This saint was of a princely and
renowned
family.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
No clue to the date of his death can be found in our Annals.
Article V. —St. Airmedach, Hermetius, or Ermedhach, Abbot of Craibhi-Laisre, probably Creevagh, near Clonmacnoise, King's County. [Seventh Century. '] When Faith had opened into a foil bloom in Ireland, its fruits began to ripen and increase as onward ages rolled. Airme- dach, Abbot of Craibhi-Lasri, occurs at the ist day of January, in the "Mar- tyrology of Tallagh. "' This saint is called Eirmbeadhach in the " Annals of the Four Masters. " Marianus O'Gorman inserts this Hermetius in the
Calendar at the ist day of January.
His birth may probably be referred to
The "
tions Ermedhach, Abbot of Craebh-Laisre, as having been venerated at this
day. In a table appended, the name of this holy man is Latinized or Gre- cized,Hermes. 3 Thepresentsaintdieda. d. 681,accordingtothe"Annals of the Four Masters,"* or a. d. 682, according to those of Ulster. Craebh- Laisre is said to be the name of a place near Clonmacnoise. s Some doubt has been entertained as to whether this saint had been identical with a cer-
the of the seventh early part
century.
Martyrology
of "^ men- Donegal
tain
tite Life of St. Patrick. "7
and Abbot of mentioned in the " Clogher,
Hermetius,*^ Bishop
Tripar- He is said to have written Acts of the great Irish
" Laisre's viz. ,ofthe"OldTree. " AlittletothesouthoftheSevenChurches,within
the townland and parish of Clonmacnoise, is the bordering townland of
Creevagh, on the eastern banks of the River Shannon, King's County. ^ Some objects of antiquity are shown within this latter place, and it is pro- bablytheCraebh-Laisreherenamed. InIrelandtherearemorethanthirty
""""
townlands called Creevagh, i. e. , branchy or bushy land f while about
twenty others bear the name of Creevy,*° a modification of the same word.
Article VI. —St. Eochaid, of Uisneach, or Usneagh, County of Westmeath. Virtue is the sole nobility, and it infuses happy dispositions and elements into the composition of character. God's grace sweetly influences a mind thus ennobled and purified. Eochaid's name, without any other description, is found in the "Martyrology of Tallagh"^ on to-day. ^ There is a St. Eochod mentioned as a companion of St. Columkille ;3 but the present seems to have been a different person. A festival to Eochaid of
"
Uisneach is entered at this date in the Martyrology of Donegal. "* His
place is now known as Usnagh Hill, in the parish of Killare, barony of Rath- conrath,andcountyofWestmeath. Thishillisremarkableinourhistoryfor beingthespotatwhichthefiveIrishprovincesmet. Thereisastone,called
apostle.
Craebh-Laisre means in
English
Bush,"
or "
Branch,"
Art. v. —'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi. In the Franciscan copy we can only de- cipher these words, "<\i]\me'OAchi^bb . . . "
Ixix. , and n. 49, pp. 128, 172, 173.
^ See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
* Edited
by
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
9 See P. W. " and
Joyce's Origin History
p. 5.
3 See ibid. pp. 410, 411.
*See O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp.
288, 289, and n. (e) ibid.
s See " Annals of the Four Masters," vol.
i. , p. 288, n. (e. )
* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemias," xxiv.
Martii. Vita S. Maccarthenni. Appendix, cap. iv. , p. 742.
of Irish Names of Places," Part iv. , chap. viii. , p. 463.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," cap. x. , p. 489.
Septima Vita S. Patricii, Pars, i. , cap.
*
Edited by Drs. T'^d and Reeves, p. 5,
of the King's County, sheet 5.
^°
Ibid. — Art. VI.
p. xi.
'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
*
written euchAit).
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse,
In the Franciscan copy the name is
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Cat-Uisnigh, situated on its very summit,s Keating gives it the denomina- tion of Ailna-Mireann, which means " Rock of the Divisions. " From its
"
very central position this place was called
A chapel or hermitage had been erected, it is stated, on the hill of Usney
bySt. Eochy,andacemeterywasattached; bothchurchandgraveyardare, however, obliterated. ? Usney, or Usneach, was the seat of many conven- tions, conferences, and synods. From eariiest times it had been a place of great note in our Irish Annals. ^ There is also a parish in the barony of Ballyboy, King's County, and within the diocese of Meath, called Killaughey, or Killaghey. It means " the Church of St. Eochey. "^ The hill of Ushnagh and its environs are covered ^vith antique curiosities. ^" It seems probable enough, that the present saint had some connexion with the old Church of Killare, which is near that remarkable eminence.
Article VII. —St. Scethe, or Sciath, Virgin and Patroness of
Feart-Sceithe,nowArdskeagh,CountyCork. Intheworldwehave
many instances of benevolent individuals actively engaged in philanthropic
works,withonlypartialself-denial; butintheCatholicChurchherreligious
children are educated and inspired to practise good works, to a degree of per-
fection sublime in its absolute self-sacrifice. Scethe, a virgin, from Fert
Sceithe, is found on record in the "Martyrology of Tallagh,"^ at the ist day
of From the " of "3 we learn that venera- January. ^ Martyrology Donegal
tion was given on this day to Sciath, virgin, and daughter to Meachair, of Feart-Sceithe, in Muscraighe-Aedha. This territory seems to have been identical with Muscraidhe Luachra,-* which lay along the Abhain Mor, or Blackwater,intheprovinceofMunster. s St. Scethebelongedtotheraceof Conaire, son to Mogh-lamha, monarch of Ireland. Thus she was descended from the race of Heremon. The Church of Fiort-sceithe is placed by the Calendars of Marianus and of the Four Masters^ in Muscraighe-tri-maighe, or Muskerry of the Three Plains. 7 It is known at present by the name of
Ardskeagh, a small parish in that part of Fermoy barony bordering on the baroniesofOrreryandKilmore,countyofCork. TheoldChurchofFer- sketh^ lay within the rural deanery of Muskrydonnegan, in the diocese of
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (e), p. i66.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 5.
Kerry. O'Brian incorrectly places this ter- ritory within the county of Limerick. Mus- craidhe Luachra extended on both sides of the Blackwater, near its source in the north- west of Cork county. It is also known as the country of the O'h-Aodha, now Angli- cised O'Hea, and sometimes Hayes. See "The Topographical Poems of O'Dubhagain and O'Huidhrin," edited by Dr. O'Dono- van, nn. 603, 604.
"
Leabhar na g- Ceart," or the "Book of Rights," n. (v),
pp. 42, 44.
* At the 6th of another festival September
of this saint then occurs.
^See Dr. O'Brien's "Focaloir Gaoidhilge-
sax-Bhearia," or "An Irish-English Dic- tionary, st/^ voce, Muiscrith, with its various subdenominations," p. 358.
* See Giraldus Cambrensis' "
Topographia
< From Sliabh this Luachra,
Hibemiae," Dist. iii. , cap. iv. 7 See Rev. A. Cogan's
"
territory ap- parently derived its denomination, Sliabh Luachra, which was a mountain range in
Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. ii. ,
chap. xviii. , n. , p. 427.
^Seeiind. , p. 425.
5 The old church here measures 63 feet
internally, including the belfry, by 19 feet in width. Its east end has been torn down.
A cross was in the churchyard. See ii>id. , chap, xix. , p. 514 and n. From its tolerable
proximity tcUsney, this church may have been dedicated to the present saint. Near
Killoughy townland, in the parish so called, the ruined church and cemetery are marked
on the King's County Ordnance Survey
s See Dr. O'Donovan's
Townland
" See County
sheet
Maps,
32.
of Westmeath
Survey Townl—and Maps, sheet 24.
Art. vn. "Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xi.
'
In the Franciscan copy we can only de-
Ordnance
"SeechAe i. e Sc ^
cipher ui]a, . . . " (;;jjijg(j ^^dskagh in 1615.
Umbilicus Hibemise. "^
some soldiers of Scotia.
Both during life and after death, her merits were
of miracles. ^ On the ist many great
rendered manifest the by
LIV:B:S OF THE IRISH SAINTS. it
January l]
Cloyne. 9 ItsdenominationseemstohavebeenderivedfromtheIrishword
i:eA]\c, having these various EngHsh significations, "an act," "action," "virtue," "attribute," repute," "a miracle," "a grave," "a tomb," "a
Article VIII. —Festival of St. Ernan, Abbot of Druim-Tomma, NOW Drumhome, County of Donegal. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries? ^ At first view, on entering a garden where flowers are growing, we are dis- posed to cull some which are desirable for our purpose, while we leave others untouched as serving to supply our requirements on some occasion for a more suitable selection. Thus, although Ernan Mac Eoghain's feast is men-
tioned in the "Martyrology of Tallagh"^ at the ist day of January,^ we find it a preferable arrangement to refer his acts to another festival at the 23rd of
December.
This saint was of a princely and renowned family. He was
son to Eoghan, son of Feilim, consequently he was a nephew to the great
St. Columbkille ;3 he therefore belonged to the Cinel-Conaill race. The
" of "* is found with this date for his fes- Martyrology Donegal corresponding
tival. His place is now recognised under the appellation Drumhome. It is situated in the barony of Tirhugh and county of Donegal. This is said to have been one of St. Adamnan's churches,s It is referred to under the Latinizednameof"DorsumTommge. "^ Colganhaspublishedactsofthis saint at the ist of January. 7 These he has collected from various sources.
Article IX. —St. Mathilde, Virgin. {Thirteenth Centuryi\ This
pious lady is said to have been the daughter of a Scottish king. She had
four brothers, all of whom embraced a religious life. One was a duke or
chief, who left his wife, but in a Christian manner, to embrace a state of
poverty ; another was a count, or a subordinate chief, who chose to lead an
eremitical life ; another became an archbishop, but he abdicated this func-
tion to enter the Cistercian order ; while the junior among them, named
Alexander, owing to his holy sister's persuasion, left his native country. He
accompanied her to Fogny, in the diocese of Laon, in Gaul. ^ Here she left
him, as a lay brother, to discharge menial offices in a Cistercian monastery.
Then the holy virgin herself appears to have retired from this world.
Although she wished to conceal her person and rank from the knowledge of
men, yet nine years before her death, she was discovered and recognised by
"a
the virgin patroness, belonging to this locality.
country," "land,"
fair-green,"
'° withsciacTi, the nameof joined proper
performance
of January, a. d. 1269, Camerarius, who claims this noble virgin as a native of
9 See a note communicated by Dr. Reeves vol. iii. , n. (c), p. iii.
in ''The Topographical Poems of O'Dub- ^ See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Adamnan's hagain and O'Huidhrin," edited by Dr. Vita S. Columbse," lib. iii. , cap. xxiii. , p.
O'Donovan, n. 605, pp. Ixix. , Ixx.
"See "O'Reilly's Irish-English Die-
\Xqx\. 2. vj, sub vo—ce" '
'*
223, and n. (m), ibid. Also Ussher's
Primordia," p. 969.
7 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," i.
Art. VIII. Edited by the Rev. Dr. Januarii. Vita S. Emani, pp. 7 to 9. Bis-
Kelly, p. xi.
hop Forbes, in his Saints,"
'
Kalendars of Scottish
* In the Franciscan "
copy e^MiAn
tTlAc
Go . . . " is only legible.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
See p. 332. — Art. ix.
Colgan gives his Acts at the Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, 14th of January. See "Acta Sanctorum cap. iii. , p. 482, cap. x. , p. 490. Hibemise," xiv. Januarii. Vita S. Alexandri,
'^ Edited by the Rev. Drs. Todd and pp. 64, 65.
^
Reeves, p. 5. Such is the substance of what Thomas
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (m), p. 602, and Miraculis," lib. ii. , cap. x.
Cantipratensis
"
has notices of him at this date.
relates in his " De work,
22 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Scotland, says she departed to eternal happiness. 3 By a series of well- drawn negative and historic proofs, Colgan asserts that Mathilda could not have been daughter to any of the regal Scottish monarchs ; while he endea- voured to show how Ireland might probably \vith better reason claim the honour of her nativity. Yet Colgan honestly affirms he could not advance this latter claim beyond all question. '^ Unless the names of Alexander and Mathilda received some alteration, during the years of their exile, they seem to accord more with Scottish than Irish use during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Article X. —St. Aedhan, son of Deigill, of Cluain-Fionna- BHRACH,ClONKEEN,CoUNTYOFLoUTH,ANDOFCiLL-IlJNLEITH. NotchcS and shadows on the distant landscape just reflect forms of beauty, which the eye cannot search in detail, because the reach of vision is too great. Imagi- nation and judgment vaguely combine to fill up the dreamy outline. This present saint possibly may have lived during the very infancy of our Christian establishments. One of St. Patrick's disciples is called Mac Dichoill, and he is thought by Colgan^ to have been the same as the holy man, who is here
"
commemorated. In the Martyrology of Tallagh"^^ Aedhan-h-Fiachna ap-
pears at the I St of January. He is probably identical with a Mac Decill of h-Eachach Uisneach, who seems to have been entered as a different person in the same record and on the same day. 3 Marianus O'Gorman, or his
"
scholiast, at the ist of January, as also the Martyrology of Donegal,"*
record a commemoration of Aedhan, son to Deigill, of Cluain-Fionnabhrach,s and of Cill-Ilialeith,^ at the north of Fochard. ? His places are likewise called Cluain-Chaoin Fionnabhrach and Kill-alinn. On this account, how- ever, it may be doubted if this saint can be identified with St. Patrick's disciple, Mac Dichoill,^ who is known to have been connected with the people of Assal,9 and to have built a church a little to the south of a ford on the River Ethne,'° and near a place known as Ath-Maigne. " Yet there is
3 " De Pietate Scotorum," at the ist of
January, lib. iii.
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," i.
Januarii. Vi—ta S. Mathildis, pp. 6, 7. ^
thiana," book i. , plate xiv. , p. 9, and book
iii. , plate xx. , p. 19, there are engravings of a moat and some curious ecclesiastical anti- quities, called after St. Brigid, and with
Art. X. See "Trias Thaumaturga" letter-press descriptions to illustrate the
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. xvi. , p. 131, and n. 49, p. 174.
* Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi.
In the Franciscan copy one entry reads, of Dichoill, Dechill, or Deicola. Hence
" -Ae-OAni. h. -piAchriA;" but there is another,
he who is called in one place Mac Dichuill, elsewhere may have been named Mac Dechil.
» In one instance, Dr. O'Donovan attempts to identify Assal with a district lying round Tory Hill, near Croom, in Limerick. See "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (f), p. 58. With a happier effort, Colgan says, these people inhabited that part of Meath (Westmeath) known in his day as Magassil (Moycashel). See "Trias Thau- maturga," n. 46, p. 174.
'°This seems to be the River Inny, south
of the county of Longford. Very near it, and to the south, in the county of West-
meath, there is a Temple-Patrick parish. This might give a clue to the site of the
church, and the disciple might have dedi> cated it to his great master,
" This place is now said to be known as
"
ITlAc "OACit Ach upiij," at this date.
3 See ibid.
< Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 2. 5 Now Clonkeen, barony of Ardee, county
of Louth.
'This place must have lain near the
boundaries of the counties of Louth and
Armagh. Perhaps it is represented in the modem townland, Killeen, in the parish of Killevy, coimty of Armagh.
^For a description of this place see "The History of Dundalk and its Environs," by John D'Alton, Esq. , and J. R. O'Flanagan, Esq. , M. R. I. A. , pp. 277 to 281. Also William Shaw Mason's " Statistical Ac- count,^ or Parochial Survey of Ireland," voL ii. , No. xii. , pp. 207 to 214. This latter account is from the pen of Rev. Ger- vais Tinley, rector. In Wright's "Lou-
plates,
^Colgan remarks, that this name ac-
cords with Mac Dechill, meaning the son
January l] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
nothing improbable apparently in giving him other establishments at Cluain- Chaoin" Finnabhrach, in Ferrois,'3 and at Cill-Alinn, or Cill-Ilialeith. If such be the case, according to Colgan, this saint was the son of Dechill, son
of Bruin, to whom St. Brigid sent an admonitory epistle, dissuading him fromundertakingapilgrimagetoRome. Thetimeandnameseemtofavour Colgan's supposition, as he asserts ; still it must be urged, the name and places mentioned rather cause us to adopt a doubtful, if not an opposite, pronouncement. '* When the Latin "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick," pub- hshed by Colgan, had been composed, the former servers of Mac DichoilFs Church,'S near Lissmoyny, allowed it to lapse from a previous dedication, and to come under the patronage of St. Columkille. '^
Article XL—Feast of St. Mochua, or Cuan, Abbot and Patron
OF Teach-Mochua, or Timahoe, Queen's County. \Sixth or Seventh Century^ Atthisdate,theRev. AlbanButlerhasaverybriefnoticeofSt. Mochua, whom he calls hkewise by the name Moncain and Claunus. The I St of January is said to have been the day of his death, at Dayrinis. ' This day, the Bollandists have published his acts, which had been presented to them by the Rev. Father Hugh Ward.
Article V. —St. Airmedach, Hermetius, or Ermedhach, Abbot of Craibhi-Laisre, probably Creevagh, near Clonmacnoise, King's County. [Seventh Century. '] When Faith had opened into a foil bloom in Ireland, its fruits began to ripen and increase as onward ages rolled. Airme- dach, Abbot of Craibhi-Lasri, occurs at the ist day of January, in the "Mar- tyrology of Tallagh. "' This saint is called Eirmbeadhach in the " Annals of the Four Masters. " Marianus O'Gorman inserts this Hermetius in the
Calendar at the ist day of January.
His birth may probably be referred to
The "
tions Ermedhach, Abbot of Craebh-Laisre, as having been venerated at this
day. In a table appended, the name of this holy man is Latinized or Gre- cized,Hermes. 3 Thepresentsaintdieda. d. 681,accordingtothe"Annals of the Four Masters,"* or a. d. 682, according to those of Ulster. Craebh- Laisre is said to be the name of a place near Clonmacnoise. s Some doubt has been entertained as to whether this saint had been identical with a cer-
the of the seventh early part
century.
Martyrology
of "^ men- Donegal
tain
tite Life of St. Patrick. "7
and Abbot of mentioned in the " Clogher,
Hermetius,*^ Bishop
Tripar- He is said to have written Acts of the great Irish
" Laisre's viz. ,ofthe"OldTree. " AlittletothesouthoftheSevenChurches,within
the townland and parish of Clonmacnoise, is the bordering townland of
Creevagh, on the eastern banks of the River Shannon, King's County. ^ Some objects of antiquity are shown within this latter place, and it is pro- bablytheCraebh-Laisreherenamed. InIrelandtherearemorethanthirty
""""
townlands called Creevagh, i. e. , branchy or bushy land f while about
twenty others bear the name of Creevy,*° a modification of the same word.
Article VI. —St. Eochaid, of Uisneach, or Usneagh, County of Westmeath. Virtue is the sole nobility, and it infuses happy dispositions and elements into the composition of character. God's grace sweetly influences a mind thus ennobled and purified. Eochaid's name, without any other description, is found in the "Martyrology of Tallagh"^ on to-day. ^ There is a St. Eochod mentioned as a companion of St. Columkille ;3 but the present seems to have been a different person. A festival to Eochaid of
"
Uisneach is entered at this date in the Martyrology of Donegal. "* His
place is now known as Usnagh Hill, in the parish of Killare, barony of Rath- conrath,andcountyofWestmeath. Thishillisremarkableinourhistoryfor beingthespotatwhichthefiveIrishprovincesmet. Thereisastone,called
apostle.
Craebh-Laisre means in
English
Bush,"
or "
Branch,"
Art. v. —'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi. In the Franciscan copy we can only de- cipher these words, "<\i]\me'OAchi^bb . . . "
Ixix. , and n. 49, pp. 128, 172, 173.
^ See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
* Edited
by
Drs. Todd and Reeves,
9 See P. W. " and
Joyce's Origin History
p. 5.
3 See ibid. pp. 410, 411.
*See O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp.
288, 289, and n. (e) ibid.
s See " Annals of the Four Masters," vol.
i. , p. 288, n. (e. )
* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemias," xxiv.
Martii. Vita S. Maccarthenni. Appendix, cap. iv. , p. 742.
of Irish Names of Places," Part iv. , chap. viii. , p. 463.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," cap. x. , p. 489.
Septima Vita S. Patricii, Pars, i. , cap.
*
Edited by Drs. T'^d and Reeves, p. 5,
of the King's County, sheet 5.
^°
Ibid. — Art. VI.
p. xi.
'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
*
written euchAit).
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse,
In the Franciscan copy the name is
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Cat-Uisnigh, situated on its very summit,s Keating gives it the denomina- tion of Ailna-Mireann, which means " Rock of the Divisions. " From its
"
very central position this place was called
A chapel or hermitage had been erected, it is stated, on the hill of Usney
bySt. Eochy,andacemeterywasattached; bothchurchandgraveyardare, however, obliterated. ? Usney, or Usneach, was the seat of many conven- tions, conferences, and synods. From eariiest times it had been a place of great note in our Irish Annals. ^ There is also a parish in the barony of Ballyboy, King's County, and within the diocese of Meath, called Killaughey, or Killaghey. It means " the Church of St. Eochey. "^ The hill of Ushnagh and its environs are covered ^vith antique curiosities. ^" It seems probable enough, that the present saint had some connexion with the old Church of Killare, which is near that remarkable eminence.
Article VII. —St. Scethe, or Sciath, Virgin and Patroness of
Feart-Sceithe,nowArdskeagh,CountyCork. Intheworldwehave
many instances of benevolent individuals actively engaged in philanthropic
works,withonlypartialself-denial; butintheCatholicChurchherreligious
children are educated and inspired to practise good works, to a degree of per-
fection sublime in its absolute self-sacrifice. Scethe, a virgin, from Fert
Sceithe, is found on record in the "Martyrology of Tallagh,"^ at the ist day
of From the " of "3 we learn that venera- January. ^ Martyrology Donegal
tion was given on this day to Sciath, virgin, and daughter to Meachair, of Feart-Sceithe, in Muscraighe-Aedha. This territory seems to have been identical with Muscraidhe Luachra,-* which lay along the Abhain Mor, or Blackwater,intheprovinceofMunster. s St. Scethebelongedtotheraceof Conaire, son to Mogh-lamha, monarch of Ireland. Thus she was descended from the race of Heremon. The Church of Fiort-sceithe is placed by the Calendars of Marianus and of the Four Masters^ in Muscraighe-tri-maighe, or Muskerry of the Three Plains. 7 It is known at present by the name of
Ardskeagh, a small parish in that part of Fermoy barony bordering on the baroniesofOrreryandKilmore,countyofCork. TheoldChurchofFer- sketh^ lay within the rural deanery of Muskrydonnegan, in the diocese of
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (e), p. i66.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 5.
Kerry. O'Brian incorrectly places this ter- ritory within the county of Limerick. Mus- craidhe Luachra extended on both sides of the Blackwater, near its source in the north- west of Cork county. It is also known as the country of the O'h-Aodha, now Angli- cised O'Hea, and sometimes Hayes. See "The Topographical Poems of O'Dubhagain and O'Huidhrin," edited by Dr. O'Dono- van, nn. 603, 604.
"
Leabhar na g- Ceart," or the "Book of Rights," n. (v),
pp. 42, 44.
* At the 6th of another festival September
of this saint then occurs.
^See Dr. O'Brien's "Focaloir Gaoidhilge-
sax-Bhearia," or "An Irish-English Dic- tionary, st/^ voce, Muiscrith, with its various subdenominations," p. 358.
* See Giraldus Cambrensis' "
Topographia
< From Sliabh this Luachra,
Hibemiae," Dist. iii. , cap. iv. 7 See Rev. A. Cogan's
"
territory ap- parently derived its denomination, Sliabh Luachra, which was a mountain range in
Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. ii. ,
chap. xviii. , n. , p. 427.
^Seeiind. , p. 425.
5 The old church here measures 63 feet
internally, including the belfry, by 19 feet in width. Its east end has been torn down.
A cross was in the churchyard. See ii>id. , chap, xix. , p. 514 and n. From its tolerable
proximity tcUsney, this church may have been dedicated to the present saint. Near
Killoughy townland, in the parish so called, the ruined church and cemetery are marked
on the King's County Ordnance Survey
s See Dr. O'Donovan's
Townland
" See County
sheet
Maps,
32.
of Westmeath
Survey Townl—and Maps, sheet 24.
Art. vn. "Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xi.
'
In the Franciscan copy we can only de-
Ordnance
"SeechAe i. e Sc ^
cipher ui]a, . . . " (;;jjijg(j ^^dskagh in 1615.
Umbilicus Hibemise. "^
some soldiers of Scotia.
Both during life and after death, her merits were
of miracles. ^ On the ist many great
rendered manifest the by
LIV:B:S OF THE IRISH SAINTS. it
January l]
Cloyne. 9 ItsdenominationseemstohavebeenderivedfromtheIrishword
i:eA]\c, having these various EngHsh significations, "an act," "action," "virtue," "attribute," repute," "a miracle," "a grave," "a tomb," "a
Article VIII. —Festival of St. Ernan, Abbot of Druim-Tomma, NOW Drumhome, County of Donegal. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries? ^ At first view, on entering a garden where flowers are growing, we are dis- posed to cull some which are desirable for our purpose, while we leave others untouched as serving to supply our requirements on some occasion for a more suitable selection. Thus, although Ernan Mac Eoghain's feast is men-
tioned in the "Martyrology of Tallagh"^ at the ist day of January,^ we find it a preferable arrangement to refer his acts to another festival at the 23rd of
December.
This saint was of a princely and renowned family. He was
son to Eoghan, son of Feilim, consequently he was a nephew to the great
St. Columbkille ;3 he therefore belonged to the Cinel-Conaill race. The
" of "* is found with this date for his fes- Martyrology Donegal corresponding
tival. His place is now recognised under the appellation Drumhome. It is situated in the barony of Tirhugh and county of Donegal. This is said to have been one of St. Adamnan's churches,s It is referred to under the Latinizednameof"DorsumTommge. "^ Colganhaspublishedactsofthis saint at the ist of January. 7 These he has collected from various sources.
Article IX. —St. Mathilde, Virgin. {Thirteenth Centuryi\ This
pious lady is said to have been the daughter of a Scottish king. She had
four brothers, all of whom embraced a religious life. One was a duke or
chief, who left his wife, but in a Christian manner, to embrace a state of
poverty ; another was a count, or a subordinate chief, who chose to lead an
eremitical life ; another became an archbishop, but he abdicated this func-
tion to enter the Cistercian order ; while the junior among them, named
Alexander, owing to his holy sister's persuasion, left his native country. He
accompanied her to Fogny, in the diocese of Laon, in Gaul. ^ Here she left
him, as a lay brother, to discharge menial offices in a Cistercian monastery.
Then the holy virgin herself appears to have retired from this world.
Although she wished to conceal her person and rank from the knowledge of
men, yet nine years before her death, she was discovered and recognised by
"a
the virgin patroness, belonging to this locality.
country," "land,"
fair-green,"
'° withsciacTi, the nameof joined proper
performance
of January, a. d. 1269, Camerarius, who claims this noble virgin as a native of
9 See a note communicated by Dr. Reeves vol. iii. , n. (c), p. iii.
in ''The Topographical Poems of O'Dub- ^ See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Adamnan's hagain and O'Huidhrin," edited by Dr. Vita S. Columbse," lib. iii. , cap. xxiii. , p.
O'Donovan, n. 605, pp. Ixix. , Ixx.
"See "O'Reilly's Irish-English Die-
\Xqx\. 2. vj, sub vo—ce" '
'*
223, and n. (m), ibid. Also Ussher's
Primordia," p. 969.
7 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," i.
Art. VIII. Edited by the Rev. Dr. Januarii. Vita S. Emani, pp. 7 to 9. Bis-
Kelly, p. xi.
hop Forbes, in his Saints,"
'
Kalendars of Scottish
* In the Franciscan "
copy e^MiAn
tTlAc
Go . . . " is only legible.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
See p. 332. — Art. ix.
Colgan gives his Acts at the Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, 14th of January. See "Acta Sanctorum cap. iii. , p. 482, cap. x. , p. 490. Hibemise," xiv. Januarii. Vita S. Alexandri,
'^ Edited by the Rev. Drs. Todd and pp. 64, 65.
^
Reeves, p. 5. Such is the substance of what Thomas
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (m), p. 602, and Miraculis," lib. ii. , cap. x.
Cantipratensis
"
has notices of him at this date.
relates in his " De work,
22 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Scotland, says she departed to eternal happiness. 3 By a series of well- drawn negative and historic proofs, Colgan asserts that Mathilda could not have been daughter to any of the regal Scottish monarchs ; while he endea- voured to show how Ireland might probably \vith better reason claim the honour of her nativity. Yet Colgan honestly affirms he could not advance this latter claim beyond all question. '^ Unless the names of Alexander and Mathilda received some alteration, during the years of their exile, they seem to accord more with Scottish than Irish use during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Article X. —St. Aedhan, son of Deigill, of Cluain-Fionna- BHRACH,ClONKEEN,CoUNTYOFLoUTH,ANDOFCiLL-IlJNLEITH. NotchcS and shadows on the distant landscape just reflect forms of beauty, which the eye cannot search in detail, because the reach of vision is too great. Imagi- nation and judgment vaguely combine to fill up the dreamy outline. This present saint possibly may have lived during the very infancy of our Christian establishments. One of St. Patrick's disciples is called Mac Dichoill, and he is thought by Colgan^ to have been the same as the holy man, who is here
"
commemorated. In the Martyrology of Tallagh"^^ Aedhan-h-Fiachna ap-
pears at the I St of January. He is probably identical with a Mac Decill of h-Eachach Uisneach, who seems to have been entered as a different person in the same record and on the same day. 3 Marianus O'Gorman, or his
"
scholiast, at the ist of January, as also the Martyrology of Donegal,"*
record a commemoration of Aedhan, son to Deigill, of Cluain-Fionnabhrach,s and of Cill-Ilialeith,^ at the north of Fochard. ? His places are likewise called Cluain-Chaoin Fionnabhrach and Kill-alinn. On this account, how- ever, it may be doubted if this saint can be identified with St. Patrick's disciple, Mac Dichoill,^ who is known to have been connected with the people of Assal,9 and to have built a church a little to the south of a ford on the River Ethne,'° and near a place known as Ath-Maigne. " Yet there is
3 " De Pietate Scotorum," at the ist of
January, lib. iii.
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," i.
Januarii. Vi—ta S. Mathildis, pp. 6, 7. ^
thiana," book i. , plate xiv. , p. 9, and book
iii. , plate xx. , p. 19, there are engravings of a moat and some curious ecclesiastical anti- quities, called after St. Brigid, and with
Art. X. See "Trias Thaumaturga" letter-press descriptions to illustrate the
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. xvi. , p. 131, and n. 49, p. 174.
* Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi.
In the Franciscan copy one entry reads, of Dichoill, Dechill, or Deicola. Hence
" -Ae-OAni. h. -piAchriA;" but there is another,
he who is called in one place Mac Dichuill, elsewhere may have been named Mac Dechil.
» In one instance, Dr. O'Donovan attempts to identify Assal with a district lying round Tory Hill, near Croom, in Limerick. See "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (f), p. 58. With a happier effort, Colgan says, these people inhabited that part of Meath (Westmeath) known in his day as Magassil (Moycashel). See "Trias Thau- maturga," n. 46, p. 174.
'°This seems to be the River Inny, south
of the county of Longford. Very near it, and to the south, in the county of West-
meath, there is a Temple-Patrick parish. This might give a clue to the site of the
church, and the disciple might have dedi> cated it to his great master,
" This place is now said to be known as
"
ITlAc "OACit Ach upiij," at this date.
3 See ibid.
< Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 2. 5 Now Clonkeen, barony of Ardee, county
of Louth.
'This place must have lain near the
boundaries of the counties of Louth and
Armagh. Perhaps it is represented in the modem townland, Killeen, in the parish of Killevy, coimty of Armagh.
^For a description of this place see "The History of Dundalk and its Environs," by John D'Alton, Esq. , and J. R. O'Flanagan, Esq. , M. R. I. A. , pp. 277 to 281. Also William Shaw Mason's " Statistical Ac- count,^ or Parochial Survey of Ireland," voL ii. , No. xii. , pp. 207 to 214. This latter account is from the pen of Rev. Ger- vais Tinley, rector. In Wright's "Lou-
plates,
^Colgan remarks, that this name ac-
cords with Mac Dechill, meaning the son
January l] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
nothing improbable apparently in giving him other establishments at Cluain- Chaoin" Finnabhrach, in Ferrois,'3 and at Cill-Alinn, or Cill-Ilialeith. If such be the case, according to Colgan, this saint was the son of Dechill, son
of Bruin, to whom St. Brigid sent an admonitory epistle, dissuading him fromundertakingapilgrimagetoRome. Thetimeandnameseemtofavour Colgan's supposition, as he asserts ; still it must be urged, the name and places mentioned rather cause us to adopt a doubtful, if not an opposite, pronouncement. '* When the Latin "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick," pub- hshed by Colgan, had been composed, the former servers of Mac DichoilFs Church,'S near Lissmoyny, allowed it to lapse from a previous dedication, and to come under the patronage of St. Columkille. '^
Article XL—Feast of St. Mochua, or Cuan, Abbot and Patron
OF Teach-Mochua, or Timahoe, Queen's County. \Sixth or Seventh Century^ Atthisdate,theRev. AlbanButlerhasaverybriefnoticeofSt. Mochua, whom he calls hkewise by the name Moncain and Claunus. The I St of January is said to have been the day of his death, at Dayrinis. ' This day, the Bollandists have published his acts, which had been presented to them by the Rev. Father Hugh Ward.
