Brigid, at Kildare,
according
to Cogitosus, that her
" History of Ireland," chap, vi.
" History of Ireland," chap, vi.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
Brigid took the veil, also, on a Wednesday, and building on this notation, which Ussher was either ignorant of, or overlooked, Colgan argues, that the death of our pious abbess cannot be appHed to any year, later than 523.
This, however, rests op a passage,^^ not very trustworthy, as found in the Fourth Life of St.
Brigid.
^3 Yet, Dr.
Lanigan doubts the accuracy of this relation, which appears to have been an imitation of certain presumed coincidences in St.
Patrick's Life and in her own Acts.
He thinks a.
d.
525, a still more pro- bable date for her death, than 523 ; which latter year, however, he says is the only one that can stand any competition with it.
But, between both these dates, he leaves the reader free to form an opinion.
Any other dates proposed, he deems not worthy of serious consideration.
^^
The place, whence our holy abbess departed to her true country and
home,hasbeendiverselyrepresented. ^s Especiallytowardstheclosingyears ofherlife, Kildarewasthepermanentplaceforherresidence,andthealmost unanimous echo of tradition declares it to have witnessed her exit from this world. Our historic records furnish sufftcient evidence in attestation. Not- withstanding a contrary assertion, hazarded by the author of St. Brigid's Fourth Life, that she died in the northern province ; this mooted question hardly admits of controversy. ^^ Such a statement, regarding her first interment at
"
Brigidse, et viris fortissimis formidandum, See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. " Vit. a
his paucis rustico sermone dictis virtutibus de maximis et innumerabilibus cucurrerim.
Orate pro me Cogitoso nepote culpabili et ut oratione vestra pio Domino me commen-
detis exoro, et Deus vos pacem Evangelicam
Quarta S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. 99. p. 562.
"
Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. vi. , and nn. 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90,
91, pp. 454 to 458.
sectantes, exaudiat. " See Colgan's
^s
dith Hanmer's statement regarding St.
Trias Thaumaturga. " Secunda Vita S. Brigidai,
Vita Secunda S. Brigidis, cap. xxxvi,, p.
524. Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. cxxxi. ,
p. 542. Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. ,
cap. c, p. 563. Vita Quinta S. Brigidse,
cap. Iviii. , p. 582.
**
Flos patrise pietatis amans, virtutis alum- na,
Sidus Hibernorum, Brigida Virgo fuit. "
"^ ^'
See "EcclesiasticalHistory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. vi. , n. 88, p. 457.
By Dr. Lanigan.
''2 We find in it
See, "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 91.
infers, that neither St. Brcgan, nephew to
nothing
Colgan,
probable,
Brigid's death is said, also, to have occurred,
during the reign of Justinian, and in the year
548. These periods are very different from
but confusion. St.
^^ to According
"
No reliance is to be placed upon Mere-
cap. xxxvi. , p. 524. See, also. Messing- Brigid, that " about the year 524 she was
"
ham's Florilegium Insulse Sanctorum. "
translated from the Hebrides into Dune, and resteth by Saint Patrick's side, as for- merly hath beene declared in his Life. Ire- land hath given her this epitaph :—
59 See, Colgan's
"
Trias Thaumaturga. "
that epoch of Hormisdas. See Ussher, " De St. Patrick, on the sister's side, nor St.
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordiis," cap.
xvii. , p. 884.
''3 There we are told, she died
Columkille, who died in 597, nor St. Ultan, who departed a. d. 656, nor St. Aileran, the
the Pontificate of Pope Hormisdas, and therefore priortothemonthofAugustin^^said year.
who died in could have been the 664,
during
Wise,
author of St. Brigid's Fourth Life, for rea- sonswhichheassigns.
^'^ See, Dr. Lanigan's
it is
the bodices of these saints were not together in Down, previous to A. D. 823. Hence, he
1 84 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Downpatrick, appears to have been falsely based, on a subsequent opinion about her remains being there, with those of St. Patrick and St. Columkille.
It must have been entertained, only at a comparatively recent date. Hence, originated the account, presented by the author of her Fourth Life,^7 that she died at Do\vnpatrick, or in its immediate neighbourhood. ^^
As in the time of Crimthann, Dunlaing and Illand, so under successive princes of Leinster, Kildare continued to enjoy ecclesiastical immunities, and torejoiceinarepetitionofecclesiasticalendowments. ^9 Tothebeginning of the ninth century, it was in an exceedingly flourishing condition. After this period, war, rapine, fire, and violence, stain the annals of Kildare ;7o yet, learning and sanctity were not wholly banished from its cloisters, to the
The Grey Abbey, Kildare.
period of the Anglo-Norman invasion. Even after stranger lords took possession of the city and its appurtenances, two fine religious foundations
^ Colgan thinks it highly probable, that Among others, John Brampton and Henry Animosus was the author of this Life, rather of Marlborough, in their Annals, relate, than any other anonymous writer, among that her remains reposed there with the
the many, who are said to have attempted
bodies of Saints Patrick and Columkille.
St. Brigid's Acts, especially when some cir-
cumstances seem to favour the inference,
while no good reason establishes a contrary
conclusion . According to what Colgan him-
self supposes, the incidents of name, time Ireland, she rested soon afterwards in
and place should tell in favour of Animosus
or Anmichod, as being the author, and that
he lived after a. d. 823, and before 1097.
Colgan has not been able to detect any date,
for drawing a different conclusion. See DXXIII. , and "De Ecclesiarum Britanni-
"Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, n, 2, p. 564.
^There are many authors, who affirm that St. Brigid had been interred at Down, in the first instance ; but, these writers rather belong to a comparatively modern period.
At the year 11 77, Roger Hovenden, in his Annals, has a similar statement. Again, the author of the Annals of Glastonbury says of St. Brigid, that having returned to
carum Primordiis," cap. xvii. , p. 888, are of accord, on this latter point.
^9 See Rev. Dr. Todd's " St. Patrick Apostle of Ireland. " Introduction, pp. 16 to 18,
7° See an interesting summary of its his-
the Lord, and was buried in the city of
Down. David Roth, Bishop of Ossory, in his Dissertation on St. Brigid, pp. 151, 152, and Ussher, in his Index Chronolgicus, A. D.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 185
were effected; since, Lord William de Vesey, a. d. 1260, established a friary for the Franciscan Order, which is now popularly known as the Grey Abbey. It is situated on the south side of the town, near a high road, and surrounded by an extensive and a crowded graveyard, covered with humble graves and having several head-stones inscribed. A high hawthorn-fence separates it from the road, the only good enclosure surrounding it. A farm-house and out-offices are at one side, and several fine ash-trees are thickly interlaced, to lendsomeadjoiningpaddocksshelter. Aniron-gateformsanentrancefrom the road, but the off-fences are broken down, while cattle range among the graves and ruins. These latter traces of the fine old abbey are fast crumb- lingaway. Theyseemtoindicatetwochiefdivisions; namely,theFriary proper, and its church, in immediate proximity. The entire length of the building appears to have been 35 yards, from east to west ; and, 8 yards in width, interiorly. The south side-wall is much broken ; the north side-wall at the churcSportion was propped by four buttresses, apparently built to give strength,ataperiodlongaftertheChurchhadbeenquitecompleted. Six lancet-headed Avindows were in the north wall. A large and pointed window occupied the east gable. A long vault, extending from the monastic house northwards,isyettraceable,underthegraves; while,extendingsouthwards, on the off-side, are some fragments of foundations. 7^ These appearances indicate, that the plan of this building, at one time, was nearly cruciform. 7^ Half of the west gable is entirely gone. 73 In the year 1290, William de Vescy built a house for Carmelites or White Friars, and a few members of this order yet occupy a dwelling standing on the site.
After death, our saint's relics were placed on one side of the altar in her
church. 74 Theyweredeposedinamonument,adornedwithbeautifulwork-
manship. Goldandsilver,superimposed,formedartisticdecorationsforher shrine, as also for that of St. Conleath. 75 This latter tomb occupied a posi- tion on the other side of the principal altar. Many miracles were wrought before the shrine of our holy abbess, after her death. 76 It is related, that on her festival day, multitudes flocked to Kildare from different provinces ; some went to recover health through her intercession, others to offer gifts at her shrine, while some attended to witness magnificent ceremonies there per- formed. Again,otherswereinducedtobepresentthroughlessdevotional and more worldly motives. 77 In such convocations, we niay find probably,
a of the later " prototype patrons,''
or "
so common in other
patterns,"
of the country. It is incorrectly stated,72 in the Fourth Life of St. Brigid,
that immediately after her death, she was buried with great honour and solemnity in the same tomb, with the most holy Archbishop Patrick. 79 It is
tory, in Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni- cum," pp. 322 to 331.
7' The accompanying illustration, engraved by George A. Hanion, from a drawing on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, was taken as a sketch, on the spot, by the author, December, 1875.
7= Unless, indeed, the vault extending northwards had no connexion with an upper house, and had been intended solely for in- terments.
73 Some fine carved stones were removed
from the Grey Abbey many years ago, and were used to build the Chapel of Miltown, some few miles from Kildare.
7S Colgan does not hesitate in his opinion, that St. Brigid was first buried at Kildare. Bollandus also accords on this point, in his Commentarius Praevius ad Vitam S. Brigidge. "ActaSanctorum,"tomusi. Diei. Febru- arii, sees, vi. , vii. , pp. io6 to io8.
76 According to Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid, pp. 47, 48.
^^ See Cogitosus' "Vita S. Brigidae," cap. xiv. This account sufficiently refutes a sup- position, offered by the author of her Fourth Life, that our saint had been at first buried in Downpatrick.
78 See Martin Haverty's "History of Ire- land," chap, ix. , p. 80.
79 After the first interment of St.
Brigid, at Kildare, according to Cogitosus, that her
" History of Ireland," chap, vi. , p. 242.
74 See Rev. P. J. Carew's
Ecclesiastical
parts
i86 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
further intimated, such juxtaposition of their bodies, after death, had been a
result of their wishes whilst alive. In that tract, it is expressly noted, their
remains were interred, in the city of Ultonian territory, called Dun-da-Leth-
glaisse, or Dun-da-Lethglass,^° and which was situated near the sea. ^^ It
existed from the time of St. Patrick, as an ancient episcopal residence. ^^ In
former times, this city had been named Aras Kealtuir, after a celebrated hero
or champion, called Kealtuir. ^3 He is numbered among the principal heroes
of Ireland, and he was a contemporary with Connor Mac Nessa, King of Ulster. ^* Notwithstanding this account of our saint's death and burial, the
author of her Fourth Life remarks, that the privileges, honour, and distinction, due to Kildare city in the province of Leinster, were recognised for ages after theBlessedBrigid'sdeath,inconnexionwithhernameandmemory. ^s These
facts serve, likewise, to impress us with the moral of all historic experience,
that great names serve to make celebrated, through all time, localities, which without such connexion, should otherwise leave little to interest human sympathy, or awaken popular feeling. Fond memory recalls deeds that have been done there, and that have not passed away to unhonourable oblivion.
CHAPTER XV.
MIRACLES WROUGHT AT KILDARE AFTER ST. BRIGID's DEATH—THE FALCON—ST. brigid's relics are removed to down—REMARKABLE DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES OF ST. PATRICK, ST. BRIGID AND ST. COLUMKILLE IN THAT CITY—SOLEMN TRANSLATION TO A MAGNIFICENT TOMB—KILDARE AND ITS TRADITIONS— DESECRATION OF HOLY REMAINS AT DOWN—REPUTED REMOVAL OF ST. BRIGID'S HEAD TO AUSTRIA, AND AFTERWARDS TO LISBON.
Not only during the lifetime of St. Brigid did she perform miracles, but even after release from her corporeal prison, many wonders, attributed to her merits and to Almighty power, took place within and without that monastery, where her venerable remains were deposed. ^ Of some miracles, Cogitosus
remainswereafterwardstranslatedtoDown entombed,viz. ,St. Patrick,St. Brigidand is admitted by Colgan. There they had St. Columkille. Besides, it became the
been interred, in the same place with those
of Patrick and Columkille. Although the
occurrence of translating her remains to
Down is unquestionable ; yet, the time when
it took place is altogether unknown. See Arturus, &c. See Cardinal Bellarmin,
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. vi. , p. 6i8. ^"Afterwards Dun Patraic, Down, or
"Operum," tomus vii. De Scriptoiibus Ecclesiasticis. Saeculum xiv. , pp. 461, 462. ^^ See Sir James Ware's "De Hibernia
Downpatrick. It comprised the greater et Antiquitatibus ejus," cap. xxvi. , p. 178.
part of ancient Ulidia or Dalaradia. In the
reign of Edward II. it was formed into two
counties, namely Down, and the Ards or
Newtown; but,inthetimeofQueenEliza-
beth, both were formed into the present theachyr. This latter was a favourite and
county Down, which got the name from its
^^ThefatherofKialtuirwascalledCrui- companion of Connor Mac Nessa.
town.
"
Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidaj, lib. ii. , cap. xcix. , and nn. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32,
Latinized " Dunum. "
See or the
^^ " Trias See, Colgan's
chief
John O'Hart's
Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation," part
v. , chap, vi. , p, 254.
^' It is in eastern Ulster. Down is chiefly
celebrated, on account of three most illus- trious saints of Ireland, having been there
Irish Pedigrees ;
burial-place of many other holy persons, but less renowned. It was, also, the birth-
place of the subtle Doctor Joannes Scotus, according to Cavellus, Thadses, Wadding,
^^ He flourished, about the time of our
Lord's Incarnation, and in the beginning of the Christian era.
ibid.
Chapter xv. ~ ^ Immediately before the
narrative of her death, the author of her Fourth Life says : "Hie, Fratres charissimi,
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 187
not only heard, but he was even an eye-witness. His account shows, that he flourished at a very early period, and as already mentioned, in a previous
part of this biography. The abbot or president, over St. Brigid's great and renowned monastery,' sent stone-cutters and workmen to search out and prepare a mill-stone, wherever it could be discovered. Without much fore- sight, these men proceeded to the top of a rocky mountain, where they selectedalargeandsuitablestone. Theascenttothisplacewasexceedingly difficult of approach. 3 Having shaped the stone into a round form and per- forated it, to serve the purpose for which it had been intended, the prior was sent for, and he came with some men and oxen to remove it. But, the animals could not be driven up the rough ascent. With difficulty the prior approached it, attended only by a few companions. With the workmen and attendants, he began to consider how the mill-stone could be removed from the mountain brow, for it was found impossible to bring the yolked oxen over that rugged and broken ground. In despair of accomplishing their object, some said, that the stone should be abandoned, and that those who fashioned it, had wrought in vain : but, their president, more prudently
" By no means abandon your effort, but lift the mill-stone like men, and precipitate it from the top of this mountain, in the name and through the intercession of our most holy Brigid. For, unless she, to whom nothing is impossible, according to what is said in Scripture, about all things being possible to the believer,^ bear it to that place, whence the oxen shall be able to draw it, not any artifice or strength of man can bring this mill-stone over the rocky ground. " Then, with trusting faith, the men heaved it into the valley beneath, while they stood above on the rock, to watch its progress. The stone slided over the edges of the cliffs gradually, until it came to a marshy spot below the mountain. There, on account of its humidity, neither men nor oxen could tread. Strange to say, the stone glided to that very place, where the animals stood, and without the least fracture, it was brought by oxen and men to the mill. There it was
exactly fitted, to serve its purpose.
To render this incident more miraculous, the same mill-stone, thus won-
derfully directed by St. Brigid, refused to perform its office, when the grain of a certain neighbouring magus had been brought to the mill, by a rustic. Ignorant regarding its owner, the miller put that grain between the mill- stones ; yet, all his efforts, seconded by water-power and by the pressure of a strong current,s could not grind with the stone, already particularized. At
thinking or inspired, replied with strong faith
:
miraculis & virtutibus beatissimse Matris
Brigidae scribendi vel narrandi terminum
whom these observations would seem appli- cable, it can only be reasonably conjectured, that allusion is made to the contemporaneous abbot over a monastery of religious men, then in Kildare, and who was included among those brethren, to whom our saint's
ponimus : quia dignum aliquid poni in
chartis, quotidie novum semper de ea sola
jam invenissemus. Nonenimmodocessant,
neque cessabunt usque ad finem sceculi talia
miracula per earn a Deo, qualia audistis per life is dedicated. See Colgan's ''Trias earn in vita sua. Per hsec autem pauca qu£e
scripta sunt lecturi, et audituri, qui scitis, qualis et quanti meriti apud Deum omnipo- tentem gloriosissima Virgo fuerit, scire po- testis. "—Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. xii. , sec. 80. Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii Die i. , p. 171.
="
in
culi principio, brevem fecimus mentionem,"
Thaumaturga. " Secunda Vita S. Brigidse. Prologus and cap. xxxii. , pp. 5^8, 523.
Cogitosus adds,
"de
quo,
hujus opus-
3 it is likely, the Red Hills, near Kildare, are here alluded to, or possibly the Hill of Allen. The old map of Kildare county, published by John Noble and James Keenan in 1752, gives a very curious outline of the Red Hills, as also of the Hill of Allen, within the Isle of Allen, and altogether sur- rounded with bog.
'• See St. Mark ix. , 22.
s Near the town of Kildare runs a consi-
name any person which is to be regretted—to
&c. As — does not Cogitosus expressly
i88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
length, the astonished spectators discovered, how this grain belonged to a magus, and they no longer doubted, that mill-stone refused to grind this Gentile's com, because of a miraculous efficacy conferred on it, through St. Brigid's merits. When this corn of the magus had been removed, and that of the monastery had been substituted, the mill-stone began to move without any impediment, and in its usual manner. After a certain interval had elapsed, it happened, that the mill itself was burned ; and, it was deemed remarkable, that not only every object therein had been consumed, but even the mill-stone, which corresponded with that one, which had been brought thither,throughSt. Brigid'sspecialinterposition. Thislatterrelicwasfound, however, whole and uninjured, among the smoking ruins, after the fire had been extinguished. Such a circumstance being deemed miraculous, the recovered stone in question was afterwards brought to the monastery, where it was conspicuously placed, near the gate of that interior fort,"^ by which the church was surrounded. 7 Through veneration for St. Brigid, many came to visit it, and the faithful, who touched this relic, were healed of several dis-
eases, which afflicted them. ^
A curious story has been told about a falcon, which was thought to have
frequented Kildare, and to have constantly taken its station on the very top of the ecclesiastical tower,9 from St. Brigid's time to the twelfth century.
Wherefore, the people called it St. Brigid's bird, and held it in great venera- tion. In the presence of some civilians and soldiers, this bird was seen chasing from air to earth some wild birds and water-fowl, over the plain of Kildare. It had been accustomed or trained to this sport. The bird would notallowanyrivaltoremainaboutKildareChurch; yet,atacertainseason of the year, during breeding time, it was accustomed to retreat among the mountains of Glendalough. '° After the usual interval, it returned, nestling
derable stream, which yet affords an excel- similarity in structure seems to point to the lent mill-race at Tully. This probably is same degree of knowledge in the builders," the current to which allusion is made. By vol. i. , p. xviii.
a south-west course it falls into the River Barrow, to the north of Kilberry, where an interesting group of ecclesiastical and civil remains may be seen.
^" See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
Vita Secunda S. Brigidse, cap. xxxii. , xxxiii. , xxxiv. , and n. i6, pp. 523, 526.
» Doubtless, the existing round tower is the one alluded to.
" This romantic spot is agreeably alluded
to in the following lines :
'
This was probably a Cashel, which, ow-
ing to the ancient and modem encroach-
ments for roads and buildings surrounding
the present old church and round tower at Kildare, has long since disappeared.
7 Lately has appeared a magnificent illus- trated work, which had long occupied the time
and thoughts of a distinguished and munifi- cent Irish nobleman, whose loss to native art, science and literature has been deservedly lamented. Before death, however, he had made provision for its editorship by a lady, combining in the rarest degree faculties of artistic taste and
are exquisitely produced in photographic autotypes, lithographs, and wood-engrav-
ings, in a style leaving nothing to be desired. Miss Stokes, in her truly learned introduc- lion to "Notes on Irish Architecture," by Edwin, Third Earl of Dunraven, has pointed out the differences existing, to mark the in- dependent purposes for which the Pagan
caisel or stone-fort and the Christian caisel
or enclosure had been erected,
'*
Where, girt by many a mountain
grey,
Rolled in itself unsociably,
The Valley of the Lakes displayed Its shrines, embrowned in thickest
shade
Ofcircling mountains; that appeared, With rude stupendous height, to
antiquarian knowledge. The Pagan and Christian remains of Ireland
Lugduff
*'
while their
forth ;
guard
This hallowed region of repose, Here in dark horror — rose,
pride;
Between them, o'er its rocky bed, By wood embrowned a torrent sped ; While with contrasted brightness fell, From hills, that westward bound the
vale,
Glaneola's cascade
Broccagh his mountain mists sent
The southern sentinel
Beside Towered Derrybawn, in waving
;
—
And North,
;
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 189
in an almost tame state, within the ecclesiastical buildings. The bird re- mained always undisturbed by their pious inmates. At the time of King
John's departure from Ireland, this extraordinary bird of ages, and which had ever been regarded with pride by the Kildare people, was killed by a rustic. He struck it with his staff, whilst incautiously exposed to a fate, for which it seemed unprepared. From this incident, Giraldus Cambrensis draws the common-place moral, that in the most prosperous condition of things, danger may be at hand, and that we should not trust life, which is daily exposed to mischances, however pleasant and agreeable may be our state. "
It seems sufficiently probable, that the remains of the venerable abbess
wereatfirstinterredwithinthechurchofKildare wherehernunsforsome ;
ages, to honour her memory, kept a fire always burning. Hence, that con- vent was called the House of Fire. '^ It is supposed, that about a. d. 835, or
probably before, when Kildare begun to suffer from the hostile Danish in- cursions,'3 the relics of our saint were removed to Down^^for greater security,
and to guard them from Pagan profanation. Here, they were deposed, with those of St. Patrick and of St. Columba. We can have little doubt, they
were for a long time carefully preserved, and greatly honoured by the faithful. Yet, the Northmen frequently attacked, plundered, and burned this town.
These ravages were continued, during the tenth, eleventh, and even the twelfth century. ^5 it seems probable, the harrassed townspeople were obliged, through motives of precaution, to remove and bury in the earth those precious remainsconsignedtotheircharge. Probably,thesecretoftheirentombment
had been confided, only to a few ecclesiastics, and these might have perished, during the tumults of that time. It would appear, that a tradition, regarding where the illustrious saints had been buried, passed out of popular recollec- tion in Down,'^ after the lapse of some centuries. What is still more aston-
ishing, a knowledge, concerning where St. Patrick's, St. Brigid's, and St. Columkille's reHcs had been deposed, was even obliterated, from the minds
of the faithful, and in a city, where those holy persons were ever held in such extraordinary veneration.
About the year 1185,^7 however, the first year of King John's arrival in Ireland,'^ when Malachy 111. ^9 was bishop over Down, this holy man was accustomed to offer up his prayers to God, that a discovery of the above- mentioned saint's relics might be made by him. ^'o It so happened, one night,
But in the east, no envious height ; Shut out the golden flood of light. "
—John D'Alton's ** Dermid or Erin in the ;
Days of Bora. "—Canto v. , sec. xi. , pp. 131, 132.
in one tomb with Patrick ; and where Colum Cille was afterwards interred. See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' " Martyrology of Done- gal," pp. 36, 37.
" See Giraldi Cambrensis **
Opera,"
i.
The place, whence our holy abbess departed to her true country and
home,hasbeendiverselyrepresented. ^s Especiallytowardstheclosingyears ofherlife, Kildarewasthepermanentplaceforherresidence,andthealmost unanimous echo of tradition declares it to have witnessed her exit from this world. Our historic records furnish sufftcient evidence in attestation. Not- withstanding a contrary assertion, hazarded by the author of St. Brigid's Fourth Life, that she died in the northern province ; this mooted question hardly admits of controversy. ^^ Such a statement, regarding her first interment at
"
Brigidse, et viris fortissimis formidandum, See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. " Vit. a
his paucis rustico sermone dictis virtutibus de maximis et innumerabilibus cucurrerim.
Orate pro me Cogitoso nepote culpabili et ut oratione vestra pio Domino me commen-
detis exoro, et Deus vos pacem Evangelicam
Quarta S. Brigidae, lib. ii. , cap. 99. p. 562.
"
Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. vi. , and nn. 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90,
91, pp. 454 to 458.
sectantes, exaudiat. " See Colgan's
^s
dith Hanmer's statement regarding St.
Trias Thaumaturga. " Secunda Vita S. Brigidai,
Vita Secunda S. Brigidis, cap. xxxvi,, p.
524. Vita Tertia S. Brigidse, cap. cxxxi. ,
p. 542. Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. ii. ,
cap. c, p. 563. Vita Quinta S. Brigidse,
cap. Iviii. , p. 582.
**
Flos patrise pietatis amans, virtutis alum- na,
Sidus Hibernorum, Brigida Virgo fuit. "
"^ ^'
See "EcclesiasticalHistory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. vi. , n. 88, p. 457.
By Dr. Lanigan.
''2 We find in it
See, "Chronicle of Ireland," p. 91.
infers, that neither St. Brcgan, nephew to
nothing
Colgan,
probable,
Brigid's death is said, also, to have occurred,
during the reign of Justinian, and in the year
548. These periods are very different from
but confusion. St.
^^ to According
"
No reliance is to be placed upon Mere-
cap. xxxvi. , p. 524. See, also. Messing- Brigid, that " about the year 524 she was
"
ham's Florilegium Insulse Sanctorum. "
translated from the Hebrides into Dune, and resteth by Saint Patrick's side, as for- merly hath beene declared in his Life. Ire- land hath given her this epitaph :—
59 See, Colgan's
"
Trias Thaumaturga. "
that epoch of Hormisdas. See Ussher, " De St. Patrick, on the sister's side, nor St.
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordiis," cap.
xvii. , p. 884.
''3 There we are told, she died
Columkille, who died in 597, nor St. Ultan, who departed a. d. 656, nor St. Aileran, the
the Pontificate of Pope Hormisdas, and therefore priortothemonthofAugustin^^said year.
who died in could have been the 664,
during
Wise,
author of St. Brigid's Fourth Life, for rea- sonswhichheassigns.
^'^ See, Dr. Lanigan's
it is
the bodices of these saints were not together in Down, previous to A. D. 823. Hence, he
1 84 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Downpatrick, appears to have been falsely based, on a subsequent opinion about her remains being there, with those of St. Patrick and St. Columkille.
It must have been entertained, only at a comparatively recent date. Hence, originated the account, presented by the author of her Fourth Life,^7 that she died at Do\vnpatrick, or in its immediate neighbourhood. ^^
As in the time of Crimthann, Dunlaing and Illand, so under successive princes of Leinster, Kildare continued to enjoy ecclesiastical immunities, and torejoiceinarepetitionofecclesiasticalendowments. ^9 Tothebeginning of the ninth century, it was in an exceedingly flourishing condition. After this period, war, rapine, fire, and violence, stain the annals of Kildare ;7o yet, learning and sanctity were not wholly banished from its cloisters, to the
The Grey Abbey, Kildare.
period of the Anglo-Norman invasion. Even after stranger lords took possession of the city and its appurtenances, two fine religious foundations
^ Colgan thinks it highly probable, that Among others, John Brampton and Henry Animosus was the author of this Life, rather of Marlborough, in their Annals, relate, than any other anonymous writer, among that her remains reposed there with the
the many, who are said to have attempted
bodies of Saints Patrick and Columkille.
St. Brigid's Acts, especially when some cir-
cumstances seem to favour the inference,
while no good reason establishes a contrary
conclusion . According to what Colgan him-
self supposes, the incidents of name, time Ireland, she rested soon afterwards in
and place should tell in favour of Animosus
or Anmichod, as being the author, and that
he lived after a. d. 823, and before 1097.
Colgan has not been able to detect any date,
for drawing a different conclusion. See DXXIII. , and "De Ecclesiarum Britanni-
"Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, n, 2, p. 564.
^There are many authors, who affirm that St. Brigid had been interred at Down, in the first instance ; but, these writers rather belong to a comparatively modern period.
At the year 11 77, Roger Hovenden, in his Annals, has a similar statement. Again, the author of the Annals of Glastonbury says of St. Brigid, that having returned to
carum Primordiis," cap. xvii. , p. 888, are of accord, on this latter point.
^9 See Rev. Dr. Todd's " St. Patrick Apostle of Ireland. " Introduction, pp. 16 to 18,
7° See an interesting summary of its his-
the Lord, and was buried in the city of
Down. David Roth, Bishop of Ossory, in his Dissertation on St. Brigid, pp. 151, 152, and Ussher, in his Index Chronolgicus, A. D.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 185
were effected; since, Lord William de Vesey, a. d. 1260, established a friary for the Franciscan Order, which is now popularly known as the Grey Abbey. It is situated on the south side of the town, near a high road, and surrounded by an extensive and a crowded graveyard, covered with humble graves and having several head-stones inscribed. A high hawthorn-fence separates it from the road, the only good enclosure surrounding it. A farm-house and out-offices are at one side, and several fine ash-trees are thickly interlaced, to lendsomeadjoiningpaddocksshelter. Aniron-gateformsanentrancefrom the road, but the off-fences are broken down, while cattle range among the graves and ruins. These latter traces of the fine old abbey are fast crumb- lingaway. Theyseemtoindicatetwochiefdivisions; namely,theFriary proper, and its church, in immediate proximity. The entire length of the building appears to have been 35 yards, from east to west ; and, 8 yards in width, interiorly. The south side-wall is much broken ; the north side-wall at the churcSportion was propped by four buttresses, apparently built to give strength,ataperiodlongaftertheChurchhadbeenquitecompleted. Six lancet-headed Avindows were in the north wall. A large and pointed window occupied the east gable. A long vault, extending from the monastic house northwards,isyettraceable,underthegraves; while,extendingsouthwards, on the off-side, are some fragments of foundations. 7^ These appearances indicate, that the plan of this building, at one time, was nearly cruciform. 7^ Half of the west gable is entirely gone. 73 In the year 1290, William de Vescy built a house for Carmelites or White Friars, and a few members of this order yet occupy a dwelling standing on the site.
After death, our saint's relics were placed on one side of the altar in her
church. 74 Theyweredeposedinamonument,adornedwithbeautifulwork-
manship. Goldandsilver,superimposed,formedartisticdecorationsforher shrine, as also for that of St. Conleath. 75 This latter tomb occupied a posi- tion on the other side of the principal altar. Many miracles were wrought before the shrine of our holy abbess, after her death. 76 It is related, that on her festival day, multitudes flocked to Kildare from different provinces ; some went to recover health through her intercession, others to offer gifts at her shrine, while some attended to witness magnificent ceremonies there per- formed. Again,otherswereinducedtobepresentthroughlessdevotional and more worldly motives. 77 In such convocations, we niay find probably,
a of the later " prototype patrons,''
or "
so common in other
patterns,"
of the country. It is incorrectly stated,72 in the Fourth Life of St. Brigid,
that immediately after her death, she was buried with great honour and solemnity in the same tomb, with the most holy Archbishop Patrick. 79 It is
tory, in Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni- cum," pp. 322 to 331.
7' The accompanying illustration, engraved by George A. Hanion, from a drawing on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, was taken as a sketch, on the spot, by the author, December, 1875.
7= Unless, indeed, the vault extending northwards had no connexion with an upper house, and had been intended solely for in- terments.
73 Some fine carved stones were removed
from the Grey Abbey many years ago, and were used to build the Chapel of Miltown, some few miles from Kildare.
7S Colgan does not hesitate in his opinion, that St. Brigid was first buried at Kildare. Bollandus also accords on this point, in his Commentarius Praevius ad Vitam S. Brigidge. "ActaSanctorum,"tomusi. Diei. Febru- arii, sees, vi. , vii. , pp. io6 to io8.
76 According to Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid, pp. 47, 48.
^^ See Cogitosus' "Vita S. Brigidae," cap. xiv. This account sufficiently refutes a sup- position, offered by the author of her Fourth Life, that our saint had been at first buried in Downpatrick.
78 See Martin Haverty's "History of Ire- land," chap, ix. , p. 80.
79 After the first interment of St.
Brigid, at Kildare, according to Cogitosus, that her
" History of Ireland," chap, vi. , p. 242.
74 See Rev. P. J. Carew's
Ecclesiastical
parts
i86 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
further intimated, such juxtaposition of their bodies, after death, had been a
result of their wishes whilst alive. In that tract, it is expressly noted, their
remains were interred, in the city of Ultonian territory, called Dun-da-Leth-
glaisse, or Dun-da-Lethglass,^° and which was situated near the sea. ^^ It
existed from the time of St. Patrick, as an ancient episcopal residence. ^^ In
former times, this city had been named Aras Kealtuir, after a celebrated hero
or champion, called Kealtuir. ^3 He is numbered among the principal heroes
of Ireland, and he was a contemporary with Connor Mac Nessa, King of Ulster. ^* Notwithstanding this account of our saint's death and burial, the
author of her Fourth Life remarks, that the privileges, honour, and distinction, due to Kildare city in the province of Leinster, were recognised for ages after theBlessedBrigid'sdeath,inconnexionwithhernameandmemory. ^s These
facts serve, likewise, to impress us with the moral of all historic experience,
that great names serve to make celebrated, through all time, localities, which without such connexion, should otherwise leave little to interest human sympathy, or awaken popular feeling. Fond memory recalls deeds that have been done there, and that have not passed away to unhonourable oblivion.
CHAPTER XV.
MIRACLES WROUGHT AT KILDARE AFTER ST. BRIGID's DEATH—THE FALCON—ST. brigid's relics are removed to down—REMARKABLE DISCOVERY OF THE BODIES OF ST. PATRICK, ST. BRIGID AND ST. COLUMKILLE IN THAT CITY—SOLEMN TRANSLATION TO A MAGNIFICENT TOMB—KILDARE AND ITS TRADITIONS— DESECRATION OF HOLY REMAINS AT DOWN—REPUTED REMOVAL OF ST. BRIGID'S HEAD TO AUSTRIA, AND AFTERWARDS TO LISBON.
Not only during the lifetime of St. Brigid did she perform miracles, but even after release from her corporeal prison, many wonders, attributed to her merits and to Almighty power, took place within and without that monastery, where her venerable remains were deposed. ^ Of some miracles, Cogitosus
remainswereafterwardstranslatedtoDown entombed,viz. ,St. Patrick,St. Brigidand is admitted by Colgan. There they had St. Columkille. Besides, it became the
been interred, in the same place with those
of Patrick and Columkille. Although the
occurrence of translating her remains to
Down is unquestionable ; yet, the time when
it took place is altogether unknown. See Arturus, &c. See Cardinal Bellarmin,
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. vi. , p. 6i8. ^"Afterwards Dun Patraic, Down, or
"Operum," tomus vii. De Scriptoiibus Ecclesiasticis. Saeculum xiv. , pp. 461, 462. ^^ See Sir James Ware's "De Hibernia
Downpatrick. It comprised the greater et Antiquitatibus ejus," cap. xxvi. , p. 178.
part of ancient Ulidia or Dalaradia. In the
reign of Edward II. it was formed into two
counties, namely Down, and the Ards or
Newtown; but,inthetimeofQueenEliza-
beth, both were formed into the present theachyr. This latter was a favourite and
county Down, which got the name from its
^^ThefatherofKialtuirwascalledCrui- companion of Connor Mac Nessa.
town.
"
Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidaj, lib. ii. , cap. xcix. , and nn. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32,
Latinized " Dunum. "
See or the
^^ " Trias See, Colgan's
chief
John O'Hart's
Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation," part
v. , chap, vi. , p, 254.
^' It is in eastern Ulster. Down is chiefly
celebrated, on account of three most illus- trious saints of Ireland, having been there
Irish Pedigrees ;
burial-place of many other holy persons, but less renowned. It was, also, the birth-
place of the subtle Doctor Joannes Scotus, according to Cavellus, Thadses, Wadding,
^^ He flourished, about the time of our
Lord's Incarnation, and in the beginning of the Christian era.
ibid.
Chapter xv. ~ ^ Immediately before the
narrative of her death, the author of her Fourth Life says : "Hie, Fratres charissimi,
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 187
not only heard, but he was even an eye-witness. His account shows, that he flourished at a very early period, and as already mentioned, in a previous
part of this biography. The abbot or president, over St. Brigid's great and renowned monastery,' sent stone-cutters and workmen to search out and prepare a mill-stone, wherever it could be discovered. Without much fore- sight, these men proceeded to the top of a rocky mountain, where they selectedalargeandsuitablestone. Theascenttothisplacewasexceedingly difficult of approach. 3 Having shaped the stone into a round form and per- forated it, to serve the purpose for which it had been intended, the prior was sent for, and he came with some men and oxen to remove it. But, the animals could not be driven up the rough ascent. With difficulty the prior approached it, attended only by a few companions. With the workmen and attendants, he began to consider how the mill-stone could be removed from the mountain brow, for it was found impossible to bring the yolked oxen over that rugged and broken ground. In despair of accomplishing their object, some said, that the stone should be abandoned, and that those who fashioned it, had wrought in vain : but, their president, more prudently
" By no means abandon your effort, but lift the mill-stone like men, and precipitate it from the top of this mountain, in the name and through the intercession of our most holy Brigid. For, unless she, to whom nothing is impossible, according to what is said in Scripture, about all things being possible to the believer,^ bear it to that place, whence the oxen shall be able to draw it, not any artifice or strength of man can bring this mill-stone over the rocky ground. " Then, with trusting faith, the men heaved it into the valley beneath, while they stood above on the rock, to watch its progress. The stone slided over the edges of the cliffs gradually, until it came to a marshy spot below the mountain. There, on account of its humidity, neither men nor oxen could tread. Strange to say, the stone glided to that very place, where the animals stood, and without the least fracture, it was brought by oxen and men to the mill. There it was
exactly fitted, to serve its purpose.
To render this incident more miraculous, the same mill-stone, thus won-
derfully directed by St. Brigid, refused to perform its office, when the grain of a certain neighbouring magus had been brought to the mill, by a rustic. Ignorant regarding its owner, the miller put that grain between the mill- stones ; yet, all his efforts, seconded by water-power and by the pressure of a strong current,s could not grind with the stone, already particularized. At
thinking or inspired, replied with strong faith
:
miraculis & virtutibus beatissimse Matris
Brigidae scribendi vel narrandi terminum
whom these observations would seem appli- cable, it can only be reasonably conjectured, that allusion is made to the contemporaneous abbot over a monastery of religious men, then in Kildare, and who was included among those brethren, to whom our saint's
ponimus : quia dignum aliquid poni in
chartis, quotidie novum semper de ea sola
jam invenissemus. Nonenimmodocessant,
neque cessabunt usque ad finem sceculi talia
miracula per earn a Deo, qualia audistis per life is dedicated. See Colgan's ''Trias earn in vita sua. Per hsec autem pauca qu£e
scripta sunt lecturi, et audituri, qui scitis, qualis et quanti meriti apud Deum omnipo- tentem gloriosissima Virgo fuerit, scire po- testis. "—Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, lib. ii. , cap. xii. , sec. 80. Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii Die i. , p. 171.
="
in
culi principio, brevem fecimus mentionem,"
Thaumaturga. " Secunda Vita S. Brigidse. Prologus and cap. xxxii. , pp. 5^8, 523.
Cogitosus adds,
"de
quo,
hujus opus-
3 it is likely, the Red Hills, near Kildare, are here alluded to, or possibly the Hill of Allen. The old map of Kildare county, published by John Noble and James Keenan in 1752, gives a very curious outline of the Red Hills, as also of the Hill of Allen, within the Isle of Allen, and altogether sur- rounded with bog.
'• See St. Mark ix. , 22.
s Near the town of Kildare runs a consi-
name any person which is to be regretted—to
&c. As — does not Cogitosus expressly
i88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
length, the astonished spectators discovered, how this grain belonged to a magus, and they no longer doubted, that mill-stone refused to grind this Gentile's com, because of a miraculous efficacy conferred on it, through St. Brigid's merits. When this corn of the magus had been removed, and that of the monastery had been substituted, the mill-stone began to move without any impediment, and in its usual manner. After a certain interval had elapsed, it happened, that the mill itself was burned ; and, it was deemed remarkable, that not only every object therein had been consumed, but even the mill-stone, which corresponded with that one, which had been brought thither,throughSt. Brigid'sspecialinterposition. Thislatterrelicwasfound, however, whole and uninjured, among the smoking ruins, after the fire had been extinguished. Such a circumstance being deemed miraculous, the recovered stone in question was afterwards brought to the monastery, where it was conspicuously placed, near the gate of that interior fort,"^ by which the church was surrounded. 7 Through veneration for St. Brigid, many came to visit it, and the faithful, who touched this relic, were healed of several dis-
eases, which afflicted them. ^
A curious story has been told about a falcon, which was thought to have
frequented Kildare, and to have constantly taken its station on the very top of the ecclesiastical tower,9 from St. Brigid's time to the twelfth century.
Wherefore, the people called it St. Brigid's bird, and held it in great venera- tion. In the presence of some civilians and soldiers, this bird was seen chasing from air to earth some wild birds and water-fowl, over the plain of Kildare. It had been accustomed or trained to this sport. The bird would notallowanyrivaltoremainaboutKildareChurch; yet,atacertainseason of the year, during breeding time, it was accustomed to retreat among the mountains of Glendalough. '° After the usual interval, it returned, nestling
derable stream, which yet affords an excel- similarity in structure seems to point to the lent mill-race at Tully. This probably is same degree of knowledge in the builders," the current to which allusion is made. By vol. i. , p. xviii.
a south-west course it falls into the River Barrow, to the north of Kilberry, where an interesting group of ecclesiastical and civil remains may be seen.
^" See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
Vita Secunda S. Brigidse, cap. xxxii. , xxxiii. , xxxiv. , and n. i6, pp. 523, 526.
» Doubtless, the existing round tower is the one alluded to.
" This romantic spot is agreeably alluded
to in the following lines :
'
This was probably a Cashel, which, ow-
ing to the ancient and modem encroach-
ments for roads and buildings surrounding
the present old church and round tower at Kildare, has long since disappeared.
7 Lately has appeared a magnificent illus- trated work, which had long occupied the time
and thoughts of a distinguished and munifi- cent Irish nobleman, whose loss to native art, science and literature has been deservedly lamented. Before death, however, he had made provision for its editorship by a lady, combining in the rarest degree faculties of artistic taste and
are exquisitely produced in photographic autotypes, lithographs, and wood-engrav-
ings, in a style leaving nothing to be desired. Miss Stokes, in her truly learned introduc- lion to "Notes on Irish Architecture," by Edwin, Third Earl of Dunraven, has pointed out the differences existing, to mark the in- dependent purposes for which the Pagan
caisel or stone-fort and the Christian caisel
or enclosure had been erected,
'*
Where, girt by many a mountain
grey,
Rolled in itself unsociably,
The Valley of the Lakes displayed Its shrines, embrowned in thickest
shade
Ofcircling mountains; that appeared, With rude stupendous height, to
antiquarian knowledge. The Pagan and Christian remains of Ireland
Lugduff
*'
while their
forth ;
guard
This hallowed region of repose, Here in dark horror — rose,
pride;
Between them, o'er its rocky bed, By wood embrowned a torrent sped ; While with contrasted brightness fell, From hills, that westward bound the
vale,
Glaneola's cascade
Broccagh his mountain mists sent
The southern sentinel
Beside Towered Derrybawn, in waving
;
—
And North,
;
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 189
in an almost tame state, within the ecclesiastical buildings. The bird re- mained always undisturbed by their pious inmates. At the time of King
John's departure from Ireland, this extraordinary bird of ages, and which had ever been regarded with pride by the Kildare people, was killed by a rustic. He struck it with his staff, whilst incautiously exposed to a fate, for which it seemed unprepared. From this incident, Giraldus Cambrensis draws the common-place moral, that in the most prosperous condition of things, danger may be at hand, and that we should not trust life, which is daily exposed to mischances, however pleasant and agreeable may be our state. "
It seems sufficiently probable, that the remains of the venerable abbess
wereatfirstinterredwithinthechurchofKildare wherehernunsforsome ;
ages, to honour her memory, kept a fire always burning. Hence, that con- vent was called the House of Fire. '^ It is supposed, that about a. d. 835, or
probably before, when Kildare begun to suffer from the hostile Danish in- cursions,'3 the relics of our saint were removed to Down^^for greater security,
and to guard them from Pagan profanation. Here, they were deposed, with those of St. Patrick and of St. Columba. We can have little doubt, they
were for a long time carefully preserved, and greatly honoured by the faithful. Yet, the Northmen frequently attacked, plundered, and burned this town.
These ravages were continued, during the tenth, eleventh, and even the twelfth century. ^5 it seems probable, the harrassed townspeople were obliged, through motives of precaution, to remove and bury in the earth those precious remainsconsignedtotheircharge. Probably,thesecretoftheirentombment
had been confided, only to a few ecclesiastics, and these might have perished, during the tumults of that time. It would appear, that a tradition, regarding where the illustrious saints had been buried, passed out of popular recollec- tion in Down,'^ after the lapse of some centuries. What is still more aston-
ishing, a knowledge, concerning where St. Patrick's, St. Brigid's, and St. Columkille's reHcs had been deposed, was even obliterated, from the minds
of the faithful, and in a city, where those holy persons were ever held in such extraordinary veneration.
About the year 1185,^7 however, the first year of King John's arrival in Ireland,'^ when Malachy 111. ^9 was bishop over Down, this holy man was accustomed to offer up his prayers to God, that a discovery of the above- mentioned saint's relics might be made by him. ^'o It so happened, one night,
But in the east, no envious height ; Shut out the golden flood of light. "
—John D'Alton's ** Dermid or Erin in the ;
Days of Bora. "—Canto v. , sec. xi. , pp. 131, 132.
in one tomb with Patrick ; and where Colum Cille was afterwards interred. See Drs. Todd's and Reeves' " Martyrology of Done- gal," pp. 36, 37.
" See Giraldi Cambrensis **
Opera,"
i.
