No More Learning

"^
Chapter ii. By referring to the Ord-
nance Survey Index Map of Cork, and to Sheet 58, of the Townland Survey, for the same county, their position will be seen.
=* Vol. i.
3 These are now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy.
he be found in the morning by the workmen, but running around the intended church.
As a warning to all other thieves, his effigy
"* Some of the local
legends,
related of St.
This curious effigy is known to-day, by the
name, jADAige 5obnAC<\, or "Gobnata's
thief. "
5 Information had been furnished, by
John Healy, of Killeen, in this part of the country, that while removing some earth, near St. Gobnet's Stone, he met with several graves, that contained human skulls and bones. He had no doubt, this was the site of an ancient burial-ground. This same man declared, there had been formerly a well, in Killeen townland ; but, as it had been closed up, no trace of it is now visible, He said, it had no particular name, and that it was not dedicated to St. Gobnet.
^
There is a stone at Clondrohid Glebe, called by the peasantry, "St. Gobinet's Stone. " Itwasfixedintheground,alittle to the west of Clondrohid church, in the year 1844. The English name of St. Gobi- net, or Gobnet, is said to be St. Abigail, by Rev. John T. Kyle of Clondrohid Rectory ;
Gobnate and of her church, by the pea-
santry, are exceedingly whimsical. One of
them is thus told. In the eastern end of
the old church, there is an effigy in relief, and worked into the wall. This is said to
have been an image of a thief, who essayed to steal the tools of the masons, while work-
ing at the building. One night, he came to its half-finished wall, and he found before him a white mare, which the masons and tradesmen had for working and carrying stones. He at once mounted the mare and took away the tools. He galloped on at a very smart pace, during the whole night ; still, to his great astonishment, where should
History of tlie
was cut in stone, and placed
in the wall,
l^EBRUARY 11. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4(^7
On the upper part of this stone may be seen a Maltese cross, within a circular
compartment. 7 Again, this is surmounted by a figure, greatly disproportioned, and holding a short crozier, in the right hand, which is extended before the
breast. It appears intended to have represented St. Gobnata, as the general characteristics of drapery resemble female attire. About a. d. 1844, when the sketch and accompanying papers seem to have been' drawn up, the so- called round tower remains were only about two feet in height, and twelve in diameter. ^
Three stunted lime trees grew within the enclosure of that circle, which
some have been disposed to consider the round tower walls, and their bark
used to be stripped off every year, for purposes best known to the people. According to the Rev. Mr. Kilchoffer, St. Gobnet's Well was a place of
great resort, on Whit-Sunday, as also on the 12 th of February, which is said to have been called the day of this saint. 9 However, such a statement does not accord with that contained in the calendars. '"^
St. Gobnate's pure mind continually burned, with the flames of Divine
love ;" nor, can we doubt, that the holy woman, while securing for herself
that glow of heavenly consolation, was not wanting, in the discharge of those duties she owed to others. The exact date for her death does not
seem to be known ; but, it happened, most probably, during the sixth cen- tury. She was considered the patron saint of Muskerry," and—her festival
was cele
From the following local tradition, it may be inferred, that the saint's day was formerly kept at Ballyvourney, as a holyday, with an obligation to hear Mass, and to abstain from all servile works. '4 The site of a castle,
but Mr. O'Donovan doubts the propriety of nait aqus ErnaigJithe ainm in Baile ata oc- "
vol.
object onthe "Town- land Ordnance Survey Maps for the County
ofCork. " Sheet70.
7 A rough drawing of this object appears.
Maps,"
ii. , pp. 164
only well,'
in
question
isfound
engraved
'spring,' saint. "
^
This spot was visited by devotees, as
"Thismaybegleaned,fromastatement
regarding her, in the " Feilire " of St.
ylingus,
" Dr. Geoffrey Keating, in his " General
History of Ireland," when enumerating the patron saints of particular Irish famihes and
districts, says, that St. Gobnata was recog- nised as patroness of MuskryMac-Diarmuid. See book ii. , p. 391.
'3 The reader is referred to subsequent
calendar notices, for confirmation of this
statement. We think, however, that here, there are some mistakes, regarding identifi- cation.
^^ An indulgence was granted by Pope Clement VIII. to such as go in devotion to this church of Ballyvourney, in the diocese of Cloyne, on the festival-day of St. Gobnat, and who piously confess and receive Holy
one of St. Gobnet's penitential stations, there
being a stone near the supposed tower, which was called the "outward altar," and a
mound in the churchyard denominated, St. Gobnet's "inner altar. " These objects
were visited by pilgrims, who there made "rounds," or offered up prayers. These devotions were terminated, at St. Gobnet's Well, according to a statement of the Pro- testant Rector of the parish, Rev. Mr. Kil- chofiFer.
atthechurchesofBurneach now special honour, Bally-
—bratedwith
vourney at Ernuidhe, and at Moinmor. ^3 The two latter places have not been identified, with certainty. Her feast or natalis is marked, in the calendars, on the i ith of February.
his translation. See County Cork Letters, "curs, at nth February. " Mr, O'Donovan
Memorandums, Sketches and Ancient
appends a marginal note, to these remarks :
to 168. The
" Tubrit is
or '
the word to denote a and not the name of a
9 It seems strange, another writer, in the
manuscript volume referred to, states, that
near the ruins of a church, founded by St.
Abban, and presented to St. Gobnata, there
was a holy well, much resorted to, on the
nth of February, the festival of St. Gob- Communion. A copy of it will be found in
nata, as also on Whit-Monday.
" Regarding a mistake made in transmit-
ting information from this place, the same
the Lambeth Library, lib. N. N. numb. 77. Another copy will be found, in Trinity
College Library, Dublin, classed E. 2, 14. The conditions were, to visit the parish church of Ballyvourney, between the first
"
in the calendar, but, St, Gobnait no inogob-
writer adds :
I do not find any St. Tubrit
468 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryit.
called Carrig a Cushlaun, is shown, and a local tradition connects it, with St. Gobnat. Itissaid,thecastle,intendedtohavebeenbuiltthere,wasnever finished ; because the builders dared to work on her festival-day. After- wards, what they tried to build by day fell down during the night. An ancient bronze bell of St. Gobnate was preserved in Ballyvourney parish. ^s This, no doubt, had some special connexion, with the religious services, which were here practised. The mediseval building, which now stands, con- sisted of a nave and choir ; and, it is said by Smith, to have measured 1 04 feet in length, by 24 in breadth. The door was in the south side wall, and a few small windows lent a dim light to the interior. In the western gable
St. Gobnet's Church, Ballyvourney.
end oi St. Gobnat's old church,'^ there is a small square hole ; and, a round bowl of dark-coloured stone, i)olished and smooth as ivory, may be seen. About the beginning of the last century, this was found buried among some debris,nearthefoundationsoftheoldbuilding. This,too,hasitsassociated legend, and the people say, it was a missive, used by St. Gobnait, in levelling a castle, which some Pagan chief designed erecting on a neighbouring height. The mason-work, done by day, was destroyed each night, by a stroke from this bowl. ^7 This had been removed from its place,'^ and had been missing
vespers of the feast of St. Gobnata, to sun- set, on the clay of her feast, and there to
pray for peace among Christian princes, for
the extirpation of heresy, and for the exalta-
tion of our holy Mother the Church. This quary, and to be found among his manu- was given at Rome, at St. Mark's, under the
fisherman's seal, on the 12th day of July,
A. D. 1 601, and in the tenth year of Pope
Clement VIII. 's pontificate.
'5 A curious sketch of this object, by the
Cork antiquary, John Windale, will be affected.
found in a
Windale's
'** It is an old woman, who ex- said, by
perienced nothing but "ill-luck," until she brought it back.
manuscript, intituled, "Miscellany," now preserved among his manuscripts, in the Library of the Royal
Irish Academy.
'^ The accompanying illustration was
copied by Mr. Gregor Grey from an original
sketch, by John Windale, the Cork anti-
scripts in the Royal Irisli Academy. It has been engraved by Mr. Gregor Grey.
*7 Those persons, afflicted with sores, and
who came to perform penitential stations, were accustomed to rub it on the part
February ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 469
for a long time, but at last it was re:^>tored. In Ballyvourney parish, there
are two holy wells, called respectively, Toberaneena and Tobernasangny. '9 St. Gobnata may be considered as the special Patroness of Ballyvourney parish. In other parts of the south of Ireland, her veneration also extended. Thus, in the county of Waterford there is a mountainous parish, called Kil- gobonet, dedicated to this saint. Here, a cattle fair is held annually, on the nth of February. There is also a church called Kilgobinet, in Dun- kerron barony, county of Kerry ; and, no doubt, from the denomination, it had been dedicated to this saint.
In the tow—nland of Kilgobinet, Catholic parish of Ballygran—Protestant,
Corcomohide of barony
is
when many persons then come to pay rounds and pray at the well, and to in- voke the intercession of St. Gobinet or Deborah, as the saint is indifferently
In terms of the highest eulogy, we find this holy virgin commemorated, by St. ^ngus, in his " Feilire. '' =^3 The designation, Gobnat Ernaidhe, i
Muscraidhe Mitine, occurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,24 at the nth of February, The"CalendarofCashel"enters,atthesamedate,St. Gobnata,
the nun, of the village of Boirne, or Bairnigh, in Munster, and she belonged to the race of Conaire. Charles Maguire says likewise, at this day, Gobnata, of Ernuidhe—I know not where it is—or Gobnata, of Burneach of Moinm- hor, in the southern part of Ireland, and she is of the race of Conaire.
Marianus O'Gorman, also, states, St. Gobnata, virgin of Moinmor; her church lies in the southern part of Ireland. ^s
In the Martyrology of Donegal,^^ we read as having a festival on this
day, Gobnat, virgin, at M6in-m6r,=7 in the south of Erinn, is her church. ^^ Then is added, " and at Baile Mhuirne. " ^9 In Scotland, too, her memory
'9 See " of Cork INIemo- County Letters,
randums, Sketches, and Ancient Maps," vol. i. , pp. 297 to 306.
^°
In a letter, headed Kilbolane Cottage,
5. 111. 1-0. . ino ^obnAic co n-glAii bdil 1m|^e]\c 'oe bA h-ilTnAni
Charleville, dated August 9th, 1876, and
written by Mr. D. A. O'Leary, these parti-
culars were kindly transmitted to the writei".
"
Quite close to the well, on its eastern side, was a moat, known as Cnockan a Bou- chilli—the Boys' Fort—on which whosoever stood, on St. Gobinet's Day, would infallibly be married against that day twelvemonth. During the past two years, this moat has been levelled by parties carrying away gravel for road metal. Then a strange dis- covery was made, viz, : a large quantity of bones, skulls, &c. , were found, it being ap- parently a place of sepulture, at some remote
the oldest men now period —although living
never heard of any such. A portion of a
coffin and the breastplate of the same, were
found, as Mr. O'Leary was informed.
^'
rriAich bAif SlAefp oia 5A|\mAiin e-pptic eccen mmAin.
My Gobnat of chaste condition
In God's love she was a complete trea-
^-
Mr. Richard J. O'Mulrenin, of the R. I, A.
46, 47.
'^^ This place is said by W. ]\I, Hennessy
to be identical with Moinmore, near Mallow.
^^ Mr. Hennessy also appends the follow-
'*
So the writer has been inrormed, by
The following Irish stanza, for the nth
^3
of February, has been furnished from the
ing memorandum: iii6i]\ iti "Oeiixe^c,"
JobnAC og 1110111.
—and diocese of
Upper Connello, county Limerick,
""
St. Gobinet's
—Well. " a cattle-fair known as the fair of St.
Here, large
Gobinet'sWell" isannuallyheld,oneachrecurringfeast,nthofFebruary,
called here. ^*^ With the
paid here. ^' —There is no church or ruin nothing but the townland, well and fair day dedicated to St. Gobinet in this district. The name Gobnet has been Anglicised Judith, in the southern parts of Ireland, and under either form, it is in vogue among the female peasantry. ^^
exception
of this o—ne
" rounds " are now
day, rarely
" Leabhar with its transla- Ereac," En£,^lish
: tion, by Professor O'Looney —
sure, — He desired the guests
to invite them—
Bishop Etchen, the beloved,
^'^ Edited by Rev, Dr. Kelly, p, xv.
'*
^^ See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise," xi. Februarii, De S. Gobnata, Vir-
gine, et Abbatissa Bornicensi, n. 7, 8, 9, 10,
p. 315.
'-"^ Edited Drs. Todd and by
Reeves, pp.
470 LIVES01'THElEISHSAINTS. [February1 1,
^\'as revered. The holy virgin Gobnat departed to Christ, on the iii. Ides—
corresponding with the nth—of February, according to the Kalendar of Driimmond. 3° It is a matter for regret, that we cannot at present obtain further particulars regarding this very celebrated virgin, who must have been very greatly distinguished in her age, and among her contemporaries.
Article II. —St. Etch^enius, Etghen, Ecian or Echen, Bishop
AND Patron of Cluain-Foda, now Clonfad, Parish of Killucan, County of Westmeath. \_Stxth Centu7y. '] The Acts of St.
Etchsenius,
Bishop of Clonfad, have been compiled by Colgan from various sources ; yet, they do not seem to be connected, in all passages, with strict adherence to chronological consistency, and to historic accounts. ' Besides this, the Bollandists have a historic commentary regarding this saint f but, it seems chiefly to be drawn from Colgan's Acts. The parents of St. Etchen were highly respectable, and even of princely rank. 3 His father's name was Manius, and he was surnamed Ecces or Ecceas,'* which' is interpreted to mean " the poet. " ^ His mother is called Briga. According to St. ^ngus, she was the daughter of Cobthac, son to Crimthann, son of Endeus Kennse- lach, son of Labrad, son to Bressal, son of Fiach, son to Cathirius, son of
Fethlim, son to Cormac, son of Niethcorb. She was also mother to St. . Segen, and to St. Aidan, bishop,^ as also to Aldus, son of Anmire. 7 Both parents were thus descended in collateral lines, from Niathcorb, or Messin- corb, ancestor to all the Kings of Leinster. ^ Tlie father's genealogy is thus made out : Manius Ecceas, or Manine Eices, was the son of Fergus, sur- named Lamderg, son to Fothad, son of Eochaidh Lamdoit, son to Fothad, sonofEochaidhLamderg,sontoNiethcorborMessincorb. 9 Throughhis two sons, Cormac and Eochaidh, descend all the Kings of Leinster, many of its nobles, as also various saints. '° The parents of our saint seem to have been very religious persons. It is said, that the mother of Etchen or Ecian" had been a long time barren ; but, that owing to St. Brigid's prayers, she conceived the present saint. " We find such an account, in the old Acts of
=9 In a note, Ur. Todd says, •The words Saints," as found in the " Leabliar Lecan," in brackets are added in a more recent a manuscript belonging to the Royal Irish
hand. "
3° See Bishop Forbes'
Scottish Saints,—" p. 5. '
Academy.
9 For the foregoing pedigree, I feel in- debted to the Rev. John F. Shearman, C. C , Howtli, who extracted it, chiefly from tlie Keamsenchus in the " Lcabhar Breac. "
, Article ii. See "Acta Sanctorum
The Martyrology of Donegal states, that he descended from Laeghaire Lore of the Leinstermen.
Hibernian," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchaenio, Episcopo Cluainfodensi, Ex variis, pp. 304 to 306.
"^ Kalendars of
=" See "Acta Sanctonim," tomus ii. , Feb-
ruarii xi. De S. Kciano, sivc Echeno,
Episcopo Cluainfodiensi in Hibernia. Colgan quotes the "Catalogue of the CommcHtarius historicus, p. 551.
3 See Abbate D. Giacomo Certani's "La
Santita Prodigiosa. Vita di S. Brigida Ibernese. " Libro Sesto, p. 517.
4 We also find this name, rendered by thewords,IcasusandEccasus.
Leinster Kings," chap. iii.
"In a note to the Third Life of St.
5 See
Tertia Vita S. Brigida:, n. 61, p. 545.
Brigid, Colgan says, that Ecccsus, is more properly Ecces ; for the father of St. Ethcian,
l)ishop, is called Manius, surnamed Ecces, thatisthepoet. Hepromised—totreatabout
this St. Echen or—
"Trias
Colgan's Thaumaturga. "
Etchianus and he ful-
February, ^ Of Glendalough, according to the See " Trias Thaumaturga. " VitaTcrtiaS.
"Boniimhe. " His pedigree and that of Aidus, son of Ainmire, are set down in like manner, in the Irish Menology, chap. xx.
7 Such is the statement in the tract of St. yEngus "On the Mothers of the Irish
Brigidre," nn. 61, 62, p, 545. Vita Quarta S. Brigida? , n. 20, p. 566. And "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia;," xi. Februarii. Vita
S. Etcha? nii, pp. 304 to 306.
"See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
'° fn reference to our saint's pedigree,
filled such promise
at the nth of
February ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 471
the great patroness of Kildare,'^ who is said to have sjept, with some of her religious, at the house of this pious couple. This story does not seem well to accord with the genealogical pedigree, for there St. Etchen is made the brother of St. Edan or Moedoc, who died, April nth,'* a. d. 625, and of St. Seighin, of Cill-Seighan, who is venerated, at the 21st of January. '5 it has been thought, that Etchen might have been born, about a. d. 490, or towards the close of the fifth century. '^ This date is founded upon a supposition, that he became a bishop, before the death of St. Brigid. For this, however, there is no authority worth attention. Colgan quotes a long passage,^^ in which a Bishop Eclieus is mentioned, as being a contemporary with her, and withSt. MelofArdagh. Inthefirstplace,however,thenamesEclieusand Etchen are different ; and next, it may be asked, how could Colgan have imagined that Echeus was the same as Etchen ? The latter could not have been a bishop, in the time of St. Mel, who died a. d. 488,'^ St. Etchian, Bishop of Clonfad, has been placed, among the disciples of St. Patrick ; but, this statement is not reconcilable with chronology, nor indeed with any
known record. By a very strange anachronism, Colgan'^ supposes Etchen to have been bishop at Clonfad, in St. Patrick's days. For our national hagiographist makes him the same as a Bishop Ethian, who is said to have
=°
Magh-ai, county of Roscommon. ^^ This holy man is said to have made
great progress in virtue and learning, during his youth. It is thought, he
was a proficient in the physical sciences, and especially that he had a know-
ledge of medicine ; yet, this account seems hardly well established on very
clear evidence. For, it has been assumed, too hastily, that the Echeus,
mentioned as a in the Life of St. ^^ was identical with the physician, Brigid,
present Etchen. However, it is said, that he attained the episcopal dignity. He is also related, to have been that Ecian, the founder of a church, within the confines of Ossory, and who is mentioned in the Acts of St. Kieran,^^ Bishop of Saigir. ^* Flow far this is true requires further confirmation. About the middle of the sixth century, St. Etchen is said to have erected the monastery of Clonfad,^5 and, probably, it was here the great Apostle of the Picts and Scots received ordination. St. Etchen is said, likewise, to have been buried in the cemetery or church, at this place. Tradition still pre- serves the recollection of an unknown bishop here interred. When the his- torian of Meaih diocese visited this churchyard, in August, 1863, a very in- telligent peasant pointed out the fragment of an ancient stone cross. From
been reprimanded by St. Patrick,
for having ordained unworthy bishops, in
Sancta," part i. , p. 113.
'3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaiimaturga. "
Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. iii, 112, p.
nia, sect. 2, p. 551.
^^ See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernioe,'
xviii. Martii. De S. Conallo, n. 2, p. 632. '° See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," p. 1049.
=' " The account of that reprimand looks
very like a made-up story, and perhaps the contrivers of it, caring little about correct-
Also Vita S. Quarta
lib.
540.
cap. Ixxvi. , pp. 560, 561.
Brigidae,
'4 See his Life, at this date.
ii. ,
^s See the notices of him there given. That he must be selected, from other saints,
Episcopo Cluainfodensi, n. 10, p. 306.
^'^
See ibid. , cap. i. , p. 304.
^7 This is taken from the Life of St.
chronism. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus copo Cluainfodensi, cap. iv. , v. , p. 305.
ii. , xi. Februarii. De S. Eciano, sive =^5 See Dr. Todd's "Obits and Martyr- Echeno, Episcopo Cluainfodiensi in Hiber- ology of Christ Church," p. liii. •
this
bearing name, Colgan asserts,
ness of — meant Etchen dates,
because circumstances militate against their title to such a distinction. See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernian," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchaenio
by
Laurence of Durham.
^^ The Bollandists point out this ana- niae," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchtenio Epis-
Brigid, by
the name of "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect.
Dr.
Ethian. " Lanigan's
ix. , n. loi, p. 127.
'''- See chapter iv. , in our account of her,
at the 1st of February.
=3 See his Life, at the 5th of March.
=4 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
472 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February ii.
childhood he had heard, it marked the resting-place of that bishop, who had
foundedthemonasteryofClonfad. ^^ Theoldwallshavebeentorndown,
and, for the most part, they have been iiprooted. ='7 Roads have been run
directly through the church and churchyard. This is indeed a sad desecra-
tion of the holy place, A short distance north-east of the church, it is said,
are traces of St. Etchen's old monastery. ^^ There is the fragment of a very
ancient, rude, unlettered cross in the cemetery. This, it is said, denotes the
resting-place of six bishops. A perch or so, east of the churchyard, along
the roadside, there is a green mound. This is thought to be the grave of
some bishop, but his name is not now remembered.