All the village,
together
with this house, 108 was consumed to ashes, excepting only the perch whereon the salt hung, and a part of the wall, that sustained it.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
57, 58.
Also, Addi- tional Notes O, p.
372.
D. D. , M. R. I. A. , &c, book ii. , chap, v. , pp. 41, 42.
150 In the Irish language, the name is written neman. Other individuals of this same name are mentioned in Adamnan's work, lib. i. , cap. 21, lib. ii. , cap. 4.
151 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Columbae, cap. xii. , p. 333 ; Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xxxix. ,
141 See "Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. v. , pp. 351, 352, and nn. 5, 6, 7, pp. 381,382; Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. lvii. , p. 419. AlsoQuartaAppendixadActaS.
Columbae, cap. x. , num. 76, p. 491.
142 Adamnan adds: "cujus cognomen- p. 347 ; Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. ,
turn Scotice Lathir dicitur. "
143 It seems he had been selected on ano-
ther occasion to sail for Ireland, on a mes-
sage of St. Columba ; and hence we may
Regio Cainle unappropriated. Besides Mons
was son to Cairbre Damhairgid, King of
Airghialla. In this place, St. Macarthen Cainle would not suit the plain of Bregia, or
founded the See of Clogher, a town in the
the vicinity of Trevet.
154 It is called Mons Cainle by Adamnan,
in lib. ii. , cap. 17, but without his giving any clue to the identification.
present county of Tyrone.
145 See her Life, at the 15th of December
—the date assigned for her festival.
*SJ " In this the word
the next of Adamnan must have re- chapter
ference to the saint's of previous place
sojourn, viz. , in Bregia.
156 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
146
This is not explained but, —
view,
vicinus," in
evidently it was some religious token or object—
which had received the Abbot's blessing and which was recognised by the religious of that period.
;
147 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 39, and
"Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 5, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e), pp. into 113.
148
She is said to have lived at Cluain- boirenn, now Clonburren, in the parish of Moore, and county of Roscommon.
149 See " Life of St. Columba, Founder of Hy," written by Adamnan, Ninth Abbot of that Monastery, Edited by William Reeves,
cap. ci. , p. 428.
xs2 to the Life of our Saint, According
by John of Teignmouth, and by John Cap-
nn. (a, b), pp. 75, 76. " *» See a description of both, in the
Im- perial Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. i. , p.
2 95-
•s8 Called Coluansa, by George Buchanan.
See "Rerum Scoticarum Historia," lib. L, p. 26.
159 See a description of Colonsay, in ID
418 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
l6
expects in the night time getting over to the little Isle, 9 where our sea-
calves J 7° or seals ^l breed, to steal some away after devouring others. 1 ? 2 Then
filling his boat, he brings several home to his hiding place. "^ They did accord- ingly, as directed, and found the robber, in that very spot indicated. '? 4 Him they brought to St. Columba, as he had commanded. The saint seeing Ercus said : "Wherefore does thou trespass so often against the Divine Command- ment, in stealing other men's goods? When thou art driven to any necessity, come to us, and we will relieve thy wants. " On this, he appointed, that some sheep should be killed and given to the miserable wretch, that he might not return home in absolute want. Within a short time, our saint knew by a re- velation, that this robber's death drew near. Then he ordered Baithen, who
16 wasastewardinCampoLungersinTiree,? tosendhimafatcowandseven
measuresofcorn. Baithendespatchedthematonce,butthewretchedmandied
the same As the saint was
1 ? ? day.
sitting
The sent were at his funeral. 1 ? 8
suddenly
presents
in his little hut one
allusion to an
ordinary parish,
or 86 or Colcio,'
l8t has been
disputed.
Nor has the
identity
ofthat l8s Colga
then to be "
and as if
with them down to
district, with defined limits of 1 ^ or to an jurisdiction,
:
Colgu,
18? been
ascertained,
towhomthe
foregoing
wordswere
Thomas Pennant's " Tour in Scotland, and
Voyage to the Hebrides, MDCCLXXII. ," part
i. , pp. 273 to 275.
160 This lies nearer to Iona than the larger
work ; and, thirdly, there are no "compuli mari vicini," or"arenarum cumuli," on the west coast of Mull near Hy.
Island of Colonsay.
169 Most probably Erraid Isle, the largest of a little group of islands at the south en- tranceofthesound,south-eastof and
his side. 181 now, demons are
reading by
hell one of the superiors in your diocese. "' 82 Whether the latter word bears
happened Columba said
inspired,
Just
episcopal
"Trias
Quarla Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxxxi. ,
p. 347, and nn. 85, 86, 87, p. 379. Also posite this island, the sand is abundant en QuintaVitaS. Columbse,lib. ii. , cap. theshoreofMull,butthecoastisironbound
,6t See
Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
Hy, close to the shore of Mull. Immediately op-
xxxvii. , pp. 415, 416.
162 There were two brothers of this name,
one was styled Mocumin, by Adamnan, in lib. i. , cap. 15, 24, 28, and the other Mocu- blai, in lib. i. , cap. 43.
163 His parentage is given by Adamnan, in lib. ii. , cap. 4, where he is described as sent on a longer errand.
164 This was the Irish form of the name,
and was borne by three famous abbots of
is the ad-
jective Maleam.
166 The district called the Ross, formed by
the deep indentation of Loch Scridan, is a
long narrow tract. It runs in a south-
westerly direction, and it terminates oppo- site to the Island of Iona.
167 To his name is added mAC-Ua-'Orttii'oi.
This is thought to be the tribe-name of some
obscure family.
168 Allusion seems here to be made to the
Island known as Great Colonsay, for the following reasons : In the first place, it is likely Colosa was an inhabited island, which Little Colonsay is not ; secondly, there should be no advantage gained by crossing from Little Colonsay, because the Islands on that side are nearer to it than to the shore, and his object in landing was to be near his
higher up, and it continues so for a long dis- tance. The course from Colonsay was north- west, for about thirteen miles.
170 Pliny calls seals Phocse. See " His- toria Naturalis," cap. ix. , sect. 13.
171 The Irish term is poti.
173 M. Martin, writing in 1703. states, that
Ulster, in the seventh century. l6s ""
ple, who say that they are very nourishing. " On the west coast of Harris is the Island Eousmil, a rock where there is a yearly fish- ing of seals, which belong to the adjacent landholders. The parish minister has his choice of all the young seals, and that which he takes is called Cullen Mary, i. e. , "the Virgin Mary's Seal. " So many as 320 have been killed at one time. The natives salt the fish, with the ashes of burnt sea-ware. Peopleofdistinctioneatthehamsonly See " A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland," pp. 61 to 65.
173 These animals are frequently seen on the islands, in the neighbourhood ; but, not so regularly, or in such numbers, as to consti- tute a preserve.
174 The stranger landing on the rear end of Mull could then conveniently cross over to the seal island.
'« In Ethica terra, Tiree.
176 This island was much larger and more
Agreeing with insulam
spent day, Colga, Suddenly, forcibly dragging
in Harris seals
"
are eat by the meaner peo-
J 79 son of ,8° Cellaig,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 419
addressed. From the expression used, he is supposed l88 to have been a
bishop ,8° but, it has been well observed,100 that the phrase "your diocese" ;
may mean no more than some diocese in Ireland to which Colgeus belonged,
I02 heard the
1 1 When without his being a bishop over it. ? Colga
expressions 10* and he re- turnedhome. Withinafewmonths,onenquiringfromtheinhabitantsofthe place, he learned that Gallanus, son of Fachtnus, died at that hour, when the
saint said he saw a man carried off demons. IQs This by
of St. IQ3 he marked the time Columba,
accurately
in a
tablet,
son to
had a sister that suffered from an inflammation or ophthalmic swelling in her
106 That woman used a of salt which the saint had blessed. This lump
eye.
is called a Eulogia,'°7 as also a Benedictio. It had been obtained from our saint, by her brother Colga. It fell out after some days, that house wherein this portion of salt was kept took fire.
All the village, together with this house, 108 was consumed to ashes, excepting only the perch whereon the salt hung, and a part of the wall, that sustained it. Nor did the fire consume two
,0Q which the salt. 200 supported
uprights,
Among those residing on the Island of Iona was a holy reli-
202 or
of Aid Draigniche,205 and whose mother was named Cuillenn. 206
201 named
2°3 or 20* son Colcu,
or
fertile than Hy ; hence, it was better calcu- lated to furnish those supplies mentioned in
gious,
Colgius
Colgus,
Colgan,
the text. See the "Ulster
cesan episcopacy was unknown at this period in Ireland.
184 Severus uses in the Sulpicius dioccesis,
sense of "parish," and parochia in that of
of Arch-
177 See Rev. Dr. Reeves'Adamnan's"Life "an
aeology," vol. ii. , p. 237.
Colga sive Colgano filio Kellachi, pp. 381, 382. There, Colgan conjectures, that his church was perhaps at Kilcolgan, in the ter-
ritory of Delbhna Ethra, or O'Coghlan's country, in the King's County ; yet, he lays
it down elsewhere, that it was Kil-colgan, in the diocese of Clonfert, and county of Gal-
way. See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta
worse confounded, the Rev. Mervyn Arch- dall has Colgeus, or, as he calls him, Colgan, abbot in both these places.
lSs
By Father John Colgan.
180
Cellaig is in the title, to Adamnan's
ad Acta S. Columbae,
189 of in Possibly Colga Kil-cholgan
Dealbh-na-EathraorGarrycastle. See"Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," Februarii xx. , p. 381.
190 By Rev. Dr. Lanigan.
191 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , sect, vii. , n. 93, p. 328. 192 It is conjectured, that he was vene- rated at the 20th of February. We prefer, however, the 23rd oi October, to treat further regarding him. Tigemach, at a. d. 622, re- cords the death of Colga mac Ceallaig. The
"
state at a. d. 621, the FourMastershaveit,ata. d. 617; andthetwo names in the same relation occur again in the Four Masters, at a. d. 776, and at a. d. 849. The word in the text eidem used in lib. i. ,
cap. 35, refers to the name in the titulus of
that chapter. It proves the genuineness of both title and chapter.
193 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
Appendix
num. 19, p. 488, and Quinta Appendix, cap. 2, num. 60, p. 495. To make confusion
chapter, and it is the genitive of Cellach, which is Latinized Cellachi, in lib. Hi. ,
cap. 15.
181
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxxv. ,
p. 346, and n. 78, p. 379.
182 The word used in the oldest Irish re-
""
cords to denote a diocese is parochia. See
S. Patiicii Synodus, xxx. , xxxvi. , Father Villanueva, " Sancti Patiicii Ibemorum
Apostoli, Synodi, Canones, Opuscula, et Scriptorum quae supersunt, Fragmenta, pp. 5,6.
183 The Rev. Dr. Reeves asserts, that dio-
"Annals of Ulster
Journal
episcopal possession. "
Martini, pp. 578, 526, 550, Editio Hornii. In the Book of Armagh, the Latin for this
178 This seems to show, that the extrava- gantuseofrefreshmentsontheoccasionof ab,16,aa,20,bb,21,bb,22,a,a.
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 41, pp. 77 to 79, andnn. (a,b,c,d,e,f, g,h,i,k,1).
Celtic wakes and funerals had been a custom
of long standing.
179 Father John Colgan treats of him as a
saint at the 20th of February. See "Acta
Sanctorum Hibemiae," xx. Februarii. De B. i. , cap. 35. In this text, we have the Latin
cap. x. ,
Colga,
Cellach,
word is "Paruchia," according to fol. 11,
185 The subject of the present anecdote is mentioned again at cap. iii. , lib. 15, under similar circumstances.
form of the name Colga, while in the title we have the Irish in the genitive.
187 This is the reading in lib. iii. , cap. 15.
Colgen is the genitive of this name, where it
is again mentioned, in lib. i. , cap. 43. Thus,
too, Colgan, the hagiologist's name, is pro-
perly Mac Colgan, "son of Colgan. "
185 He is so called in Adamnan's text, lib.
See Vita S.
42o
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
Weare
shehadbeenrearedat Ullenforatime. 20? Shehada Magh
daugh-
told, ter, likewise,
whowascalledFailinn. 208 This
20Q
2I°tothe inhabiting an extensive tract in the modern counties of GalwayandMayo. 2'2 TheirpedigreeisderivedfromFiachraFollsnathach,213 the son of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin, King of Ireland, 214 and of his wife
Fiachrach tribe,
211
relating
Mongfmn.
In
this
anecdote,
and in
there is an admirable agreement of the biographer of St. Columba with the
Irish genealogies. He was asked by the holy Abbot, who had an illumina-
tion regarding the spiritual condition of Cuillenn, whether Colga knew if his
mother were religious or otherwise. 216 Then the monk very readily answered
him, that he had always thought his mother to be good, and to have borne
such a character. The saint then spoke the following prophetic words :
" now return to
21 ? and
ing her very grievous sin, which she does not wish to confess to any man. "
In obedience to these words, he sailed for Ireland. When Colgu interrogated his mother closely, though she at first denied, she at last confessed her sin. She wondered very much, at what had been revealed to Columba, regarding her. She therefore resolved to make a candid and a sincere confession of her sins, so that she might receive the grace of absolution, and thenceforward have her conscience disburdened from her concealed guilt. Doing penance,
according to the judgment of the saint, she was absolved. But, Colga, re- turning to the saint, remained with him for some days, and then, asking about
Quickly
Scotia,
interrogate your
mother
closely regard-
his own destiny, received this answer from the saint
which you love, you shall be head of a certain church 2l8 for many years, and when at length you shall see your butler 2I ? playing for a company of friends
at and supper,
twisting
:
the 22°inacircleroundhis 221 knowthat tap neck,
you
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 35, and nn. (a, b), pp. 65, 66.
194 This was probably a custom of some among the monastic brethren, who kept memoranda or note-books, as most intelli-
gent persons do at the present day,
'55 The Bollandists have thrown all the chapters of Adamnan into a continuous nar- rative, and they have discarded the tituli, so
the
cedent necessary to explain it, as in the pre- sent instance.
196 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. vii. , p. 352, and n. 8, p. 382 ; Quinta Vita S.
Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. lviii. , pp. 419, 420. ,97 The Greek word occurs sixteen times
in the New Testament
press what the Vulgate renders "benedictio,"
in the sense of a present. See Du Cange's "" Glossarium Mediae et Infirmae Latinitatis,
'" These are called "sudes," and were the stakes or uprights, which formed the skeleton of the hurdle wall.
ao° See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 7.
p. 114.
as not to
dix ad Acta S. Colmani, — ii. ,
However, owing to this plan, they occasionally create adefectintheirtext,byomittingtheante-
248. Also called Colga sometimes con- found—edwithCailtanorCoelten,amonkat Iona and he is alluded to in the Second Volume of this work, at February 25th, Art.
interrupt
reading.
cap. p.
;
27, it is employed by the Septuagint to ex-
and in 1 Sam. xxv. ,
Acta Sanctorum Huber- ts From such account, we may fairly in- niae," xx. Februarii. De S. Colgo sive fer, that many houses were built closely Colgano, Abbate de Kill Colgan in Conna-
sub voce.
together, in the towns and villages of Ire- land, at this early period. It is likely, also,
that they were very numerous, throughout the length and breadth of the land ; while the inhabitants enjoyed, for the most part, peace and pi osperi'y.
See Colgan's cia, cap. iii. , p. 381.
90t
His feast was held on the 20th of
Colga
giving
Hy
the descent of 2Is Colga,
belonged
" In your own country,
Februaiy, according to Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," Februarii iii. Appen-
xa
iii. , whereafulleraccountofhimisgiven.
'°3
Said to have been Patron of Kdcolgan, a Parish in Kilmacduagh diocese.
a04 Said to have been of Cluain Colgan, at Athcluana-Meadhraidhe. He is dignified with a title " the chaste. "
*°5 In Irish Tjpdi$ni§e.
**
In that tract, attributed to St. ^Engus the Culdee, and intituled "De Matribus Sanctorum Hibernire. "
a°7
"
ao*
From her the parish of Killealy, in the
diocese of Kilmacduagh, derives its name. It
issituatedin thebaronyof Drumkellin, south-
east of the town of Galway, and it is de- scribed, on the " Ordnance Survey Town-
June 9.
D. D. , M. R. I. A. , &c, book ii. , chap, v. , pp. 41, 42.
150 In the Irish language, the name is written neman. Other individuals of this same name are mentioned in Adamnan's work, lib. i. , cap. 21, lib. ii. , cap. 4.
151 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Columbae, cap. xii. , p. 333 ; Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xxxix. ,
141 See "Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. v. , pp. 351, 352, and nn. 5, 6, 7, pp. 381,382; Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. lvii. , p. 419. AlsoQuartaAppendixadActaS.
Columbae, cap. x. , num. 76, p. 491.
142 Adamnan adds: "cujus cognomen- p. 347 ; Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. ,
turn Scotice Lathir dicitur. "
143 It seems he had been selected on ano-
ther occasion to sail for Ireland, on a mes-
sage of St. Columba ; and hence we may
Regio Cainle unappropriated. Besides Mons
was son to Cairbre Damhairgid, King of
Airghialla. In this place, St. Macarthen Cainle would not suit the plain of Bregia, or
founded the See of Clogher, a town in the
the vicinity of Trevet.
154 It is called Mons Cainle by Adamnan,
in lib. ii. , cap. 17, but without his giving any clue to the identification.
present county of Tyrone.
145 See her Life, at the 15th of December
—the date assigned for her festival.
*SJ " In this the word
the next of Adamnan must have re- chapter
ference to the saint's of previous place
sojourn, viz. , in Bregia.
156 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
146
This is not explained but, —
view,
vicinus," in
evidently it was some religious token or object—
which had received the Abbot's blessing and which was recognised by the religious of that period.
;
147 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 39, and
"Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 5, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e), pp. into 113.
148
She is said to have lived at Cluain- boirenn, now Clonburren, in the parish of Moore, and county of Roscommon.
149 See " Life of St. Columba, Founder of Hy," written by Adamnan, Ninth Abbot of that Monastery, Edited by William Reeves,
cap. ci. , p. 428.
xs2 to the Life of our Saint, According
by John of Teignmouth, and by John Cap-
nn. (a, b), pp. 75, 76. " *» See a description of both, in the
Im- perial Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. i. , p.
2 95-
•s8 Called Coluansa, by George Buchanan.
See "Rerum Scoticarum Historia," lib. L, p. 26.
159 See a description of Colonsay, in ID
418 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
l6
expects in the night time getting over to the little Isle, 9 where our sea-
calves J 7° or seals ^l breed, to steal some away after devouring others. 1 ? 2 Then
filling his boat, he brings several home to his hiding place. "^ They did accord- ingly, as directed, and found the robber, in that very spot indicated. '? 4 Him they brought to St. Columba, as he had commanded. The saint seeing Ercus said : "Wherefore does thou trespass so often against the Divine Command- ment, in stealing other men's goods? When thou art driven to any necessity, come to us, and we will relieve thy wants. " On this, he appointed, that some sheep should be killed and given to the miserable wretch, that he might not return home in absolute want. Within a short time, our saint knew by a re- velation, that this robber's death drew near. Then he ordered Baithen, who
16 wasastewardinCampoLungersinTiree,? tosendhimafatcowandseven
measuresofcorn. Baithendespatchedthematonce,butthewretchedmandied
the same As the saint was
1 ? ? day.
sitting
The sent were at his funeral. 1 ? 8
suddenly
presents
in his little hut one
allusion to an
ordinary parish,
or 86 or Colcio,'
l8t has been
disputed.
Nor has the
identity
ofthat l8s Colga
then to be "
and as if
with them down to
district, with defined limits of 1 ^ or to an jurisdiction,
:
Colgu,
18? been
ascertained,
towhomthe
foregoing
wordswere
Thomas Pennant's " Tour in Scotland, and
Voyage to the Hebrides, MDCCLXXII. ," part
i. , pp. 273 to 275.
160 This lies nearer to Iona than the larger
work ; and, thirdly, there are no "compuli mari vicini," or"arenarum cumuli," on the west coast of Mull near Hy.
Island of Colonsay.
169 Most probably Erraid Isle, the largest of a little group of islands at the south en- tranceofthesound,south-eastof and
his side. 181 now, demons are
reading by
hell one of the superiors in your diocese. "' 82 Whether the latter word bears
happened Columba said
inspired,
Just
episcopal
"Trias
Quarla Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxxxi. ,
p. 347, and nn. 85, 86, 87, p. 379. Also posite this island, the sand is abundant en QuintaVitaS. Columbse,lib. ii. , cap. theshoreofMull,butthecoastisironbound
,6t See
Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
Hy, close to the shore of Mull. Immediately op-
xxxvii. , pp. 415, 416.
162 There were two brothers of this name,
one was styled Mocumin, by Adamnan, in lib. i. , cap. 15, 24, 28, and the other Mocu- blai, in lib. i. , cap. 43.
163 His parentage is given by Adamnan, in lib. ii. , cap. 4, where he is described as sent on a longer errand.
164 This was the Irish form of the name,
and was borne by three famous abbots of
is the ad-
jective Maleam.
166 The district called the Ross, formed by
the deep indentation of Loch Scridan, is a
long narrow tract. It runs in a south-
westerly direction, and it terminates oppo- site to the Island of Iona.
167 To his name is added mAC-Ua-'Orttii'oi.
This is thought to be the tribe-name of some
obscure family.
168 Allusion seems here to be made to the
Island known as Great Colonsay, for the following reasons : In the first place, it is likely Colosa was an inhabited island, which Little Colonsay is not ; secondly, there should be no advantage gained by crossing from Little Colonsay, because the Islands on that side are nearer to it than to the shore, and his object in landing was to be near his
higher up, and it continues so for a long dis- tance. The course from Colonsay was north- west, for about thirteen miles.
170 Pliny calls seals Phocse. See " His- toria Naturalis," cap. ix. , sect. 13.
171 The Irish term is poti.
173 M. Martin, writing in 1703. states, that
Ulster, in the seventh century. l6s ""
ple, who say that they are very nourishing. " On the west coast of Harris is the Island Eousmil, a rock where there is a yearly fish- ing of seals, which belong to the adjacent landholders. The parish minister has his choice of all the young seals, and that which he takes is called Cullen Mary, i. e. , "the Virgin Mary's Seal. " So many as 320 have been killed at one time. The natives salt the fish, with the ashes of burnt sea-ware. Peopleofdistinctioneatthehamsonly See " A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland," pp. 61 to 65.
173 These animals are frequently seen on the islands, in the neighbourhood ; but, not so regularly, or in such numbers, as to consti- tute a preserve.
174 The stranger landing on the rear end of Mull could then conveniently cross over to the seal island.
'« In Ethica terra, Tiree.
176 This island was much larger and more
Agreeing with insulam
spent day, Colga, Suddenly, forcibly dragging
in Harris seals
"
are eat by the meaner peo-
J 79 son of ,8° Cellaig,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 419
addressed. From the expression used, he is supposed l88 to have been a
bishop ,8° but, it has been well observed,100 that the phrase "your diocese" ;
may mean no more than some diocese in Ireland to which Colgeus belonged,
I02 heard the
1 1 When without his being a bishop over it. ? Colga
expressions 10* and he re- turnedhome. Withinafewmonths,onenquiringfromtheinhabitantsofthe place, he learned that Gallanus, son of Fachtnus, died at that hour, when the
saint said he saw a man carried off demons. IQs This by
of St. IQ3 he marked the time Columba,
accurately
in a
tablet,
son to
had a sister that suffered from an inflammation or ophthalmic swelling in her
106 That woman used a of salt which the saint had blessed. This lump
eye.
is called a Eulogia,'°7 as also a Benedictio. It had been obtained from our saint, by her brother Colga. It fell out after some days, that house wherein this portion of salt was kept took fire.
All the village, together with this house, 108 was consumed to ashes, excepting only the perch whereon the salt hung, and a part of the wall, that sustained it. Nor did the fire consume two
,0Q which the salt. 200 supported
uprights,
Among those residing on the Island of Iona was a holy reli-
202 or
of Aid Draigniche,205 and whose mother was named Cuillenn. 206
201 named
2°3 or 20* son Colcu,
or
fertile than Hy ; hence, it was better calcu- lated to furnish those supplies mentioned in
gious,
Colgius
Colgus,
Colgan,
the text. See the "Ulster
cesan episcopacy was unknown at this period in Ireland.
184 Severus uses in the Sulpicius dioccesis,
sense of "parish," and parochia in that of
of Arch-
177 See Rev. Dr. Reeves'Adamnan's"Life "an
aeology," vol. ii. , p. 237.
Colga sive Colgano filio Kellachi, pp. 381, 382. There, Colgan conjectures, that his church was perhaps at Kilcolgan, in the ter-
ritory of Delbhna Ethra, or O'Coghlan's country, in the King's County ; yet, he lays
it down elsewhere, that it was Kil-colgan, in the diocese of Clonfert, and county of Gal-
way. See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta
worse confounded, the Rev. Mervyn Arch- dall has Colgeus, or, as he calls him, Colgan, abbot in both these places.
lSs
By Father John Colgan.
180
Cellaig is in the title, to Adamnan's
ad Acta S. Columbae,
189 of in Possibly Colga Kil-cholgan
Dealbh-na-EathraorGarrycastle. See"Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," Februarii xx. , p. 381.
190 By Rev. Dr. Lanigan.
191 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , sect, vii. , n. 93, p. 328. 192 It is conjectured, that he was vene- rated at the 20th of February. We prefer, however, the 23rd oi October, to treat further regarding him. Tigemach, at a. d. 622, re- cords the death of Colga mac Ceallaig. The
"
state at a. d. 621, the FourMastershaveit,ata. d. 617; andthetwo names in the same relation occur again in the Four Masters, at a. d. 776, and at a. d. 849. The word in the text eidem used in lib. i. ,
cap. 35, refers to the name in the titulus of
that chapter. It proves the genuineness of both title and chapter.
193 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
Appendix
num. 19, p. 488, and Quinta Appendix, cap. 2, num. 60, p. 495. To make confusion
chapter, and it is the genitive of Cellach, which is Latinized Cellachi, in lib. Hi. ,
cap. 15.
181
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxxv. ,
p. 346, and n. 78, p. 379.
182 The word used in the oldest Irish re-
""
cords to denote a diocese is parochia. See
S. Patiicii Synodus, xxx. , xxxvi. , Father Villanueva, " Sancti Patiicii Ibemorum
Apostoli, Synodi, Canones, Opuscula, et Scriptorum quae supersunt, Fragmenta, pp. 5,6.
183 The Rev. Dr. Reeves asserts, that dio-
"Annals of Ulster
Journal
episcopal possession. "
Martini, pp. 578, 526, 550, Editio Hornii. In the Book of Armagh, the Latin for this
178 This seems to show, that the extrava- gantuseofrefreshmentsontheoccasionof ab,16,aa,20,bb,21,bb,22,a,a.
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 41, pp. 77 to 79, andnn. (a,b,c,d,e,f, g,h,i,k,1).
Celtic wakes and funerals had been a custom
of long standing.
179 Father John Colgan treats of him as a
saint at the 20th of February. See "Acta
Sanctorum Hibemiae," xx. Februarii. De B. i. , cap. 35. In this text, we have the Latin
cap. x. ,
Colga,
Cellach,
word is "Paruchia," according to fol. 11,
185 The subject of the present anecdote is mentioned again at cap. iii. , lib. 15, under similar circumstances.
form of the name Colga, while in the title we have the Irish in the genitive.
187 This is the reading in lib. iii. , cap. 15.
Colgen is the genitive of this name, where it
is again mentioned, in lib. i. , cap. 43. Thus,
too, Colgan, the hagiologist's name, is pro-
perly Mac Colgan, "son of Colgan. "
185 He is so called in Adamnan's text, lib.
See Vita S.
42o
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
Weare
shehadbeenrearedat Ullenforatime. 20? Shehada Magh
daugh-
told, ter, likewise,
whowascalledFailinn. 208 This
20Q
2I°tothe inhabiting an extensive tract in the modern counties of GalwayandMayo. 2'2 TheirpedigreeisderivedfromFiachraFollsnathach,213 the son of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin, King of Ireland, 214 and of his wife
Fiachrach tribe,
211
relating
Mongfmn.
In
this
anecdote,
and in
there is an admirable agreement of the biographer of St. Columba with the
Irish genealogies. He was asked by the holy Abbot, who had an illumina-
tion regarding the spiritual condition of Cuillenn, whether Colga knew if his
mother were religious or otherwise. 216 Then the monk very readily answered
him, that he had always thought his mother to be good, and to have borne
such a character. The saint then spoke the following prophetic words :
" now return to
21 ? and
ing her very grievous sin, which she does not wish to confess to any man. "
In obedience to these words, he sailed for Ireland. When Colgu interrogated his mother closely, though she at first denied, she at last confessed her sin. She wondered very much, at what had been revealed to Columba, regarding her. She therefore resolved to make a candid and a sincere confession of her sins, so that she might receive the grace of absolution, and thenceforward have her conscience disburdened from her concealed guilt. Doing penance,
according to the judgment of the saint, she was absolved. But, Colga, re- turning to the saint, remained with him for some days, and then, asking about
Quickly
Scotia,
interrogate your
mother
closely regard-
his own destiny, received this answer from the saint
which you love, you shall be head of a certain church 2l8 for many years, and when at length you shall see your butler 2I ? playing for a company of friends
at and supper,
twisting
:
the 22°inacircleroundhis 221 knowthat tap neck,
you
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 35, and nn. (a, b), pp. 65, 66.
194 This was probably a custom of some among the monastic brethren, who kept memoranda or note-books, as most intelli-
gent persons do at the present day,
'55 The Bollandists have thrown all the chapters of Adamnan into a continuous nar- rative, and they have discarded the tituli, so
the
cedent necessary to explain it, as in the pre- sent instance.
196 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. vii. , p. 352, and n. 8, p. 382 ; Quinta Vita S.
Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. lviii. , pp. 419, 420. ,97 The Greek word occurs sixteen times
in the New Testament
press what the Vulgate renders "benedictio,"
in the sense of a present. See Du Cange's "" Glossarium Mediae et Infirmae Latinitatis,
'" These are called "sudes," and were the stakes or uprights, which formed the skeleton of the hurdle wall.
ao° See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 7.
p. 114.
as not to
dix ad Acta S. Colmani, — ii. ,
However, owing to this plan, they occasionally create adefectintheirtext,byomittingtheante-
248. Also called Colga sometimes con- found—edwithCailtanorCoelten,amonkat Iona and he is alluded to in the Second Volume of this work, at February 25th, Art.
interrupt
reading.
cap. p.
;
27, it is employed by the Septuagint to ex-
and in 1 Sam. xxv. ,
Acta Sanctorum Huber- ts From such account, we may fairly in- niae," xx. Februarii. De S. Colgo sive fer, that many houses were built closely Colgano, Abbate de Kill Colgan in Conna-
sub voce.
together, in the towns and villages of Ire- land, at this early period. It is likely, also,
that they were very numerous, throughout the length and breadth of the land ; while the inhabitants enjoyed, for the most part, peace and pi osperi'y.
See Colgan's cia, cap. iii. , p. 381.
90t
His feast was held on the 20th of
Colga
giving
Hy
the descent of 2Is Colga,
belonged
" In your own country,
Februaiy, according to Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," Februarii iii. Appen-
xa
iii. , whereafulleraccountofhimisgiven.
'°3
Said to have been Patron of Kdcolgan, a Parish in Kilmacduagh diocese.
a04 Said to have been of Cluain Colgan, at Athcluana-Meadhraidhe. He is dignified with a title " the chaste. "
*°5 In Irish Tjpdi$ni§e.
**
In that tract, attributed to St. ^Engus the Culdee, and intituled "De Matribus Sanctorum Hibernire. "
a°7
"
ao*
From her the parish of Killealy, in the
diocese of Kilmacduagh, derives its name. It
issituatedin thebaronyof Drumkellin, south-
east of the town of Galway, and it is de- scribed, on the " Ordnance Survey Town-
June 9.
