See "Acta
Sanctorum
Hibernias," Martii xxiv.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
^^ Besides the church of Govan,^9 the churches of Kirkconstantine,7° of Kenneil, or KinnouV' and Dunnechtyn or Dunnichen?
^ held the earlier King Constantine in esteem as chief patron.
73 The following churches are dedicated to a later King Constantine : Kilchousland in Cantyre,74 St.
Cows- tin in Stornoway,7s St.
Constantine in Inverness,?
^ Garabost in Ey, St.
Cows- Ian or St.
Cutchew,77 Crawfordjohn,7^ Edigham Chapel,79 Urr,^° and Colmanell.
^' It seems undecided to what Constantine, Chonsland Chapel,^* near Cranston, had been dedicated.
^3 Several local memorials of Constan- tine's veneration remain in Cornwall, although we have no historical record of his mission there.
From a very remote period, a parish has been called after him, in the Deanery of Kirrier.
Some crumbling ruins, denominated St.
Constantine's Chapel, with a welP"* near, were on the shore of St.
Merrin, not far from Padstow.
As a rule, whenever an ancient church bears the name of a British Saint, that saint was generally its founder ; churches only which owe their origin to monastic institutions being an exception, and some- times deriving their names from that of the parent monastery.
We may be- lieve then, that on the site of the Parish Church of St.
Constantine, as well as on that of the old chapel, on the sands of St.
Merrin, oratories of the saint himself once stood.
^5 At what time of his life, Constantine occupied those places, we have not sufficient data to determine ; but, we are told, in an old Life of St.
Petrock, that on his return to Cornwall, a certain rich man, called Constantine, who lived in the vicinity of the saint's hermitage, was restored to
''^
May we not venture to identify this Constantine with the saint of that name, and
suppose, that he built those oratories, immediately after his conversion, and before his departure to Ireland ? It may be, that he was attracted to the coast of St. Merrin, by its contiguity to Petrock's abode at Padstow ; and, as regards the other centre of his ministerial labours in the parish, which still preserves his name, there could have been no spot in his native land more likely at that time to kindle the interest and zeal of a courageous follower of Christ, for it was one of the strongholds of Druidism. On the bleak granite
health by his prayers, and that afterwards he became a Christian teacher.
^ See Bisliop Challoner's " Britannia Sancta," part i. , pp. 169, 170.
pars, ii. , p. 381. Martin's " Western Isies," p. 27.
'* Sae "Origines Parocliiales Scotiae,"
*®
^See the "
See Bellendeii's Edition, vol. ii. , p. 88.
the
p. 17,
land," Lanark, p. 675,
Statistical Account of
Forfar-
*5 " St. Merran or Adjoining
of Martyrology Aberdeen,"
i. ,
pars, p. 163.
'^ See "Lib, Cart. Sanctse 42, 55.
Parochiales
" New Statistical Account of Scot-
"Origines
Scotise," pars, i. ,
Crucis," pp.
'° See "
122. This may have been identical with Govan.
7' Near Perth. See "
Aberdeen," "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. xxiii. , p. 551.
7= See ibid. , vol. i,, p. 422. Also " New
^' See 61. ibid. , pp. 19,
Registrum Glasg. ,"
vol.
i. , p.
*^ See " New Statistical Account of Scot-
shire, p. 152. There is St. Cousland's Fair
"
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. Martyr-
ology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen,
and St. Cousland's Flaw.
Martyrology
of
^^ See Forbes' " Kalendars of Bishop
Scotland,"
Harlyn Warren was in ancient times a village with
a chapel, or, as it is said, a parish church, 73 See Proceedings of the Society of dedicated to St. Constantine ; some ruins of
from a MS. of the sixteenth century, p. 262. "
this building still remain, consisting of part of the east end, some broken arches and pillars, and a considerable part of the tower ; a richly-ornamented aisle is said to have been standing till about the year 1780. "— Lyson's "Cornwall," p. 226.
^^ " Quadam die [Petrocus] vidit cervum
ad se fugientem, quem Constantini cujusdam divitis servi venatores cum canibus seque- bantur. Hunc sanctus pietatis affectu con-
7^ See Origines Parochiales Scotiae," pars, ii. , p, 19, "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 536.
? 5 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- land," Inverness, p. 115.
'* See «'(5/^. , p. 126.
77 See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae,"
*°
See ibid. , p. 68,
land," Edinburgh, p. 192.
Scottish Saints," p. 314.
^'» It is built round with stone and arched
over—Hals.
324 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
downs, in its vicinity, there were many Druidical monuments, which in those remote days were high places of superstition. ^7 Various doubts have been thrown upon the identity of the Cornish Constantino, with the saint of that name, who toiled and died in Scotland, at the close of the sixth century. Haigh conjectures, that the Constantine, who abdicated his throne, whose conversion is recorded in the Annals of Cambria, Ulster, and Tighearnach, who sojourned in St. David's monastery, and subsequently evangelized the Picts of Cantyre, was a son of Muircheatach, an Irish king, who was banished from his own country, and who reigned for seven years in Britain ; but, his conjecture is supported by no historical evidence whatever. ^^ All the best autliorities concur, in designating the Scottish Constantine, as the son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall ; and, the identity receives further confirmation, from the fact, that the festival of the saint, in the Calendars both of Scotland andofIreland,isMarchnth. IntheCornishparishesabovementioned,his
feast is still kept on the Sunday nearest to that day. ^9 Besides, the allusion ""
to Constantine, King of Rathain, in the Feilire of St. ^ngus, the name of
Constantine, a Briton,5° with the words, "no Mac Fergusa do Cruthnech- "
aibh 9'' added, is the record we find in the Martyrology of Tallagh,92 con- cerninghim,atthenthofMarch. TheCalendarofCashel,accordingto Colgan, notices, also, St. Constantine of British origin, Abbot of Cul Rathain Mochudda, in the country of Delbhna, Meath : Marianus O'Gorman has Constantine a Briton, while his commentator adds, that he was the son of Ferguss, of Cruthenian origin, or according to others, a Briton, Abbot of Rathen of St. Mochuda. At this date, likewise, Cathal Maguire alludes to him, as being Constantine, King of the Britons, who abdicated his sove- reignty, and as a pilgrim came to Rathen, during the time of St. Mochudda. The same writer adds, that he was comorban or successor of St. Mochudda, at Rathen, and that he had previously been King of Albyn, or that he was Constantine, son to Ferguss, and of Pictish origin. 93 Again, the Martyrology of Donegals-* inserts within brackets, and in a later hand than that of the O'Clerys, Constaintin, royal-monk at Rathain, with Mochuda, son of Fergus. His parentage here is a mistake, for Constantine, son of Fergus, died so late as A. D. 820. 95 In the Scottish Martyrologies and Calendars, likewise, he is recorded. The Breviary of Aberdeen contains a Collect and Lessons for his feast day, at March the nth. Again, the Kalendar of Drummond states, at March nth, or v. Idus, that in Hibernia, the Holy Confessors Libren, Senan, Constantine, and CEngus, went to Christ. 96 'phg Kalendar of Arbuth- nott enters, at the same date, St. Constantine, King and Martyr. 97 Also, the Kalendar in the Breviary of Aberdeen, noting, that he had an Office of Nine
servavit illresum, et venatores, cervum sub
tutamine Sancti tangere verentes. rem Do-
mino per ordinem retulerunt. Qui indigna-
tus, et acri ira permotus, cum Dei servum
gladio ferire niteretur, subito stupore totis
membris diriguit, quousque humilitatum in-
terventu militum, piis Sancti precibus per-
solvit ; et sibi et viginti militibus suis fidem
Christi docens, ex tyrannis —mites et ex son of Fergus, who was of the Picts.
paganis reddidit Christianos. " Vita S. Pe-
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xviii.
troci. See " Acta Sanctorum. "
^^ Three remarkable stone monuments in
this parish have been described in Borlase's "Antiquities of Cornwall," p. 156, Edition of 1754.
*^ See "The Conquest of Britain by the Saxons," p. 359.
^9 See the Rev. John Adam's " Chronicles
June 4th.
of Cornish Saints," No. iii. S. Constantine.
Reprinted from "Journal of the Royal In- stitution of Cornwall, 1869," No. x. Read
at the Spring Meeting, May 22nd, 1868.
so This means, that he was Welsh, or
rather Cornish.
9' This signifies, that he may have been,
by an alternative supposition, Constantine,
9^
53 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nias," Martii xi. , nn. i, 2, pp. 578, 579.
'* Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 74, 75.
55 According to the Annals of Tighemach
and of Ulster.
9* See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
Scottish Saints,^' p. 7.
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 325
Lessons. 9^ Adam King, in his Kalendar, at the same date, remarks, that Costantin, King of Scotland, was Moke and mart, vnder King Eugenius 3. 99
Again, Dempster'°° notices, at St. Andrew's, Constantine III. King, who
abandoned his sceptre for monastic quiet ; while, David Camerarius has St.
Constantine Martyr and second King of the Scots bearing that name, at this
date. '°' In the modern Scottish Kalendar, to be found in Bishop Forbes'
work,^°" at the v. Ides of March, corresponding with the nth, there is a "
notice,
Const. 3. King," evidently referring to the present saint. At this
date, he is commemorated, in several of the foreign Martyrologies. In the
*' "
Memorial of Ancient British Piety," ^°3 as likewise in the Circle of the
Seasons," '°'< we find the record of his penitence, his piety, and his victory, over the Powers of Darkness.
Article III. —St. Libren or Libern of Cluainfoda, now probably Clonfad, County of Westmeath. \Sixih or Seventh Century. '] This holy man was the son of Aid, son to Colgan, son of Thuathel Cruinnbheoil, son to Fedhlemid, son of Fiach Cassan, son to CoUa Dachrioch. '' He was brother to St. Magnend,^ Abbot of Kilmainham, near Dublin, to St. Cobthacs andtoSt. Tuan. 4 ColgansandtheBollandists^havenotedthefeastofa St. Librenus, who was Abbot of Cluainfoda, at the nth of March. He was born, probably in the sixth, and he lived, it is supposed, in the beginning of the seventh century, since his father Aldus, Prince of th« Oirghialla and of all the Airtheara,7 died, a. d. 606,^ while on a pilgrimage to Clonmacnoise. 9 The place of this present saint was formerly called Cluain-foda-Fini, or
now the head of Clonfad '° in the of Fer- Cluain-foda-Librain, parish, barony
tullagh, and county of Westmeath. A monastery was founded here, in the sixth century, most probably by St. Finian of Clonard. " Afterwards, it seems to have been inhabited by St. Etchen, who died on the nth of Feb-
'7 See ibid. , p. 97.
9*
Steilnd. , p, 113.
habitation, on an island in Loch-da-damh, or the "Lake of the two Oxen. " It was
probably situated in Oirghialla, but the spot has not been identified. In certain Irish
verses, given by the Four Masters, some obscure allusion is made to Aedh and to Loch-da-damh. Colganthinks,theyallude to his abdication.
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernias," Martii xxiv. Vita S. Mochtei, cap. xvi. , and n. 15, p. 732.
''See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 232, 233.
99 See ibid. , p. 147. "~ "
In his Menologium Scoticum," p. 194. Ibid.
"' See Scottish Entries in the Kalendar
ofDavidCamerarius,p. 235. Ibid.
"* See" Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
249.
"3 At p. 49.
"^ See p. 71.
Article hi. —''Such is the pedigree
"
in his Genealogies of the Irish Saints,"
chap, xi,
'
His feast occurs, at the 19th of October, and at the i8th of December.
3 His feast does not seem to be known.
< His feast is held, on the 1st of April.
s See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernias,"
Martii xi. De S. Liberno Abbate Cluain- fodensi, p. 584.
in the "
9 W—e are
that of him was
given
chap, xiii. Selbach has the same account,
Sanctilogic Genealogy,"
informed,
*
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 53.
7 The Orientales, or the inhabitants of the eastern part of Oirghialla. The name is
still preserved in that part of the baronies of
Orior, in the east of Armagh County. Aedh, son of Colgan, seems to have lived in a
" There was a time when Loch-da-damh was a pool of splendour,
The lake was [nothing else] but splendour in the reign of Aedh, son of Colgan. Indifferent to me who destroyed it ; my
friend has abandoned it ;
Though it was he that placed a brilliant
house upon the island of Loch-da- damh. "
'" See the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Westmeath," Sheets 25, 32, 33, 38, 39. The townland proper is on Sheets 32, 33.
" Here the relics were preserved, but these
See "Acta Sanctorum," xi. Martii.
said
:
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
ruary, a. d. 577. " As there was another place, called Cluain-foda, and different
from that of Meath, Colgan does not decide to which of them this saint be-
longed. However, Harris was not so scrupulous as Colgan, for he places Librenus, at Cluainfoda, in East Meath, adding this mistake of his own, in thus assigningit, andnottoWestmeath,asheshouldhavedone/3 Healsoidentifies
theplace,withEcra-Tulach,'*asthemoderndesignation,^s Anentryoccurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'^ at the nth of March, relating to St. Libren, Cluana fota. Again, Marianus O'Gorman enters his feast, at this day, and in
the same words. On this day is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^?
Article IV. —St. Liobran or Libran, said to have been Abbot of lONA, BUT MORE PROBABLY HE WAS AbBOT OF DuRROW, KinG'S CoUNTY. At the nth of March, Colgan^ has entered a few short notes, regarding this saint ; from which it would appear, in one instance, a writer states, that he belonged to lona, or to Cluain *oda. Thus, he would seem to have been confounded with another saint, bearing the same name, and venerated on the same day. The BoUandists^ and Bishop Forbess have some notices of this holyman. InAdamnan'sLifeofSt. Columba,"*allusionismadetoaLibran. But, whether he was identical with the present saint, or not, may admit of doubt. Another mention of a Libran occurs in a poem, attributed to St. Columkille, before he left Durrow for the last time. At this epoch. Liber was not residing there, but he was expected to arrive at a future period. ^ Although, it has been stated, that this holy man was Abbot of lona, still we cannot find him noted, among the list of its superiors; however, it may be deemed more probable, that he presided over the monastery of Durrow, in the King's County. Again, Dr. Reeves calls hirn Abbot of Tamlacht-Librein, and quotes Colgan for his authority. ^ As we have seen already, he is com- memorated in the Festilogy of St. -^ngus, at this day. In the Scholia, annexed to Maguire's copy, the Scholiast doubts, as to whether he had been connected with Hy or Clonfad. The name merely of Libran is entered, in theMartyrologyofTallagh,? atthenthofMarch. Again,theMartyrology
of Cluain-foda-
Meadow. " In the year 887, Conchobhar, son of Flannagan, lord of Ui- Failghe, was destroyed by fire, in this church. '^ There can hardly be a doubt, the present saint was here venerated ; and, yet, Colgan is uncertain, for he considers, that it may be at this locality, or at Cluain-foda/9 in Fiadla- mor, in Lagenia, where he may have been commemorated.
Libren,
Libren, Anglicised,
were destroyed in 887. See Rev. A. Cogan's *' Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , p. 555.
lane, and barony of Upperwoods. Its situation is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the Queen's County,"
'* According to the Martyrology of Done-
Sheets 16, 22. — Article iv.
" and the " Annals of the Four Masters. " See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp.
'
"
Acta Sanctorum
gal
See
Hibemise," Martii xi. De S. Librano,
208, 209.
'3 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect. ix. , n. 102, p. 128.
^ I have not been able to find it out.
•sSeeHarris'Ware,vol. ii. , "TheAnti- quities of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 264.
'*
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xviii.
'7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
72,73.
'* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 540> 54i> and n. (n). Ibid.
Abbate Hiensi, p. 584.
'9 Possibly Clonfad, in the parish of Offer-
^ Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xviii.
"^
" St. Libren's Lawn or long
See "Acta Sanctorum," xi. Martii.
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 53.
3 See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
378.
See, Dr. Reeves' Edition. Vita S.
Columbs, lib. ii. , cap. 39, p. 162, and n. (u). Ibid.
s See ibid. Additional Notes G, p. 277, andn. (f. )
^ After a careful search, however, I can- not find at the page quoted, any warrant for this assertion.
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 327
of Donegal^ on this day, records, Liobran, Abbot of la-Coluim Cille. His history is very obscure.
Article V. —St, Finckanus, Finnichen, or Finchan, reputed to HAVE BEEN Abbot OF Ardchaoin. We have notliing very definite on record, to warrant us in placing the festival of this St. Finchanus, or Finchan, at the present date. Colgan^ assigns his festival, however, to March the nth, owing to certain inferences he draws, from the Irish Calendars. He choose that, from one of the five several days, at which this name of Finchan occurs, in the Irish Calendar ; yet, his attempts at identification can hardly be deemed satisfactory. Notices of this saint occur in the Bollandists'^ and in Bishop Forbes' 3 works. On a doubtful surmise of Colgan, this holy man is classed among the disciples of St. Columkille,4 it being thought, he was the Findchan,s who assisted at the ordination of Aedh Dubh, and who thus dis- pleased his illustrious superior. ^ He is known as Finnichen, in Scotland. Among the lowland Scotch, this saint is commonly called St. Fink ; and, his name is preserved in Kilfinichen,? a parish in the island of MuU. ^ It is situated,betweenLochsNaKealandScridan. AccordingtoRev. Dr. Reeves,
" ^° the Saficta Fincana,^ proposed in the Origines Parochiales Scotise," as
the patron of this parish, seems scarcely possessed of equal claims, with our St. Findchan, to that distinction. The Martyrologies of Tallagh," of Marianus O'Gorman," and of Donegal,^3 commemorate a Fionn-Chan, at the nthofMarch. Inthattable,appendedtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,we find a St. Fionntain of Cluain-caoin set down for this date,^'* and he is probably intended to represent the present saint. Either some error of entry has here occurred, or a second festival to St. Fionntain of Clonkene,^^ now the Kill of the Grange, county of Dublin, took place on this day. It seems more probable, however, that Ardchaoin and Cluain-caoin have been con- founded.
ArticleVI. —St. CuandatheBlind, ThereisanacephalousLifeof a St. Cuona, in Latin, among the Burgundian Library Manuscripts, at
^
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
chan, and Killinchen.
72, 73. —
Article v. 'See "Acta Sanctorum
Hiberniaa," xi. Martii. De S. Finchano, Scotland," Argyle. p. 296.
Abbate de Ardchaoin, pp.
''^
May we not venture to identify this Constantine with the saint of that name, and
suppose, that he built those oratories, immediately after his conversion, and before his departure to Ireland ? It may be, that he was attracted to the coast of St. Merrin, by its contiguity to Petrock's abode at Padstow ; and, as regards the other centre of his ministerial labours in the parish, which still preserves his name, there could have been no spot in his native land more likely at that time to kindle the interest and zeal of a courageous follower of Christ, for it was one of the strongholds of Druidism. On the bleak granite
health by his prayers, and that afterwards he became a Christian teacher.
^ See Bisliop Challoner's " Britannia Sancta," part i. , pp. 169, 170.
pars, ii. , p. 381. Martin's " Western Isies," p. 27.
'* Sae "Origines Parocliiales Scotiae,"
*®
^See the "
See Bellendeii's Edition, vol. ii. , p. 88.
the
p. 17,
land," Lanark, p. 675,
Statistical Account of
Forfar-
*5 " St. Merran or Adjoining
of Martyrology Aberdeen,"
i. ,
pars, p. 163.
'^ See "Lib, Cart. Sanctse 42, 55.
Parochiales
" New Statistical Account of Scot-
"Origines
Scotise," pars, i. ,
Crucis," pp.
'° See "
122. This may have been identical with Govan.
7' Near Perth. See "
Aberdeen," "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. xxiii. , p. 551.
7= See ibid. , vol. i,, p. 422. Also " New
^' See 61. ibid. , pp. 19,
Registrum Glasg. ,"
vol.
i. , p.
*^ See " New Statistical Account of Scot-
shire, p. 152. There is St. Cousland's Fair
"
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. Martyr-
ology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen,
and St. Cousland's Flaw.
Martyrology
of
^^ See Forbes' " Kalendars of Bishop
Scotland,"
Harlyn Warren was in ancient times a village with
a chapel, or, as it is said, a parish church, 73 See Proceedings of the Society of dedicated to St. Constantine ; some ruins of
from a MS. of the sixteenth century, p. 262. "
this building still remain, consisting of part of the east end, some broken arches and pillars, and a considerable part of the tower ; a richly-ornamented aisle is said to have been standing till about the year 1780. "— Lyson's "Cornwall," p. 226.
^^ " Quadam die [Petrocus] vidit cervum
ad se fugientem, quem Constantini cujusdam divitis servi venatores cum canibus seque- bantur. Hunc sanctus pietatis affectu con-
7^ See Origines Parochiales Scotiae," pars, ii. , p, 19, "Old Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 536.
? 5 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- land," Inverness, p. 115.
'* See «'(5/^. , p. 126.
77 See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae,"
*°
See ibid. , p. 68,
land," Edinburgh, p. 192.
Scottish Saints," p. 314.
^'» It is built round with stone and arched
over—Hals.
324 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
downs, in its vicinity, there were many Druidical monuments, which in those remote days were high places of superstition. ^7 Various doubts have been thrown upon the identity of the Cornish Constantino, with the saint of that name, who toiled and died in Scotland, at the close of the sixth century. Haigh conjectures, that the Constantine, who abdicated his throne, whose conversion is recorded in the Annals of Cambria, Ulster, and Tighearnach, who sojourned in St. David's monastery, and subsequently evangelized the Picts of Cantyre, was a son of Muircheatach, an Irish king, who was banished from his own country, and who reigned for seven years in Britain ; but, his conjecture is supported by no historical evidence whatever. ^^ All the best autliorities concur, in designating the Scottish Constantine, as the son of Cador, Duke of Cornwall ; and, the identity receives further confirmation, from the fact, that the festival of the saint, in the Calendars both of Scotland andofIreland,isMarchnth. IntheCornishparishesabovementioned,his
feast is still kept on the Sunday nearest to that day. ^9 Besides, the allusion ""
to Constantine, King of Rathain, in the Feilire of St. ^ngus, the name of
Constantine, a Briton,5° with the words, "no Mac Fergusa do Cruthnech- "
aibh 9'' added, is the record we find in the Martyrology of Tallagh,92 con- cerninghim,atthenthofMarch. TheCalendarofCashel,accordingto Colgan, notices, also, St. Constantine of British origin, Abbot of Cul Rathain Mochudda, in the country of Delbhna, Meath : Marianus O'Gorman has Constantine a Briton, while his commentator adds, that he was the son of Ferguss, of Cruthenian origin, or according to others, a Briton, Abbot of Rathen of St. Mochuda. At this date, likewise, Cathal Maguire alludes to him, as being Constantine, King of the Britons, who abdicated his sove- reignty, and as a pilgrim came to Rathen, during the time of St. Mochudda. The same writer adds, that he was comorban or successor of St. Mochudda, at Rathen, and that he had previously been King of Albyn, or that he was Constantine, son to Ferguss, and of Pictish origin. 93 Again, the Martyrology of Donegals-* inserts within brackets, and in a later hand than that of the O'Clerys, Constaintin, royal-monk at Rathain, with Mochuda, son of Fergus. His parentage here is a mistake, for Constantine, son of Fergus, died so late as A. D. 820. 95 In the Scottish Martyrologies and Calendars, likewise, he is recorded. The Breviary of Aberdeen contains a Collect and Lessons for his feast day, at March the nth. Again, the Kalendar of Drummond states, at March nth, or v. Idus, that in Hibernia, the Holy Confessors Libren, Senan, Constantine, and CEngus, went to Christ. 96 'phg Kalendar of Arbuth- nott enters, at the same date, St. Constantine, King and Martyr. 97 Also, the Kalendar in the Breviary of Aberdeen, noting, that he had an Office of Nine
servavit illresum, et venatores, cervum sub
tutamine Sancti tangere verentes. rem Do-
mino per ordinem retulerunt. Qui indigna-
tus, et acri ira permotus, cum Dei servum
gladio ferire niteretur, subito stupore totis
membris diriguit, quousque humilitatum in-
terventu militum, piis Sancti precibus per-
solvit ; et sibi et viginti militibus suis fidem
Christi docens, ex tyrannis —mites et ex son of Fergus, who was of the Picts.
paganis reddidit Christianos. " Vita S. Pe-
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xviii.
troci. See " Acta Sanctorum. "
^^ Three remarkable stone monuments in
this parish have been described in Borlase's "Antiquities of Cornwall," p. 156, Edition of 1754.
*^ See "The Conquest of Britain by the Saxons," p. 359.
^9 See the Rev. John Adam's " Chronicles
June 4th.
of Cornish Saints," No. iii. S. Constantine.
Reprinted from "Journal of the Royal In- stitution of Cornwall, 1869," No. x. Read
at the Spring Meeting, May 22nd, 1868.
so This means, that he was Welsh, or
rather Cornish.
9' This signifies, that he may have been,
by an alternative supposition, Constantine,
9^
53 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nias," Martii xi. , nn. i, 2, pp. 578, 579.
'* Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 74, 75.
55 According to the Annals of Tighemach
and of Ulster.
9* See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
Scottish Saints,^' p. 7.
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 325
Lessons. 9^ Adam King, in his Kalendar, at the same date, remarks, that Costantin, King of Scotland, was Moke and mart, vnder King Eugenius 3. 99
Again, Dempster'°° notices, at St. Andrew's, Constantine III. King, who
abandoned his sceptre for monastic quiet ; while, David Camerarius has St.
Constantine Martyr and second King of the Scots bearing that name, at this
date. '°' In the modern Scottish Kalendar, to be found in Bishop Forbes'
work,^°" at the v. Ides of March, corresponding with the nth, there is a "
notice,
Const. 3. King," evidently referring to the present saint. At this
date, he is commemorated, in several of the foreign Martyrologies. In the
*' "
Memorial of Ancient British Piety," ^°3 as likewise in the Circle of the
Seasons," '°'< we find the record of his penitence, his piety, and his victory, over the Powers of Darkness.
Article III. —St. Libren or Libern of Cluainfoda, now probably Clonfad, County of Westmeath. \Sixih or Seventh Century. '] This holy man was the son of Aid, son to Colgan, son of Thuathel Cruinnbheoil, son to Fedhlemid, son of Fiach Cassan, son to CoUa Dachrioch. '' He was brother to St. Magnend,^ Abbot of Kilmainham, near Dublin, to St. Cobthacs andtoSt. Tuan. 4 ColgansandtheBollandists^havenotedthefeastofa St. Librenus, who was Abbot of Cluainfoda, at the nth of March. He was born, probably in the sixth, and he lived, it is supposed, in the beginning of the seventh century, since his father Aldus, Prince of th« Oirghialla and of all the Airtheara,7 died, a. d. 606,^ while on a pilgrimage to Clonmacnoise. 9 The place of this present saint was formerly called Cluain-foda-Fini, or
now the head of Clonfad '° in the of Fer- Cluain-foda-Librain, parish, barony
tullagh, and county of Westmeath. A monastery was founded here, in the sixth century, most probably by St. Finian of Clonard. " Afterwards, it seems to have been inhabited by St. Etchen, who died on the nth of Feb-
'7 See ibid. , p. 97.
9*
Steilnd. , p, 113.
habitation, on an island in Loch-da-damh, or the "Lake of the two Oxen. " It was
probably situated in Oirghialla, but the spot has not been identified. In certain Irish
verses, given by the Four Masters, some obscure allusion is made to Aedh and to Loch-da-damh. Colganthinks,theyallude to his abdication.
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernias," Martii xxiv. Vita S. Mochtei, cap. xvi. , and n. 15, p. 732.
''See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 232, 233.
99 See ibid. , p. 147. "~ "
In his Menologium Scoticum," p. 194. Ibid.
"' See Scottish Entries in the Kalendar
ofDavidCamerarius,p. 235. Ibid.
"* See" Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
249.
"3 At p. 49.
"^ See p. 71.
Article hi. —''Such is the pedigree
"
in his Genealogies of the Irish Saints,"
chap, xi,
'
His feast occurs, at the 19th of October, and at the i8th of December.
3 His feast does not seem to be known.
< His feast is held, on the 1st of April.
s See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernias,"
Martii xi. De S. Liberno Abbate Cluain- fodensi, p. 584.
in the "
9 W—e are
that of him was
given
chap, xiii. Selbach has the same account,
Sanctilogic Genealogy,"
informed,
*
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 53.
7 The Orientales, or the inhabitants of the eastern part of Oirghialla. The name is
still preserved in that part of the baronies of
Orior, in the east of Armagh County. Aedh, son of Colgan, seems to have lived in a
" There was a time when Loch-da-damh was a pool of splendour,
The lake was [nothing else] but splendour in the reign of Aedh, son of Colgan. Indifferent to me who destroyed it ; my
friend has abandoned it ;
Though it was he that placed a brilliant
house upon the island of Loch-da- damh. "
'" See the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Westmeath," Sheets 25, 32, 33, 38, 39. The townland proper is on Sheets 32, 33.
" Here the relics were preserved, but these
See "Acta Sanctorum," xi. Martii.
said
:
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March ii.
ruary, a. d. 577. " As there was another place, called Cluain-foda, and different
from that of Meath, Colgan does not decide to which of them this saint be-
longed. However, Harris was not so scrupulous as Colgan, for he places Librenus, at Cluainfoda, in East Meath, adding this mistake of his own, in thus assigningit, andnottoWestmeath,asheshouldhavedone/3 Healsoidentifies
theplace,withEcra-Tulach,'*asthemoderndesignation,^s Anentryoccurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'^ at the nth of March, relating to St. Libren, Cluana fota. Again, Marianus O'Gorman enters his feast, at this day, and in
the same words. On this day is registered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,^?
Article IV. —St. Liobran or Libran, said to have been Abbot of lONA, BUT MORE PROBABLY HE WAS AbBOT OF DuRROW, KinG'S CoUNTY. At the nth of March, Colgan^ has entered a few short notes, regarding this saint ; from which it would appear, in one instance, a writer states, that he belonged to lona, or to Cluain *oda. Thus, he would seem to have been confounded with another saint, bearing the same name, and venerated on the same day. The BoUandists^ and Bishop Forbess have some notices of this holyman. InAdamnan'sLifeofSt. Columba,"*allusionismadetoaLibran. But, whether he was identical with the present saint, or not, may admit of doubt. Another mention of a Libran occurs in a poem, attributed to St. Columkille, before he left Durrow for the last time. At this epoch. Liber was not residing there, but he was expected to arrive at a future period. ^ Although, it has been stated, that this holy man was Abbot of lona, still we cannot find him noted, among the list of its superiors; however, it may be deemed more probable, that he presided over the monastery of Durrow, in the King's County. Again, Dr. Reeves calls hirn Abbot of Tamlacht-Librein, and quotes Colgan for his authority. ^ As we have seen already, he is com- memorated in the Festilogy of St. -^ngus, at this day. In the Scholia, annexed to Maguire's copy, the Scholiast doubts, as to whether he had been connected with Hy or Clonfad. The name merely of Libran is entered, in theMartyrologyofTallagh,? atthenthofMarch. Again,theMartyrology
of Cluain-foda-
Meadow. " In the year 887, Conchobhar, son of Flannagan, lord of Ui- Failghe, was destroyed by fire, in this church. '^ There can hardly be a doubt, the present saint was here venerated ; and, yet, Colgan is uncertain, for he considers, that it may be at this locality, or at Cluain-foda/9 in Fiadla- mor, in Lagenia, where he may have been commemorated.
Libren,
Libren, Anglicised,
were destroyed in 887. See Rev. A. Cogan's *' Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , p. 555.
lane, and barony of Upperwoods. Its situation is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the Queen's County,"
'* According to the Martyrology of Done-
Sheets 16, 22. — Article iv.
" and the " Annals of the Four Masters. " See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp.
'
"
Acta Sanctorum
gal
See
Hibemise," Martii xi. De S. Librano,
208, 209.
'3 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect. ix. , n. 102, p. 128.
^ I have not been able to find it out.
•sSeeHarris'Ware,vol. ii. , "TheAnti- quities of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 264.
'*
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xviii.
'7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
72,73.
'* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 540> 54i> and n. (n). Ibid.
Abbate Hiensi, p. 584.
'9 Possibly Clonfad, in the parish of Offer-
^ Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xviii.
"^
" St. Libren's Lawn or long
See "Acta Sanctorum," xi. Martii.
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 53.
3 See "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
378.
See, Dr. Reeves' Edition. Vita S.
Columbs, lib. ii. , cap. 39, p. 162, and n. (u). Ibid.
s See ibid. Additional Notes G, p. 277, andn. (f. )
^ After a careful search, however, I can- not find at the page quoted, any warrant for this assertion.
March ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 327
of Donegal^ on this day, records, Liobran, Abbot of la-Coluim Cille. His history is very obscure.
Article V. —St, Finckanus, Finnichen, or Finchan, reputed to HAVE BEEN Abbot OF Ardchaoin. We have notliing very definite on record, to warrant us in placing the festival of this St. Finchanus, or Finchan, at the present date. Colgan^ assigns his festival, however, to March the nth, owing to certain inferences he draws, from the Irish Calendars. He choose that, from one of the five several days, at which this name of Finchan occurs, in the Irish Calendar ; yet, his attempts at identification can hardly be deemed satisfactory. Notices of this saint occur in the Bollandists'^ and in Bishop Forbes' 3 works. On a doubtful surmise of Colgan, this holy man is classed among the disciples of St. Columkille,4 it being thought, he was the Findchan,s who assisted at the ordination of Aedh Dubh, and who thus dis- pleased his illustrious superior. ^ He is known as Finnichen, in Scotland. Among the lowland Scotch, this saint is commonly called St. Fink ; and, his name is preserved in Kilfinichen,? a parish in the island of MuU. ^ It is situated,betweenLochsNaKealandScridan. AccordingtoRev. Dr. Reeves,
" ^° the Saficta Fincana,^ proposed in the Origines Parochiales Scotise," as
the patron of this parish, seems scarcely possessed of equal claims, with our St. Findchan, to that distinction. The Martyrologies of Tallagh," of Marianus O'Gorman," and of Donegal,^3 commemorate a Fionn-Chan, at the nthofMarch. Inthattable,appendedtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,we find a St. Fionntain of Cluain-caoin set down for this date,^'* and he is probably intended to represent the present saint. Either some error of entry has here occurred, or a second festival to St. Fionntain of Clonkene,^^ now the Kill of the Grange, county of Dublin, took place on this day. It seems more probable, however, that Ardchaoin and Cluain-caoin have been con- founded.
ArticleVI. —St. CuandatheBlind, ThereisanacephalousLifeof a St. Cuona, in Latin, among the Burgundian Library Manuscripts, at
^
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
chan, and Killinchen.
72, 73. —
Article v. 'See "Acta Sanctorum
Hiberniaa," xi. Martii. De S. Finchano, Scotland," Argyle. p. 296.
Abbate de Ardchaoin, pp.
