.
'° "
See his Lives of the Saints," vol. iii. ,
March 19, pp. 331 to 333.
'^
our Calendars.
By this name, he is not discoverable, in
" He has not been identified, under an
corresponding name in our Martyrologies.
846 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 19.
had a revelation, that this Sacrament had been already received, and he properly refused to reiterate it ; while filled with a prophetic spirit, he pre- dicted the future sanctity and merits of the child, who was brought back to his parents. During infancy, Lactinus was miraculously preserved from suffering,althoughhehadtakenveryunwholesomefood; healsohealedhis mother from a dangerous tumour ; nor were his miracles confined to human beings, for he was instrumental in removing a cattle plague, which prevailed in his neighbourhood.
In the fifteenth year of St. Lactinus' age, his Angel Guardian, called Uriel, gave an admonition, that he should proceed to Bangor, where the greatabbot,St. Comgall,hadjustcommencedhisreligiousfoundation. The fame of this holy man, as an instructor, had spread to distant parts of Ireland, and St. Latinus was brought by Uriel, who moulded his pious dispositions, to become a disciple. St. Comgall received him, and appointed St. Molua tobecomehisteacher. Undersuchaguide,thescholarwasindefatigablein
study, '3 and he became a thorough proficient in a knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, when he had spent diligently the time, until he attained the thirtieth year of his age. ^4 An old Life of St. Molua indicates, that accord-
ing to a prediction of St. Dagan,^s the latter prophesied, St. Lactinus was destined to succeed the former, in his well-known seat, at Clonfert Molua.
Lactean thus received his early education, at the School of Bangor, founded by the illustrious St. Comgall -^^ and under the rule of this abbot, he made greatproficiency,invirtueandlearning. '7 Especially,inaknowledgeofHoly
Scriptureswashedistinguished; sothat,atlength,itpleasedSt. Comgallto send him forth with other disciples, to found religious houses, in different parts of Ireland. Among other houses, which he established, our saint founded one, at a place, called Achadh-ur,'^ which lay on the confines of
Ossory, and it is supposed to have been identical, with the present Fresh-
ford,'9
Kilkenny County.
place,
prebend,
in 2° Atthis a
called is Aghour,
docente coepit psalmos dicere : in psalmis autem legendis talem observabat modum :
de prima quinquagena tres psalmos in nomine Trinitatis unoquoque die legebat. Secundum in tribus diebus finierat, ct ter- tium similiter in tribus diebus consummave- rat. "
Lactinus induced his companions to go home with him. The next morning, on making a visit to the wall, it was found up- right, and in no manner injured. After the foregoing narrative, the Bollandists add, " Csetera disiderantur," so far as the Manu- script was concerned.
's Most probably, St. Dagan of Inbher-
daoile, who is venerated, on the 13th of
September.
'*
See his Acts, at the loth of May.
'? Such is a statement made in the Life of St. Mochaemhog, chap, viii. , according to
the Martyrology of Donegal,
'^ " He founded a great monastery at
Achad-ur, i. e. . Green field (not Greenford,
as Archdall says), near or at the place
'* A curious legend is related in his old Life, that when I-actinus arrived at Bangor, St. Comgall had engaged his monks to build a boundary wall around his monas- tery ; but, whatever work they put up during the day was destroyed by troops of infernal spirits at night, and these were seen flying about, as if anxious to secure their former ownership of the place, and to exclude the servants of God from taking possession of it. However, the holy Comgall selected thirty of his monks to watch each and
where Freshford now stands in the county
keep night,
to sing psalms and spiritual canticles, to repel those evil spirits. One night, with four other holy companions, our saint was placed on watch. AH these were united in bonds of the most perfect charity, so that their mutual love and friendship were ad- mired by the other monks. Lactinus was the youngest of the watchers, and he pro- posed to guard the wall singly, while the others slept. Then, placing his gold cross
of —Dr. " Ecclesiasti- Kilkenny. " Lanigan's
onthewall,andcoveringitwithacoUobium,
cal History of Ireland," vol. iii,, chap, xvii. , sect, v. , n. 69, pp. 26, 27.
'' Harris incorrectly places the monastery ofAchadUr,intheQueen'sCounty. See,
"
Antiquities of Ire- land," chap, xxxviii. , p. 264.
'° The town, townland and parish of
Freshford, in the barony of Crannagh, is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Kilkenny," Sheets 9, 13.
Harris' Ware, vol. ii. ,
March 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 847
yet known f^ and this has probably become a corruption of Achadh-ur, Fresh Field,^^ or Green field,^3 as rendered in St. Mochoemoc's ancient Life. It was so designated, on account of the number of rivulets, which intersected this part of the country. Some curious remains of an old church are to be seen, at this place. '-^ Avery beautiful and an ancient Irish Romanesque's
Doorway of Fi-eshford Church, County of Kilkenny.
doorwayisespeciallyremarkable,foritselaboratemouldingsinstone. ^'^ An Irish inscription on it reveals the name of the founder of this church, but not the period when he flourished. A projecting porch surrounds the door- way,andthewestgablehaspilastersattheangles. NeartheruinsisTobar Lachtin,=7 or " Lachtain's Well," once regarded as sacred to the saint's memory, but now deserted. ^^
" At Archdall " This is Freshford, says,
"Ecclesiastical and Round Architecture,
Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs.
2, pp. 285 to 288.
=5 Sec Miss Stokes' " Christian Inscfip'
tions in the Irish Language," vol. ii. , pp. 87 to 89.
** The accompanying illustration, drawn on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
=^7 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (g), p. 244.
-'^ In the first vol. of Kilkenny Letters, among the Ordnance Survey Office collection of MSS. , the following account is taken from
a letter written by Mr. O'Donovan, and
dated Freshford, September ist, 1839 : "About one quarter of a mile to the south
now a parish church in the diocese of Ossory, and called the prebend of Aghour. " See " Monasticon Hibemicum," p. 351.
" " Achadh-Ur, i. e. , the Fresh Field, now corruptly called in English Freshford, a small town—near Kilkenny, in the county of
Kilkenny. See Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. p. 26.
"3 The name is explained as follows, in the Life of St. Mochoemoc, or Pulcherius, pub- lished by Colgan at nth of March ' Ach-
:
adh-ur. i. ager viridis sen mollis propter humiditatem rivulorum qui transcunt ibi. "
^* For illustrations of details, and for a more minute architectural and historical notice, the reader is referred to Dr. Petrie's
S48 LIVjES of the IRISH SAINTS. [^Iarch 19.
In the old Life of St. Mochoemoc,^? we are told, that whilst he lived at Rathen, compassionating the distressed state of his community, our saint brought with him to this place a present, consisting of thirty- cows, one bull, two herdsmen and some utensils. 3° Leaving these a short dis- tance from the monastery, which he entered alone ; he there asked for some milk to assuage a pretended necessity. The servant told St. Mochoemoc, that St. Lactinus who was infirm, requested some milk. The Abbot Mochoemoc ordered a measure to be brought, which being filled with water, on blessing it, this water immediately became changed into new milk. Having had a manifestation, regarding wliat had taken place, St. Lactinus received the measure, which again blessing, he converted its contents into the original
tery,
St. Mochoemoc
said,
any person
receive St. Lactinus your gift. "
replied,
day,
there shall
always
to the servant who " I asked for milk, and not for brought it,
element, saying
water.
-5 See " Historise Catholicse Ibernias
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 50, and cap. xii. , p. 53.
^*
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. I132, 1133.
''^
^^ See vol. i. , "Bishops of Lismore," pp; 550, 551.
The parish of O'Dorney, in the barony of Clanmaurice, is noted on the " Ordnance
Kerry," Sheets 15, 21.
and n. 88,
177. Also lib.
iii. ,cap. xxxvii. ,
25, 31.
Ibid. in the " Also,
p. and n.
Parliamentary i. , p. 253.
baronies, and it is noted, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Tipperary," Sheets 31, 37.
4 These and the succeeding particulars, we
glean, from a series of papers, published by
the proprietor and editor, Maurice Lenihan,
p. 157,
Article viii. See
"3 Acta Sancto-
Ireland,"
in the parish of Kilvellane, in the same
rum," tomus ii. , Martii xviii.
pretermitted saints, p. 614. ""
Among the
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March i8.
ArticleVII. —St. Caemhan,theHoly. Caemhan,denominatedthe
Holy, is set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ as having a festival, at this date. The BoUandists^ notice a St. Caimanus, a Bishop, occurring at the 1 8th of March, in two distinct Irish Martyrologies. Colgan thinks a disciple of St. Patrick, known as Coeman of Kill-rath, may be identified with the present saint. The same writer identifies the latter with a Coeman, Deacon, mentioned in St. Patrick's Acts. 3 There appears to be much con- fusion, in the short notes of writers, as relating to the present saint's identity.
Article VIII. —Natalis of St. Fridian, or Frigidian, Bishop, and
Patron of Lucca, Italy. \Sixth Century. '] St. Frigidian's festival is com- memorated on this day—said to have been his Natalis—in the Roman Martyrology, as in many of the more ancient Calendars. However, as the Bollandists observe,^ his chief festival is kept, in the city of Lucca, which honours him as patron, on the iSth of November, the day on which his relics were transferred ; and, at this date, more extended notices of him will be foundelsewhere. InStephenWhite,"inColgan,3intheRev. AlbanButler,* and in various other works,5 there iare accounts of him, at this date.
Article IX. —St. Commaneth, of Kilcomenty Parish, County of TiPPERARY. Thisalmostunknownsainthasatraditionalfameamongthe
—formerly called TuUagh—there is to be seen an old graveyard, containing several tombs and graves, the most curious of holy wells, and places of pilgrimage, with the remains of an ancient church. They well reward a visit from the tourist or antiquary. * Old men remember the walls of the ancient church standing. A curiously-cut holy water font was taken at a former time, out of the ruins, and brought to Birdhill. In and about the churchyard, there are remains of well-carved muUions, and other work, which show how beautiful was the tracery, and mouldings, in the windows of the old church. It is said to have been dedicated to St. Cummaneth, whose festival is observed, in the parish of Kilcomenty, on the iSth of March. The district is called Kilcommenthy, or the country about the church of St. Commenath. The well is shaded over by an enormous ash tree, which near the base of the trunkdividesitselfintotwogreatshafts. Fromthese,aquantityofbranches project, all covered with leaves in summer, and these shelter numerous
people of Kilcomenty parish,' county of Tipperary. Within two and a-half miles of Birdhill" railway station, and two and a-half of the town of Newport^
Article vii. —' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 80, 81.
s See " Circle—of the Seasons," p. 78.
"See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Martii xviii. Anaong the pretermitted scribed on the Ordnance Survey Town-
saints, p. 613.
3 See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima
Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xlvii. , p. 136,
land Maps for the County of Tipperary," Sheets 25, 31, 37.
— 186. Gazetteer of 68, p.
vol.
»
See Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. ii,, p. 15, cap. iv. , pp. 36, 37.
3 See Martii.
'*
Acta Sanctorum Hibernire," xviii.
Vita S. Fridiani sive Findiani
Epis. , pp. 633 to 651.
in the
"
Limerick Vindicator. " See
See "Lives of the " Cashel of the Fathers, Martyrs, Kings,"
and other principal Saints," March xviii. 3rd, 1S73.
in the No. for
June
Article ix,
* It is in the situated,
baronies of Owney and Arra, and it is de- *'
==
See a description of this place, on Sheets
March i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
pilgrims, who make their " rounds "5 of the well, and who pray for the inter- cession of the local saint, in order to be relieved from bodily and mental ail- ments. In this well are two of the mysterious trout, said to frequent nearly every holy well in Ireland. ^ The water,? by which the well is supplied, comes in a rivulet or stream, from Ballinahinch, some two miles off. Various traditional stories are current, among the people about Birdhill. ^ About two hundred yards north-east of the well, in the midst of hawthorn and alder trees, there is a great Druidic rock basin, of brown sandstone, quite unHke stone of the immediate place, which is limestone. The stone is about two and a-half feet in height from the ground, in breath at the top, it is two and a-half feet, and rounding off in form, it becomes broader, until at the extremity, it is about four and a-half feet in breadth. Within a few yards from the stone, the well runs under the ground, for about two hundred yards, and then it emerges from under the great shady ash tree, within a few yards of the churchyard. The stream thence continues to run a considerable distance, until it empties into the bog of Shower. 9 On the top of the stone are two circular basins, about a foot in diameter, always full or half full of
water
on the — of the there are two
; and, top stone, perpendicularcuttings,
six
like Ogam characters the top one, containing strokes, the lower one, or
one about the middle of the stone, eight. This curious stone, according to
a popular tradition, had been the bed of St. Cummaneth, and the perpen- dicular strokes, are regarded, as the marks of his hands, and of his ribs. '" The period of this saint is not discoverable to us.
Article X. —St. Finan. The festival of St. Finianus, or Finan, in the
Martyrology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen, is entered for the i8th
of March," or the xv. Kalends of April, which corresponds. ^ In the Breviary of Aberdeen, his ofhce is in nine Lessons. In Adam King's Calendar, we
s The "rounds" are seven in number.
Each time they are made by the individual
Ossian's famous hounds, killed on Moon a Lua, "the bog of the Black Bird, "i and on which the railway station has been built, a
pilgrim, who, in the first instance, takes up
seven bright pebbles from the brook which celebrated prehistoric Black Bird, from
runs out of the well, and having seven times
repeated the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Creed, and the Gloria, &c. , he throws a pebble into the brook or well. Then he proceeds to walk around the ground, about the well, through the churchyard, and from the churchyard to the front of the well, where the pilgrim kneels and prays. So on he continues, until the rounds are concluded, and until the seven pebbles are returned to the brook.
A
7 It rises in the lands of Mr. Patrick
which the Tipperary hill and parish derive their name. In a History of the Dalcassians,
published in the Limerick Vindicator, Mr. Lenihan fui'nishes interesting notes of these traditions.
5 There is a curious story told about the
well. It is said, that at some distant period,
it was situated near the stone, just described, but that the shepherds and herds of the place allowed sheep and cattle to sully the water, and, in one night, the well moved
down to its site, existing
* The
person of the neighbourhood, at one time, scorning to respect the well, took one of these trout home, and made an effort to roast it ; nothing but blood appeared, and the rascal had to bring the trout back to the well ; but from that day forward, the family have not had good luck.
following
is a local
legend.
Coffee, of that place, and increasing by perfectly correct. —
'
small tributary streams, it comes through
butter-cup covered,
^ One of these runs, that Ossian's bronze trumpet is buried beneath a rock, on Carri- geen» Again, it is stated, Bran, one of
See Bishop Forbes* p. 347.
and in the summer season.
pleasant fields, daisy
" xv. Kl.
'°
There is no doubt, that the stone lay, in
its present position, long before the period of the patron saint. On the conversion of the Druids, he may have used the basins for baptizing the early Christians of the place, and may have rested on it occasionally, There is nothing impossible or improbable in this presumption, and tradition may be
Article x.
" Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
* Thus do we find him noticed
Aprilis. In Scotia Sancti Finniani episcopi et confessoris qui abiectis calcatisque viciis orationi et ieiuniis vacare studuit gloriosum-
:
844 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 19.
read of " S. Finnane bischope confess, in Scotland vnder king ferquhard 2,"3 at the i8th of March. 4 The Bollandists,^ who notice this holy man, state, that they consider him to be hardly diiferent from the St. Finnan, who came from lona, as a monk, and who was afterwards known as Bishop over Lin- disfarne, in Northumbria, of which province he became the Apostle, accord- ing to Dempster. ^ Ferrarius has followed this account. We have only to refer the reader to his life, given at the 9th of January, and to some notices, regarding him, at the i6th and 17th of February.
Article XI. —Festival of St. Timothy, and of his Companions, Martyrs. In the Festilogy of St. ^-Engus, the Culdee, we find entered, at the 18th of IVIarch, the festival of St. Timothy, and of his companions,^ who
were martyrs.
5. xu. kl.
Co mo|\ bui-oin md]\CA TlApcA^ Viite LocVicA
La ciATtTOA
xx. TniLet) nioclicA.
With the great troops of March, Who were not all faulty,
With Timothy are reckoned Twenty champions who perished. ^
^meUentl) Bai) of Alanlj.
yvo ^ximit)
ARTICLE I. —ST. LACTEAN, OR LACTINUS, ABBOT OF FRESHFORD, COUNTY OF KILKENNY.
[SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES. ]
some of our large modern towns and cities, the thought of death
NEAR
under the
seems to be even in their
cemeteries,
concealed,
garniture
of shrubs and flowers, or under those refined sentiments, produced by the
sculptor'schisel,andoverpartialepitaph. Notso,however,doholypersons
seek to disguise from themselves, realities of life and death, in a religious course. This saint, called also Lactenus, Lactinius, and Lactanus,^ is com-
que sanctitatis nome« promeruit et miracu- lisclaruit. "—" Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p.
263.
3 Ferchardus II. is said to have flourished,
about A. D. 660.
• See Bishop Forbes' work, at p. 147.
s See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Martyrologies, as may be seen, by consult- ing the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Martii xviii. De Sanctis Martyri- bus Curento, Timotheo, Saldia, Feliciano, Jocundo in Mauritania, pp. 619, 620.
How- ever, the exact number does not appear, and the testimony of the "Feilire" of St. /Engus alone determines it.
' The Irish stanza was copied from the
Leabhar Breac, by Professor O'Looney, who also furni—shed the English translation.
Article ' "
i. Lactinus vulgo, Lacte-
nus & Lactanus ab authoribus supra in vita
Martii xviii. saints, p. 613.
Among
the
pretermitted
* In his " Menologium Scoticum," at p.
of F—orbes' work. 195 Bishop
'
Article XI. These appear to be the
martyrs in Mauritania, Saints Curentus, citatis. Lactocus a Calend. Casselensi, &
and Molactocus a S. —
Timotheus, Saldia, Felicianus, Jocun- . ^ngussio appellatur juxta
'
dus, who are noticed in some ancient dicenda num. ultimo. " Colgan's "Acta
March 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 845
raemorated in Colgan's work, and in the Bollandists' great collection. ^ He
was a member of Corpre Musc'ss illustrious family, belonging to Muskerry,
in the county of Cork. An imperfect Life, in which our saint is constantly
called Laccinus, was obtained by the Bollandists, from a Dublin Manuscript,
and that memoir appears to have been originally of some length, since only
the early period of his career is preserved, and written with some degree of
prolixity. It states, that while St. Molua* lived under the discipline of St.
Comgall, at Bangor, an angel appeared to him, and predicted the birth of Lactinus—after an interval of fifteen years—who was to be his future friend
and companion. Afterwards, it was related, that Molua never smiled, until he heardoftheinfant'sbirth. Hewaslineallydescended,fromConnortheSecond, King of Ireland. 5 The father of our saint is called Torphurus,^ and Torben, by some, according to a mode of speaking, not uncommon among our ancient writers ; however, Colgan supposes, that this had been the name of an ancestor ofLactinus,omittedinthegenealogy. ? Elsewhere,thispedigreededuceshis origin, from Connor, Monarch of Ireland. According to other accounts, he is called son to Corpre, son of Nuachar, son to Carthinn, son of Cannach, son to Corpre IMusc, son of King Connor, who was the son of Moglam. ^ Our saint was born some time in the sixth century, and his mother is called Senecha. 9 TheRev. S. Baring-Gouldhassomeaccountofthissaint. '°
Before the birth of the infant, and while he was borne in his mother's
womb,amiracleisrecorded,asforeshadowinghisgreatsanctity; forablind old man, called Mohemeth," received light, which gave him a miraculous vision of Rome, and of distant places, on land and on sea. Thus might the
child be compared to Jacob, Jeremias and St. John the Baptist, sanctified in advance of their nativities. At the time of his birth, no river, spring, or
water,wastobefoundnear; but,thevenerableMohemeth,takingthechild's hand, made with it a sign of the cross on the dry earth, and immediately a living fountain sprung up from the soil. Then Mohemeth, giving thanks to God, baptized the infant in the water, delivered him to his parent, and then
departedwithgreatjoy,towardshisownpartofthecountry. Eitherforget- ting or ignorant of the fact, that the infant had been duly baptized, some of his friends brought him to Blessed Elpheus'^ for baptism. But, the latter
^
According to the old Life, given by the Bollandists.
^ What renders this still more supposition
probable, is the circumstance, that St. Finan of Kinnety was descended from the same
3 For an account of Corpre Muse and his
brothers, Colgan refers the reader of his
work, to the Appendix for his Life of St.
Senan (chap. ii. and iii. ), at the 8th of to show, in his Acts, which were intended March. There he treats, regarding these
their and saints brothers, posterity, deriving
descent from them. He promised to say
more regarding them, in his Appendix to St. Finan's Life, at the 7th of April. See
" Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xix. Martii, n. 3, p. 657.
* His feast occurs, at the 4th of August.
5 According to the Annals of the Four
Masters, since the aforesaid Conaire, King of Ireland, had been slain in the year of
Christ, 165, and in the eighth year of his reign, and, as according to the same aut—ho-
Sanctorum Hibernice," xix. Martii. Vita S. Lactini, n. i. , p. 657.
-See "Acta
Sanctorum,"
tomus
iii. ,
Martii xix. De S. Lactino Abbate in Hi-
bernia, pp. 31 to 33.
rity, St. Lactinus died in the year 622
would seem probable, that more than six
generations intervened, between both of
these
personages.
'^ The old' Life states
:
•* Hoc virO itaque
it
Conaire, through ten generations, and he nevertheless flourished in the sixth century,
with St. Lactinus. This Colgan promised
for publication, at the 7th of April,
* The " at Sanctilogium Genealogicum,"
cap. 19, thus gives the genealogy of our saint. Two other old MSS. , in which
genealogies of the principal saints of Ireland are to be found, agree with the foregoing account, as to the name of this saint's father, and as to his being of Corpre Muse's race.
^ According to the fragmentaiy Life, pub- lished by the Bollandists.
'° "
See his Lives of the Saints," vol. iii. ,
March 19, pp. 331 to 333.
'^
our Calendars.
By this name, he is not discoverable, in
" He has not been identified, under an
corresponding name in our Martyrologies.
846 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 19.
had a revelation, that this Sacrament had been already received, and he properly refused to reiterate it ; while filled with a prophetic spirit, he pre- dicted the future sanctity and merits of the child, who was brought back to his parents. During infancy, Lactinus was miraculously preserved from suffering,althoughhehadtakenveryunwholesomefood; healsohealedhis mother from a dangerous tumour ; nor were his miracles confined to human beings, for he was instrumental in removing a cattle plague, which prevailed in his neighbourhood.
In the fifteenth year of St. Lactinus' age, his Angel Guardian, called Uriel, gave an admonition, that he should proceed to Bangor, where the greatabbot,St. Comgall,hadjustcommencedhisreligiousfoundation. The fame of this holy man, as an instructor, had spread to distant parts of Ireland, and St. Latinus was brought by Uriel, who moulded his pious dispositions, to become a disciple. St. Comgall received him, and appointed St. Molua tobecomehisteacher. Undersuchaguide,thescholarwasindefatigablein
study, '3 and he became a thorough proficient in a knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, when he had spent diligently the time, until he attained the thirtieth year of his age. ^4 An old Life of St. Molua indicates, that accord-
ing to a prediction of St. Dagan,^s the latter prophesied, St. Lactinus was destined to succeed the former, in his well-known seat, at Clonfert Molua.
Lactean thus received his early education, at the School of Bangor, founded by the illustrious St. Comgall -^^ and under the rule of this abbot, he made greatproficiency,invirtueandlearning. '7 Especially,inaknowledgeofHoly
Scriptureswashedistinguished; sothat,atlength,itpleasedSt. Comgallto send him forth with other disciples, to found religious houses, in different parts of Ireland. Among other houses, which he established, our saint founded one, at a place, called Achadh-ur,'^ which lay on the confines of
Ossory, and it is supposed to have been identical, with the present Fresh-
ford,'9
Kilkenny County.
place,
prebend,
in 2° Atthis a
called is Aghour,
docente coepit psalmos dicere : in psalmis autem legendis talem observabat modum :
de prima quinquagena tres psalmos in nomine Trinitatis unoquoque die legebat. Secundum in tribus diebus finierat, ct ter- tium similiter in tribus diebus consummave- rat. "
Lactinus induced his companions to go home with him. The next morning, on making a visit to the wall, it was found up- right, and in no manner injured. After the foregoing narrative, the Bollandists add, " Csetera disiderantur," so far as the Manu- script was concerned.
's Most probably, St. Dagan of Inbher-
daoile, who is venerated, on the 13th of
September.
'*
See his Acts, at the loth of May.
'? Such is a statement made in the Life of St. Mochaemhog, chap, viii. , according to
the Martyrology of Donegal,
'^ " He founded a great monastery at
Achad-ur, i. e. . Green field (not Greenford,
as Archdall says), near or at the place
'* A curious legend is related in his old Life, that when I-actinus arrived at Bangor, St. Comgall had engaged his monks to build a boundary wall around his monas- tery ; but, whatever work they put up during the day was destroyed by troops of infernal spirits at night, and these were seen flying about, as if anxious to secure their former ownership of the place, and to exclude the servants of God from taking possession of it. However, the holy Comgall selected thirty of his monks to watch each and
where Freshford now stands in the county
keep night,
to sing psalms and spiritual canticles, to repel those evil spirits. One night, with four other holy companions, our saint was placed on watch. AH these were united in bonds of the most perfect charity, so that their mutual love and friendship were ad- mired by the other monks. Lactinus was the youngest of the watchers, and he pro- posed to guard the wall singly, while the others slept. Then, placing his gold cross
of —Dr. " Ecclesiasti- Kilkenny. " Lanigan's
onthewall,andcoveringitwithacoUobium,
cal History of Ireland," vol. iii,, chap, xvii. , sect, v. , n. 69, pp. 26, 27.
'' Harris incorrectly places the monastery ofAchadUr,intheQueen'sCounty. See,
"
Antiquities of Ire- land," chap, xxxviii. , p. 264.
'° The town, townland and parish of
Freshford, in the barony of Crannagh, is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Kilkenny," Sheets 9, 13.
Harris' Ware, vol. ii. ,
March 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 847
yet known f^ and this has probably become a corruption of Achadh-ur, Fresh Field,^^ or Green field,^3 as rendered in St. Mochoemoc's ancient Life. It was so designated, on account of the number of rivulets, which intersected this part of the country. Some curious remains of an old church are to be seen, at this place. '-^ Avery beautiful and an ancient Irish Romanesque's
Doorway of Fi-eshford Church, County of Kilkenny.
doorwayisespeciallyremarkable,foritselaboratemouldingsinstone. ^'^ An Irish inscription on it reveals the name of the founder of this church, but not the period when he flourished. A projecting porch surrounds the door- way,andthewestgablehaspilastersattheangles. NeartheruinsisTobar Lachtin,=7 or " Lachtain's Well," once regarded as sacred to the saint's memory, but now deserted. ^^
" At Archdall " This is Freshford, says,
"Ecclesiastical and Round Architecture,
Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs.
2, pp. 285 to 288.
=5 Sec Miss Stokes' " Christian Inscfip'
tions in the Irish Language," vol. ii. , pp. 87 to 89.
** The accompanying illustration, drawn on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
=^7 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (g), p. 244.
-'^ In the first vol. of Kilkenny Letters, among the Ordnance Survey Office collection of MSS. , the following account is taken from
a letter written by Mr. O'Donovan, and
dated Freshford, September ist, 1839 : "About one quarter of a mile to the south
now a parish church in the diocese of Ossory, and called the prebend of Aghour. " See " Monasticon Hibemicum," p. 351.
" " Achadh-Ur, i. e. , the Fresh Field, now corruptly called in English Freshford, a small town—near Kilkenny, in the county of
Kilkenny. See Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. p. 26.
"3 The name is explained as follows, in the Life of St. Mochoemoc, or Pulcherius, pub- lished by Colgan at nth of March ' Ach-
:
adh-ur. i. ager viridis sen mollis propter humiditatem rivulorum qui transcunt ibi. "
^* For illustrations of details, and for a more minute architectural and historical notice, the reader is referred to Dr. Petrie's
S48 LIVjES of the IRISH SAINTS. [^Iarch 19.
In the old Life of St. Mochoemoc,^? we are told, that whilst he lived at Rathen, compassionating the distressed state of his community, our saint brought with him to this place a present, consisting of thirty- cows, one bull, two herdsmen and some utensils. 3° Leaving these a short dis- tance from the monastery, which he entered alone ; he there asked for some milk to assuage a pretended necessity. The servant told St. Mochoemoc, that St. Lactinus who was infirm, requested some milk. The Abbot Mochoemoc ordered a measure to be brought, which being filled with water, on blessing it, this water immediately became changed into new milk. Having had a manifestation, regarding wliat had taken place, St. Lactinus received the measure, which again blessing, he converted its contents into the original
tery,
St. Mochoemoc
said,
any person
receive St. Lactinus your gift. "
replied,
day,
there shall
always
to the servant who " I asked for milk, and not for brought it,
element, saying
water.
