No More Learning

respectivecommunities. Inthisfederation,onotheroccasions,theyincluded Saints Brandan, Moling, Flannan, Munna, and others. «5 Our saint is also said to have been venerated at a monastery, called Cluainnimurchuir, according to the Salamancan MS. of St. Abban's Life, formerly in Colgan's
6Edward his as in possession. * O'Reilly incorrectly places death, occurring
the year 526. 47 However, the exact year of our saint's death is not known ; but, its day seems to have been the 17th of September, on which his memory was afterwards revered.
Article IV. —St. Riagail, Patron of Tyrella Parish. Very little
is known regarding this Saint. His feast is entered, however, in the Feilire 1
of St. /Engus, at the 17th of September. The Martyrology of Tallagh in
the Book of Leinster contains a notice of St. on the same 2 His Riagail, day.
name is omitted, however, in that version published by the Rev. Dr. Kelly. The Martyrologist, Marianus O'Gorman, has a festival for Riaghuil, at this date; whilehisscholiastadds,thattheSaintwasfromTechRiagla,inLeth Cathail. 3 From this same source, and according to O'Clerys' Calendar,* St. Ryal of Ty-reela, in Lecale, is venerated on the 17th of September. We find a remarkable prediction attributed to him, on a certain subject, known
as the Scuap a Fanait, or the Broom to come out of Fanait, in Donegall. s
"
It was as follows :
remain in Erinn. When a ship can be seen on Loch Rudhraidhe,6 from the door of the refectory, it is then the Broom out of Fanait shall come. A Tuesday, too, after Easter, in spring, must be the day on which the Broom shall issue from Fanait, to avenge the death of John the Baptist. "? Allusion has been made to this supposed destructive apparition in prophecies also
8
attributed to other Irish saints, such as St. Moling, St. Columkille,9 and St.
Aireran or Erearan the Wise. 10 Whilst the two former— with St.
agree Riagail,
thatthecomingofdestruct—ionshallbeonaTuesday St. Airerandoesnot specify any particular day there seems to have been much diversity of
statement as to the form, nature, and exact period, relating to this Scuip a Fainity or, as it. is sometimes called, the Fiery Bolt. The direction, whence it had been expected to come, is also variously stated. " From
45 The memory of these Saints is cele- 2 Thus: H1A5U1I mucc inp.
brated as follows: St. Brendan, May 16th, 3 See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui St. Moling, June 17th, St. Flannan, Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
Three days and three nights over a year shall this plague
December 18th, St. Munna, October 21st. Colgan remarks, that St. Alban did not
form a
at the same time ; for it was not probable
that St. Moling was born during the life-
time of Brendan. St. Brendan died in the
year 576 or 577. St. Munna in 634 ; and
St. Moling in 696. See Colgan's "Acta 2545. See Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of Sanctorum Hibernian" xvi. Maitit, p. 618,
and nn. 41, 42, 43, 44, p. 624.
with all of these Saints,
5 See
History," lect. xx. , p. 429.
6
drum
7 His lestival occurs on the 24th of June,
friendship
four hundred Ir—ish Writers," p. xxxviii.
"
Article iv. See Transactions of the
Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
Cathail. Or in Muc lnis ("pig-island ") on December.
Lough Derg. Sec ibid. , p. cxlvi. "The accounts of this object cwnlained
46 See ibid. ,
p. 624.
47 See " A Chronological account of nearly
Bay.
His feast occurs on the 17th of June.
9 See his Life, at the 9th of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art i.
,0 Also called Eleran, and Lector of was Riagail who is in Tech Riagia in Leth Clonard. His feast occurs on the 29th of
cxxxviii. A commentator that he adds,
4 See the " of Martyrology Donegal,'*
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves.
"
Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish
Eugene O'Curry's
This Lake is said to have been called after
Rudhruidhe, the son of Parthalon, a. m. *'
the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 6, 7. It is thought to have been identical with Dun-
8
See notices of him at that date, Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
in the
Lectures on the
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIN7S. 441 the present saint, Tyrella parish derives its name. Taghrolly, Tyreela,
and 12 are also various names to Staghreel, referring
Techrula, Teighriola,
this place, as found in old documents and records. Those Irish forms are
"
rendered into English, as the house of Ryal or Riagail. " St. Riagail is
supposed to have erected a church, on the present site of the modern
Protestant parish church of Tyrella. In a confirmation of certain grants,
made by John de Courcy to the see of Down, this church is called, as in
the Taxation Stegrel. 13 In the Ulster Inquisitions, it is called Starely alias
1
Terrely. * The Feilire of St. ^ngus the Culdee, composed in the eighth
century, states, that a person standing at Tig-Riala, now Tyrella, about a mile distant from the strand, could hear the lonn Rury, one of the three great waves of Ireland. Doubtless, the writer meant, that booming thunder- like roar over the bar, which can be heard at a distance of some miles. *s Hence, the lonn Rury is supposed to indicate the bay of Dundrum. 16 The church and that refectory, to which allusion has been already made, were situatedontheeastsideofDundrumBay,inDownCounty. Thesiteand
cemetery of the ancient parish church lie within Tyrella House Demesne,
commanding extensive views over the Bay, with the magnificent range of Mourne Mountains in the back-ground. Near the old church site in 1832, a cave, artificially constructed of uncemented stones, had been discovered.
l It was roofed with flag-stones, and over them earth had been thickly heaped. i
It is 43 yards in length, by 2^ feet wide, and about five feet high, dividing into three chambers, 60, 45 and 24 feet in length respectively, the last extending its width to six feet.
Article V. —St. Earc, or Eric, Bishop of Donoghmore, of
Magh Cobha, or of Maighe Damhairne, Counties of Down and
1
Antrim. In the published Martyrology of Tallagh and in that as found in
the Book of 2 at the of we find the name of Earc Leinster, 17th September,
set down. Likewise, in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, the name
in the Leabhar Mor Duna Dioghire, are in Tyrone, becomes **Slaght," as in the evidently of that class known as spurious parish of Connor. It is a curious analogy
prophecies, yet which have received so much
credence the Their cha- among ignorant.
racter has been well described, and what has
been preserved regarding this matter will be
found related in " Lec- Eugene O'Curry's
to the change in the word C15, that the
Tur. Lond.
tures on the Manuscript Materials of Antient I4 Ultonia. Inq. Car. I. No. 8. See
Irish History," lect. xx. , pp. 425 to 434. Rev. Wm. Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Anti-
12
In the Ecclesiastical Taxation of the quities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Diocese of Down, compiled in the year PP- 32» 33 and n. (p), ibid.
1306, we find Tyrella set d—own as "a
15 Accordingly, the Rev. Mr. Reeves, in
Eccia de Staghreett—vij. . mar
"The Church of Staghreell— 7 marks— Columba," marked Dundrum Bay with this
decra ix. s. iiij. d. " Thus rendered into English :
the of Ancient which has been Map Scotia,
Tenth, 9s. 4d. " We are told that " in the
taxation, the letter s is prefixed, agreeably
to a usage which prevailed in the English
districts of the country ; and of which to the mouth of Erne River, in the west of numerous instances are to be found in the Donegal. See " Annals of the Four
names with the beginning
" Sta " or vol. Masters,"
n. and vol. i. , (u), p. 7,
syllable
"Sti. " Thus Stackallen is formed from n. (0, p. 611.
ii. ,
C15-C. AlL. Aln ;
Stillorgan from C15-
17 See Lewis'
"
LoncAin and
; Styoun,
the third name of following in the Taxation, from C15-
vol. — Ireland," ii. , p. 664.
the same
By "2
"
"
by
eoin.
(leAcc,
of Donaghmore in Donegal, and Longfield mop niAigi Coba . 1. "Oamoiptie.
xxxiv. a monument "), as in the parishes Thus entered
process,
Laght
Kelly, p.
pt.
Latin word " " should be tego
in Greek.
13 Rot. Pat. 16 Edward ill. m- 17. 2nd
cognate '•"
<rpeya
published in Adamnan's " Life of St. title.
16
However, Dr. O'Donovan formed an opinion that Lough Rury was a name, given
Article v.
l
Edited
Rev. Dr.
Topographical Dictionary
:
h Oj\ci epi o 'Oonnuic
442 LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 17.
of Ere is recorded at this same date, and his commentator adds, that the
saintwasbishopofDomnachMorMaigeDamairne. 3 Moreover,heissaid
to have been Bishop of Domnach mor Maigh Cobha. This has been
"
the plain of Eochy-Cova," ancestor of the tribe called Ui Eathach Cobha, located in the present baronies of Upper and Lower Iveagh, in the County of Down. 4 The place5 is nearly midway between Newry and Loughbrickland. This is said to be the holy man, supposed by Colgan to have been that bishop Ere, who was a disciple of St. Senan,6 Abbot of Iniscathay, when he lived on Inis-more, and afterwards on Inis-caorach. ? However, his real place was so far apart from these localities, that the mere coincidences of name and title do not serve to make the identity probable. Under the head of Domhnach-mor of Magh Damaime,8 Duald Mac Firbis enters Earc, bishop of Domhnach-mor of Magh-Damhairne, or of Magh-Cobha, at September 17. 9 He is also mentioned in the
Anglicised
of
mor Maighe Damhaime.
10 at the same
as of Domhnach- Earc, Bishop,
Martyrology
Donegal,
date,
Article VI. —St. Feme, Daughter of Cairell, Virgin and Martyr. Women, as well as men, have learned to consider life not worth serious enjoyment, and have looked beyond the passing hour of trial and death, when striving for the palm which crowned so many in the Koman Coliseum. At this in the Feilire of St.
1 is found the Festival of Eufemia while a scholion on the text of the " Leabhar Breac" copy states, she is
date,
JEngus,
;
and
special eulogy. 3 His commentator styles her a Virgin and Martyr.
This holy woman is said to have been sister of Daigh,* son of Cairell, descended from the race of Eoghan, son of Niall. Deidi, daughter to Trian, son of Dubhthach ua Lughair, was mother to both, and also she was the mother of many other saints. 5 To this virgin-martyr seems referable an imperfect extract, in an Appendix to the Introduction of the published Donegal
identical with of Femme, daughter
a
of September, Marianus O'Gorman also enters a feast for Femme, with a
Martyrology.
6 kmustbe
remarked, however,
thatinthe of Martyrology
Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
<See O " Flaherty's
Ogygia," pars hi. ,
script Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calen-
dar of Oengus, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. ,
cap. lxxvm. , p. 372.
s See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. iii„ n. (u), pp. 344,
34'5
See his Life, at the 8th of March, in the
Cairell,
virgin
martyr.
17th
3 See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manu-
exxxriii.
9 See ibid.
. 1 Thus is she described in the Irish lines:—
" Femme oeblan
)*% 11»" In en caemnar Chairi11
S
—
xxvii. p. 534(^^)530. At n. 19 attached, dear modest daughter. *' Dr. Whitley
Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
7 See "Acta Sanctorum
viii.
The
following is
an
English translation:—
Hibernian,"
Martii. Secunda Vita S. Senani, cap. "Femme, beautiful, ample, safe, Cairell's
Colgan —assigns his feast to the 17th of October a manifest misprint for September —as our Calendars show. See p. 540 (rwfc) 53^.
8
Magh Damaime is now Magheramorne, County of Antrim, see under Domhnoch
Stokes' "Felire Hui Gormain," pp. 178,
179.
* See an account of him, at the 18th of
August, in the Eighth Volume of this work, Art. i.
s See Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves'
" of Martyrology
Moighe-Cobha, note.
William M.
Hennessy's
Donegal," pp. 250, 25:.
9 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
Academy,"IrishMSS. Series,vol. i. ,parti. ,
pp. 106, 107.
10
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
2 5°» 2 5*- — Article vi.
x
See "Transactions of
p.
T
p.
cxlvi.
6 It runs in the succeeding form
pi opinquus, citeiior tamen tempore quidem . . . Euphemia,1 Femevv. etmartyres ambo 16 seu 17 Septembr. " In a note, Dr. Todd refers to subsequent entries at 15, 16, and 17 Sept. , pp. 249-251. See
ibid. , p.
xliv.
2 At the
:
" Lasri
September 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 443
Tallagh, as found in the Book of Leinster, at the 17th of September, the name of Eufemie, Virgin and Martyr,' is only to be found in the list of foreign saints ; while in that copy published by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, her name is wholly omitted. A festival was celebrated at the 17th of September,
to the
Cairell, Virgin and Martyr.
of
8 to honour Feme, of daughter
according
Martyrology
Donegal,
Article VII. —St. Cuimmen, Abbot of Bangok, Countv of Down.
[Seventh Century. ']
A festival in honour of Cummine, Abbot, of Damoirne,
of 1 of Marianus O'Gorman,2 and Tallagh,
is set in the down,
Martyrologies
of Cathal Maguire,3 at the 17th of September. A great plague broke out,
a. d. 666, and during its continuance it is said, no less than four abbots at
Bangor—one after the other—succumbed, namely Bearach, Cummine, Colum and Aedhan. « From what has been stated already, we may take it
for granted, following the order of enumeration, that Cummine immediately succeeded Bearach and immediately preceded Colum, in the government of this monastery. 5 He could not have discharged this duty more than a few
months, and he died probably on the 17th of September, the date for his festival. 6 It would seem, that another Abbot of the same house named
8
Critan died within a very short interval. 7 In the Martyrology of Donegal, the present saint is recorded, at the 17th of September, as Cuimmen, Abbot of Bennchor.
Article VIII. —St. Coindere, of Cuil-liag. At this date, Marianus O'Gorman enters Condere, and his scholiast states, that he was Condere of
Cuil Liacc. 1
of
The name Coindere, of Cuil-liag, occurs in the Martyrology
Donegal,
2 as
having
been
venerated,
at the
17th
of
September.
Cuil-liag is probably found under the more modern townland denomina-
tions of Coolagh, Coolock, or Coologe ; and these are very numerous
in nearly all directions throughout Ireland, not to mention other
places, which take foregoing names as component parts of the'ir designations. 3 There is a townland and village of Coolock/ giving name to a parish
7 It is thus entered 6 See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesias-
: eufemie uip poy.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, ppi tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and
8
250, 251.
Article vii. — In the Book of Leinster
Copy, we have Cuimine ab with . i. oanioirxne, immediately above the entry, as
if it did not belong to Bishop Erc's record. Also we have "Cummine, Abb. i. Da- moirne in that copy, edited by the Rev. Dr.
Dromore. " Appendix, L. L. , p. 380.
7 His death is recorded in the Annals of
" Clonmacnoise and in the Chronicum
Scotorum,"atA. D. 655; andintheAnnals of Ulster and in those of the Four Masters at A. D. 668. See William M. Hennessy's edition, pp. 100, 101, and Dr. O'Donovan's
edition, vol. i. , pp. 280, 281, and n. (m), ibid.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
250, 251. —'See Dr. Stokes' Article viii. Whitley
" Felire Hui Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
Kelly, p. xxxiv. 38
His commentator adds Cummein, abbot of Bangor. See Dr. Whitley Stokes' "Felire Hui Gormain," pp. 178, 179.
3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nia," xii. Januarii. De S. Cumiano Episcopo,
n.
" Chroni- cum Scotorum," pp. 100, 101. There, however, those events are referred to A. D.
663.
s See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 278, 279, and n. (d. ), ibid.
2
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
6, p. 59.
4 See William M.
Hennessy's
250, 251.
3 See "A General Index to Alphabetical
the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland, "pp. 283, 284, 294.
4 It is described on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Dublin, Sheets 14, 15. The townland and village are on Sheet 15.
444 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September 17.
and barony in the County of Dublin. s A Protestant church occcupies the site of an ancient chapel, which was annexed to Swords. 6 It is within an old enclosed graveyard, and rises on the brow of a hill, near the
Protestant Church of Coolock, County Dublin.
public road. The authority of a collation by Archbishop Fagan, however, states, that this parish had been dedicated to St. Brendan of Kerry,? who died on the 14th of May. Hence, we can hardly associate it with our present St. Coindere.
Article IX. —Monachus. The " is to be found entry Monachus,"
in the anonymous Calendar of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare, 1
at the 17th of September. But, whether it is a proper name, or that it means simply a " monk," remains undetermined.
Article X. —St. Sanctin. At this the day,
1
of Sanctin
occurs in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman. The simple entry,
is set down in the
Sanctin, Martyrology
2 at—the
of
September. T—he place, with which this saint was connected according to
one conjecture rises on a steep bank, east of the River Dodder. It has
5 See an interesting account of it in John Article ix. — See " Histories Catholicae
"
D'Alton's History of the County of Iberniae Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. ,
Dublin," pp. 230 to 235.
cap. xi. , p. 51. — Rendered— in drawn Article x. •
6The
by Gregor Grey on the spot, has been trans- ferred to the wood and engraved by him.
accompanying illustration,
English : " Sanctin whom I seek. " Dr.