THE
MONASTIC
RULE OF ST.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
4.
the The supreme power.
pp. 208, 209, 210, 211. The Annals of Clonmacnoise place his death, at A. D. 588.
104
Speaking of Columba, Bede says : " Fecerat autem, priusquam Brittaniam veniret, monasterium nobile in Hibernia, quod a copia roborum Dearmach lingua Scottorum, —hoc est campus roborum, cog-
" Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 307 settled there. 105 If it could be proved, that Brendan was then lord of Teffia,
Bede should be in 106 for that error,
prince
Aedh could not have the right of donation before that date, which was thir-
teen years subsequent to St. Columba's departure for Britain. This monas- tery was always one of his most cherished retreats, from the strife and tur- moil of this world ; and, it occupied a very central position in Ireland. The monastery and church of St. Columba are no longer there, and hardly a stone remains to mark the ancient site; for, the green grass and the wild shrubs
moved some little dis-
tance from the man-
sion of Lord Norbury,
and it is within an en-
closure, approached
by a gravel walk.
There is still a very
noble specimen of
those ancient Celtic
and sculptured tra-
cery crosses,108 once
so common in Ireland,
to the rere of the Pro-
testant church. It is
still in a very perfect
state of preservation.
Alarge quadrangular stone is to be seen,
and with inclining sides. This formed the pedestal of ano- ther cross. There are two ancient Irish monumental stones
in the churchyard. One of these was erected in memory of
grow
picturesque solitude,
Cross of Durrow, King's County for
Aigidiu.
100 These
personages are sup- posed to have been chiefs. 110 For ages, the graveyard of Durrow has been a favourite place for interments. This monastery was not less famous than that of Derry, and at least for a considerable time, it was better known to foreigners.
"
Columba as
the date of such occurrence with the dency of Alithir, at Clonmacnoise. He did not succeed to that office, until June, 585. Consequently, we must either understand this expression in the sense of confirming, or
suppose an inaccuracy in Bede.
I07 It lies within the beautiful demesne of
fundans," yet seems to couple presi-
Lord Norbury.
108 The illustration of it here
lived till so that his son 576;
aroundtheancient 10? withinthe cemetery,
overthe
enclosure of which, a rather modern Protestant church has been erected. Yet, during his lifetime, and for centuries after his death, that spot was long the abode of learning and of sanctity. There is a holy well—kept in a handsome style— and it was once very much frequented and greatly venerated. This spring is re-
and the other asks a prayer
Cathalan,
presented, was copied from a photograph kindly fur- nished by Rev. Denis Murphy, S. J. , while the subject has been drawn on the wood
by William F. Wakeman, and the engrav- ing was by Mrs. Millard.
109 A fine woodcut illustration of this tomb
308 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
Columba blessed the sword of Colman Mor or the
second son of King Diarmaid. 112 It was endued with such virtue, that those who bore or kept it on their persons could not die by a natural death. As an illustration of this, a valetudinarian, who was long languishing in illness, and knowing its properties, asked his sword from Colman. This he obtained, and so long as he wore it, a whole year passed by ; but, although wasted to ex- tremity and suffering great torture he could not die, until his friends deemed it a charity to remove the sword, as his pains were so prolonged. That being done, the infirm man immediately paid the debt of nature. "3 Hard by the
• While here, St.
of therewasa monastery Durrow,
very
the fruit, that those who tasted complained of it. The saint knowing so much
went forth in the harvest to that place where the tree was laden with fruit, and
then elevating his sacred hand, he blessed the tree, saying :
" In the name of
Almighty God, O degenerate tree, let all thy bitterness depart from thee ;
and thy apples that hitherto have been so sour, let them now become most
sweet and pleasant to the taste. " IIS And, without delay, the apples suddenly
became delightfully sweet, to all those who tasted them, as our saint had
116
Being also an accomplished scribe, St. Columkille was greatly distin- guished. Authentic evidences of this fact are yet supposed to remain, in that
celebrated
desired.
111 Great,
fruitful 11* butsoacidwas apple-tree,
of the 11 '' known as the Book of Durrow. " 8 In an Gospels,
copy
entry on the fly-leaf of this Manuscript, it is stated to have been written, by St. Columba ;"* and, if so, from the name it bears, we may infer, that the workmusthavebeen whileheremainedatthis 120 Others
accomplished, place.
suppose, however, that the Codex may not have been of his transcription, but that it was executed in the lifetime of the founder. 121 This volume was originally enclosed within a silver-mounted and ancient cumhdach or shrine, made for it by order of Flann, King of Ireland, who reigned from a. d. 879 to
with the inscription is to be found, in Dr. George Petrie's celebrated work.
sunt. "—Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xiii. Martii, Vita S. Mochoemoci, cap.
xxv. , p. 393.
117 Although a certain notetaker says it
contains the New Testament, it includes only the Four Gospels.
118
In that truly magnificent and large folio illustrated work, intitled "Facsimiles of the Miniatures and Ornaments of Anglo- Saxon and Irish Manuscripts," executed by J. O. Westwood, M. A. Drawn on stone by W. R. Tymms. Chromo-Lithographed by Day and Son, Limited, London. Bernard Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, mdccclxviii. We find there a very complete description of the Book of Durrow, at pp. 20 to 25, with co- loured plates, i\\, v. , vi. and vii. appended, as illustrations.
"9 Within the course of twelve days, and
in the year 500. However, it will easily be noticed, that the last date is an error, as he was not born for twenty years subse- quent.
130 Durrow seems to have been its place
of keeping, early in the seventeenth cen-
tury.
"' In reference to this matter, Rev. Dr.
Todd has written an interesting article, in the "Irish Ecclesiastical Journal," vol. iv. , p.
37, Sept. 29th, 1846.
110
Round Towers of Ireland, anterior to the
See "Ecclesiastical Architecture and
Anglo-Norman Invasion," part ii. , sec. iii. , subs. 1, p. 331.
111
In the year 552, he was killed in his
chariot byDubhishlat Ilua Treana, one of the "
Cruhhni. See Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 188, 189.
1,2 He was ancestor of the Clann Colman of Meath.
113 See Colgan's "Trias Tbaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. Ixi. , pp. 399, 4C0.
1. 4 In Irish aV>aI signifies "an apple tree. ' The parish of Aghowl in Wicklow is so called from acox) AbtA, "field of apple trees. "
1. 5 This account is contained in the Second Life of St. Columba, cap. xx. , p. 327, in Adamnan's Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. ii. , p. 350, as also in O'Donnell's Life of the Saint, lib. i , cap. lxii. , p. 400.
1. 6 A like
' Rediens inde sanctus vir ad cellam, vidit
qunndam, arborem plenam fructu, qui erat hominibus inutilis prae amaritudine nimia ; benedixit que signo S. crucis arborem, et fructus ejus illico in dulcedinem conversi
story
is told of St. Mochoemoc
:
'"
It has been entered, in the handwriting
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 309
916. In the time of the Coarb Ferdomhnach, a. d. 1007, this Manuscript
wasstolen,andithasbeensupposedthesilvercoverwasthenlost. Onthefly-
leaf, however, there is found a copy of the inscription that Cumhdach bore. 1 "
A historical and descriptive account of this beautiful work is given, by an
accomplishedart-antiquary. "3 Itconsistsof248vellumleaves,with25lines
in a page, written in single columns,12'* its text being that of the Latin vul-
gate. The Book itself was written in Gaidhelic letters, with a binding of silver
and gems. These are now lost ; but, the Manuscript itself had been pre-
served at Burrow to the time of the Reformation, when in a. d. 1584, it was
I2 6
transferred stoTrinityCollege,Dublin,"whereitisatpresentmostcarefully
kept, and regarded as one of the most precious literary remains now extant in
theLibrary. Theintricatetracery,interlacinginitialletters,dotting,andfigures, are wonderfully distinct, while the rich, vivid and florid colouring is tastefully contrasted, conceived, and executed. It has been supposed, that the Book of Durrow is superior in antiquity to the celebrated Book of Kells, 12 ? and Mr. DigbyWyatt considers, that the former may have been St. Columba's property.
While intent on his ecclesiastical occupations, St. Columba was in a certain
informed that his father Fedlim or him,
of 128 when an part Leinster,
angel
Felmidius, now broken down with weight of years, desired voluntarily to cede
the administration of his 12? and to divide it Tyr-connell principality, among
his brothers, Brendan, Nennid, Loarn and Sedna. 1 ^ On receiving this mes- sage, Columba set out for his father's residence, at Killmacnenain. 1 ^ 1 He was not long there, when at a place called Bothrain, his uncles on the father's side had prepared a grand ceremonial banquet, in commemoration of the heirship and honours that devolved on them. But, the aged chieftain ex- cused himself from attending, on the ground of his extreme old age and debility. However, he besought Columba to supply his place, and to mani- fest the family courtesy, by wishing his uncles joy of their inheritance. Accord- ingly, our saint proceeded to the place of meeting, but before he arrived, his youngest uncle Sedna met him on the way. After mutual greetings, Columba asked him, if his uncles would be willing to give the tithes of their several new possessions to the church, or for pious purposes. At once, Sedna, who had received Killmacnenain for his portion, declared, that he would give its
" For this
immediately predicted :
great liberality, your distinction shall be greatest among your brothers, and from your family shall proceed the chief rulers of the principality . "'s 2 Soon
whole Termon for such use. The saint
of the famous antiquary, Roderick O'Fla- herty.
123
size. I2s
in his honour after his death, as was—the case
with the Gospels of St. Cuthbert. " "The
Art of as practised in Europe Illuminating
from the earliest Times," p. 16. London: Day and Son, i860.
I28 The date for this occurrence is not given, but most likely it was before the saint went to Iona.
"9 Tir-Connell with Innishowen was
formed into a county, under the name of
"Donegal," by James I. , in the "settle- ment of Ulster. "
' 3° In the first chapter of this Life, alln ion has been made already to these uncles of ouc
Westwood.
124 The leaves are 9^ by 6 inches in
J. O,
Dr. of Meath.
Protestant
By
Henry Jones,
Bishop
126 See Drs. Todd and Reeves' "
Martyro-
logy of Donegal, "Appendix to Introduction, p. xl.
l -~ " I was enabled, some years ago," says Mr. Digby Wyatt, "by the kindness of the Rev. J. H. Todd, the learned librarian of
Trinity College, Dublin, to compare the so-
called autograph Gospel of St. Columba saint,
(the Book 0/ Burrow) with the Book of Kells, winch is traditionally supposed to have be- longed to that saint, and remained strongly impressed with the superior antiquity of the former to the latter. The one may have been his property, and the other illuminated
Or Kilmacrenain.
I32 From the progeny of Sedna, ten Kings
**'
of Ireland ruled, and all were princes of Tyr- Connell.
I33 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. lix. , p.
3 io LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June q
afterwards, Columba met his other uncles, and after salutations exchanged, he asked them, in like manner, what they would bestow from their respective
patrimonies for religious purposes. Loarn, the son of Ferguss, replied, they would all give what should be a fair and liberal dower, and that he, as an in-
dividual, was prepared to offer a donation to the Almighty and to his saintly
" said " the Lord shall reward for
nephew. Then," Columb, you, although
the sceptre of Ireland shall not be held by any of your posterity, yet some KingsofAlbaniashallbeamongyourdescendants. " Thechildrenbornof Maelcolm Dunchad, and who afterwards ruled in Scottish Alba, belonged to the posterity of Loarn. Therefore was the prophecy of our saint accom-
*33 plished.
CHAPTER IV.
THE MONASTIC RULE OF ST. COLUMBA AND THE CULDEES—CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS HOUSES OF ST. COLUMKILLE IN IRELAND—FOUNDATION OF KELLS—THE BOOK OF KELLS—ST. COLUMBA'S MISSIONARY CAREER IN MEATH AND BREGIA—HIS VISIT TO ST. KIERAN AT CLONMACNOIS.
It is stated, that St. Columba spent two score and two years of his life in Erin, where he was actively engaged, in disseminating religion, piety, and good deeds; inpreachingandinteachingthewordofGod; asalso,inhealingevery
disease and 1 From the time of St. every distemper.
it is well
that religious communities of men and women had been established in Ire-
2 and that these had been
fathers of the Irish Church had been the authors of such monastic decrees, in order to govern those monks who were anxious to live under the guidance of their superiors, nor can we doubt, that St. Columba found it necessary to follow suchexamples. ThathewastheauthorofaMonasticRulefortheregula- tion of the numerous religious houses, both in Ireland and in Scotland, which observed his discipline, is generally believed 3 and, indeed, it is difficult to
;
suppose, that his well-organized establishments, containing so many monks and monastic officials, could have been so long maintained without regula-
tions for their good order and management. We have it stated, moreover, that the Regula Colombkill was extant, in the seventeenth century,* and written bythesaintasaMonasticRule. 5 However,whathascomedowntousunder that title does not appear to be a Constitution or Code for the practical every
399, and n. 53, p. 450. have condemned him for the assertion, they Chapter iv. — According to the Book have failed in proving the affirmative of the which contained his Irish Life, viz. , that of question. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
land,
living according
to Rules. Other religious
Prince O'Donnell. See the O'Clerys' 1'
" Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes N,
p. 336.
4 Archbishop Ussher states, that the Rules
of Columkille, ofComgall, of Mochutta, and of Albe were extant in the Manuscript from
Martyrology of Donegal," pp. 150, 151. Rev. Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition.
3
In his Epistle to Coroticus, St. Patrick
observes
"
filii Scottorum, ac filke Regulo
rum monachi —he also
;" speaks
"
of " vir-
which his
Catalogue
of the Irish Saints had
gines Cbristi. " Sancti Patricii, Iberno- been published but, they
rum Apostoli, synodi, Canones, Opuscula, et Scriptorum quce supersunt, Eragmenta," Scholiis illustrata a Joachimo Laurentio Vil-
lanueva, p. 244.
Britannicarum Ec-
3
tive ; but, although Fleming and O'Conor
Reyner expressed an opinion in thenege-
Patrick,
known,
were written in a very old Irish idiom, which was hardly intel*
"
ligible in his time. See
clesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 476.
5 See Sir James Ware, " De Scriptoribus
Hibernian," lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 15.
6
In a small 4to Manuscript, belonging to
;
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 311
day life of a religious community;6 it is rather a collection of Maxims or Pre- cepts for Eremites or Monks living under regular discipline,7 and its direc- tions have only reference to Moral and Ascetic Instruction, calculated to lead soul and into a state of 8
body perfection.
It was very generally supposed, by many superficial modern writers,
that St. Columkille had been the first institutes of that religious band, known as Culdees. 9 But, various and absurd have been many of those opinions hazarded by such writers, respecting the origin and derivation of the word Culdee. However, this Celtic term may be rendered into Latin, by the words "Servus Dei," equivalent to "Monachus," according to the familiar language of theChurchFathersIOontheContinent; and,thereforewasitfamiliarizedto the Irish, at the earliest introduction of Christianity into their country, when they found a conventional expression for it in their idiom. In the lapse of ages, it underwent all the modifications, or limitations of meaning, which the changes of time or circumstances, or local usage, produced in that class to whom the epithet was applied. This subject has been treated in the most exhaustive and masterly manner, however, by one " who has devoted both learning and research to the elucidation of its import and application. " The term Culdee passed from Ireland into Scotland, whither it had been im- ported,withthelanguageandinstitutionsoftheScoticimmigrants. There, about the middle of the thirteenth century, we find certain ecclesiastics, enti-
1
tled Kelcdei, also called Canonki. * Whatever may have been their original
institution or discipline, in the time of King David I. , many of the Culdees lived in a manner, that must have been inconsistent with correct monastic or
that Keille De " consorts signifies
14 Some will have
of God f*s while others deduce the name from Cooldubh,16 meaning " black
collegiate discipline.
it,
garments. " Othersagainderiveit,fromasupposedLatinoriginalandcom- pound word Colidei, or " God worshippers. " Bishop Lloyd supposes they
the Burgundian Library of Bruxelles, and in thehandwritting of Michael O'Clery, there is
an Irish Tract thus headed, IncipicTleguLA ChoUrnn C hilXe. It was transcribed from an earlier Record, at a time when he was en- gaged making collections for his superiors at Louvain.
7 It was rendered into Latin, by Father
" commu- ipsi quo
lowed the rule of St. Columba. "—"Civil and Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," Chronological Memoirs, p. 331.
,0 Such as St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and others.
" The Rev. William Reeves, D. D. , the present Protestant Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore.
IZ See "The Culdees of the British
Islands, as they appear in History : with an
Appendix of Evidences," published in the
who adds
nicata, meminit vir eruditissimus D. Bene-
John Colgan,
:
dictus Haefrenus Propositus Afflingeniensis, lib. i. , Disquisition, Monasticar. Tract. 6, cap. 8. , vbi inter plura alia ait ; Hujus Patri- archoe
"
This learned Tract has been republished, at
S. — (nempe Columbce) Congregatio
the Dublin
in form, University Press, 4to
vocabatur Ordo pulchrse societatis. "
"Trias Tertia ad Thaumaturga," Appendix
Acta S. Columbse, Secunda Pars. , num. 3, p. 471.
8 The Irish text, furnished by Rev. Dr.
Todd, who had a loan of O'Clerys' Manu-
script from the Belgian Government, with
*3
I4 "Wearenottobe
that David, the friend of religion and civili- zation, endeavoured first to reform these irregular monks, and afterwards, finding them irreclaimable, everywhere superseded them, by the introduction of the stric—t orders brought from France and England. " Cosmo
an English translation by Mr. Eugene ""
Scotland in the Middle Ages," p.
O'Curry, is published in Acts of Arch- bishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visita- tion of the Diocese of Deny, a. d. ,
mcccxcvii. ," &c, edited by Rev. William Reeves, D. D. , Additional Notes D, pp. 108 to 112.
Thus, Thomas Innes states: "They Bishop Nicholson has such a derivation, were originally the same with the Colum- in his Preface to the " Irish Historical bites, formerly so called, because they fol- Library," p. vi.
renus," Letter ii. , sect. 3. 9 l6
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. "
Innes'
See ibid. , part i. , sect, i. , p. 2.
III, and pp. 108 to 114.
is Such is the opinion of Toland, who
states, that this title indicates an office or
particular sort of profession, in his
"
Naza-
surprised, then,
3 i2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
were called Kelledei, or in the old Scotch Kyldees, from Cylle, which signi- fies a cell, as well in the Welsh or old British tongue, as in the Scottish or
J ? and, subsequently, Dean Stillingfleet, afterwards Bishop of
this derivation on such 8 However, the most authority. '
rational and now generally accepted derivation seems to be Giolla De,'9 some-
Irish
language ; Worcester, adopted
" servant of God. "*1 The word Ceie is of frequent occurrence in the earliest Irish Manuscripts, and it has different
times commuted to Keil De,2°
signifying
22 besides that of " servant. " The other De is the component
significations,
genitive of Dia, God, and it is occasionally found as a kind of religious in- tensitive, in connection with certain monastic terms. 23 We have now abun-
dant proof afforded us, regarding the very general application of this term to
those who lived as eremites or in communities, in various parts of Ireland,
andrangingovermanycenturies. Incorrectly,theCuldeesaresaidtohavebeen
of the Irish Rule, which was carried into Scotland by St. Colum-Kille, and which
was thence dispersed into the northern parts of England. 24 However, in the
Leabhar Breac,25 there is a prose version of O'Moelruain's Metrical Rule for
Cele 26 and also twelve 2 ? the Cele De or brothers De, quatrains, concerning
of the ancient Irish monastic order. 28 The information here contained, and procured by Professor Eugene O'Curry, enabled the Rev. Dr. William G.
Todd, to publish a summary of the Rule,2? while he adopts as an interpretation
oftheword the translation " ofGod. " Inthe Cele-de, English being spouse
Five different Lives of St. Columba, as published by Colgan, and in the His- tory of Venerable Bede, there is no mention whatever of Culdees ; so that the assumption of various Scottish writers, deriving their origin from the illustri- ous founder of Iona, may be dismissed without further question. ^ Nor, is it asserted, in the whole history of Hy and of its dependencies, does the name of Culdee or of any name tantamount to it, even once occur. This should
appears inexplicable, had the Culdees been Columbanians, and members of 1
thatorderorcongregation. ^ However,aswebelieve,suchastatementcanonly
17 See "Historical Account of Church teen X)6, monialis Dei, oeor»Ait>h "Oe, pert-
Government," chap, vii. , sect. 3, p. 138.
See Origines Britannicae," Preface, p. Ivi. London, 1685.
grinus Dei and a man was said to renounce theworld Ar»T)hi4 "for God," whenheex- changed the secular for the religious habit, See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Culdees of the British
London, 1684. 18 "
*' A slight acquaintance with the language Islands," part i. , sect, ii. , p. 4.
of Ireland, would inform those of ignorant it,
that the C and G are commutable letters, and that in Irish, devout men were denomi- nated Giolla De, that is, "the servant of God," or Giolla Chreest, "the servant of
2* See Nicholson's " Irish Histori- Bishop
cal Library," Preface vi.
25 Or Speckled Book, otherwise called
.
Christ. " See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
''
Eccle-
Leabhar Mor Duna Doighre, published in 1876, in elephant folio, by the Royal Irish Academy.
siastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap.
21
Such appellations even became family names after the 10th century, thus the Gil- brides and Gilpatricks of Ossory and Scot-
* See pp. 9 to 12. It begins with the line
,xx. , sect, x. , n. 96, p. 248. 2°
Incipic 1I1A5&1I ha Celed 11-TJe, O ttloeL- ruiam cecemc.
So written by Shaw, in his Gaelic Die- tionary.
23
Thus, Ancoj\ T)e, anchorita Dei, cail-
now called the Gilchrists Kilpatricks,
28 Versions of both
land,
andGildeasofConnauyht. Thisnameisan unequivocal confirmation of the etymon, as
Tracts, Irish, with English translations, may be found in Rev. William Reeves' "Culdees of the British Hands," Evidences G and H, pp. 82
it is immediately derived from Guilday, or Giolla De.
Priscian, and in the Wurtzburg copy of St.
Gall's Epistles.
22 Thus, it has the
maritus, where they occur in the St. Gall of Ireland,' pp. 65 to 69. London, 1845.
meaning
socius and
2
the words T)o Cele "Oe, no tm clepecli
UeclepA, meaning of the Cele De, or of the Clerical Recluse.
to 97.
^ In his " of the Ancient Church History
7 See 261, ibid. These p.
begin
with
3° See Rev. Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxxi. , sect, i. , n. II, pp. 296, 298 to 301.
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 313
be held as correct, when applied to St. Columba's immediate successors, and to the early times of Iona's establishment.
Several religious houses and churches were founded in Ireland, either by
Columba himself, or by some of his disciples, during his lifetime, or, at least, very soon after his death ;3* but, it is now a difficult matter to ascertain the exact order, date, and those special circumstances leading to their erection. 33 As the building of such establishments by the saint is chiefly alluded to in his Acts, and as his chief period of missionary labour in Ireland must be referred to his earlier life ; we deem it most proper here to introduce a list of his attributed foundations, 34 with the incidents of his career, but taking care to observe, that their position in this narrative is digested somewhat arbitarily, yet rationally, to preserve better the unities of time and place, which it seems to us later traditions and records have greatly disturbed. There are but shadowy indi- cations, for ascribing to him several religious houses or churches, some of which are now unknown, while others were merely churches or chapels dedi-
cated in his name, or those in which he was specially revered.
We are informed,3s however, that after Columba had built the church at Durrow,36 he went to Cenannas 37 or Kells, which was then the residence of Diarmaid, son to Fearghus Kearbaill, King of Ireland. 38 The monarch hap- pened to be absent at that time. On approaching the town, Columba was rudely accosted by some soldiers, who were on guard. They caused him to declare, that soon it should pass away from the power of those who then held it.
the The supreme power.
pp. 208, 209, 210, 211. The Annals of Clonmacnoise place his death, at A. D. 588.
104
Speaking of Columba, Bede says : " Fecerat autem, priusquam Brittaniam veniret, monasterium nobile in Hibernia, quod a copia roborum Dearmach lingua Scottorum, —hoc est campus roborum, cog-
" Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 307 settled there. 105 If it could be proved, that Brendan was then lord of Teffia,
Bede should be in 106 for that error,
prince
Aedh could not have the right of donation before that date, which was thir-
teen years subsequent to St. Columba's departure for Britain. This monas- tery was always one of his most cherished retreats, from the strife and tur- moil of this world ; and, it occupied a very central position in Ireland. The monastery and church of St. Columba are no longer there, and hardly a stone remains to mark the ancient site; for, the green grass and the wild shrubs
moved some little dis-
tance from the man-
sion of Lord Norbury,
and it is within an en-
closure, approached
by a gravel walk.
There is still a very
noble specimen of
those ancient Celtic
and sculptured tra-
cery crosses,108 once
so common in Ireland,
to the rere of the Pro-
testant church. It is
still in a very perfect
state of preservation.
Alarge quadrangular stone is to be seen,
and with inclining sides. This formed the pedestal of ano- ther cross. There are two ancient Irish monumental stones
in the churchyard. One of these was erected in memory of
grow
picturesque solitude,
Cross of Durrow, King's County for
Aigidiu.
100 These
personages are sup- posed to have been chiefs. 110 For ages, the graveyard of Durrow has been a favourite place for interments. This monastery was not less famous than that of Derry, and at least for a considerable time, it was better known to foreigners.
"
Columba as
the date of such occurrence with the dency of Alithir, at Clonmacnoise. He did not succeed to that office, until June, 585. Consequently, we must either understand this expression in the sense of confirming, or
suppose an inaccuracy in Bede.
I07 It lies within the beautiful demesne of
fundans," yet seems to couple presi-
Lord Norbury.
108 The illustration of it here
lived till so that his son 576;
aroundtheancient 10? withinthe cemetery,
overthe
enclosure of which, a rather modern Protestant church has been erected. Yet, during his lifetime, and for centuries after his death, that spot was long the abode of learning and of sanctity. There is a holy well—kept in a handsome style— and it was once very much frequented and greatly venerated. This spring is re-
and the other asks a prayer
Cathalan,
presented, was copied from a photograph kindly fur- nished by Rev. Denis Murphy, S. J. , while the subject has been drawn on the wood
by William F. Wakeman, and the engrav- ing was by Mrs. Millard.
109 A fine woodcut illustration of this tomb
308 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
Columba blessed the sword of Colman Mor or the
second son of King Diarmaid. 112 It was endued with such virtue, that those who bore or kept it on their persons could not die by a natural death. As an illustration of this, a valetudinarian, who was long languishing in illness, and knowing its properties, asked his sword from Colman. This he obtained, and so long as he wore it, a whole year passed by ; but, although wasted to ex- tremity and suffering great torture he could not die, until his friends deemed it a charity to remove the sword, as his pains were so prolonged. That being done, the infirm man immediately paid the debt of nature. "3 Hard by the
• While here, St.
of therewasa monastery Durrow,
very
the fruit, that those who tasted complained of it. The saint knowing so much
went forth in the harvest to that place where the tree was laden with fruit, and
then elevating his sacred hand, he blessed the tree, saying :
" In the name of
Almighty God, O degenerate tree, let all thy bitterness depart from thee ;
and thy apples that hitherto have been so sour, let them now become most
sweet and pleasant to the taste. " IIS And, without delay, the apples suddenly
became delightfully sweet, to all those who tasted them, as our saint had
116
Being also an accomplished scribe, St. Columkille was greatly distin- guished. Authentic evidences of this fact are yet supposed to remain, in that
celebrated
desired.
111 Great,
fruitful 11* butsoacidwas apple-tree,
of the 11 '' known as the Book of Durrow. " 8 In an Gospels,
copy
entry on the fly-leaf of this Manuscript, it is stated to have been written, by St. Columba ;"* and, if so, from the name it bears, we may infer, that the workmusthavebeen whileheremainedatthis 120 Others
accomplished, place.
suppose, however, that the Codex may not have been of his transcription, but that it was executed in the lifetime of the founder. 121 This volume was originally enclosed within a silver-mounted and ancient cumhdach or shrine, made for it by order of Flann, King of Ireland, who reigned from a. d. 879 to
with the inscription is to be found, in Dr. George Petrie's celebrated work.
sunt. "—Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xiii. Martii, Vita S. Mochoemoci, cap.
xxv. , p. 393.
117 Although a certain notetaker says it
contains the New Testament, it includes only the Four Gospels.
118
In that truly magnificent and large folio illustrated work, intitled "Facsimiles of the Miniatures and Ornaments of Anglo- Saxon and Irish Manuscripts," executed by J. O. Westwood, M. A. Drawn on stone by W. R. Tymms. Chromo-Lithographed by Day and Son, Limited, London. Bernard Quaritch, 15 Piccadilly, mdccclxviii. We find there a very complete description of the Book of Durrow, at pp. 20 to 25, with co- loured plates, i\\, v. , vi. and vii. appended, as illustrations.
"9 Within the course of twelve days, and
in the year 500. However, it will easily be noticed, that the last date is an error, as he was not born for twenty years subse- quent.
130 Durrow seems to have been its place
of keeping, early in the seventeenth cen-
tury.
"' In reference to this matter, Rev. Dr.
Todd has written an interesting article, in the "Irish Ecclesiastical Journal," vol. iv. , p.
37, Sept. 29th, 1846.
110
Round Towers of Ireland, anterior to the
See "Ecclesiastical Architecture and
Anglo-Norman Invasion," part ii. , sec. iii. , subs. 1, p. 331.
111
In the year 552, he was killed in his
chariot byDubhishlat Ilua Treana, one of the "
Cruhhni. See Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 188, 189.
1,2 He was ancestor of the Clann Colman of Meath.
113 See Colgan's "Trias Tbaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. Ixi. , pp. 399, 4C0.
1. 4 In Irish aV>aI signifies "an apple tree. ' The parish of Aghowl in Wicklow is so called from acox) AbtA, "field of apple trees. "
1. 5 This account is contained in the Second Life of St. Columba, cap. xx. , p. 327, in Adamnan's Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. ii. , p. 350, as also in O'Donnell's Life of the Saint, lib. i , cap. lxii. , p. 400.
1. 6 A like
' Rediens inde sanctus vir ad cellam, vidit
qunndam, arborem plenam fructu, qui erat hominibus inutilis prae amaritudine nimia ; benedixit que signo S. crucis arborem, et fructus ejus illico in dulcedinem conversi
story
is told of St. Mochoemoc
:
'"
It has been entered, in the handwriting
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 309
916. In the time of the Coarb Ferdomhnach, a. d. 1007, this Manuscript
wasstolen,andithasbeensupposedthesilvercoverwasthenlost. Onthefly-
leaf, however, there is found a copy of the inscription that Cumhdach bore. 1 "
A historical and descriptive account of this beautiful work is given, by an
accomplishedart-antiquary. "3 Itconsistsof248vellumleaves,with25lines
in a page, written in single columns,12'* its text being that of the Latin vul-
gate. The Book itself was written in Gaidhelic letters, with a binding of silver
and gems. These are now lost ; but, the Manuscript itself had been pre-
served at Burrow to the time of the Reformation, when in a. d. 1584, it was
I2 6
transferred stoTrinityCollege,Dublin,"whereitisatpresentmostcarefully
kept, and regarded as one of the most precious literary remains now extant in
theLibrary. Theintricatetracery,interlacinginitialletters,dotting,andfigures, are wonderfully distinct, while the rich, vivid and florid colouring is tastefully contrasted, conceived, and executed. It has been supposed, that the Book of Durrow is superior in antiquity to the celebrated Book of Kells, 12 ? and Mr. DigbyWyatt considers, that the former may have been St. Columba's property.
While intent on his ecclesiastical occupations, St. Columba was in a certain
informed that his father Fedlim or him,
of 128 when an part Leinster,
angel
Felmidius, now broken down with weight of years, desired voluntarily to cede
the administration of his 12? and to divide it Tyr-connell principality, among
his brothers, Brendan, Nennid, Loarn and Sedna. 1 ^ On receiving this mes- sage, Columba set out for his father's residence, at Killmacnenain. 1 ^ 1 He was not long there, when at a place called Bothrain, his uncles on the father's side had prepared a grand ceremonial banquet, in commemoration of the heirship and honours that devolved on them. But, the aged chieftain ex- cused himself from attending, on the ground of his extreme old age and debility. However, he besought Columba to supply his place, and to mani- fest the family courtesy, by wishing his uncles joy of their inheritance. Accord- ingly, our saint proceeded to the place of meeting, but before he arrived, his youngest uncle Sedna met him on the way. After mutual greetings, Columba asked him, if his uncles would be willing to give the tithes of their several new possessions to the church, or for pious purposes. At once, Sedna, who had received Killmacnenain for his portion, declared, that he would give its
" For this
immediately predicted :
great liberality, your distinction shall be greatest among your brothers, and from your family shall proceed the chief rulers of the principality . "'s 2 Soon
whole Termon for such use. The saint
of the famous antiquary, Roderick O'Fla- herty.
123
size. I2s
in his honour after his death, as was—the case
with the Gospels of St. Cuthbert. " "The
Art of as practised in Europe Illuminating
from the earliest Times," p. 16. London: Day and Son, i860.
I28 The date for this occurrence is not given, but most likely it was before the saint went to Iona.
"9 Tir-Connell with Innishowen was
formed into a county, under the name of
"Donegal," by James I. , in the "settle- ment of Ulster. "
' 3° In the first chapter of this Life, alln ion has been made already to these uncles of ouc
Westwood.
124 The leaves are 9^ by 6 inches in
J. O,
Dr. of Meath.
Protestant
By
Henry Jones,
Bishop
126 See Drs. Todd and Reeves' "
Martyro-
logy of Donegal, "Appendix to Introduction, p. xl.
l -~ " I was enabled, some years ago," says Mr. Digby Wyatt, "by the kindness of the Rev. J. H. Todd, the learned librarian of
Trinity College, Dublin, to compare the so-
called autograph Gospel of St. Columba saint,
(the Book 0/ Burrow) with the Book of Kells, winch is traditionally supposed to have be- longed to that saint, and remained strongly impressed with the superior antiquity of the former to the latter. The one may have been his property, and the other illuminated
Or Kilmacrenain.
I32 From the progeny of Sedna, ten Kings
**'
of Ireland ruled, and all were princes of Tyr- Connell.
I33 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. lix. , p.
3 io LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June q
afterwards, Columba met his other uncles, and after salutations exchanged, he asked them, in like manner, what they would bestow from their respective
patrimonies for religious purposes. Loarn, the son of Ferguss, replied, they would all give what should be a fair and liberal dower, and that he, as an in-
dividual, was prepared to offer a donation to the Almighty and to his saintly
" said " the Lord shall reward for
nephew. Then," Columb, you, although
the sceptre of Ireland shall not be held by any of your posterity, yet some KingsofAlbaniashallbeamongyourdescendants. " Thechildrenbornof Maelcolm Dunchad, and who afterwards ruled in Scottish Alba, belonged to the posterity of Loarn. Therefore was the prophecy of our saint accom-
*33 plished.
CHAPTER IV.
THE MONASTIC RULE OF ST. COLUMBA AND THE CULDEES—CHURCHES AND RELIGIOUS HOUSES OF ST. COLUMKILLE IN IRELAND—FOUNDATION OF KELLS—THE BOOK OF KELLS—ST. COLUMBA'S MISSIONARY CAREER IN MEATH AND BREGIA—HIS VISIT TO ST. KIERAN AT CLONMACNOIS.
It is stated, that St. Columba spent two score and two years of his life in Erin, where he was actively engaged, in disseminating religion, piety, and good deeds; inpreachingandinteachingthewordofGod; asalso,inhealingevery
disease and 1 From the time of St. every distemper.
it is well
that religious communities of men and women had been established in Ire-
2 and that these had been
fathers of the Irish Church had been the authors of such monastic decrees, in order to govern those monks who were anxious to live under the guidance of their superiors, nor can we doubt, that St. Columba found it necessary to follow suchexamples. ThathewastheauthorofaMonasticRulefortheregula- tion of the numerous religious houses, both in Ireland and in Scotland, which observed his discipline, is generally believed 3 and, indeed, it is difficult to
;
suppose, that his well-organized establishments, containing so many monks and monastic officials, could have been so long maintained without regula-
tions for their good order and management. We have it stated, moreover, that the Regula Colombkill was extant, in the seventeenth century,* and written bythesaintasaMonasticRule. 5 However,whathascomedowntousunder that title does not appear to be a Constitution or Code for the practical every
399, and n. 53, p. 450. have condemned him for the assertion, they Chapter iv. — According to the Book have failed in proving the affirmative of the which contained his Irish Life, viz. , that of question. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
land,
living according
to Rules. Other religious
Prince O'Donnell. See the O'Clerys' 1'
" Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes N,
p. 336.
4 Archbishop Ussher states, that the Rules
of Columkille, ofComgall, of Mochutta, and of Albe were extant in the Manuscript from
Martyrology of Donegal," pp. 150, 151. Rev. Drs. Todd's and Reeves' edition.
3
In his Epistle to Coroticus, St. Patrick
observes
"
filii Scottorum, ac filke Regulo
rum monachi —he also
;" speaks
"
of " vir-
which his
Catalogue
of the Irish Saints had
gines Cbristi. " Sancti Patricii, Iberno- been published but, they
rum Apostoli, synodi, Canones, Opuscula, et Scriptorum quce supersunt, Eragmenta," Scholiis illustrata a Joachimo Laurentio Vil-
lanueva, p. 244.
Britannicarum Ec-
3
tive ; but, although Fleming and O'Conor
Reyner expressed an opinion in thenege-
Patrick,
known,
were written in a very old Irish idiom, which was hardly intel*
"
ligible in his time. See
clesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 476.
5 See Sir James Ware, " De Scriptoribus
Hibernian," lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 15.
6
In a small 4to Manuscript, belonging to
;
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 311
day life of a religious community;6 it is rather a collection of Maxims or Pre- cepts for Eremites or Monks living under regular discipline,7 and its direc- tions have only reference to Moral and Ascetic Instruction, calculated to lead soul and into a state of 8
body perfection.
It was very generally supposed, by many superficial modern writers,
that St. Columkille had been the first institutes of that religious band, known as Culdees. 9 But, various and absurd have been many of those opinions hazarded by such writers, respecting the origin and derivation of the word Culdee. However, this Celtic term may be rendered into Latin, by the words "Servus Dei," equivalent to "Monachus," according to the familiar language of theChurchFathersIOontheContinent; and,thereforewasitfamiliarizedto the Irish, at the earliest introduction of Christianity into their country, when they found a conventional expression for it in their idiom. In the lapse of ages, it underwent all the modifications, or limitations of meaning, which the changes of time or circumstances, or local usage, produced in that class to whom the epithet was applied. This subject has been treated in the most exhaustive and masterly manner, however, by one " who has devoted both learning and research to the elucidation of its import and application. " The term Culdee passed from Ireland into Scotland, whither it had been im- ported,withthelanguageandinstitutionsoftheScoticimmigrants. There, about the middle of the thirteenth century, we find certain ecclesiastics, enti-
1
tled Kelcdei, also called Canonki. * Whatever may have been their original
institution or discipline, in the time of King David I. , many of the Culdees lived in a manner, that must have been inconsistent with correct monastic or
that Keille De " consorts signifies
14 Some will have
of God f*s while others deduce the name from Cooldubh,16 meaning " black
collegiate discipline.
it,
garments. " Othersagainderiveit,fromasupposedLatinoriginalandcom- pound word Colidei, or " God worshippers. " Bishop Lloyd supposes they
the Burgundian Library of Bruxelles, and in thehandwritting of Michael O'Clery, there is
an Irish Tract thus headed, IncipicTleguLA ChoUrnn C hilXe. It was transcribed from an earlier Record, at a time when he was en- gaged making collections for his superiors at Louvain.
7 It was rendered into Latin, by Father
" commu- ipsi quo
lowed the rule of St. Columba. "—"Civil and Ecclesiastical History of Scotland," Chronological Memoirs, p. 331.
,0 Such as St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, and others.
" The Rev. William Reeves, D. D. , the present Protestant Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore.
IZ See "The Culdees of the British
Islands, as they appear in History : with an
Appendix of Evidences," published in the
who adds
nicata, meminit vir eruditissimus D. Bene-
John Colgan,
:
dictus Haefrenus Propositus Afflingeniensis, lib. i. , Disquisition, Monasticar. Tract. 6, cap. 8. , vbi inter plura alia ait ; Hujus Patri- archoe
"
This learned Tract has been republished, at
S. — (nempe Columbce) Congregatio
the Dublin
in form, University Press, 4to
vocabatur Ordo pulchrse societatis. "
"Trias Tertia ad Thaumaturga," Appendix
Acta S. Columbse, Secunda Pars. , num. 3, p. 471.
8 The Irish text, furnished by Rev. Dr.
Todd, who had a loan of O'Clerys' Manu-
script from the Belgian Government, with
*3
I4 "Wearenottobe
that David, the friend of religion and civili- zation, endeavoured first to reform these irregular monks, and afterwards, finding them irreclaimable, everywhere superseded them, by the introduction of the stric—t orders brought from France and England. " Cosmo
an English translation by Mr. Eugene ""
Scotland in the Middle Ages," p.
O'Curry, is published in Acts of Arch- bishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visita- tion of the Diocese of Deny, a. d. ,
mcccxcvii. ," &c, edited by Rev. William Reeves, D. D. , Additional Notes D, pp. 108 to 112.
Thus, Thomas Innes states: "They Bishop Nicholson has such a derivation, were originally the same with the Colum- in his Preface to the " Irish Historical bites, formerly so called, because they fol- Library," p. vi.
renus," Letter ii. , sect. 3. 9 l6
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. "
Innes'
See ibid. , part i. , sect, i. , p. 2.
III, and pp. 108 to 114.
is Such is the opinion of Toland, who
states, that this title indicates an office or
particular sort of profession, in his
"
Naza-
surprised, then,
3 i2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
were called Kelledei, or in the old Scotch Kyldees, from Cylle, which signi- fies a cell, as well in the Welsh or old British tongue, as in the Scottish or
J ? and, subsequently, Dean Stillingfleet, afterwards Bishop of
this derivation on such 8 However, the most authority. '
rational and now generally accepted derivation seems to be Giolla De,'9 some-
Irish
language ; Worcester, adopted
" servant of God. "*1 The word Ceie is of frequent occurrence in the earliest Irish Manuscripts, and it has different
times commuted to Keil De,2°
signifying
22 besides that of " servant. " The other De is the component
significations,
genitive of Dia, God, and it is occasionally found as a kind of religious in- tensitive, in connection with certain monastic terms. 23 We have now abun-
dant proof afforded us, regarding the very general application of this term to
those who lived as eremites or in communities, in various parts of Ireland,
andrangingovermanycenturies. Incorrectly,theCuldeesaresaidtohavebeen
of the Irish Rule, which was carried into Scotland by St. Colum-Kille, and which
was thence dispersed into the northern parts of England. 24 However, in the
Leabhar Breac,25 there is a prose version of O'Moelruain's Metrical Rule for
Cele 26 and also twelve 2 ? the Cele De or brothers De, quatrains, concerning
of the ancient Irish monastic order. 28 The information here contained, and procured by Professor Eugene O'Curry, enabled the Rev. Dr. William G.
Todd, to publish a summary of the Rule,2? while he adopts as an interpretation
oftheword the translation " ofGod. " Inthe Cele-de, English being spouse
Five different Lives of St. Columba, as published by Colgan, and in the His- tory of Venerable Bede, there is no mention whatever of Culdees ; so that the assumption of various Scottish writers, deriving their origin from the illustri- ous founder of Iona, may be dismissed without further question. ^ Nor, is it asserted, in the whole history of Hy and of its dependencies, does the name of Culdee or of any name tantamount to it, even once occur. This should
appears inexplicable, had the Culdees been Columbanians, and members of 1
thatorderorcongregation. ^ However,aswebelieve,suchastatementcanonly
17 See "Historical Account of Church teen X)6, monialis Dei, oeor»Ait>h "Oe, pert-
Government," chap, vii. , sect. 3, p. 138.
See Origines Britannicae," Preface, p. Ivi. London, 1685.
grinus Dei and a man was said to renounce theworld Ar»T)hi4 "for God," whenheex- changed the secular for the religious habit, See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Culdees of the British
London, 1684. 18 "
*' A slight acquaintance with the language Islands," part i. , sect, ii. , p. 4.
of Ireland, would inform those of ignorant it,
that the C and G are commutable letters, and that in Irish, devout men were denomi- nated Giolla De, that is, "the servant of God," or Giolla Chreest, "the servant of
2* See Nicholson's " Irish Histori- Bishop
cal Library," Preface vi.
25 Or Speckled Book, otherwise called
.
Christ. " See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
''
Eccle-
Leabhar Mor Duna Doighre, published in 1876, in elephant folio, by the Royal Irish Academy.
siastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap.
21
Such appellations even became family names after the 10th century, thus the Gil- brides and Gilpatricks of Ossory and Scot-
* See pp. 9 to 12. It begins with the line
,xx. , sect, x. , n. 96, p. 248. 2°
Incipic 1I1A5&1I ha Celed 11-TJe, O ttloeL- ruiam cecemc.
So written by Shaw, in his Gaelic Die- tionary.
23
Thus, Ancoj\ T)e, anchorita Dei, cail-
now called the Gilchrists Kilpatricks,
28 Versions of both
land,
andGildeasofConnauyht. Thisnameisan unequivocal confirmation of the etymon, as
Tracts, Irish, with English translations, may be found in Rev. William Reeves' "Culdees of the British Hands," Evidences G and H, pp. 82
it is immediately derived from Guilday, or Giolla De.
Priscian, and in the Wurtzburg copy of St.
Gall's Epistles.
22 Thus, it has the
maritus, where they occur in the St. Gall of Ireland,' pp. 65 to 69. London, 1845.
meaning
socius and
2
the words T)o Cele "Oe, no tm clepecli
UeclepA, meaning of the Cele De, or of the Clerical Recluse.
to 97.
^ In his " of the Ancient Church History
7 See 261, ibid. These p.
begin
with
3° See Rev. Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xxxi. , sect, i. , n. II, pp. 296, 298 to 301.
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 313
be held as correct, when applied to St. Columba's immediate successors, and to the early times of Iona's establishment.
Several religious houses and churches were founded in Ireland, either by
Columba himself, or by some of his disciples, during his lifetime, or, at least, very soon after his death ;3* but, it is now a difficult matter to ascertain the exact order, date, and those special circumstances leading to their erection. 33 As the building of such establishments by the saint is chiefly alluded to in his Acts, and as his chief period of missionary labour in Ireland must be referred to his earlier life ; we deem it most proper here to introduce a list of his attributed foundations, 34 with the incidents of his career, but taking care to observe, that their position in this narrative is digested somewhat arbitarily, yet rationally, to preserve better the unities of time and place, which it seems to us later traditions and records have greatly disturbed. There are but shadowy indi- cations, for ascribing to him several religious houses or churches, some of which are now unknown, while others were merely churches or chapels dedi-
cated in his name, or those in which he was specially revered.
We are informed,3s however, that after Columba had built the church at Durrow,36 he went to Cenannas 37 or Kells, which was then the residence of Diarmaid, son to Fearghus Kearbaill, King of Ireland. 38 The monarch hap- pened to be absent at that time. On approaching the town, Columba was rudely accosted by some soldiers, who were on guard. They caused him to declare, that soon it should pass away from the power of those who then held it.
