No More Learning

Her pure-mindedness and observance of charitable and pious works served to
single her out from among other pious women, to make and keep in repair, as also to wash, the sacred vestments. These offices accorded with the tastes and zeal of St. Ergnat, while nothing on her part was left undone to promote that splendour and decency becoming the Divine Mysteries. At these she attended Avith rapt devotion. ^4 But her love for sacred music furnished an opportunity to the enemy of her soul to excite a momentary feeling, which soon developed into a strong temptation. Her admiration for the exquisite voice of St. Benignus, who sang sacred music with great pathos, presented a dangerousoccasionofsin. Thus,eventheholiestmortalsmayhavereasonto fear the imguardedness of a spiritual friendship, contracted through the purest motives. But, the Almighty saves from the iDlast of temptation those who fondly love Him, and so was the holy virgin Ergnat rescued from a tempo- ral's and spiritual death, through the instrumentality of St. Patrick'^ and St. Benignus. '? Renderedmorecautiousbyherescapefromagreatdanger,and increasing her labours with sole trust in the sustaining grace of God, she be- wailed with abundance of tears in after-life the frailty of a short time. As a penitent, she afterwards obtained that Divine aid, which caused her perfectly to regard only the love of God and to despise that towards created beings. Her closing years were rendered illustrious by signs and miracles. About the middle of the fifth century she is thought to have flourished ; but the exact year when or place where she died does not appear to have been discovered. She wasburiedatTamlachta-Bo. '^ Probablyherdeathtookplaceabouttheclose of the fifth century. Our hagiographers assign two different festivals to honour her. One of these occiirred on the 8th of January, and the other on the 30thofOctober. '^ Thefirstdenotesthedayofhernatalis;^°theotherfeast probably marks some particular event during her life, or a translation of her relics after death. In the Lives of the Saints, nothing engages more our human sympathies than a fall from grace and a subsequent return to its DivineAuthor; whileouro\vntremblinghopesofsalvationareencouraged, when so many feeble mortals have bravely resisted the assaults of Satan and escaped from his wiles. The remote occasions of guilt are to be dreaded, since the fires of deceitftil passion are seldom wholly extinguished. Some- times transforming himself into an angel of light, the devil designs our destruc- tion the more dangerously, because his approaches are insidious. He does not desire to sound the note of alarm, when his unseen snares are dra^vn closely
around us.
'3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. ,p. 269. Colgan refers to a very ancient Irish Life of St. Patrick, lib. iii. , cap. vi. , and the last, for confirmation of this fact, as likewise to Jocelyn, cap. xcvii.
'* The place where she seems to have lived
was at Tamlaght, in the parish of Eglish, west of Armagh City. See " Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps of the County of Ar- magh," sheet 12.
'5 Her temporal death on this occasion is stated in St. Patrick's Fourth Life. Joceline only remarks that she was on her sick-bed, when St. Benignus procured her health of mind and body.
'* See his Acts at the 17th of March.
'^ See his Acts at the 9th of November. This holy bishop is said to have been only
seven years of age, when St. Patrick came to Ireland, about A. D. 432. The death of St. Benignus is entered in the Annals of Ulster and of the Four Masters at A. D. 467. See Dr. O'Donovan's edition of the latter, vol. i. , pp. 146, 147, and n. (t), ibid.
'^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumatiu-ga," Quarta Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxxvii. , p. 47, and n. 68, p. 50. Tamlacht, a towiiland in Eglish, near Armagh, is the modem name of this place. See Rev. William Reeves' "Ec- clesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor, and Dromore," Appendix DD. , n. (h), p. 300.
'« See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise,"viii. Januarii. Vita S. ErgnatK, and nn. 9, 10, 11, p. 42.
^ See " Kalendarium Drummondiense," in Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. i.
January 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 127
Article IV. —St. Neachtain or Nechtanan, of Dungiven, County OF Londonderry. {Probably the Seventh Century^ The venerable anti- quary,^ who has rendered such services to Irish Hterature, wrote over forty years ago, that no ruin, equal in interest and importance to the Abbey ChurchofDungiven,couldbefoundinthecountyofLondonderry. Norper- haps in all Ireland is there any ecclesiastical relic, more remarkable for the romantic beauty and fitness of its situation. ^ Dungiven Abbey ruins are seated upon a bold and projecting rock, about 200 feet perpendicularly over the River Roe, whence sounds the torrent from its deep channel. It is diffi- cult to imagine anything more singularly wild and striking. The grandeur of the surrounding mountains, and the stillness of the spot, the crowded monu- ments of mortality near, and seclusion from the busy haunts of men, make it a scene which contemplation must love, and which devotion may claim as peculiarly her own. 3 Reflections such as these, and a desire for solitude, most probably drew St. Nechtanan to its site many centuries ago. 4 He is commemorated in the Martyrology of Tallagh,s on the 8th of January. Most likely he was bom about the beginning of the seventh century. Whether or not he was the founder of the first religious establishment here can hardly now be ascertained, with any great degree of certainty.
There is a very obvious mistake of Colgan, when the present saint is classed among the disciples of St. Patrick,^ since more than a century inter- vened between the time of both. However, a Life of St. Benignus, the dis- ciple of the Irish Apostle, and his successor in the See of Armagh, is cited, toprovethathehadacontemporaryandcompanioninNectan. 7 Wemay take it for granted the latter preceded our saint in point of time, and that he must have been quite a different person. The present holy man was probably the first founder of a church here, and he seems to have been taken as the local patron. The Martyrology of Donegal^ enters the festival of St. Nechtain of Dun Geimhim,9 in Cianachta Glinne Geimhin, at this date. This place is now to be found in the barony of Keenaght,^° and it is called Dungiven, aparishinthecountyofLondonderry. " Withoutthevillage,theoldchurch and a round tower stood. ^^ This latter fell to the ground in 1784. The Abbey Church at Dungiven^3 is said to have been founded by O'Cathan or O'Kane, a lord of the district, Oireacht-ui-Chathain, about a. d. i 100, for Augus-
Art. IV. —^ Petrie, LL. D. George Esq. ,
^ See his article in "The Dublin Penny
Journal" of June 15th, 1833, vol i. , No. 51,
pp. 404, 405, with two interesting wood cuts.
The subjects are, first, the chancel of the to say, belong to the Skinners' Company.
Abbey of Dungiven, and secondly, the tomb of Con-ey-na-gall, in the interior of this chancel. Both were drawn by A. Nicholl, Esq. The first was engraved by Branston and Wright, and the second by Clayton.
3 See Mason's " Parochial Survey of Ire- land," vol. i. , p. 302.
See Rev. William Reeves Colton's "Visi- tation of the Diocese of Derry, 1397," P-
41, n. (s). The accompanying engravmg of Dungiven Church Ruins, by Mrs. Millard, Dublin, is from a drawing by Geo. Du Noyer, preserved among the Ordnance Survey sketches in the Royal Irish Academy.
4 One of the most complete and interesting
descriptions of this place, we have met with,
is that by the Rev. Alexander Ross, Rector,
in WilUam Shaw Mason's " Statistical Ac-
count or Parochial Survey of Ireland," vol.
i. . No. xiv. —"TheparishofDungiven,dio- son's"StatisticalSurveyoftheCountyof
ceseof Derry, and county of Londonderry,"
Samp-
Londonderry," p. 328.
'2 The town of Dungiven and its beautiful
surroundings are represented on the "Ord-
nance Townland of London- Survey Maps
derry County," sheets 24 and 25.
to
s Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii.
"
Quinta Ap- pendix ad Acta S, Patricii, cap. xxiii,, p.
268.
pp. 283
348.
^ " See
Trias Thaumaturga,
7 Vita S. Benigni, cap. xi.
^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. II.
9 Dungiven and Glengiven, the Munitio Pellium and the Vallis Pellium, now, strange
"See Archdall's "Monasticon Hibemi-
cum," p. 92.
" See J. B. Doyle's "Tours m Ulster,
chap, xiii. , pp. 269 to 273. m '^ See representations of both
128 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [January 8.
tinians,'-* There are few remains of the most ancient ecclesiastical buildings at Dungiven knowoi at present to be visible.
It seems to be doubtful, whether the present holy man had been bom in
*'
Ireland or in Scotland. In a gloss to the Feilire of St. ^ngus, we read,
anair from the east, from Alba," apphed to the name of Nechtan. It may be probable, he was born in the latter country, or at least that he came over from it into Ireland. He has been identified with the great saint of Deeside, called Nathalan, in the Breviary of Aberdeen. 'S This holy man is called Nachlan or Naughlan, by the common people. '^ According to the
"
Aberdeen Breviary, he is thought to have been born in the northern parts of the Scoti, in ancient times, and at Tul- licht, within the dio- cese of Aberdeen. He was a man of great sanctity and devotion. Afterhe had come to man's estate, and had been imbued with the liberal arts, Nech- tain devoted himself wholly to Divine c o nte mplation. Though educated as the member of a noble family, when he learned that turn- ing the soil ap- proached nearest to the
meditation, he aban- doned all other pur- suits to cultivate fields. Thus he wished" the body to be industriously oc- cupied, so that he might never allow
de Albain," i. e. ,
occupation which favoured holy
Ruins at Dungiven, Co. Londonderry.
his mind to be overborne in a struggle with dangerous temptations.
While he thus waged warfare against the devil and a perishing world, a terrible famine broke out among his neighbours, relations, and friends. Most of the people were nearly lost, owing to hunger and want of food. But the singularly disinterested Nathalan, moved by the highest spirit of charity, distributed all his grain and stores, in the name of Christ, to the poor. At the spring time, no seed was left him, even to sow his lands ; yet, God
'^ See Harris' Ware. " The Antiquities of '* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 265. Scottish Saints," pp. 417 to 419. 'S Pars HyemaUs, xxv. (b).
January 8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 129
wrought a miracle, which produced an abundant harvest. When this time came, however, and when a great multitude of both sexes had been collected to gather in the crop, a tremendous tempest of rain and a whirlwind prevented the husbandmen and women from pursuing their labours. For a moment losing patience, and being excited to anger, along with other reapers, the saint murmured a Httle against God. The tempest soon ceased. But, on second thought, Nathalan, feeling he had offended the Divine Majesty, was induced to bind himself by vow to continue a rigid course of penance. This ended, it is stated, and in a miraculous way, after he had visited the thresholds of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, in the city of Rome. There, too, he sought the monuments of the saints, so thickly placed on every side. Hearing a report of his extraordinary miracles and sanctity, the Supreme
Pontiif summoned him into his presence.
Notwithstanding the saint's reluct-
ance, he was persuaded, at length, to assume the episcopal dignity. If we are to place implicit faith in these accounts, probably either before his going to Rome or after he had left it, the saint visited Ireland, and then he must have founded Dungiven, or at least he spent some time there. But, it must be allowed, we feel at a loss to determine the period.
In the practice of Divine contemplation, having rendered himself very acceptable to all at Rome, by permission of the Sovereign Pontiff, as we are informed, Nathalan got permission for returning to that part of Scotia, whence
hespnmg. Inextremeoldage,hevisitedhisnatalsoil.
He then built the
churches of Tullicht, Bothelim, and Colle,'7 at his own expense. He also dedicated them to the Almighty, and long aftenvards they existed in those provinces, as monuments of his zeal.
The death of St. Nechtain occurred A. d. 677,'^ according to the Annals of the Four Masters,^9 but we find the rest of Neachtain Neir recorded a. d. 678, in the Annals of Ulster. We meet no less than four different saints of this name recorded in our calendars. *" It would seem that this holy man died in Britain, on the 8th of January,*' after the performance of many won- derful miracles. He is said to have been buried with great reverence at Tul- licht. St. Nachlan is patron of TuUich. ** There in after time he often afforded health to the sick, who came to seek it piously and devoutly. At TulHcht a cross of very early type, incised on a rude granite slab, once lay in the parish church. It now forms the top Hntel to one of the doors of the old kirk there. *3 He is also the patron of Balthelney, or rather Bothelney. ** nowMeldrum. Owingtothefervourofhisprayers,Nathelanissaidtohave averted a raging pestilence from this place. *s At the old kirk here, about three miles from the town of Old Meldrum, is Naughlan's Well. At Collie
'7 Now Cowl. The church there was de- dicated to St. Nachlan. See "View of the
Saints," p. i.
*^ See "View of the Diocese of Aber-
" Collec- See Rev. William Reeves' Colton's
See " Collections for a His- tory of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. "
Diocese of
tions for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. "
Aberdeen," p. 633.
deen," p. 639.
'^
^'t That is "the
'9 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, pp. 284 St. Nachlan, the tutelar. See Collections
"Visitation of n. Derry," p. 41,
ofSt. Nethalenor ""
to 287, n. (q), ibid, *° One at 22nd of
''
signed by Colgan's printer
nth;
(s. )
—
April erroneously
dwelling
—to the
another at the 2nd of May St. Patrick's disciple ;— St. Neachtain, a virgin, at the 22nd of November, besides the present saint.
"See Kalendarium in Drummondiense,
didnowork. " Paro- Origines
s- a—
onwhich
Bishop Forbes—' "Kalendars of Scottish chiales Scotiae," vol. i. , Preface, p. xxii. n.
they
Vol. I. No. 3. k
"
for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and
"
Banff. View of the Diocese of Aber-
deen," p. 558.
=^3 See Bishop Forbes' Scottish Saints," p. 419.
Kalendars of
Long after this tradition, and when the
^5
saint's name was even forgotten, the pa- rishioners kept the 8th of January as a feast,
I30 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 8.
or Cowle, his name is rhymed among the fishermen,^^ and in the parish of Kildalton, in Islay, we find Kilnaughtan. ^? By the labour of his hands, hke the Apostle St. Paul, this holy man Avrought humbly to purify and make more perfect his good dispositions. Idleness is a very prevailing vice in our corrupt age, and society is greatly poisoned owing to its fatal indulgence. Were the energies of men's minds and bodies more righteously exercised, comparative innocence must have more abounded in the world ; for industrious pursuits, reasonably regulated, foster vigorous thoughts, and are even conducive to our corporal health.
Article V. —St. Cocca, Cucca, Cuach or Cuaca, Virgin and
Patroness of Kilcock Parish, County of Kildare. The name
of Cuaca, Virgin, is mentioned in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ on the 8th of January. In addition to this notice, we are further informed regarding the exact locality, which appears to have been named after her. Cuach, Virgin, of Cill-Cuaiche—said to have been in Cairbre-na-Ciardha— occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ on this day. The district last named is said to have been included Avithin the modem barony of Carbury, in the north-west of Kildare County. 3 But to include Kilcock,-* it must have ex- tended into the baronies of Ikeathy and Oughterany, in the same county. The ancient church or religious house, dedicated to St. Cocha, must have given name to this place, which is situated on a stream, called the Rye Water, here forming the boundary of the county of Kildare,5 and separating it from thecountyofMeath. ButthechieffestivalofSt. Cuach,CuacaorCocca, Patroness of Kilcock,^ seems to have been commemorated on the 6th of June, when further notice shall be given, regarding this holy \'irgin and her locality.
ArticleVI. —St. Moshacra,SonofBennan. Moshacra,MacBennain, is met with in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 8th of January. He is mentioned more fully elsewhere ; for we read, that on this day, according to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ was venerated, Moshacra, son of Bennan. The Cain of Adamnan3 states, that he was among the guarantees Abbot Adamnan obtained to free women from every servitude and slavery under which they laboured. It happens, however, that there is another Moshacra,
"* " Atween the kirk and kirk ford, There lies St. Nauchlan's hoard.
p
Kilcoke,' which I presume can refer only
^ " Origines
to your church.
sSeeLewis' "TopographicalDictionaryof Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 62.
^
Dr. Moran, Bishop of Ossory.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, II.
3 in a note Dr. Todd says at these words,
Cain of Adamnan, i. e. , the "Law of Adam-
Parochiales
exclude in
of any other saints.
Geoghegan is dated December nth, 1873.
part ii. , p. —269,
Art. v. 'Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we can read
Cucca t^1^^.
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 11. 3 The family name O'Ciardha is now An-
glicized Keary and Carey. See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n.
(y), p. 670.
* The following is a notice, obligingly
furnished by the Rev. Thomas Geoghegan, P. P. of Kilcock, with an extract from a letter addressed to him by the Rt. Rev.
"
In an old list of the churches of Kildare, drawn up at the time of Colgan, there is the following
It would appear, as already stated, that in the seventeenth century, owing to forget- fulness or disuse, the memory of this early Patroness died out in her place, and that St. Gall was afterwards adopted as Patron at Kilcock. —
Scotise,"
i. ,
any way
the "
" vol.
This does not however
joint commemoration The letter of Father
entry under the head of the Deanery of nan. " See Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of
Clane:
'
Ecclesia Parochialis S. Galli de Columba," App. to Pref. , pp. 1. , Ii.
Art. VI. p. xii.
'
'
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
January 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 131
Abbot of Cluain-eidhneach, He is venerated at the 3rd of March. It is not clearly understood, which of them is spoken of in the Cain, as we cannot find the years of their deaths recorded in our books of Annals.
ArticleVII. —St. Saran,ofCuil-creamha. Saran,ofCuil-cremha,is recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal/ on this day. Nor is his name omitted in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ which has a similar entry, on the 8th of January. The time and place of this saint do not appear to have been determined.
Article VIII. —St. Molibba, Bishop of Glendalough, County of
WicKLOw. [Seiienth Century^ St. —Libba,' better known, however, with the
—cestors to a IrishprefixMo^whichsignifiesMy'^ asappliedbyouran person
for whom great love or reverence had been entertained was born of re- spectable parentage. 3 His father's name was Colmad'* or Colraan, as he is differently named;5 his extraction had been derived from the family of Messin-corb, that ruled over a district of country within bounds of the Leinster province. His mother was named Coeltigerna, the daughter of Coemlog, and she was descended also from the Messin-corb family, accord- ing to one account. ^ Yet this statement regarding the saint's parents is contradicted by another : his father being called Arad of Dalaradia, and his motherCoemoca,thesisterofSt. Kevin. 7 Heretherewouldseemtohave beensomeambiguityinnamingthepresentsaint'smother. However,besides a sister named Arbhinnia or Coemola, Coeltigerna had three distinguished saints, who classed as brothers ; namely, Saints Kevin,^ Abbot of Glenda- lough,9 Mochemius, othenvise called Natchchaoimhe, Abbot of Tirdaglass," and Coeman, Abbot of Annatrim, Queen's County. " In addition to our saint, his parents had three other sons. All of these were distinguished for their sanctity: and they were named respectively, St. Dagan," Bishop of Achad- Dagan, or Inverdaoile,^^ St. Menocus, or Enanus^^ of Glennfaidhle,'s and St. Mobaius, whom it appears difficult to identify with any known saint of this name, to be found in our calendars. St. Molibba is said to have flourished during the early part of the seventh century, and most probably he spent
Art. VII. —'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, 11. 9
'
'
Art. VIII. The Calendar of Cashel
applies this name to him.
Glendalough was an ancient episcopal see, and a well-inhabited city, till about 1214, when the see was annexed to the diocese of Dublin, and the city, memorable for its religious edifices, not only suffered decay, but insensibly became a receptacle for
^
His name is found Latinized Molibbeus.
"
Edited by —Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii.
3 See Colgan's
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nice," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbte, and outlaws and robbers. " Eraser's "Statistical
nn. I, 2, p. 43.
^ St. ^ngus and the Martyrology of Tal-
lagh have Colmad. Again, under the head of Glenn-da-locha, Duald Mac Firbis enters Molioba, son of Colmadh, from Glenn-da-
Siu-vey of the Coimty of Wicklow. " Part i. , sec. 7, p. 36.
'°
See his Acts at the ist of May.