80 Numerous pen-and-ink
sketches
have been introduced, to illustratetheantiquities.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
Hayes, Esq.
,
of Avondale. See Mrs. A.
"desolation" is afterwards explained, by this same writer in a different work, when giving the biography of the late William Magee, Protestant Archbishop of Dublin, who died a. d. 1831.
"
O'Byrne's late,
says :
also to
Saints of Ireland," p. 103.
thirteenth. See
Ecclesiastical History of
lough, which forms No. v. , in a series of
"Illustrations of Irish Topography," written
the writer
have prohibited the natives of the valley of
says
Speaking of this Pre-
" He is known
June 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 73
In the " Feilire "s8 of St. yEngus, this holy Abbot is commemorated, with
a high eulogy, at the 3rd of June. 5 ? The Martyrology of Tallagh ^ records a festival, in honour of Coemgin, Abbot of Glinni da Locha, at this same date. In the Martyrology of Christ Church, at iii. of the June Nones, there is an entry ofSt. Coemgin's Natalis. 61 This day, the Martyrology of Done-
62 records veneration for
Abbot of Gleann-da-loch. 63 The
Caoimhghin,
anonymous Catalogue, published by O'Sullevan Beare, contains an entry of
Coenginus, or Kivinus, at this date ; as also, in Father Henry Fitzsimon's
gal
list is Coenginus Abbas 6* included.
the Cathedral Church of Dublin. 69 His festival is also noticed, in various ancientCalendars. ? AsspecialPatronoftheunitedDiocesesofDublinand
60
Duald Mac Firbis enters
In Scotland, his feast was celebrated, on the same day, as we find his Natalis, in the Kalendar of 6? and in Thomas "
Dublin," p. 359.
58 In the " Leabhar Breac "
Christ Church, Dublin," edited by John Clarke Crosthwaite, A. M. , and Rev. Dr.
we find the following stanza, with English transla-
Henthorn 122. Todd, p.
copy, tion, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
James
63 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
mil Cr\iyc icfuch nerxenn A\m Ainm -OAfi cunro C|\ec1iAH
Coemgen cato cahi cAichper» •Angbnt) •oaiin'o bechan.
" A soldier of Christ into Ireland's border :
a high name over the sea's wave : Coemgen,
chaste, fair wa—rrior, in the glen of the two
broad linns. " " Transactions of the Royal
Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series,
142 to 145.
63 A note by Dr. Todd states, at Gleann-
da-loch : "Over this word is the gloss . 1. OAboch ptev Ann, 7 ac LecnA, "/. <? . , there are two lakes there, and they are very ex- tensive. "
64 He quotes Floratius, " Idem Kenuis. " See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historia; Catholi- cse Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. , pp. 50, 53.
On the Calendar of
59 We find the following commentary on
vol. i. i. , part
Irish Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. ,
p. xcii.
his name " nomen : Coemlog
patris eius, Coemell nomen matris eius. Coeman et Nat- coemi nomina duorum fratrum eius. Aibind
Scottish Saints," p. 14.
68 Thus entered: "Keuini
— in abbatis,
Caoimhghin
of Glenn da
locha,
66 for the of
3rd June.
Drummond, Dempster's Menologium Scotorum. "68 An office for this saint, in Nine Lessons, was formerly read, in
Glendalough from celebrating Mass, as they
had theretofore done, in their ancient and
venerated cathedral of St. Kevin, availing
himself of his right as archbishop to the
ground on which the chapel stood. "— ChurchoftheHolyTrinity,commonlycalled D'Alton's "Memoirs of the Archbishops of
Oengus,
Royal
sororcula—eorum. " Then follows an Irfsh Insulis Scoticis oriundi. Girald. " Ibid. ,
quatrain
Coe-man, Coemgin, mo-choemi Crvi true choemA choenubbe DAiiiAich muniArt b^AchA}\
Cjm 1111c michA^ Aibmne.
It is thus rendered into English — :
"
A
201.
69 See " Book of Obits and Martyrology
of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,
commonly called Christ Church, Dublin,"
edited by John Clarke Crosthwaite, A. M. ,
with an Introduction by Rev. Dr. James
Henthorn Todd, p. 66.
Ain Li- Manuscript Trinity College
brary, Dublin, classed B, 1, 3, contains a notice, at June the 3rd, Nones iii. , Sancti Keivini Abbatis, Duplex fin. per constit. Dublin. Another, classed B, 1, 4, contains a notice at June the 3rd, Nones iii. , Sancti Kevini Abbatis, Duplex f. , ix. Lect. Ano-
:
,
p.
Coeman, Coemgin, Mo-choeme, Three lovable sons of Coemell, Good was the triad. of brothers, Three sons of a delightful mother. "
"
Afterwards, . 1. -AibeiTO AiToenbpup, Ai- ther classed B, 3, 10, contains a notice, at
benn was the sister. " On his place is the June 3, Nones iii. , Sancti Kevini Abbatis
comment . 1. t)iboc1i pbec Ant) Agup ix. Lect. Another, classed B, 3, 12, con-
"
ifAdecViAn iac, —two lakes are therein,
tains a notice at June 3, Nones iii. , Coem-
and broad are they. " Ibid. , p.
xcviii.
geni
Abbatis et
Conf. ,
ix. Lect.
Another,
Under the head of Glenn-da-lacha,6s
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvi.
61 Thus : "In Hybernia natalis sancti
Coemgini abbatis et confessoris. "Book of Obits and Martyrology of the Cathedral
5
6 Glenn-da-locha
66 See " of the Proceedings
of Wicklow.
pp. 112, 113.
6' See Forbes' "Kalendars of Bishop
; William M. Hennessy's note.
? °
County
;— "
74 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 3.
of Glendalough, the 3rd of June is celebrated, as a Double of the First-class, with an octave ; while, throughout Ireland generally, it is regarded as a greater Double.
Nothing can exceed in interest and beauty the romantic scenery of Glen- dalough. The Round Tower first attracts notice, on entering the valley ; and then, as the tourist advances, one after another, several ruined objects of
7I
tothe 2 Thesortofancientenclosure gaze. ?
appear
about Glendalough was probably a rampart, built of or faced with stone, and
archaeological curiosity
called a Caiseal. Traces of it remained, down to the present century. The
gateway of the Caiseal was well restored a few years ago, and it is now in a
fairly good condition. The old city is thought to have extended from Rea-
fert Church, on the west, to the Ivy Church, on the east, and to have been
built on either bank of the River Glendassan, before its junction with the
Avonmore, at the extreme eastern entrance to this magnificent valley. 73 The
siteofaformermarket-place74 maystillbetraced,withinasmallsquareplot
of ground, where the market-cross once stood ; its base only remains at pre-
sent. It lies north of Glendassan River. 75 The debris of a paved street,
leading westward from this spot towards the county of Kildare, can yet be
traced for a considerable distance. It now takes the name of St. Kevin's
Road. At the present day, the singular and venerable group of ruins, known
as the " Seven Churches,"? 6 and the sublime scenes of the Glendalough wildly
region around, attract the regards of antiquaries, artists, and tourists. The mountain, called Camederry, rises over the northern margin of the two lakes. Theseliedeepbeneathitssummits. Onitssouthernside,younglarchand
coppice woods are now flourishing luxuriantly; while, their trees form an agreeable contrast, with the steep heath-covered rocks, rising beyond the Lakes. At the head of the Upper Lake, and entering it, may be seen the
broken torrent of a stream, called Glanealo, descending the valley, and coming
from the west, in a succession of miniature cascades.
Beyond Camederry,
and descending from the central range of the Wicklow Mountains, opens the
rugged valley of Glendassan, through which a river, bearing the same name
flows. It joins the Glanealo, a little below the old Cathedral and Round Tower. 77 St. Kevin's Well is shown, somewhat below this confluence. 78 Camederry and Brocha mountains enclose Glendassan,7? on either side ; and, St. Kevin's Road, extending from Glendalough up the defile, is an ancient
classed B, contains, at 3rd, Nones 3, 13, June
iii. ,thisentry,SanctiKeviniAbbatis.
5" One of the giants of modern romantic literature, Sir Walter Scott, describes Glen-
See Rev. Dr. Ledwich's " of Antiquities
Ireland,"p. 176. Secondedition.
76 Among our Irish ancestors, there must have been some mystic veneration for the
number
scene of Irish Antiquities. " "Quarterly places, in which that number of churches is
as "the —
dalough inexpressibly singular
on account of the
Seven, many
Review," vol. xli. , p. 148.
72 See Mr. and Mrs. Hall's " Ireland ; its
Scenery, Character," &c, vol. ii. , pp. 212 to 230, for illustrations and descriptions of this secluded spot.
" There is a pen-and-ink sketch of the ruins of Glendalough, copied from a drawing of Colonel Burton Conyngham's artists, by William F. Wakeman, in the Wicklow Ordnance Survey Letters, vol. i,, p. 462.
7* About a furlong west from the Ivy Church, and on the same side of the River Glendassan.
75 It is nearly opposite the Hotel. For-
merly, an ancient bridge spanned the River, and it was leading towards the Cathedral.
traditionally said to have existed.
" At this point, a bridge anciently crossed
it. Acloghan, composed of stepping-stones,
replaced it, in the earlier part of this cen-
tury.
? 8 Stations were performed near it, by the
country people. The Deer stone convenient to an ancient roadway, and higher up the valley, has a legend associated with the name of St. Kevin.
? ' The Lead Mines, belonging to the Mining Company of Ireland, lie chiefly with- in Glendassan basin. The washings from these mines banished fish from the stream ;
but, as the mines are now unworked, the fishes have again returned.
June 3 . ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 7 5
pass over the Wicklow Mountains, towards the level plains of Kildare. The entrance to the cemetery and cathedral, at Glendalough, has a gateway, inter-
nally and externally arched,80 semicircular at top, and perfectly Roman in its style of architecture. Sl To all appearance, it is old as any of the buildings
head is in good preservation. In some respects, the old city of Glendalough appears to have possessed features, in common with the older and long-buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The gates of these were in some instances found to have been double, so as to offer a greater obstacle to assault. Whether such was the object intended or not at Glendalough, the gate which entered its cemetery is found to have been composed of double
archways, spreading wide apart. 85 Here, too, as in ancient Pompeii, the streets are shown to have been extremely narrow, for the most part, and to have been worn into irregular ruts. 86
We shall here present a brief account of the various objects of ecclesias- tical and antique interest, at Glendalough, in addition to the ancient build- ings and features, to which allusion has been already incidentally made. 8?
Very detailed descriptions of the chief antiquities have been given, by John O'Donovan,88 and with these are associated certain incidents in the Life of St. Kevin.
80 Numerous pen-and-ink sketches have been introduced, to illustratetheantiquities. TheremainsatGlendaloughwerereportedoflateto beinaverydecayingcondition,? andsuitablesuggestionsweremadefortheir restoration. The chief causes assigned for the rapid disappearance of several interesting architectural features were, the appropriation as headstones over humble graves of several carved or dressed stones, the luxuriant growth of trees, through interstices of the ecclesiastical structures, and near the walls, as also the tendency of tourists or visitors to steal away sculptured blocks.
within the walls of old
formed part of the former walls. 3 This gateway had originally a tower over it, of which fragments still remain. The internal part of the arch 84 over-
80
See a characteristic engraving of it, in
Irish Penny Magazine," vol. i. , No. v. , p. 35. 86 See W. H. Davenport Adams' "Buried
City of Campania; or Pompeii and Hercu-
the "Irish Literary Gazette," vol. iii. , No.
xlix. , p. 201.
81
p. 486. 82
There is a north view of the ancient
right
Glendalough city; 8
laneum, their History, their Destruction, and gateway at Glendalough, sketched by their Remains," sect, ii. , pp. 49 to 53.
William F. Wakeman, with the Round
8? There is an admirable and general de-
of —to which is scription Glendalough, pre-
Tower to the "
and in the distance. See Letters containing Information rela-
fixed a Map of its valley giving tive to the Antiquities of the County of ties clearly indicated
Wicklow, collected during the Progress of Ordnance Survey, in "The Gentleman's the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol. i. , Magazine and Historical Review," by Syl-
Gent. , New— vol. Urban, Series, xvi. ,
vanus
Dr. Petrie saw the city wall of Glenda- a. d. mdccclxiv. , March. Vol. i. , "Notes
lough before it had been destroyed. The on the Architecture of Ireland," No. iii. ,
pp. 277 to 294. The article in question is
illustrated by various woodcuts ; one of these
represents St. Kevin's Church, anotherthein-
teriorof its Nave, another its Doorway closed
with masonry, another the Interior and Ex-
teriorviewof the East window of the Sacristy
88
Professing to have been written, during the month of April, 1840.
"
8s See
relative to the Antiquities of the County of Wicklow, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol i. , pp. 432 to 515.
9° In the year 1870.
85 See a woodcut illustration of an ancient
gateway, entering the cemetery, in "The ful operations had been granted to the As-
Rev. Dr. Ledwich leads us to suppose, that
the ancient city, as traced by its walls above
and foundations below the ground, extended
probably from Refeart Church to the Ivy
Church, on both sides of Glendassan River.
"
Antiquities of Ireland" p. 173. Se-
See
cond edition.
83 The distance from the internal to the
external arch is 16 feet. See his Dissertation
on the Antiquities of Glendalough, in the Wicklow Letters, vol. i.
84 The arch is 1 1 feet, in height, and 9 feet, 8 inches, in breadth, at the ground. See ibid. , p. 485.
Letters containing Information
82 and O'Donovan thinks it John
its
—and taken from the
9I Full permission to carry out these need-
antiqui-
76 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 3.
According to that Report furnished, on the actual state of those interesting archaeological monuments, at the July meeting of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland, the submitted scheme, for the preser- vation, and, where possible, for the restoration, of the remains at Glendalough,
was
and, it was resolved, to invite
for the
1
approved;
subscriptions co-operation,
purpose. ? movement,
A circular was
accordingly
issued,? 2 to solicit
in this
which should command the sympathies of all Irishmen; and, when the
picturesque beauty of the ruins, their historical associations, and their value
as specimens of early Christian and national art are considered, all lovers of
antiquity should feel indebted for their restoration, to the gentlemen who took
an active part in this work. A few years ago, not only the Daimhliag or
—— St. Peter and St. Paul 93
CathedralChurch saidtohavebeenundertheInvocationoftheApostles
was fast to but even its nave 9* and going decay,
choir 95 presented the appearance of an unsightly ruin. 96 There was a mass of fallen wall, at the east end of the nave. The bases of the jambs in the chancel archremained. Inthechanceltherewasasquaremass,builtofthestones of the church. 97 Little could be done to check the ruin of this noble old church, beyond replacing some of those large stones at the angles of the nave whichhadfallen,andbuildingupthosebreachesinthewalls. Therewerelying aboutthechurchanumberofthecarvedstones98 oftheRomanesqueeast window,99 and of the Romanesque north doorway, in the nave. 100 The ori- ginal doorway of this church—quadrangular in form and semi-Cyclopean— was placed in the middle of the west gable, and nearly facing the doorway of the Round Tower. 101 A small arch above the is
doorway, constructed, evidently to keep the weight of the gable off the lintel, and it is like that over thedoorwayofSt. Kevin'sHouse. 102 Afteritsoriginalerection,thecathedral appears to have been remodelled and enlarged. 103 On the south side of the
sociation, by the Mining Company of Ire- land, to whom the valley of Glendalough
belongs ; and, the professional assistance of Thomas Drew, Esq. , F. R. I. A. I. , had been promised, when the work should be com- menced.
92 Bearing date, Dublin, July 29th, 1870, havingappendedtheretothenamesofJ. A.
Purefoy Colles, M. D. , Honorary Secretary, and of the Reverend James Graves, Inisnag, Stoneyford, Honorary Treasurer ofthe Glen- dalough Restoration Fund.
a portion of the southern pilaster,
93
48 feet, 6 inches, in length, by 30 feet, in
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
it at
4 inches, in length, n inches, in height, while
Glendalough," p. 372.
—— 94 Its nave measured on the inside was
extends 2 feet, 4 inches, into the thickness way widens, it measures in height 7 feet ; in
breadth, — 93 The choir
—
inside
measured on the was 30 feet, in breadth.
4 feet, 8% inches, at the bottom,
96 See Report on the state of the ancient Remains at Glendalough. read at the Gene- ral Meeting of the Rcyal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland, on Wednesday, July 6th, i860, by J. A. Purefoy Colles, Esq. , M. D.
97 Dr. Colles spent three days, in the month of June, 1870, examining the state of these ruins, for the purpose of preparing his
Report.
sTM These are like Caen stone, and com-
posed of soft oolite.
99 Of this nothing was left standing, only
breadth
and 4 feet, 6 inches, at the top. The thick- ness of the wall is 3 feet, 7% inches, as as- certainedatthisdoorway; thethicknessof the south wall is 3 feet, 6 inches, while the thickness of the choir is 3 feet, 3 inches. Rough diagrams and measurements of the
doorway are given, by John O'Donovan, in "
" of The lintel
Bishops
top.
traversing
top
is feet, 5
10°
An excavation was made there in 1857.
The carved jambs of the fine Romanesque
doorway, to the extent of about a foot and
a-half, had been exposed. The soft oolite,
in which the mouldings were executed,
offered a tempting field for wanton mischief ;
and, since that time, many of these have been
destroyed.
'0I
On the outside, it measured 6 feet, 9%
inches, in height, and 3 feet, II inches, in breadth, at bottom, and 3 feet, 4 inches, at
it
of the wall. On the inside, where this door-
his Essay, Valley of Glendalough, present Remains and Features, mentioned in the
Life of the Patron St. Kevin. " See
"
Ord-
nance Survey Letters for the County of
Wicklow," vol. i. , sec. i. , pp. 450 to 454.
I02
materials are of mica slate.
This seems owing to the fact, that the
June 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 77 choir, there is a window,10* near the west gable, and east 10S of that window,
with mason-work. At a distance of rough 4
there was 106 another,
stopped up
feet from the choir-arch, the same wall contains a broken window. 10? The
choir-arch is now destroyed, but it was semicircular. 108
at the
ches, broad,
but, it was semicircularly headed, and it was ornamented with a chevron
111 moulding.
these are now
There were ornaments of on the east but moulding window,
103 Dr. Petrie exhibits in a woodcut a por-
tion of the masonry on the inner face of the
Cathedral Church here, at the west end. See
view, represented as perfect and highly ornate, in his "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 177. Second edition. The correctness of
"
Ecclesiastical . Architecture and Round this view is questionable.
ground.
nearly destroyed ;
destroyed ;
112
100 The eastern window was
It was 18 feet, 2 in- IIQ
some illustrations have been
however, preserved,
The old graveyard extends on every side around the cathedral, within an enclosure; and,itisnowovercrowdedwithinterments,onaccountoftherever- ence always attaching to it. This cemetery is full of foundations, which, if
carefully examined and measured, might give some information, as to the plan of the ancient monastery. Within this cemetery flourished an ancient yew tree, said to have been planted by St. Kevin ; but, it has now dis- appeared. About twenty years before the Rev. Dr. Ledwich wrote,115 a gentleman had lopped the branches of that yew to make furniture ; but, although the trunk then measured three yards in diameter, it had gradually declined. 116 The fine old Round Tower is now standing, in a state of good
from
and a font, in the north-east corner of the cathedral ; these yet remain, in the sameposition. "4 Nodoubt,informertimes,themonastichouseofGlenda lough was built in close proximity, although few traces of it can now be found.
drawings
taken
during
the last
century.
111 About the year 1780, an Italian artist
drew an inside view of it, for Colonel Bur-
104Itis6feet,8inchesfromtheground;
in height 5 feet, 6 inches, and in breadth 2
feet, 4 inches. It is semicirculai at top, and Wicklow Letters for the Irish Ordnance constructed of cut stones, so far as the arch,
which is rough mason-work, and evidently
more modern than the lower part, accord-
ing to Mr. O'Donovan's description already
noticed.
Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, i. , sub- sect. I, p. 187.
105 About 14 feet 4% inches of dis- tance.
"The Journal of the Royal Historical and
106
the level of the ground, while it measures 5 feet, 2 inches, in height, and I foot, 10 in- ches, in breadth. It is altogether constructed of cut stones, and it is semicircular at
top.
107 It is placed, at a height of 3^ feet from
the ground, but it is so injured, that its dimensions cannot be correctly given. Mr. O'Donovan gives diagrams and measure- ments of the other windows. See ibid. , pp. 454, 455-
108
See Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 176. Second edition.
109 This was ascertained from the stones
remaining, according to Mr. O'Donovan's Essay, to which allusion has been already
the level of the ground, and, it measures 6 feet, in breadth, at the bottom. Ledwich has given a drawing of this window, an inside
1 ^ There was an inscribed tomb
tonConyngham. Thishasbeencopiedby
William F. Wakeman, in the County of
Survey, vol. i. , p. 458.
"a See ibid. , p. 459.
113 In the year 1780, by an Italian artist
for Colonel Burton Conyngham.
114 See an account of this cathedral, in
Archaeological Association of Ireland," It is placed, at a height of 6 feet, from Fourth Series, vol. ii. , part ii. , Memoir of
Gabriel Beranger, and his Labours in the Cause of Irish Art, Literature, and Antiqui- ties, from 1760 to 1780, with Illustrations, by Sir W. R. Wilde, M. D. , pp. 464 to 466, and PP- 471, 472.
115 See "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 173. Second edition,
"6 When the writer first visited Glenda-
lough, in June, 1855, he obtained a portion of the root, which was wrought into the fashion of an Irish cross, and it is still in his possession. Some of the Catholic clergy in the neighbourhood procured larger portions ; and, in one case, a tabernacle was con- structed from them, which is still preserved in an adjoining church.
117 Already two minor belfries have been Its lower part is 3 feet, 6 inches, from noticed, one in connexion with Trinity
made. See ibid. , p. 455. 110
Church, and the other with St. Kevin's House.
118 See "The Journal of the Royal Histo-
78 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June3.
of Avondale. See Mrs. A.
"desolation" is afterwards explained, by this same writer in a different work, when giving the biography of the late William Magee, Protestant Archbishop of Dublin, who died a. d. 1831.
"
O'Byrne's late,
says :
also to
Saints of Ireland," p. 103.
thirteenth. See
Ecclesiastical History of
lough, which forms No. v. , in a series of
"Illustrations of Irish Topography," written
the writer
have prohibited the natives of the valley of
says
Speaking of this Pre-
" He is known
June 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 73
In the " Feilire "s8 of St. yEngus, this holy Abbot is commemorated, with
a high eulogy, at the 3rd of June. 5 ? The Martyrology of Tallagh ^ records a festival, in honour of Coemgin, Abbot of Glinni da Locha, at this same date. In the Martyrology of Christ Church, at iii. of the June Nones, there is an entry ofSt. Coemgin's Natalis. 61 This day, the Martyrology of Done-
62 records veneration for
Abbot of Gleann-da-loch. 63 The
Caoimhghin,
anonymous Catalogue, published by O'Sullevan Beare, contains an entry of
Coenginus, or Kivinus, at this date ; as also, in Father Henry Fitzsimon's
gal
list is Coenginus Abbas 6* included.
the Cathedral Church of Dublin. 69 His festival is also noticed, in various ancientCalendars. ? AsspecialPatronoftheunitedDiocesesofDublinand
60
Duald Mac Firbis enters
In Scotland, his feast was celebrated, on the same day, as we find his Natalis, in the Kalendar of 6? and in Thomas "
Dublin," p. 359.
58 In the " Leabhar Breac "
Christ Church, Dublin," edited by John Clarke Crosthwaite, A. M. , and Rev. Dr.
we find the following stanza, with English transla-
Henthorn 122. Todd, p.
copy, tion, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
James
63 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
mil Cr\iyc icfuch nerxenn A\m Ainm -OAfi cunro C|\ec1iAH
Coemgen cato cahi cAichper» •Angbnt) •oaiin'o bechan.
" A soldier of Christ into Ireland's border :
a high name over the sea's wave : Coemgen,
chaste, fair wa—rrior, in the glen of the two
broad linns. " " Transactions of the Royal
Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series,
142 to 145.
63 A note by Dr. Todd states, at Gleann-
da-loch : "Over this word is the gloss . 1. OAboch ptev Ann, 7 ac LecnA, "/. <? . , there are two lakes there, and they are very ex- tensive. "
64 He quotes Floratius, " Idem Kenuis. " See O'Sullevan Beare's " Historia; Catholi- cse Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. , pp. 50, 53.
On the Calendar of
59 We find the following commentary on
vol. i. i. , part
Irish Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part i. ,
p. xcii.
his name " nomen : Coemlog
patris eius, Coemell nomen matris eius. Coeman et Nat- coemi nomina duorum fratrum eius. Aibind
Scottish Saints," p. 14.
68 Thus entered: "Keuini
— in abbatis,
Caoimhghin
of Glenn da
locha,
66 for the of
3rd June.
Drummond, Dempster's Menologium Scotorum. "68 An office for this saint, in Nine Lessons, was formerly read, in
Glendalough from celebrating Mass, as they
had theretofore done, in their ancient and
venerated cathedral of St. Kevin, availing
himself of his right as archbishop to the
ground on which the chapel stood. "— ChurchoftheHolyTrinity,commonlycalled D'Alton's "Memoirs of the Archbishops of
Oengus,
Royal
sororcula—eorum. " Then follows an Irfsh Insulis Scoticis oriundi. Girald. " Ibid. ,
quatrain
Coe-man, Coemgin, mo-choemi Crvi true choemA choenubbe DAiiiAich muniArt b^AchA}\
Cjm 1111c michA^ Aibmne.
It is thus rendered into English — :
"
A
201.
69 See " Book of Obits and Martyrology
of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,
commonly called Christ Church, Dublin,"
edited by John Clarke Crosthwaite, A. M. ,
with an Introduction by Rev. Dr. James
Henthorn Todd, p. 66.
Ain Li- Manuscript Trinity College
brary, Dublin, classed B, 1, 3, contains a notice, at June the 3rd, Nones iii. , Sancti Keivini Abbatis, Duplex fin. per constit. Dublin. Another, classed B, 1, 4, contains a notice at June the 3rd, Nones iii. , Sancti Kevini Abbatis, Duplex f. , ix. Lect. Ano-
:
,
p.
Coeman, Coemgin, Mo-choeme, Three lovable sons of Coemell, Good was the triad. of brothers, Three sons of a delightful mother. "
"
Afterwards, . 1. -AibeiTO AiToenbpup, Ai- ther classed B, 3, 10, contains a notice, at
benn was the sister. " On his place is the June 3, Nones iii. , Sancti Kevini Abbatis
comment . 1. t)iboc1i pbec Ant) Agup ix. Lect. Another, classed B, 3, 12, con-
"
ifAdecViAn iac, —two lakes are therein,
tains a notice at June 3, Nones iii. , Coem-
and broad are they. " Ibid. , p.
xcviii.
geni
Abbatis et
Conf. ,
ix. Lect.
Another,
Under the head of Glenn-da-lacha,6s
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvi.
61 Thus : "In Hybernia natalis sancti
Coemgini abbatis et confessoris. "Book of Obits and Martyrology of the Cathedral
5
6 Glenn-da-locha
66 See " of the Proceedings
of Wicklow.
pp. 112, 113.
6' See Forbes' "Kalendars of Bishop
; William M. Hennessy's note.
? °
County
;— "
74 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 3.
of Glendalough, the 3rd of June is celebrated, as a Double of the First-class, with an octave ; while, throughout Ireland generally, it is regarded as a greater Double.
Nothing can exceed in interest and beauty the romantic scenery of Glen- dalough. The Round Tower first attracts notice, on entering the valley ; and then, as the tourist advances, one after another, several ruined objects of
7I
tothe 2 Thesortofancientenclosure gaze. ?
appear
about Glendalough was probably a rampart, built of or faced with stone, and
archaeological curiosity
called a Caiseal. Traces of it remained, down to the present century. The
gateway of the Caiseal was well restored a few years ago, and it is now in a
fairly good condition. The old city is thought to have extended from Rea-
fert Church, on the west, to the Ivy Church, on the east, and to have been
built on either bank of the River Glendassan, before its junction with the
Avonmore, at the extreme eastern entrance to this magnificent valley. 73 The
siteofaformermarket-place74 maystillbetraced,withinasmallsquareplot
of ground, where the market-cross once stood ; its base only remains at pre-
sent. It lies north of Glendassan River. 75 The debris of a paved street,
leading westward from this spot towards the county of Kildare, can yet be
traced for a considerable distance. It now takes the name of St. Kevin's
Road. At the present day, the singular and venerable group of ruins, known
as the " Seven Churches,"? 6 and the sublime scenes of the Glendalough wildly
region around, attract the regards of antiquaries, artists, and tourists. The mountain, called Camederry, rises over the northern margin of the two lakes. Theseliedeepbeneathitssummits. Onitssouthernside,younglarchand
coppice woods are now flourishing luxuriantly; while, their trees form an agreeable contrast, with the steep heath-covered rocks, rising beyond the Lakes. At the head of the Upper Lake, and entering it, may be seen the
broken torrent of a stream, called Glanealo, descending the valley, and coming
from the west, in a succession of miniature cascades.
Beyond Camederry,
and descending from the central range of the Wicklow Mountains, opens the
rugged valley of Glendassan, through which a river, bearing the same name
flows. It joins the Glanealo, a little below the old Cathedral and Round Tower. 77 St. Kevin's Well is shown, somewhat below this confluence. 78 Camederry and Brocha mountains enclose Glendassan,7? on either side ; and, St. Kevin's Road, extending from Glendalough up the defile, is an ancient
classed B, contains, at 3rd, Nones 3, 13, June
iii. ,thisentry,SanctiKeviniAbbatis.
5" One of the giants of modern romantic literature, Sir Walter Scott, describes Glen-
See Rev. Dr. Ledwich's " of Antiquities
Ireland,"p. 176. Secondedition.
76 Among our Irish ancestors, there must have been some mystic veneration for the
number
scene of Irish Antiquities. " "Quarterly places, in which that number of churches is
as "the —
dalough inexpressibly singular
on account of the
Seven, many
Review," vol. xli. , p. 148.
72 See Mr. and Mrs. Hall's " Ireland ; its
Scenery, Character," &c, vol. ii. , pp. 212 to 230, for illustrations and descriptions of this secluded spot.
" There is a pen-and-ink sketch of the ruins of Glendalough, copied from a drawing of Colonel Burton Conyngham's artists, by William F. Wakeman, in the Wicklow Ordnance Survey Letters, vol. i,, p. 462.
7* About a furlong west from the Ivy Church, and on the same side of the River Glendassan.
75 It is nearly opposite the Hotel. For-
merly, an ancient bridge spanned the River, and it was leading towards the Cathedral.
traditionally said to have existed.
" At this point, a bridge anciently crossed
it. Acloghan, composed of stepping-stones,
replaced it, in the earlier part of this cen-
tury.
? 8 Stations were performed near it, by the
country people. The Deer stone convenient to an ancient roadway, and higher up the valley, has a legend associated with the name of St. Kevin.
? ' The Lead Mines, belonging to the Mining Company of Ireland, lie chiefly with- in Glendassan basin. The washings from these mines banished fish from the stream ;
but, as the mines are now unworked, the fishes have again returned.
June 3 . ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 7 5
pass over the Wicklow Mountains, towards the level plains of Kildare. The entrance to the cemetery and cathedral, at Glendalough, has a gateway, inter-
nally and externally arched,80 semicircular at top, and perfectly Roman in its style of architecture. Sl To all appearance, it is old as any of the buildings
head is in good preservation. In some respects, the old city of Glendalough appears to have possessed features, in common with the older and long-buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The gates of these were in some instances found to have been double, so as to offer a greater obstacle to assault. Whether such was the object intended or not at Glendalough, the gate which entered its cemetery is found to have been composed of double
archways, spreading wide apart. 85 Here, too, as in ancient Pompeii, the streets are shown to have been extremely narrow, for the most part, and to have been worn into irregular ruts. 86
We shall here present a brief account of the various objects of ecclesias- tical and antique interest, at Glendalough, in addition to the ancient build- ings and features, to which allusion has been already incidentally made. 8?
Very detailed descriptions of the chief antiquities have been given, by John O'Donovan,88 and with these are associated certain incidents in the Life of St. Kevin.
80 Numerous pen-and-ink sketches have been introduced, to illustratetheantiquities. TheremainsatGlendaloughwerereportedoflateto beinaverydecayingcondition,? andsuitablesuggestionsweremadefortheir restoration. The chief causes assigned for the rapid disappearance of several interesting architectural features were, the appropriation as headstones over humble graves of several carved or dressed stones, the luxuriant growth of trees, through interstices of the ecclesiastical structures, and near the walls, as also the tendency of tourists or visitors to steal away sculptured blocks.
within the walls of old
formed part of the former walls. 3 This gateway had originally a tower over it, of which fragments still remain. The internal part of the arch 84 over-
80
See a characteristic engraving of it, in
Irish Penny Magazine," vol. i. , No. v. , p. 35. 86 See W. H. Davenport Adams' "Buried
City of Campania; or Pompeii and Hercu-
the "Irish Literary Gazette," vol. iii. , No.
xlix. , p. 201.
81
p. 486. 82
There is a north view of the ancient
right
Glendalough city; 8
laneum, their History, their Destruction, and gateway at Glendalough, sketched by their Remains," sect, ii. , pp. 49 to 53.
William F. Wakeman, with the Round
8? There is an admirable and general de-
of —to which is scription Glendalough, pre-
Tower to the "
and in the distance. See Letters containing Information rela-
fixed a Map of its valley giving tive to the Antiquities of the County of ties clearly indicated
Wicklow, collected during the Progress of Ordnance Survey, in "The Gentleman's the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol. i. , Magazine and Historical Review," by Syl-
Gent. , New— vol. Urban, Series, xvi. ,
vanus
Dr. Petrie saw the city wall of Glenda- a. d. mdccclxiv. , March. Vol. i. , "Notes
lough before it had been destroyed. The on the Architecture of Ireland," No. iii. ,
pp. 277 to 294. The article in question is
illustrated by various woodcuts ; one of these
represents St. Kevin's Church, anotherthein-
teriorof its Nave, another its Doorway closed
with masonry, another the Interior and Ex-
teriorviewof the East window of the Sacristy
88
Professing to have been written, during the month of April, 1840.
"
8s See
relative to the Antiquities of the County of Wicklow, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1838," vol i. , pp. 432 to 515.
9° In the year 1870.
85 See a woodcut illustration of an ancient
gateway, entering the cemetery, in "The ful operations had been granted to the As-
Rev. Dr. Ledwich leads us to suppose, that
the ancient city, as traced by its walls above
and foundations below the ground, extended
probably from Refeart Church to the Ivy
Church, on both sides of Glendassan River.
"
Antiquities of Ireland" p. 173. Se-
See
cond edition.
83 The distance from the internal to the
external arch is 16 feet. See his Dissertation
on the Antiquities of Glendalough, in the Wicklow Letters, vol. i.
84 The arch is 1 1 feet, in height, and 9 feet, 8 inches, in breadth, at the ground. See ibid. , p. 485.
Letters containing Information
82 and O'Donovan thinks it John
its
—and taken from the
9I Full permission to carry out these need-
antiqui-
76 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 3.
According to that Report furnished, on the actual state of those interesting archaeological monuments, at the July meeting of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland, the submitted scheme, for the preser- vation, and, where possible, for the restoration, of the remains at Glendalough,
was
and, it was resolved, to invite
for the
1
approved;
subscriptions co-operation,
purpose. ? movement,
A circular was
accordingly
issued,? 2 to solicit
in this
which should command the sympathies of all Irishmen; and, when the
picturesque beauty of the ruins, their historical associations, and their value
as specimens of early Christian and national art are considered, all lovers of
antiquity should feel indebted for their restoration, to the gentlemen who took
an active part in this work. A few years ago, not only the Daimhliag or
—— St. Peter and St. Paul 93
CathedralChurch saidtohavebeenundertheInvocationoftheApostles
was fast to but even its nave 9* and going decay,
choir 95 presented the appearance of an unsightly ruin. 96 There was a mass of fallen wall, at the east end of the nave. The bases of the jambs in the chancel archremained. Inthechanceltherewasasquaremass,builtofthestones of the church. 97 Little could be done to check the ruin of this noble old church, beyond replacing some of those large stones at the angles of the nave whichhadfallen,andbuildingupthosebreachesinthewalls. Therewerelying aboutthechurchanumberofthecarvedstones98 oftheRomanesqueeast window,99 and of the Romanesque north doorway, in the nave. 100 The ori- ginal doorway of this church—quadrangular in form and semi-Cyclopean— was placed in the middle of the west gable, and nearly facing the doorway of the Round Tower. 101 A small arch above the is
doorway, constructed, evidently to keep the weight of the gable off the lintel, and it is like that over thedoorwayofSt. Kevin'sHouse. 102 Afteritsoriginalerection,thecathedral appears to have been remodelled and enlarged. 103 On the south side of the
sociation, by the Mining Company of Ire- land, to whom the valley of Glendalough
belongs ; and, the professional assistance of Thomas Drew, Esq. , F. R. I. A. I. , had been promised, when the work should be com- menced.
92 Bearing date, Dublin, July 29th, 1870, havingappendedtheretothenamesofJ. A.
Purefoy Colles, M. D. , Honorary Secretary, and of the Reverend James Graves, Inisnag, Stoneyford, Honorary Treasurer ofthe Glen- dalough Restoration Fund.
a portion of the southern pilaster,
93
48 feet, 6 inches, in length, by 30 feet, in
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
it at
4 inches, in length, n inches, in height, while
Glendalough," p. 372.
—— 94 Its nave measured on the inside was
extends 2 feet, 4 inches, into the thickness way widens, it measures in height 7 feet ; in
breadth, — 93 The choir
—
inside
measured on the was 30 feet, in breadth.
4 feet, 8% inches, at the bottom,
96 See Report on the state of the ancient Remains at Glendalough. read at the Gene- ral Meeting of the Rcyal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland, on Wednesday, July 6th, i860, by J. A. Purefoy Colles, Esq. , M. D.
97 Dr. Colles spent three days, in the month of June, 1870, examining the state of these ruins, for the purpose of preparing his
Report.
sTM These are like Caen stone, and com-
posed of soft oolite.
99 Of this nothing was left standing, only
breadth
and 4 feet, 6 inches, at the top. The thick- ness of the wall is 3 feet, 7% inches, as as- certainedatthisdoorway; thethicknessof the south wall is 3 feet, 6 inches, while the thickness of the choir is 3 feet, 3 inches. Rough diagrams and measurements of the
doorway are given, by John O'Donovan, in "
" of The lintel
Bishops
top.
traversing
top
is feet, 5
10°
An excavation was made there in 1857.
The carved jambs of the fine Romanesque
doorway, to the extent of about a foot and
a-half, had been exposed. The soft oolite,
in which the mouldings were executed,
offered a tempting field for wanton mischief ;
and, since that time, many of these have been
destroyed.
'0I
On the outside, it measured 6 feet, 9%
inches, in height, and 3 feet, II inches, in breadth, at bottom, and 3 feet, 4 inches, at
it
of the wall. On the inside, where this door-
his Essay, Valley of Glendalough, present Remains and Features, mentioned in the
Life of the Patron St. Kevin. " See
"
Ord-
nance Survey Letters for the County of
Wicklow," vol. i. , sec. i. , pp. 450 to 454.
I02
materials are of mica slate.
This seems owing to the fact, that the
June 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 77 choir, there is a window,10* near the west gable, and east 10S of that window,
with mason-work. At a distance of rough 4
there was 106 another,
stopped up
feet from the choir-arch, the same wall contains a broken window. 10? The
choir-arch is now destroyed, but it was semicircular. 108
at the
ches, broad,
but, it was semicircularly headed, and it was ornamented with a chevron
111 moulding.
these are now
There were ornaments of on the east but moulding window,
103 Dr. Petrie exhibits in a woodcut a por-
tion of the masonry on the inner face of the
Cathedral Church here, at the west end. See
view, represented as perfect and highly ornate, in his "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 177. Second edition. The correctness of
"
Ecclesiastical . Architecture and Round this view is questionable.
ground.
nearly destroyed ;
destroyed ;
112
100 The eastern window was
It was 18 feet, 2 in- IIQ
some illustrations have been
however, preserved,
The old graveyard extends on every side around the cathedral, within an enclosure; and,itisnowovercrowdedwithinterments,onaccountoftherever- ence always attaching to it. This cemetery is full of foundations, which, if
carefully examined and measured, might give some information, as to the plan of the ancient monastery. Within this cemetery flourished an ancient yew tree, said to have been planted by St. Kevin ; but, it has now dis- appeared. About twenty years before the Rev. Dr. Ledwich wrote,115 a gentleman had lopped the branches of that yew to make furniture ; but, although the trunk then measured three yards in diameter, it had gradually declined. 116 The fine old Round Tower is now standing, in a state of good
from
and a font, in the north-east corner of the cathedral ; these yet remain, in the sameposition. "4 Nodoubt,informertimes,themonastichouseofGlenda lough was built in close proximity, although few traces of it can now be found.
drawings
taken
during
the last
century.
111 About the year 1780, an Italian artist
drew an inside view of it, for Colonel Bur-
104Itis6feet,8inchesfromtheground;
in height 5 feet, 6 inches, and in breadth 2
feet, 4 inches. It is semicirculai at top, and Wicklow Letters for the Irish Ordnance constructed of cut stones, so far as the arch,
which is rough mason-work, and evidently
more modern than the lower part, accord-
ing to Mr. O'Donovan's description already
noticed.
Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, i. , sub- sect. I, p. 187.
105 About 14 feet 4% inches of dis- tance.
"The Journal of the Royal Historical and
106
the level of the ground, while it measures 5 feet, 2 inches, in height, and I foot, 10 in- ches, in breadth. It is altogether constructed of cut stones, and it is semicircular at
top.
107 It is placed, at a height of 3^ feet from
the ground, but it is so injured, that its dimensions cannot be correctly given. Mr. O'Donovan gives diagrams and measure- ments of the other windows. See ibid. , pp. 454, 455-
108
See Ledwich's "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 176. Second edition.
109 This was ascertained from the stones
remaining, according to Mr. O'Donovan's Essay, to which allusion has been already
the level of the ground, and, it measures 6 feet, in breadth, at the bottom. Ledwich has given a drawing of this window, an inside
1 ^ There was an inscribed tomb
tonConyngham. Thishasbeencopiedby
William F. Wakeman, in the County of
Survey, vol. i. , p. 458.
"a See ibid. , p. 459.
113 In the year 1780, by an Italian artist
for Colonel Burton Conyngham.
114 See an account of this cathedral, in
Archaeological Association of Ireland," It is placed, at a height of 6 feet, from Fourth Series, vol. ii. , part ii. , Memoir of
Gabriel Beranger, and his Labours in the Cause of Irish Art, Literature, and Antiqui- ties, from 1760 to 1780, with Illustrations, by Sir W. R. Wilde, M. D. , pp. 464 to 466, and PP- 471, 472.
115 See "Antiquities of Ireland," p. 173. Second edition,
"6 When the writer first visited Glenda-
lough, in June, 1855, he obtained a portion of the root, which was wrought into the fashion of an Irish cross, and it is still in his possession. Some of the Catholic clergy in the neighbourhood procured larger portions ; and, in one case, a tabernacle was con- structed from them, which is still preserved in an adjoining church.
117 Already two minor belfries have been Its lower part is 3 feet, 6 inches, from noticed, one in connexion with Trinity
made. See ibid. , p. 455. 110
Church, and the other with St. Kevin's House.
118 See "The Journal of the Royal Histo-
78 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June3.
