"
" Cambrensis Eversus," vol.
" Cambrensis Eversus," vol.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
St.
Moelcolumbus or Co- 4.
St.
Baitan.
5.
St.
Baithen, Abbot of Hy.
lumbanus.
34.
Blessed Moelfinnian.
35.
6.
St.
Branius.
7.
St.
Caincomrach, Blessed Muircheartach.
36.
St.
Muredach.
37.
St.
Muredach O'Dubthaicb.
38.
St.
Maelbrigid. 29.
Bishop and Abbot. 8. St. Caiman. 9. St.
Ceata. 10. St. Cobran. II. St. Cobthach.
12. St. Columba Crag. 13. St. Coech
Sculius. 14. St. Diermit, disciple of St.
Columba. 15. St. Diermit, Abbot of
Derry. 16. St. Dubdaleth, Archbishop of
Armagh and Abbot of Derry. 17. St.
Edvina, a widow lady of Munster. 18. St.
Echod, colleague of St. Columba in the con-
version of the Picts. 19. St. Ernan. 20.
Blessed Eugene O'Kearnach, Abbot of
Derry. 21. St. Fetchuo. 22. St. Finnachta,
Abbot of Derry. 23. St. Flathbertus 1837, 4to.
30.
Adamnan, Abbot of Hy. 2. St. Adland,
O'Brolchain,
Odhran. 39. St. Russeus or Russen. 40.
St. Scandalius. 41. St. Torannan. See
undertake to define, but it is certain, it
was before A. D. 927. See ibid. , sect, i. ,
P- 5°3-
»S The fullest account of this locality is
Liberties of Londonderry," published in
Abbot and of 16 The accompanyin illustration, from a Bishop Derry.
ibid. , sect, iii. , p. 5°6.
** At what period, Colgan would not
that contained in the Ordnance Survey " Memoir of the City and North-Western
5i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
River Roe to attend the great Convention of Druimceat, St. Columba's vessel
steered northwards. Before leaving Ireland for Iona, however, he touched at
1
Coleraine, ? and there Bishop Conall had resolved on paying him a marked
public demonstration. He collected an almost innumerable quantity of pre-
sents from the people of that vicinity, and he prepared a great entertainment, in compliment to their illustrious visitor, who was destined never again to return. After these parting festivities were over, the holy Abbot embarked at Coleraine, where his vessel was then waiting. He cleared the mouth of the River Bann with favouring winds, and then his ship was wafted towards the terrible whirl-
pool
clerical habit. 21 He sailed over from tery on the Island. "
"
Gazetteer of the World," vol. ii. , p. 617. 18 The Scottish writers call it Corryvrekin,
xi. , chap, vi. , p. 254.
*° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
QuintaVita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. xxi. ,
p. 434.
ai We learn from the that he was sequel,
neither in Holy Orders, nor admitted as yet to the monastic condition; so that this ex- pression must be understood regarding his retirement from secular life, and the adop- tion of the garb, which characterized the associates or probationers of a religious com- munity.
"
and
Walter Scott has a double—allusion to it in
it near Scarba Island. Sir Lord of the Isles" :
That your eye could see the mood
OfCorryvrekin's whirlpool rude, Where dons the Hag her whiten'd
they place "
the ''
hood. " —
Canto iii. , sect. xvi.
"Trias
Quarta Vita S. Columboe, Lib. iL, cap. xxxix. ,
pp. 3=59to361. Also,nn. 31,32,p. 3S4.
23 These separate guest-houses were built for the accommodation of strangers and visitors to the Columbian monasteries.
3* obedience to the The duty of entire
superior's orders was very strictly enforced
Again
he refers to the — locality :
" Scarba's isle, whose tortured shore
Still to — roar. " rings Corryvrekin's
Canto iv. , sect. xi.
19 The Comte de Montalembert, who is
18 so called because
the son of and the Manius,
of Core
1
the surging billows. ' This solution of the spectacle was supernaturally
: revealedtohim,andaccordinglyhesaidtotheship'screw "Thesearethe
bones of Brecan, our kinsman, and Christ has deigned to expose them to our view, so that we should intercede for the dead man's final repose, and thank the Lord for releasing us from the present danger. " Then offering up a fervent prayer, Columba not only obtained an escape from shipwreck for himself and his companions, but moreover, the soul of Brecan was liberated from the pains of
—with him again at Hy, attending as usual notwithstanding his advanced age to the care of his monasteries and numerous churches. Pilgrimages were made by pious persons to his Island so long as he lived, and even abandoned sinners were attracted, through the repute of his great virtues and sanctity. While the saint lived in Iona, a man of humble birth had lately assumed the
Brecain,
grandson of Niall the Great, had perished there many years before, and whose bones on this occasion were seen by the servant of God tossed about through
Brecan,
Abbot beheld it wafted to eternal 20 happiness.
and the
Thence he appears to have sailed on—direct to Scotland, where we meet
Purgatory,
holy
and came to the monas- The saint found him one day alone in the hos-
and
photograph furnished by Frederick H. fond of legends, and even of embellishing Mares, has been drawn by William F. them with the efforts of his own imagina- Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs. lion, states, moreover, that our saint believed
"
Millard. — he then saw un signe des tourments que
33 for
his and family,
Scotia,
abouthis
The stranger answered, that he was born in
pice
the object of his journey.
Connaught, that he undertook this long and wearisome journey to
strangers,
inquired
country,
17on The modern town established in 16 — souffrait dans le l'ame de s—
13, by a company of Londonderry merchants
is built near the River Bann, and many of
the inhabitants hold long leases. Its trade
and manufactures are considerable. See
purgatoire
avait en cet endroit," &c. peri
parent qui
Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , Liv.
See Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 519
atone for his sins through that pilgrimage. In order to test the sincerity of his conversion, the saint then described minutely the hardships and labour
attending on his monastic exercises. " I am prepared," the pilgrim replied, " to do whatever you command me, however hard and humiliating, and I am
2-* The
: grimhaddoneso,Columbaspoketohimthus "Youmustdopenancefor
seven years, in Tiree ; you and I, with God's blessing, shall survive that period. " Being comforted by the saint's assurance, the pilgrim first gave
thankstoGod,andturningafterwardstothesaint,heasked "WhatamI
:
2
to do, with regard to an oath I have violated ? ? for at one time, while living
at home in my own country, I killed a man ; and after that murder, I was confined in prison, until a very rich relative came to my aid, and rescued me 28 from that death, to which I was justly condemned. When I was released, I bound myself by oath to serve that friend, all the days of my life ; but, I had remained only a short time in his service, when I felt ashamed to be any longer the slave of man, and I resolved to devote myself entirelytoGod. Ileftthatmaster,brokemyoath,andarrivedheresafely, God prospering my journey so far. " On seeing the poor stranger very uneasy regarding this matter, Columba spoke thus prophetically to console him : "After the end of seven years, as I said, you shall come to me here during the Lent, when you will approach the altar and partake of the Eucha- rist, on the great Easter festival. "2' The penitent stranger obeyed the saint's words, and returned to him, as foretold, after the seven years' penance, in the monastery of Magh Luinge. 30 After celebrating the Paschal solemnity, and partaking of the holy Eucharist, this stranger came again to the Abbot, to con- sult him on the above-mentioned oath. Then the saint gave this prophetic
to suffer
while he promised on bended knees to undergo the prescribed works ofpen- ance. 26 The saint bade him arise and take a seat near himself. When the pil-
ready
everything. "
pilgrim immediately
answer: <; That ofwhom master,
so are father and your
is still
mother and brothers. You must now prepare yourself for the voyage. " While
speakingthus,Columbadrewforthasword31 withapolishedivoryhandle,32
:
and presenting it to him, said " Take this gift with you, as the price of your
on those belonging to the community. with what he has been taught from his youth 25 " Eadem hora omnia sua confessus pec- about the altar, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and
cata,legespoenitentiseflexisi—nterramgeni- hisEasterduty.
bus, se impleturum promisit. Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. xxxix.
26 The reader who is desirous of learning
more regarding them may consult Fleming's "Collectanea Sacra," where Abbot Cum- mian's "Liber de Mensura Pcenitentiarm," consisting of fourteen chapters, maybe seen,
at pp. 197 to 210.
27 This seems to have greatly prayed on
his conscience, as may be seen afterwards,
and owing to the conditions under which it
was taken.
38
you spoke,
living;
"°
Greek fjL&xat-pa, a sword. This instance, Probablybypayinganericormoney andseveralotherpassagesinAdamnan,and
fine to the nearest kinsmen of the deceased, which was a very usual mode in Ireland of statisfying for an injury committed. See
other ecclesiastical writers ofhisage, manifest the growing taste for Latinizing Greek terms, 3* "The Irish were so addicted to fishing
"
Hibernicis," vol. i. , No. iii. A Critico* have lived in ships. The extensive fisheries
Charles Vallancey's
Collectanea de Rebus
and navigation, that they appear almost to
Historical Dissertation concerning the
Ancient Irish Laws or National Customs,
&c, p. 392.
29 The Catholic reader needs not be told
how well the language here used corresponds
of ancient Ireland are known, from the com- mon custom of adorning the hilts of t—he swords with the teeth of large fish.
"
" Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , p. 179, as translated by the late Rev. Pro-
3This a was
confessed all his 25 sins,
penitential house of retreat apparently, and situated in the Island of Tiree, within view of Iona. There was also
a Magh Luinge on the Island of Hy.
3I The words of Adamnan are "macheram belluinis ornatam dolatis protulit dentibus :" whence we may infer probably, that the hilt of that sword was formed from the tusk of some large wild animal, possibly a boar, or it may be from the bones of some monster fish. The Latin word machera is adopted from the
5 2o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
ransom ; the master, however, will not accept it, for he has a virtuous wife, at whose suggestion he shall set you free, unbinding the girdle from around your . loins. 33 Though thus relieved from this source of anxiety, other trials await
you four brothers will insist on your providing for the necessities of your
;—
father a duty, they will say, you
their wishes, and promise to watch over your father with filial piety. The duty may indeed be onerous, but be not grieved thereat, because you shall not bear the burden long ; since, from the day on which you undertake it, not a week shall elapse, until the death of your father takes place. Nor shall your labours end even there ; your brothers will make the same demand, with
regard to your mother. 3* However, a younger brother shall engage to do whateverisrequiredofyou,andyoushallbefreeatlength. " Havingheard these words, the stranger received the gift with the saint's blessing, and he pro- ceededonhisjourney. Whenthatslavearrivedathome,hefoundeverycir- cumstanceexactlyasdescribedbythesaint. Hepresentedtheivory-handled sword 35 to his master, but the wife warned him not to accept it, saying : "What need we this gift sent by St. Columba? we are not even worthy of such a favour. Liberate this good young man immediately. The prayers of the saint shall profit us more than the price of this slave. " Influenced by his wife's salutary counsel, her husband ordered the slave to be set free forthwithandwithoutransom. However,accordingtothesaint'sprophecy, he was compelled by his brothers to undertake the obligation of providing for his father, until the old man's death, which occurred within the very first week after the penitent assumed that obligation. After his burial, they required him to discharge the same duty towards his mother during her lifetime. But, as the saint foretold, a younger brother engaged to supply his place, and opposed the project of the other brothers; because it was unfair, he said, to
detain at home one, who had spent seven years in penitential exercises with St. Columba. Thegoodpilgrimsoontookleaveofhismotherandbrothers, when he retired to a place, called in Irish, Daire Calgaich,36 or "the oak- wood of Calgaich. "37 There, he found a ship under sail, and just leaving the
cultui dentibus mart nantium belluarum in-
—
fessor Dr. Matthew Kelly.
— sion—allusion is made, probably
"
33 To this ceremony
a of manumis- form
signiunt ensium capulos. "
xxv.
Polyhistor,"
in the letters of Pope Gelasius : "Ex antiquis re- gulis et novella synodali explanatione com- prehensum est, personas o—bnoxias servituti, cingulo coelestis militiae. " Dist. 54, cap. 9. And again, the Pope complains of bishops :
"Qui obnoxias possessoribus obligatasque personas venientes a—d clericalis officii cingu- lum non recusant. " Ibid. , cap. 10. bee Thomassinus, De Beneficiis, tomus ii. , cap. 79; and " Le Protestantisme compare au Catholicisme," par M. l'Abbe Jacques Bal- mes, tome i. , passim, on the whole question of slavery, and the influence of the Church in abrogating it.
34 The Rev. Dr. Reeves remarks in this
connexion "Theallusiontofilialobliga- :
tionsin this chapter indicates the existence
of a better social and moral condition in Ire-
land at this date, than the tone oft—he native
Annals would lead one to expect. " Adam-
cap.
3° In the text of Adamnan, given by
Colgan, it is written Claire calig, which he corrects in a note to Daire-Chalguich, and often called Robertum Calguich, by Adam- nan. See " Trias Thaumaturga," n. 32, p. 384. The Irish word cAbg signifies "a
"
sword," or
means "sharp" or "angry. " Hence, Cabgach became a proper name, meaning "a fierce warrior. " Its genitive is CaI- 5<wch.
3? This was only another name for thepre- sent Derry, and the one it bore antecedently to the foundation there of St. Columba's monastery. An ancient Irish Life of St.
Columba relates the gift of this place by
Aedh, son of Ainmire, who could only have been ten years old, at the date assigned for that monastic erection, A. D. 545, in the An- nals of Ulster. However, as a minor, and the prospective king of that territory, he pro bably presented the site in the name of his
and
tribe, tohisownnearrelative. Intimes
nan's
"
Life of St. Columba," n. (q), p. 159.
35 Speaking of the Irish, and especially of
— — about the theirchiefs,Solinus whoflourished
year of Our Lord 230 says
" :
Qui
student
long subsequent,
the
monastery
at
Deny
ae-
have at with
long neglected ;
comply once
a thorn/' and as an adjective it
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 521
harbour. He called on the sailors to take him on board and to convey him to Britain. Not being well disposed towards the monks of St. Columba, the crew refused to receive that penitent, and he then prayed to the holy man,
"
Is it thy will, holy Co- lumba,thatthesesailors, whowillnotassistme,thycompanion,shouldmake their voyage with full sails and with favourable winds ? " That moment, the wind, which till then filled their sails, veered to the opposite point, and blew a strong gale against them. When thus driven back, the sailors saw again the same man running in front of them, and along the bank of the river. 38
"
absent indeed in body, but present in spirit, saying :
They cried out all at once, as if by mutual consent :
Perhaps the wind has
unexpectedly turned against us, because we refused to give you a passage ; now we invite you on board; can you [change the winds in our favour? "
When the pilgrim heard this, he said
and whom I have served for the last seven years, is able by prayer to obtain afavourablewindfromGod. " Theythennearedtheshore,andaskedhim toaccompanythem. Assoonasthepenitenthadcomeonboard,hesaid: " In the name of Almighty God, whom St. Columba faithfully serves, spread your sails on the extended yards. " When they had done so, the winds imme- diately changed to their former course, and the vessel bounded under full sail towards Britain. On reaching the shore, their passenger left the ship, blessed the sailors, and went directly to St. Columba, by whom he was warmly received. Without being informed of any on—e circumstance, the holy man toldabouteverythingthathappenedonhisway regardinghismasterandthe wife's suggestion, and of his being set free on her account ; regarding the con- duct of his brothers, the death and burial of his father within the week, the timelyassistanceoftheyoungerbrother; alsorelatingwhatoccurredonhis return, the adverse and favourable winds, the very words of the sailors when theyrefused to admit him into the ship, and the favourable wind, when they had given their consent. Every particular the saint had foretold, -the visitor now described after its having been exactly fulfilled. The pious pilgrim then gave back to the Abbot the price of his ransom. After which, the saint addressed
:
:
himinthesewords "Now,becauseyouarefree,youshallbecalledLibra-
nus39henceforth. " Atthesametime,Libranustookthemonasticvowswith muchfervour. Whenhewasbeingsentbacktothemonastery,wherehehad passed the seven years of penance, our saint made the following prophetic
:
announcement to him " You shall live yet a long time, and die at a good
old age; you shall arise from the dead, not however in Britain, but in Scotia. "* Hearingthesewords,thepilgrimweptbitterly,andthesaintcom-
forted " him,saying:
and be not
shall die in one of monasteries,* and your lot shall be among the elect brethren in the King-
quired a jurisdiction over Hy, and it became the seat of the Abbot superior over all the
Columban monasteries, according to evi- dences contained in the Irish Annals. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum
tomus iv. ses," at a. d. 1 164.
" Annales Ultonien-
dumha, at the 30th of March. 3. Liber, of Inis-mor, at the 1st of August. 4. Liber the martyr. There are three called Libran or Liobhran: 1. Liobhran, at the 8th of March. 2. Libren, of Cluain-fodha, at the nth of March. Abbot of
Scriptores,"
,
3. Liobran,
also at the 1 ith of March. See the O'Clerys'
1
38 Allusion is made to Loch Feabhal or the Foyle, through which the river flows from above Lifford, where it is joined by the RiverFinn. TheRiverRoealsoflowsinto Lough Foyle. See a description in " The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 223.
39 There are four saints called Liber in the Irish Calendars : 1. Liber, Abbot of Achadh- bo, at the 8th of March. 2. Liber, of Leth-
"Calendar," at these several dates.
40 By this term, Ireland is here meant,
** St. Columba, at Iona, was the head of
all those religious houses, that followed his Rule. Hisseveralcongregationswerecalled
"
muincer* ChoUnrn-cille,
family of Columkille," according to the Book of Armagh, fol. Ii3, b.
^ The Irish word, Libyan or Librven, is said to have been derived from the Latin
Arise,
sad, you
my
la,
" St. Columba, to whom I am going,
the people or
522 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
dom of Heaven, with whom you shall awake from the sleep of death unto the resurrection of life. " Being thus consoled by the saint's assurance, Libran 42
rejoiced exceedingly, asked his blessing, and went away in peace. After- wards, this prophecy of the saint was also fulfilled ; for when he had spent
many years of holy obedience in the monastery of Magh Luinge,43 even sub- sequent to the death of St. Columba, being sent on a mission to Ireland regarding the interests of the monastery, Libran 44 proceeded as soon as he landed through the plains of Meath towards the monastery of Durrow. 4 ^ He was received there as a stranger in the hospice, but suffering from disease, he passed to the Lord, on the seventh day of his illness. 46 He was buried with the chosen monks of St. Columba, according to such prophecy, and he was destined to arise with them, also, into life everlasting. This holy penitent was called Libranus Arundinetus, from his having been engaged many years in the collecting of reeds. *?
called
Hy
Tuirtre
Tort,
4?
A certain — as we are unhappy man,
and informed, belonging
to the
one of the
from Fiachra who claim descent—
48
sons s° of Colla Uais, monarch of Ireland 5I had been guilty of very grievous and shameful crime. Regarding this, St. Columba had a miraculous intuition, and in the dead hour of night, he had the monks collected in the church. To them he said : "At this hour, a shocking and an unmentionable crime has been committed, for which a judgment of God's vengeance is greatly to be feared. " At this time, also, the messenger of the monastery, named Lugaid, was away from Iona ; and when some of Columba's disciples wished to learn from their Abbot on the day following the nature of that crime, he evaded their ques- tions by merely stating, that after a few months the perpetrator should come with Lugaid to their Island. The period indicated having elapsed, while the Abbot was with Diarmitius one day he said: "Arise quickly, behold
word liber, "free," and it properly signifies side of Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, ad- libtriiuis, "a freedman. " The Irish name joining the Kir Li on the south. Fearsat
Liber* is usually Latinized Liberius, and the Irish form tibpan or bib]\en is Latinized Libranus or Librenus,
43 In the Island of Tirec.
44 Colgan is of opinion, that this Libran
had a feast, at the nth of March ; where
our early Martyrologists simply enter a Libran, while later writers add, that he was
Tuama " the Ford of Toome," now Toome Bridge, was the point of communication be- tween the Hy Tuirtre and Dalaradia. In the twelfth century they were forced over to the east side of the Bann and Lough Neagh, and gave the name of Hy Tuirtre to the territory now known as the two baronies of Toome. The Decanatus de Turtyre in the early taxa- tions represented their extent.
49 The epithet toit being a name for seizure, because it was by Faclira that Conaille
Muirtheimhne, the present county of Louth, was first seized, as an inheritance, according to the Genealogical Manuscript of MacFiibis. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Anti- quities of Down, Connor and Dromore, pp. 82, 83, n. (a), and Appendix BB, pp. 292 to 297. He dwelt south of the mountain of Slieve Gallion, and from him descend the Hy Tuirtre and the Fir Li, as also the Fir Luirg, and the Hy-mac-Uais.
"
berniae," Martii xi. De S. Librano Abbate
Hiensi, p. 584.
4s Venerable Bede gives us to understand,
that Hy and Durrow were the nurseries from
which the Columbian institutions of Britain
and of Ireland were chiefly recruited. See
"
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv. , pp. 168, 169.
46 If he had place in the Irish Calendars, it seems more probable his connexion as a saint was more with Durrow in the King's County than with Iona. See notices in the Third Volume of this work, at March nth, Art iv.
"
Abbot of Iona. See
Acta Sanctorum Hi-
s° Another of his sons named Earc, who lived on the north of the Mountain of Slieve 47 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Gallion, and from him descended the Mac Cartains of Loch Feabhail or Foyle. Slieve Gallion, also called Sliabh Callain, is a ba- rony in the barony of Loughinsholin, county of Londonderry. It lies on the borders of Tyrone countv. See Dr. O'Donovan's " An- Anterior to the English invasion, the Hy nals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , at A. D.
Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 39, pp 156 to 163, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, ll, i, k, 1, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. )
48 In thelrish language written 11 1 rmrvr^e.
Tuirtre were situated in Tyrone, on the west 1 167, pp. 1164, 1 165, and n. (b).
clan,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 523
Lugaid approaches, and tell him the wicked man he brings in his ship must be landed in the Island Malea,52 or Mull," for his feet shall not pollute the soil ofthis Island. " Accordingly, in obedience to the saint's command, Diarmit went down to the sea-shore, and conveyed his message to Lugaid. Having heard these words, the unhappy man vowed he should never taste food, until he had seen and spoken to St. Columba. Thereupon, Diermait returned to the Abbot and reported his words. Having learned this, Columba himself went to the port, while Baithen, who was told about the crime, 5 * seems to have carried with him a volume of the Sacred Scriptures, as if to oblige the culprit to vow upon it, that he would accept a weighty penance for his flagrant guilt. The wretched man prostrated himself on the shore and at the knees of the holy Abbot, promising that he would fulfil whatever pen-
" This man is a son of perdition,
ance might be imposed on him. The saint replied
you repent in tears and in mourning among the Britons, and never return to Scotiasolongasyoulive,perchancetheAlmightywouldpardonyou. "56 Then
turning to his attendants, Columba said
:
who although he promises to do penance shall fail to fulfil his engagement, but soon shall he return to Scotia, where he must perish at the hands of his enemies. " All this happened, and just as the saint predicted.
Maelbrigid. 29.
Bishop and Abbot. 8. St. Caiman. 9. St.
Ceata. 10. St. Cobran. II. St. Cobthach.
12. St. Columba Crag. 13. St. Coech
Sculius. 14. St. Diermit, disciple of St.
Columba. 15. St. Diermit, Abbot of
Derry. 16. St. Dubdaleth, Archbishop of
Armagh and Abbot of Derry. 17. St.
Edvina, a widow lady of Munster. 18. St.
Echod, colleague of St. Columba in the con-
version of the Picts. 19. St. Ernan. 20.
Blessed Eugene O'Kearnach, Abbot of
Derry. 21. St. Fetchuo. 22. St. Finnachta,
Abbot of Derry. 23. St. Flathbertus 1837, 4to.
30.
Adamnan, Abbot of Hy. 2. St. Adland,
O'Brolchain,
Odhran. 39. St. Russeus or Russen. 40.
St. Scandalius. 41. St. Torannan. See
undertake to define, but it is certain, it
was before A. D. 927. See ibid. , sect, i. ,
P- 5°3-
»S The fullest account of this locality is
Liberties of Londonderry," published in
Abbot and of 16 The accompanyin illustration, from a Bishop Derry.
ibid. , sect, iii. , p. 5°6.
** At what period, Colgan would not
that contained in the Ordnance Survey " Memoir of the City and North-Western
5i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
River Roe to attend the great Convention of Druimceat, St. Columba's vessel
steered northwards. Before leaving Ireland for Iona, however, he touched at
1
Coleraine, ? and there Bishop Conall had resolved on paying him a marked
public demonstration. He collected an almost innumerable quantity of pre-
sents from the people of that vicinity, and he prepared a great entertainment, in compliment to their illustrious visitor, who was destined never again to return. After these parting festivities were over, the holy Abbot embarked at Coleraine, where his vessel was then waiting. He cleared the mouth of the River Bann with favouring winds, and then his ship was wafted towards the terrible whirl-
pool
clerical habit. 21 He sailed over from tery on the Island. "
"
Gazetteer of the World," vol. ii. , p. 617. 18 The Scottish writers call it Corryvrekin,
xi. , chap, vi. , p. 254.
*° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
QuintaVita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. xxi. ,
p. 434.
ai We learn from the that he was sequel,
neither in Holy Orders, nor admitted as yet to the monastic condition; so that this ex- pression must be understood regarding his retirement from secular life, and the adop- tion of the garb, which characterized the associates or probationers of a religious com- munity.
"
and
Walter Scott has a double—allusion to it in
it near Scarba Island. Sir Lord of the Isles" :
That your eye could see the mood
OfCorryvrekin's whirlpool rude, Where dons the Hag her whiten'd
they place "
the ''
hood. " —
Canto iii. , sect. xvi.
"Trias
Quarta Vita S. Columboe, Lib. iL, cap. xxxix. ,
pp. 3=59to361. Also,nn. 31,32,p. 3S4.
23 These separate guest-houses were built for the accommodation of strangers and visitors to the Columbian monasteries.
3* obedience to the The duty of entire
superior's orders was very strictly enforced
Again
he refers to the — locality :
" Scarba's isle, whose tortured shore
Still to — roar. " rings Corryvrekin's
Canto iv. , sect. xi.
19 The Comte de Montalembert, who is
18 so called because
the son of and the Manius,
of Core
1
the surging billows. ' This solution of the spectacle was supernaturally
: revealedtohim,andaccordinglyhesaidtotheship'screw "Thesearethe
bones of Brecan, our kinsman, and Christ has deigned to expose them to our view, so that we should intercede for the dead man's final repose, and thank the Lord for releasing us from the present danger. " Then offering up a fervent prayer, Columba not only obtained an escape from shipwreck for himself and his companions, but moreover, the soul of Brecan was liberated from the pains of
—with him again at Hy, attending as usual notwithstanding his advanced age to the care of his monasteries and numerous churches. Pilgrimages were made by pious persons to his Island so long as he lived, and even abandoned sinners were attracted, through the repute of his great virtues and sanctity. While the saint lived in Iona, a man of humble birth had lately assumed the
Brecain,
grandson of Niall the Great, had perished there many years before, and whose bones on this occasion were seen by the servant of God tossed about through
Brecan,
Abbot beheld it wafted to eternal 20 happiness.
and the
Thence he appears to have sailed on—direct to Scotland, where we meet
Purgatory,
holy
and came to the monas- The saint found him one day alone in the hos-
and
photograph furnished by Frederick H. fond of legends, and even of embellishing Mares, has been drawn by William F. them with the efforts of his own imagina- Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs. lion, states, moreover, that our saint believed
"
Millard. — he then saw un signe des tourments que
33 for
his and family,
Scotia,
abouthis
The stranger answered, that he was born in
pice
the object of his journey.
Connaught, that he undertook this long and wearisome journey to
strangers,
inquired
country,
17on The modern town established in 16 — souffrait dans le l'ame de s—
13, by a company of Londonderry merchants
is built near the River Bann, and many of
the inhabitants hold long leases. Its trade
and manufactures are considerable. See
purgatoire
avait en cet endroit," &c. peri
parent qui
Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , Liv.
See Colgan's
Thaumaturga,"
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 519
atone for his sins through that pilgrimage. In order to test the sincerity of his conversion, the saint then described minutely the hardships and labour
attending on his monastic exercises. " I am prepared," the pilgrim replied, " to do whatever you command me, however hard and humiliating, and I am
2-* The
: grimhaddoneso,Columbaspoketohimthus "Youmustdopenancefor
seven years, in Tiree ; you and I, with God's blessing, shall survive that period. " Being comforted by the saint's assurance, the pilgrim first gave
thankstoGod,andturningafterwardstothesaint,heasked "WhatamI
:
2
to do, with regard to an oath I have violated ? ? for at one time, while living
at home in my own country, I killed a man ; and after that murder, I was confined in prison, until a very rich relative came to my aid, and rescued me 28 from that death, to which I was justly condemned. When I was released, I bound myself by oath to serve that friend, all the days of my life ; but, I had remained only a short time in his service, when I felt ashamed to be any longer the slave of man, and I resolved to devote myself entirelytoGod. Ileftthatmaster,brokemyoath,andarrivedheresafely, God prospering my journey so far. " On seeing the poor stranger very uneasy regarding this matter, Columba spoke thus prophetically to console him : "After the end of seven years, as I said, you shall come to me here during the Lent, when you will approach the altar and partake of the Eucha- rist, on the great Easter festival. "2' The penitent stranger obeyed the saint's words, and returned to him, as foretold, after the seven years' penance, in the monastery of Magh Luinge. 30 After celebrating the Paschal solemnity, and partaking of the holy Eucharist, this stranger came again to the Abbot, to con- sult him on the above-mentioned oath. Then the saint gave this prophetic
to suffer
while he promised on bended knees to undergo the prescribed works ofpen- ance. 26 The saint bade him arise and take a seat near himself. When the pil-
ready
everything. "
pilgrim immediately
answer: <; That ofwhom master,
so are father and your
is still
mother and brothers. You must now prepare yourself for the voyage. " While
speakingthus,Columbadrewforthasword31 withapolishedivoryhandle,32
:
and presenting it to him, said " Take this gift with you, as the price of your
on those belonging to the community. with what he has been taught from his youth 25 " Eadem hora omnia sua confessus pec- about the altar, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and
cata,legespoenitentiseflexisi—nterramgeni- hisEasterduty.
bus, se impleturum promisit. Quarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. xxxix.
26 The reader who is desirous of learning
more regarding them may consult Fleming's "Collectanea Sacra," where Abbot Cum- mian's "Liber de Mensura Pcenitentiarm," consisting of fourteen chapters, maybe seen,
at pp. 197 to 210.
27 This seems to have greatly prayed on
his conscience, as may be seen afterwards,
and owing to the conditions under which it
was taken.
38
you spoke,
living;
"°
Greek fjL&xat-pa, a sword. This instance, Probablybypayinganericormoney andseveralotherpassagesinAdamnan,and
fine to the nearest kinsmen of the deceased, which was a very usual mode in Ireland of statisfying for an injury committed. See
other ecclesiastical writers ofhisage, manifest the growing taste for Latinizing Greek terms, 3* "The Irish were so addicted to fishing
"
Hibernicis," vol. i. , No. iii. A Critico* have lived in ships. The extensive fisheries
Charles Vallancey's
Collectanea de Rebus
and navigation, that they appear almost to
Historical Dissertation concerning the
Ancient Irish Laws or National Customs,
&c, p. 392.
29 The Catholic reader needs not be told
how well the language here used corresponds
of ancient Ireland are known, from the com- mon custom of adorning the hilts of t—he swords with the teeth of large fish.
"
" Cambrensis Eversus," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , p. 179, as translated by the late Rev. Pro-
3This a was
confessed all his 25 sins,
penitential house of retreat apparently, and situated in the Island of Tiree, within view of Iona. There was also
a Magh Luinge on the Island of Hy.
3I The words of Adamnan are "macheram belluinis ornatam dolatis protulit dentibus :" whence we may infer probably, that the hilt of that sword was formed from the tusk of some large wild animal, possibly a boar, or it may be from the bones of some monster fish. The Latin word machera is adopted from the
5 2o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
ransom ; the master, however, will not accept it, for he has a virtuous wife, at whose suggestion he shall set you free, unbinding the girdle from around your . loins. 33 Though thus relieved from this source of anxiety, other trials await
you four brothers will insist on your providing for the necessities of your
;—
father a duty, they will say, you
their wishes, and promise to watch over your father with filial piety. The duty may indeed be onerous, but be not grieved thereat, because you shall not bear the burden long ; since, from the day on which you undertake it, not a week shall elapse, until the death of your father takes place. Nor shall your labours end even there ; your brothers will make the same demand, with
regard to your mother. 3* However, a younger brother shall engage to do whateverisrequiredofyou,andyoushallbefreeatlength. " Havingheard these words, the stranger received the gift with the saint's blessing, and he pro- ceededonhisjourney. Whenthatslavearrivedathome,hefoundeverycir- cumstanceexactlyasdescribedbythesaint. Hepresentedtheivory-handled sword 35 to his master, but the wife warned him not to accept it, saying : "What need we this gift sent by St. Columba? we are not even worthy of such a favour. Liberate this good young man immediately. The prayers of the saint shall profit us more than the price of this slave. " Influenced by his wife's salutary counsel, her husband ordered the slave to be set free forthwithandwithoutransom. However,accordingtothesaint'sprophecy, he was compelled by his brothers to undertake the obligation of providing for his father, until the old man's death, which occurred within the very first week after the penitent assumed that obligation. After his burial, they required him to discharge the same duty towards his mother during her lifetime. But, as the saint foretold, a younger brother engaged to supply his place, and opposed the project of the other brothers; because it was unfair, he said, to
detain at home one, who had spent seven years in penitential exercises with St. Columba. Thegoodpilgrimsoontookleaveofhismotherandbrothers, when he retired to a place, called in Irish, Daire Calgaich,36 or "the oak- wood of Calgaich. "37 There, he found a ship under sail, and just leaving the
cultui dentibus mart nantium belluarum in-
—
fessor Dr. Matthew Kelly.
— sion—allusion is made, probably
"
33 To this ceremony
a of manumis- form
signiunt ensium capulos. "
xxv.
Polyhistor,"
in the letters of Pope Gelasius : "Ex antiquis re- gulis et novella synodali explanatione com- prehensum est, personas o—bnoxias servituti, cingulo coelestis militiae. " Dist. 54, cap. 9. And again, the Pope complains of bishops :
"Qui obnoxias possessoribus obligatasque personas venientes a—d clericalis officii cingu- lum non recusant. " Ibid. , cap. 10. bee Thomassinus, De Beneficiis, tomus ii. , cap. 79; and " Le Protestantisme compare au Catholicisme," par M. l'Abbe Jacques Bal- mes, tome i. , passim, on the whole question of slavery, and the influence of the Church in abrogating it.
34 The Rev. Dr. Reeves remarks in this
connexion "Theallusiontofilialobliga- :
tionsin this chapter indicates the existence
of a better social and moral condition in Ire-
land at this date, than the tone oft—he native
Annals would lead one to expect. " Adam-
cap.
3° In the text of Adamnan, given by
Colgan, it is written Claire calig, which he corrects in a note to Daire-Chalguich, and often called Robertum Calguich, by Adam- nan. See " Trias Thaumaturga," n. 32, p. 384. The Irish word cAbg signifies "a
"
sword," or
means "sharp" or "angry. " Hence, Cabgach became a proper name, meaning "a fierce warrior. " Its genitive is CaI- 5<wch.
3? This was only another name for thepre- sent Derry, and the one it bore antecedently to the foundation there of St. Columba's monastery. An ancient Irish Life of St.
Columba relates the gift of this place by
Aedh, son of Ainmire, who could only have been ten years old, at the date assigned for that monastic erection, A. D. 545, in the An- nals of Ulster. However, as a minor, and the prospective king of that territory, he pro bably presented the site in the name of his
and
tribe, tohisownnearrelative. Intimes
nan's
"
Life of St. Columba," n. (q), p. 159.
35 Speaking of the Irish, and especially of
— — about the theirchiefs,Solinus whoflourished
year of Our Lord 230 says
" :
Qui
student
long subsequent,
the
monastery
at
Deny
ae-
have at with
long neglected ;
comply once
a thorn/' and as an adjective it
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 521
harbour. He called on the sailors to take him on board and to convey him to Britain. Not being well disposed towards the monks of St. Columba, the crew refused to receive that penitent, and he then prayed to the holy man,
"
Is it thy will, holy Co- lumba,thatthesesailors, whowillnotassistme,thycompanion,shouldmake their voyage with full sails and with favourable winds ? " That moment, the wind, which till then filled their sails, veered to the opposite point, and blew a strong gale against them. When thus driven back, the sailors saw again the same man running in front of them, and along the bank of the river. 38
"
absent indeed in body, but present in spirit, saying :
They cried out all at once, as if by mutual consent :
Perhaps the wind has
unexpectedly turned against us, because we refused to give you a passage ; now we invite you on board; can you [change the winds in our favour? "
When the pilgrim heard this, he said
and whom I have served for the last seven years, is able by prayer to obtain afavourablewindfromGod. " Theythennearedtheshore,andaskedhim toaccompanythem. Assoonasthepenitenthadcomeonboard,hesaid: " In the name of Almighty God, whom St. Columba faithfully serves, spread your sails on the extended yards. " When they had done so, the winds imme- diately changed to their former course, and the vessel bounded under full sail towards Britain. On reaching the shore, their passenger left the ship, blessed the sailors, and went directly to St. Columba, by whom he was warmly received. Without being informed of any on—e circumstance, the holy man toldabouteverythingthathappenedonhisway regardinghismasterandthe wife's suggestion, and of his being set free on her account ; regarding the con- duct of his brothers, the death and burial of his father within the week, the timelyassistanceoftheyoungerbrother; alsorelatingwhatoccurredonhis return, the adverse and favourable winds, the very words of the sailors when theyrefused to admit him into the ship, and the favourable wind, when they had given their consent. Every particular the saint had foretold, -the visitor now described after its having been exactly fulfilled. The pious pilgrim then gave back to the Abbot the price of his ransom. After which, the saint addressed
:
:
himinthesewords "Now,becauseyouarefree,youshallbecalledLibra-
nus39henceforth. " Atthesametime,Libranustookthemonasticvowswith muchfervour. Whenhewasbeingsentbacktothemonastery,wherehehad passed the seven years of penance, our saint made the following prophetic
:
announcement to him " You shall live yet a long time, and die at a good
old age; you shall arise from the dead, not however in Britain, but in Scotia. "* Hearingthesewords,thepilgrimweptbitterly,andthesaintcom-
forted " him,saying:
and be not
shall die in one of monasteries,* and your lot shall be among the elect brethren in the King-
quired a jurisdiction over Hy, and it became the seat of the Abbot superior over all the
Columban monasteries, according to evi- dences contained in the Irish Annals. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibemicarum
tomus iv. ses," at a. d. 1 164.
" Annales Ultonien-
dumha, at the 30th of March. 3. Liber, of Inis-mor, at the 1st of August. 4. Liber the martyr. There are three called Libran or Liobhran: 1. Liobhran, at the 8th of March. 2. Libren, of Cluain-fodha, at the nth of March. Abbot of
Scriptores,"
,
3. Liobran,
also at the 1 ith of March. See the O'Clerys'
1
38 Allusion is made to Loch Feabhal or the Foyle, through which the river flows from above Lifford, where it is joined by the RiverFinn. TheRiverRoealsoflowsinto Lough Foyle. See a description in " The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 223.
39 There are four saints called Liber in the Irish Calendars : 1. Liber, Abbot of Achadh- bo, at the 8th of March. 2. Liber, of Leth-
"Calendar," at these several dates.
40 By this term, Ireland is here meant,
** St. Columba, at Iona, was the head of
all those religious houses, that followed his Rule. Hisseveralcongregationswerecalled
"
muincer* ChoUnrn-cille,
family of Columkille," according to the Book of Armagh, fol. Ii3, b.
^ The Irish word, Libyan or Librven, is said to have been derived from the Latin
Arise,
sad, you
my
la,
" St. Columba, to whom I am going,
the people or
522 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
dom of Heaven, with whom you shall awake from the sleep of death unto the resurrection of life. " Being thus consoled by the saint's assurance, Libran 42
rejoiced exceedingly, asked his blessing, and went away in peace. After- wards, this prophecy of the saint was also fulfilled ; for when he had spent
many years of holy obedience in the monastery of Magh Luinge,43 even sub- sequent to the death of St. Columba, being sent on a mission to Ireland regarding the interests of the monastery, Libran 44 proceeded as soon as he landed through the plains of Meath towards the monastery of Durrow. 4 ^ He was received there as a stranger in the hospice, but suffering from disease, he passed to the Lord, on the seventh day of his illness. 46 He was buried with the chosen monks of St. Columba, according to such prophecy, and he was destined to arise with them, also, into life everlasting. This holy penitent was called Libranus Arundinetus, from his having been engaged many years in the collecting of reeds. *?
called
Hy
Tuirtre
Tort,
4?
A certain — as we are unhappy man,
and informed, belonging
to the
one of the
from Fiachra who claim descent—
48
sons s° of Colla Uais, monarch of Ireland 5I had been guilty of very grievous and shameful crime. Regarding this, St. Columba had a miraculous intuition, and in the dead hour of night, he had the monks collected in the church. To them he said : "At this hour, a shocking and an unmentionable crime has been committed, for which a judgment of God's vengeance is greatly to be feared. " At this time, also, the messenger of the monastery, named Lugaid, was away from Iona ; and when some of Columba's disciples wished to learn from their Abbot on the day following the nature of that crime, he evaded their ques- tions by merely stating, that after a few months the perpetrator should come with Lugaid to their Island. The period indicated having elapsed, while the Abbot was with Diarmitius one day he said: "Arise quickly, behold
word liber, "free," and it properly signifies side of Lough Neagh and Lough Beg, ad- libtriiuis, "a freedman. " The Irish name joining the Kir Li on the south. Fearsat
Liber* is usually Latinized Liberius, and the Irish form tibpan or bib]\en is Latinized Libranus or Librenus,
43 In the Island of Tirec.
44 Colgan is of opinion, that this Libran
had a feast, at the nth of March ; where
our early Martyrologists simply enter a Libran, while later writers add, that he was
Tuama " the Ford of Toome," now Toome Bridge, was the point of communication be- tween the Hy Tuirtre and Dalaradia. In the twelfth century they were forced over to the east side of the Bann and Lough Neagh, and gave the name of Hy Tuirtre to the territory now known as the two baronies of Toome. The Decanatus de Turtyre in the early taxa- tions represented their extent.
49 The epithet toit being a name for seizure, because it was by Faclira that Conaille
Muirtheimhne, the present county of Louth, was first seized, as an inheritance, according to the Genealogical Manuscript of MacFiibis. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Anti- quities of Down, Connor and Dromore, pp. 82, 83, n. (a), and Appendix BB, pp. 292 to 297. He dwelt south of the mountain of Slieve Gallion, and from him descend the Hy Tuirtre and the Fir Li, as also the Fir Luirg, and the Hy-mac-Uais.
"
berniae," Martii xi. De S. Librano Abbate
Hiensi, p. 584.
4s Venerable Bede gives us to understand,
that Hy and Durrow were the nurseries from
which the Columbian institutions of Britain
and of Ireland were chiefly recruited. See
"
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv. , pp. 168, 169.
46 If he had place in the Irish Calendars, it seems more probable his connexion as a saint was more with Durrow in the King's County than with Iona. See notices in the Third Volume of this work, at March nth, Art iv.
"
Abbot of Iona. See
Acta Sanctorum Hi-
s° Another of his sons named Earc, who lived on the north of the Mountain of Slieve 47 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Gallion, and from him descended the Mac Cartains of Loch Feabhail or Foyle. Slieve Gallion, also called Sliabh Callain, is a ba- rony in the barony of Loughinsholin, county of Londonderry. It lies on the borders of Tyrone countv. See Dr. O'Donovan's " An- Anterior to the English invasion, the Hy nals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , at A. D.
Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 39, pp 156 to 163, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, ll, i, k, 1, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. )
48 In thelrish language written 11 1 rmrvr^e.
Tuirtre were situated in Tyrone, on the west 1 167, pp. 1164, 1 165, and n. (b).
clan,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 523
Lugaid approaches, and tell him the wicked man he brings in his ship must be landed in the Island Malea,52 or Mull," for his feet shall not pollute the soil ofthis Island. " Accordingly, in obedience to the saint's command, Diarmit went down to the sea-shore, and conveyed his message to Lugaid. Having heard these words, the unhappy man vowed he should never taste food, until he had seen and spoken to St. Columba. Thereupon, Diermait returned to the Abbot and reported his words. Having learned this, Columba himself went to the port, while Baithen, who was told about the crime, 5 * seems to have carried with him a volume of the Sacred Scriptures, as if to oblige the culprit to vow upon it, that he would accept a weighty penance for his flagrant guilt. The wretched man prostrated himself on the shore and at the knees of the holy Abbot, promising that he would fulfil whatever pen-
" This man is a son of perdition,
ance might be imposed on him. The saint replied
you repent in tears and in mourning among the Britons, and never return to Scotiasolongasyoulive,perchancetheAlmightywouldpardonyou. "56 Then
turning to his attendants, Columba said
:
who although he promises to do penance shall fail to fulfil his engagement, but soon shall he return to Scotia, where he must perish at the hands of his enemies. " All this happened, and just as the saint predicted.
