"
26 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- s When Aengus, son of Tibraide, Abbot land," vol.
26 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- s When Aengus, son of Tibraide, Abbot land," vol.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
Milburga, when their own church and
4 See his Life, at the 9th of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
5 This place is of great antiquity, it having been "the site of a station formed by the Romans during their occupation of Scotland between the years 80 and 446, and designated by Ptolem—v, the ancient geographer, Vanduara. " "The Imperial GazetteerofScotland,1' vol. ii. ,
6 This — in some place— part
die 6 Februarii de S. aliis quae Merino,
episcopO, aliis abbate, jam fuerunt observata. " See pp. 2, 3.
" This was a monastery built early in the tenth century by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine, founded by the Abbot Bernon of Gigny in 940, and raised to its greatest
mostprobably hasnotyetbeenidentified. 7 See " Breviarium Aberdonense," Pars
Aestiva, —fol. cvi.
8 Thus " Decim j Septimo KT. Octobris.
'
557.
of Scotland
is passed over, however, with
p.
—In Scocia Sancti Mirini episcopi et
confessoris apud Pasletum cuius ibidem
cenobium sumptuosa dedicatum structure
illustrium Scotorum regum meritis Merini splendour by his successor, St. Odo. Its
datatum ubi varia miraculosa sanctitatis sue history may be found abbreviated in the ""
patent indicia. "— Proceedings of the "Encyclopedic Catholique of M. l'Abbe
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, "Vol. ii. ,
pp. 267, 268.
9 Thus—" S. Mirine abot of paslay an
Glaire and M. le Vte. Walsh, tome viii. ,
Art. Cluny, pp. 235 to 237.
,J Founder of the Stuart family.
confess, in —Scotland under king fin- "
barmache. " Bishop Forbes' Kalendar of Scottish Saints," p. 162.
I0 Thus—" Pasleti Mirini abbatis, quern
nonnulli ponunt sub Fincormacho rege sub M
annum ccclxix. , K. C. -r*$&/. , p. 211. "See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. ,
xv. the
Septembris Among pretermitted
Saints. He
the remark—" Vuleri tamen etiam possunt,
September 15. J LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
monastery were dedicated. At first, Paisley was only a Priory ; but, in 12 16, a Bull of Pope Honorius III. ** detached it from Wenlock, and had it
constituted an Abbacy. The buildings then existing were burned by the English, in 1307, during the War of Independence, and the monastery seems to have been^almost entirely destroyed. In 1406, Robert III. , King of
Scotland, was interred in Paisley Abbey. 15
Little seems to have been done towards a restoration of the building, until the Abbot Thomas Tervas,
who died a. d. 1459,
commenced the good
work, which was com-
pleted by his successor,
the Abbot George Shaw.
St. Mirrin's Chapel, Paisley.
Hamilton attended her during her flight to England, so far as the Solway. AfterwardshewasdeclaredatraitorbyRegentMurray. Onthe2ndofApril,
14 He reigned from A. D. 1216 to A. D.
Gazetteer of Scotland,'' vol. v. , Art. Paisley
1227. See Sir Harris Nicolas' of History,' p. 209.
js "
"
pp. 147 to 157.
"7 See Jac. Augusti Thuani
Robert the GWjtto, ottre ILortJ tfje fHato at ©urrtjounalli his m&ginjr. ! t? ts faorjrj foes fjati than to $aslarj, &nti Sxres entgrit in that &ubag. "
Historiarum sui Temporis," tomus ii. , lib. xliii. ,
—Andrew 01 " Wyntoun's Orygynale
,0 See that magnificent topographical work, Francis H. Groome's " Ordnance
of Scotland," vol.
book chap, xxvi. , p. 98. Edition of David
Laing.
Cronykil
Hi. ,
ix. ,
Chronology
"
&mg,
sect, iii. , pp. 628, 629.
,8 He then waded knee-deep into the
water, and held back Queen Mary's boat, urging her not to trust herself into the power of her rival, Queen Elizabeth. Under another title for the purposes of his romance, Sir Walter Scott has pathetically introduced this parting scene, when closing with the
xxxviii. , and last chapter of his fine historical novel, "The Abbot. "
He ruled from 1472 to 16
During the
I499.
troublous times of the Reformation in Scot- land, the last Abbot, John Hamilton, had ceased to exercise diction in 1545 ; yet, by consent of Queen Mary, he retained the abbacy in trust for his nephew, Lord Claud Hamilton. intheyear1557,abody of the Reformers attacked the abbey, drove the monks out of the building, and " burnt all the ymages and ydols and popish stuffin the same. " Hav- ing been present in the
Queen's interest, at the battle ofLangside, 13th May, 1 568,^ John
18
juris-
However,
38o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 15.
1
1571, he was captured in the Castle of Dumbarton. ? His possessions were
forfeited, and the abbey lands of Paisley were bestowed on William Lord Sempil. Since that period, the glorious Abbey Church of Paisley has become a venerable ruin, the traces of which reveal to the beholder its former magnifi- cence. 20 When entire, it consisted of a nave, choir, and north transept. The chapel of St. Mirren and St. Columba occupies the place where the south transept should have been. The total outside length of the building, in its perfectstate,hadbeen265feet. 21 ThechapelofSt. MirranandSt. Columba, better known as the " Sounding Aisle,"22 is on the south side, and on the
site of the south The nave is the now 2^ and it is transept. only part roofed,
still used as the Presbyterian church for Abbey Parish. 2*
The chapel of St.
Mirren, or " the sounding aisle," was erected about the end of the fifteenth
19 He was hanged on a gibbet, in his Episcopal Robes, over the battlements of the Castle of Stirling, on the 6th of April,
"—Rev. Dr. Schotichronicon," vol. i. , p. 288.
2 century.
1 1. 57
J.
F. S. Gordon's
—
age probably they
existed before the
" 20
chapel itself, and were fragments of an
s
In Scotland are various localities, associated with the name of this saint.
In 1874, the writer, in company with Rev. Dr. J. F. S. Gordon, author of the
" Scoti-Chronicon," had an opportunity for
visiting the Abbey ruins at Paisley. An
interesting account of this monastic establish-
ment may be found in Dr. J. Cameron
Lees' "The Abbey of Paisley, from its
foundation to its Dissolution," Paisley, 1878.
21
Internally the nave is 93 feet in length, by 59^ feet in breadth, including the side aisles. The choir, which has no aisles, is
123^ feet long, and 32 wide, and the transept is 32 feet in width. The distance from the north wall to the wall of St. Mirren's Chapel is 92^ feet ; all of these measurements being internal. The walls of the choir only rise a foot or little more over the ground level, but the piscina and sedilia still remain, as also the foundations of the pillars, on which the central tower arose. The north transept, with its magnificent and finely- traceried window, 32 feet in height and 18 feet wide, remains to be seen. A wood-cut, postfixed to Robert William Billings' description of the Abbey of Paisley, represents the beautiful sedilia wrought in four different compartments, with fine super-mouldings.
22 The " sounding aisle " has received its name from a long established reputation for the loudness with which sounds are echoed within it ; and it is generally some time ere the slamming of doors, and some other noisy
—"
earlier edifice. " Billing's Baronial and
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland,"
vol- iv. The Abbey of Paisley, pp. 2, 3.
23 " The interior of the nave is truly
magnificent. Ten massy clustered columns,
17 feet in height, with simple but elegantly moulded capitals, divide the aisles from the body of the fabric. Of these columns, the circumference of each of the two nearest the west is more than double that of any of the others, plainly indicating that they were intended by the architect, in con- nection with the front wall, to support two western towers. From the imposts of the columns spring pointed arches, with delicate and graceful mouldings. From a floor formed above the first tier of arches spring those of the triforium. Above the tiiforium rises the clerestory, the arches of which are simple, pointed and narrow, but of just proportions. The original roof, which has given place to a simple coved one, was finely groined with sculptured bosses, at the intersections of the ribs, of which a specimen is still to be seen, towards the west end of the southern aisle. "—"The Topographical Statistical and Historical
Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 482.
24 In the magnificently illustrated work of Robert William Hillings, "The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland,'' vol. iv. , Nos. 26, 27, 28, 29, are views representing—I. The West Front ol Paisley efforts to make the visitor duly aware of Abbey ; 2. The North Side, externally ; 3. The Nave, interior looking west ; 4.
this peculiarity, can be so far suppressed as to admit of the peaceable inspection of its interesting contents. The main object of
Chapel on the South Side of the Choir. The latter, which is known as St. Mirin's
Chapel, was copied, drawn, and engraved on the wood by Grcgor Grey. It forms the subject of our present illustration.
*s See the Charter quoted in " Views in '
Renfrewshire," p. 43. m
attention is that mysterious monument, "
called Queen Blearie's Tomb. " It is the monument of a female, whose effigy lies at full length on a large altar sarcophagus. ***** Along a portion of the upper
end of the sounding aisle there is a series
of sculptured groups in compartments. They are the work of an ancient and rude
September 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 38
Thus, in the south-east boundary of the parish of Kelton in Kirkcudbright is
Kirk Mirren, where the vestige of an ancient chapel and churchyard may be
26 2 found. In the parish of Kilmarnock is St. Mirren's ruined Chapel ? upon
Inch Murryn, the largest Island of romantic Loch Lomond. 28 Owing to the name and to the patron, some former connexion with the Abbey of Paisley may be traced. In Kilsyth, on the south of Woodend, there is a remarkable
2
spring called St. Mirrin's Well. ? In the parish of Coylton, there is a farm
called Knock Murran. 3° On the south side of the North Esk is the Burn of Alurran. There are no distinct traces of this Saint's memory anywhere on the east coast of Scotland. 31
ArticleII. —St. AnmeirorAinmire,ofCluain-foda. TheMartyr-
of 1 records a festival in honour of Anmeir or Ainmire, of ology Tallagh
Cluain-foda,2 at the 15th of September. In modern phraseology, the locality must now be recognised in Clonfad, and there are various places so called, in different counties of Ireland ; but, hitherto we have not been able to identifythepresentSaintinconnectionwithanyofthem. Thereweretwo celebrated places, bearing this name, and mentioned in our Annals. One was known as Cluain-foda Baetanabha,3 that is " the long Lawn" or n Meadow " of Baetain-abha, in the parish of Killucan, barony of Farbil, and County of Westmeath. In our Irish Annals, it is noticed in connection with the founder St. Etchcenius or Etchen, who died in the year of grace 5 7 7, 4
Long
8 Westmeath. It was likewise called Cluain-foda-Fine, in Feara-Tulach. In
the year 835 died Fiachra, son of Dubhdacrich, Abbot of this place. 9 Again,
it is mentioned under the designation of Cluain-foda-Fini, at a. d. 887,'
when Conchobhar, son of Flanagan, Lord of Ui-Failge, was destroyed by fire in its church, and the relics of Finian were violated by the Feara-Tulach,
on his way from parleying with Flann, son of Maelseachlain, King of Ireland. One locality in Ireland was formerly known as Cluainfoda Anmireach.
"
26 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- s When Aengus, son of Tibraide, Abbot land," vol. iv. , Kirkcudbright, Parish of of Cluain-foda Beadainabha, died. —Ibid. , Kelton, by the Rev. Samuel Cowan, p. 170. pp. 342, 343.
and with other
a Clnain-foda-Librain,? that
now known as Clonfad, in the barony of Fertullagh, and in the county of
Bishops
or Abbots, at a. d.
741,5
Lawn M or " Meadow,"
See Origines Parochiales Scotise," part i. , p. 35.
Gazetteer of Scotland," vol, ii. , p. 8.
29 See "Origines Parochiales Scoti? e,"
part i. , p. 43.
3° See New Statistical Account of Scot-
land," vol. v. , Ayr, Parish of Coylton, by Rev. Alexander Duncan, p. 656.
In this year (or recte 795), Tibraide, Abbot of Cluaiu-foda, died. —Ibid. , pp. 396, 397. The reader will hardly fail to observe how the influence of a family name was paramount in that monastery during the eighth century.
7 So called from St. Librain or Libran. who flourished in the sixth or seventh century, and of whom some account may be found in the Third Volume of tins work, at
28 See a
of it in "The Topographical, Statistical, and Historical
description
is,
" St. Librain's
*
27" 6 Ua
* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of the nth of March, Art. iii.
8 The ancient name for the present Article ii. —« Edited by Rev. Dr. Barony of Fertullagh, County of West-
Scottish Saints,"
p. 398.
xxxiv.
2 In the Book of Leinster copy is
-Ainmepe CluAna pacA.
3 See the notices of St. Etchen, Bishop of
that place, at the nth of February, in the Second Volume of this work, Art. ii.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 208, 209.
meath.
'See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 452, 453, and n. (n. ), ibid.
,0 See ibid. , pp. 540, 54', and n. (n. )
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xw. , p. I31.
Kelly,
and 6 There was also jg .
382 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. JSkptember 15.
We are told it was near the Church of Domnach-Padruic, perhaps Temple Patrick in the County of Westmeath. Could the site of this locality be ascertained, it seems probable it should determine that of the present Saint Ainmire's place. At the 1 5th of September, a festival for the chaste Ainmire of
12
Cluain is given by Marianus O'Gorman.
entry for his feast in the Martyrology of Donegal. ^
Article III. —St. Lassar of Clonmore. This pious Virgin, St. Lassair, of Cluain-mor, was venerated at the 15th of September, as we read in
1 The name of Lassera or Lassair Lasra, Lassar,
the of Martyrologies
Tallagh.
was not an unusual one among the Irish female Saints. 2 Of these, some are
distinguishedbytheirpatronymics; othersbytheirconnexionwithaparticular
locality ; while others are not recognizable under either category. 3 The
present St. Lassar is said to have been of Cluain-mor. Many places, bearing
the name of Clonmore, are found in various parts of Ireland. Mr. John
McCall informs the writer, however, that the place of this holy virgin was
Clonmore Maedhoe, now Clonmore, in the County of Carlow,* which place
hasbeenalreadydescribedatthe8thofFebruary,5 whentreatingaboutSt.
Oncho or Onchuo, Confessor. At the 15th of September, the bright St:
Lassar is invoked in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, as the shining
one who is not 6 A commentator that she was of Cluana decrepid. adds,
Moir. At the present date, likewise, Lassar is noticed in the Martyrology of Donegal. 7 The same entry occurs in the Irish Calendar, belonging to the
8
Article IV. —The Sons of Tadhg. Some instances occur in our Irish
Calendars of Saints venerated, without their distinctive names being pre-
served, as in the present case. There is not wanting a precedent, in the
Roman
Saint's merits had been recognised, although his real name has not been placed on record. 2 In that copy of the Martyrology of Tallagh contained in
Ordnance Survey Records.
At this date, also, we rind the
and Missal, 1 for a similar distinction conferred, where a
Breviary
" See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui
Gormain," pp. 176, 1. 77.
13 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
6 Thus—
" 1n cAnrolech riAch cpAmiA,
lerme. " Kelly, p. xxxiv. In the Book of Leinster —Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui Gor-
pp. 248, 249. — Article hi.
LAfpAp lAin-opech
*
copy is Larr'Aip Cluana mop.
2 See " Acta Sanctorum Colgan's
Finniani seu
Finneni,
3 See the list of saints, under the
Edited by Rev. Dr.
Ilibernioe," xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. pp. 248, 249.
Abbatis de Cluain- Krainl, nn. 26, 27, p. 399.
headings Lassar and Laissi, in the "Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and
b Now in the Irish Academy. kept Royal
See "Common—I'lace Book," F. , p. 78.
•
Article iv. At the 30th August.
2 Allusion is here made to that intrepid Christian Martyr, who professed his faith in Reeves, in the Table of the Martyrology, Christ, when St. Felix had been led to
pp. 430to433.
4 In a letter, dated Dublin, 25 Patrick-
martyrdom. Beingapprehendedandunited in death with St. Felix, he was thenceforth called Adauctus, and for this reason, "quod
street, August 3rd, 1873.
5 See at that date, the Second Volume of sancto martyri Felici adauctus sit ad
this work, Art. i. coronam. "
main," p. 176.
» Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, by
September 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 383
the Book of Leinster3 is the entry of a feast at the 15th of September, for the son or sons of Taide. Such name has been omitted from the published version by the Rev. Matthew Kelly, D. D. , at this date. Also, at the 15th of September, in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, are commemorated Tadg's sons for their austerity. * We read, in the Martyrology of Donegal,' that a festival to honour the sons of Tadhg was celebrated on the 15th of September.
ArticleV. —St. CyrinusandhisCompanions,Martyrs. Thefeast of this holy Bishop and Martyr, with that of his companions, was celebrated on this day in the early Irish Church, as we learn from the Feilire1 of St.
Article VI. —Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the early Irish Church, the Octave Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Nativity was observed as a Feast of Devotion, as we learn from the Feilire
—Dr. ^ Whitley Stokes' main," p. 176.
Felire Hui Gor-
A brief note is attached. 2 This festival to have been taken appears
^Engus.
from the ancient Hieronymian Martyrology,3 in which the names of Saints Cyrinus, Serapion, Leontius and Crocus are to be found. In the Martyr- ology of Raban Maur, only the names of Serapion and Leontius arc mentioned, at the 15th of September/ The Bollandists, who record \}r< feast at the present date, refer to the 12th of this month, as the one known to the Greeks, and also to be met with in the Roman Martyrology. s
1 An allusion to the consecration of a Basilica to her honour has
of
not been explained ; but, probably it had reference to some church erected in Ireland, and solemnly dedicated under her patronage, on this Octave of her Festival. The great Octave of Mary is celebrated on the 15th of
^Engus.
in the
commemoration of such a feast in Usuard and in other Latin Fasti, the Bollandists note it on this day. 3 It is also inserted in the Roman Martyrology. *
September,
"MaicTaidgaratenne. "
"
of Marianus O'Gorman. 2 the Finding
us—rnAC CA1'oe ? ? * •
3
4 Thus
3 There are
go by the title of Codices Hieronymiani, but which aPPear to have been taken from Calendars and Martyrologies, that date back to a period still more remote than the age of St. Jerome. Several of these belonged to
Martyrology
s Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, particular Churches. The Greeks and
posed, that Eusebius compiled a Greek Martyrology, afterwards used by St. Jerome
in the composition of one in Latin. Ancient
versions of this had been used in Ireland by
ourCalendarists. SeePereVictordeBucks
"
Recherches sur les Calendriers Ecclesias- tiques. " Bruxelles, 1877. 8vo.
4 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v,
Septembris xv. Among the pretermitted Saints, p. 2.
S Leaving out the name ot Cyrinus, we there read—" Alexandria; natalis sanctorum
Martyrum Ilieronidis, Leontii, Serapionis, Selesii, Valeriani et Stratonis, qui sub
pp. 248, 249. —
Article v. In the Leabhar Breac among the most ancient. It has been sup-
*
copy we have the following stanza at the 15th September :—
LACoireq\<vo mbAirlicc 111AipemupcocaIcu
CitMnur- cenfoccUi
luit) corluag mop mApcpai.
Thus translated by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. —
•'
At the consecration of the Basilica, Mary,
a rampart with strength, Cyrinus, without
vainglory, went with a great host of iMartyr-
dom. "— " Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
parti. OntheCalendarofOengus,pp. MaximimoImperatoreobChristinomin—is
cxxxvn. , cxxxviii. confessionem in mare sunt demersi. "
"" Martyrologium Romanum, Edifio
novissima, p.
4 See his Life, at the 9th of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
5 This place is of great antiquity, it having been "the site of a station formed by the Romans during their occupation of Scotland between the years 80 and 446, and designated by Ptolem—v, the ancient geographer, Vanduara. " "The Imperial GazetteerofScotland,1' vol. ii. ,
6 This — in some place— part
die 6 Februarii de S. aliis quae Merino,
episcopO, aliis abbate, jam fuerunt observata. " See pp. 2, 3.
" This was a monastery built early in the tenth century by William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine, founded by the Abbot Bernon of Gigny in 940, and raised to its greatest
mostprobably hasnotyetbeenidentified. 7 See " Breviarium Aberdonense," Pars
Aestiva, —fol. cvi.
8 Thus " Decim j Septimo KT. Octobris.
'
557.
of Scotland
is passed over, however, with
p.
—In Scocia Sancti Mirini episcopi et
confessoris apud Pasletum cuius ibidem
cenobium sumptuosa dedicatum structure
illustrium Scotorum regum meritis Merini splendour by his successor, St. Odo. Its
datatum ubi varia miraculosa sanctitatis sue history may be found abbreviated in the ""
patent indicia. "— Proceedings of the "Encyclopedic Catholique of M. l'Abbe
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, "Vol. ii. ,
pp. 267, 268.
9 Thus—" S. Mirine abot of paslay an
Glaire and M. le Vte. Walsh, tome viii. ,
Art. Cluny, pp. 235 to 237.
,J Founder of the Stuart family.
confess, in —Scotland under king fin- "
barmache. " Bishop Forbes' Kalendar of Scottish Saints," p. 162.
I0 Thus—" Pasleti Mirini abbatis, quern
nonnulli ponunt sub Fincormacho rege sub M
annum ccclxix. , K. C. -r*$&/. , p. 211. "See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v. ,
xv. the
Septembris Among pretermitted
Saints. He
the remark—" Vuleri tamen etiam possunt,
September 15. J LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
monastery were dedicated. At first, Paisley was only a Priory ; but, in 12 16, a Bull of Pope Honorius III. ** detached it from Wenlock, and had it
constituted an Abbacy. The buildings then existing were burned by the English, in 1307, during the War of Independence, and the monastery seems to have been^almost entirely destroyed. In 1406, Robert III. , King of
Scotland, was interred in Paisley Abbey. 15
Little seems to have been done towards a restoration of the building, until the Abbot Thomas Tervas,
who died a. d. 1459,
commenced the good
work, which was com-
pleted by his successor,
the Abbot George Shaw.
St. Mirrin's Chapel, Paisley.
Hamilton attended her during her flight to England, so far as the Solway. AfterwardshewasdeclaredatraitorbyRegentMurray. Onthe2ndofApril,
14 He reigned from A. D. 1216 to A. D.
Gazetteer of Scotland,'' vol. v. , Art. Paisley
1227. See Sir Harris Nicolas' of History,' p. 209.
js "
"
pp. 147 to 157.
"7 See Jac. Augusti Thuani
Robert the GWjtto, ottre ILortJ tfje fHato at ©urrtjounalli his m&ginjr. ! t? ts faorjrj foes fjati than to $aslarj, &nti Sxres entgrit in that &ubag. "
Historiarum sui Temporis," tomus ii. , lib. xliii. ,
—Andrew 01 " Wyntoun's Orygynale
,0 See that magnificent topographical work, Francis H. Groome's " Ordnance
of Scotland," vol.
book chap, xxvi. , p. 98. Edition of David
Laing.
Cronykil
Hi. ,
ix. ,
Chronology
"
&mg,
sect, iii. , pp. 628, 629.
,8 He then waded knee-deep into the
water, and held back Queen Mary's boat, urging her not to trust herself into the power of her rival, Queen Elizabeth. Under another title for the purposes of his romance, Sir Walter Scott has pathetically introduced this parting scene, when closing with the
xxxviii. , and last chapter of his fine historical novel, "The Abbot. "
He ruled from 1472 to 16
During the
I499.
troublous times of the Reformation in Scot- land, the last Abbot, John Hamilton, had ceased to exercise diction in 1545 ; yet, by consent of Queen Mary, he retained the abbacy in trust for his nephew, Lord Claud Hamilton. intheyear1557,abody of the Reformers attacked the abbey, drove the monks out of the building, and " burnt all the ymages and ydols and popish stuffin the same. " Hav- ing been present in the
Queen's interest, at the battle ofLangside, 13th May, 1 568,^ John
18
juris-
However,
38o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [September 15.
1
1571, he was captured in the Castle of Dumbarton. ? His possessions were
forfeited, and the abbey lands of Paisley were bestowed on William Lord Sempil. Since that period, the glorious Abbey Church of Paisley has become a venerable ruin, the traces of which reveal to the beholder its former magnifi- cence. 20 When entire, it consisted of a nave, choir, and north transept. The chapel of St. Mirren and St. Columba occupies the place where the south transept should have been. The total outside length of the building, in its perfectstate,hadbeen265feet. 21 ThechapelofSt. MirranandSt. Columba, better known as the " Sounding Aisle,"22 is on the south side, and on the
site of the south The nave is the now 2^ and it is transept. only part roofed,
still used as the Presbyterian church for Abbey Parish. 2*
The chapel of St.
Mirren, or " the sounding aisle," was erected about the end of the fifteenth
19 He was hanged on a gibbet, in his Episcopal Robes, over the battlements of the Castle of Stirling, on the 6th of April,
"—Rev. Dr. Schotichronicon," vol. i. , p. 288.
2 century.
1 1. 57
J.
F. S. Gordon's
—
age probably they
existed before the
" 20
chapel itself, and were fragments of an
s
In Scotland are various localities, associated with the name of this saint.
In 1874, the writer, in company with Rev. Dr. J. F. S. Gordon, author of the
" Scoti-Chronicon," had an opportunity for
visiting the Abbey ruins at Paisley. An
interesting account of this monastic establish-
ment may be found in Dr. J. Cameron
Lees' "The Abbey of Paisley, from its
foundation to its Dissolution," Paisley, 1878.
21
Internally the nave is 93 feet in length, by 59^ feet in breadth, including the side aisles. The choir, which has no aisles, is
123^ feet long, and 32 wide, and the transept is 32 feet in width. The distance from the north wall to the wall of St. Mirren's Chapel is 92^ feet ; all of these measurements being internal. The walls of the choir only rise a foot or little more over the ground level, but the piscina and sedilia still remain, as also the foundations of the pillars, on which the central tower arose. The north transept, with its magnificent and finely- traceried window, 32 feet in height and 18 feet wide, remains to be seen. A wood-cut, postfixed to Robert William Billings' description of the Abbey of Paisley, represents the beautiful sedilia wrought in four different compartments, with fine super-mouldings.
22 The " sounding aisle " has received its name from a long established reputation for the loudness with which sounds are echoed within it ; and it is generally some time ere the slamming of doors, and some other noisy
—"
earlier edifice. " Billing's Baronial and
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland,"
vol- iv. The Abbey of Paisley, pp. 2, 3.
23 " The interior of the nave is truly
magnificent. Ten massy clustered columns,
17 feet in height, with simple but elegantly moulded capitals, divide the aisles from the body of the fabric. Of these columns, the circumference of each of the two nearest the west is more than double that of any of the others, plainly indicating that they were intended by the architect, in con- nection with the front wall, to support two western towers. From the imposts of the columns spring pointed arches, with delicate and graceful mouldings. From a floor formed above the first tier of arches spring those of the triforium. Above the tiiforium rises the clerestory, the arches of which are simple, pointed and narrow, but of just proportions. The original roof, which has given place to a simple coved one, was finely groined with sculptured bosses, at the intersections of the ribs, of which a specimen is still to be seen, towards the west end of the southern aisle. "—"The Topographical Statistical and Historical
Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 482.
24 In the magnificently illustrated work of Robert William Hillings, "The Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Scotland,'' vol. iv. , Nos. 26, 27, 28, 29, are views representing—I. The West Front ol Paisley efforts to make the visitor duly aware of Abbey ; 2. The North Side, externally ; 3. The Nave, interior looking west ; 4.
this peculiarity, can be so far suppressed as to admit of the peaceable inspection of its interesting contents. The main object of
Chapel on the South Side of the Choir. The latter, which is known as St. Mirin's
Chapel, was copied, drawn, and engraved on the wood by Grcgor Grey. It forms the subject of our present illustration.
*s See the Charter quoted in " Views in '
Renfrewshire," p. 43. m
attention is that mysterious monument, "
called Queen Blearie's Tomb. " It is the monument of a female, whose effigy lies at full length on a large altar sarcophagus. ***** Along a portion of the upper
end of the sounding aisle there is a series
of sculptured groups in compartments. They are the work of an ancient and rude
September 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 38
Thus, in the south-east boundary of the parish of Kelton in Kirkcudbright is
Kirk Mirren, where the vestige of an ancient chapel and churchyard may be
26 2 found. In the parish of Kilmarnock is St. Mirren's ruined Chapel ? upon
Inch Murryn, the largest Island of romantic Loch Lomond. 28 Owing to the name and to the patron, some former connexion with the Abbey of Paisley may be traced. In Kilsyth, on the south of Woodend, there is a remarkable
2
spring called St. Mirrin's Well. ? In the parish of Coylton, there is a farm
called Knock Murran. 3° On the south side of the North Esk is the Burn of Alurran. There are no distinct traces of this Saint's memory anywhere on the east coast of Scotland. 31
ArticleII. —St. AnmeirorAinmire,ofCluain-foda. TheMartyr-
of 1 records a festival in honour of Anmeir or Ainmire, of ology Tallagh
Cluain-foda,2 at the 15th of September. In modern phraseology, the locality must now be recognised in Clonfad, and there are various places so called, in different counties of Ireland ; but, hitherto we have not been able to identifythepresentSaintinconnectionwithanyofthem. Thereweretwo celebrated places, bearing this name, and mentioned in our Annals. One was known as Cluain-foda Baetanabha,3 that is " the long Lawn" or n Meadow " of Baetain-abha, in the parish of Killucan, barony of Farbil, and County of Westmeath. In our Irish Annals, it is noticed in connection with the founder St. Etchcenius or Etchen, who died in the year of grace 5 7 7, 4
Long
8 Westmeath. It was likewise called Cluain-foda-Fine, in Feara-Tulach. In
the year 835 died Fiachra, son of Dubhdacrich, Abbot of this place. 9 Again,
it is mentioned under the designation of Cluain-foda-Fini, at a. d. 887,'
when Conchobhar, son of Flanagan, Lord of Ui-Failge, was destroyed by fire in its church, and the relics of Finian were violated by the Feara-Tulach,
on his way from parleying with Flann, son of Maelseachlain, King of Ireland. One locality in Ireland was formerly known as Cluainfoda Anmireach.
"
26 See " New Statistical Account of Scot- s When Aengus, son of Tibraide, Abbot land," vol. iv. , Kirkcudbright, Parish of of Cluain-foda Beadainabha, died. —Ibid. , Kelton, by the Rev. Samuel Cowan, p. 170. pp. 342, 343.
and with other
a Clnain-foda-Librain,? that
now known as Clonfad, in the barony of Fertullagh, and in the county of
Bishops
or Abbots, at a. d.
741,5
Lawn M or " Meadow,"
See Origines Parochiales Scotise," part i. , p. 35.
Gazetteer of Scotland," vol, ii. , p. 8.
29 See "Origines Parochiales Scoti? e,"
part i. , p. 43.
3° See New Statistical Account of Scot-
land," vol. v. , Ayr, Parish of Coylton, by Rev. Alexander Duncan, p. 656.
In this year (or recte 795), Tibraide, Abbot of Cluaiu-foda, died. —Ibid. , pp. 396, 397. The reader will hardly fail to observe how the influence of a family name was paramount in that monastery during the eighth century.
7 So called from St. Librain or Libran. who flourished in the sixth or seventh century, and of whom some account may be found in the Third Volume of tins work, at
28 See a
of it in "The Topographical, Statistical, and Historical
description
is,
" St. Librain's
*
27" 6 Ua
* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of the nth of March, Art. iii.
8 The ancient name for the present Article ii. —« Edited by Rev. Dr. Barony of Fertullagh, County of West-
Scottish Saints,"
p. 398.
xxxiv.
2 In the Book of Leinster copy is
-Ainmepe CluAna pacA.
3 See the notices of St. Etchen, Bishop of
that place, at the nth of February, in the Second Volume of this work, Art. ii.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 208, 209.
meath.
'See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 452, 453, and n. (n. ), ibid.
,0 See ibid. , pp. 540, 54', and n. (n. )
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xw. , p. I31.
Kelly,
and 6 There was also jg .
382 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. JSkptember 15.
We are told it was near the Church of Domnach-Padruic, perhaps Temple Patrick in the County of Westmeath. Could the site of this locality be ascertained, it seems probable it should determine that of the present Saint Ainmire's place. At the 1 5th of September, a festival for the chaste Ainmire of
12
Cluain is given by Marianus O'Gorman.
entry for his feast in the Martyrology of Donegal. ^
Article III. —St. Lassar of Clonmore. This pious Virgin, St. Lassair, of Cluain-mor, was venerated at the 15th of September, as we read in
1 The name of Lassera or Lassair Lasra, Lassar,
the of Martyrologies
Tallagh.
was not an unusual one among the Irish female Saints. 2 Of these, some are
distinguishedbytheirpatronymics; othersbytheirconnexionwithaparticular
locality ; while others are not recognizable under either category. 3 The
present St. Lassar is said to have been of Cluain-mor. Many places, bearing
the name of Clonmore, are found in various parts of Ireland. Mr. John
McCall informs the writer, however, that the place of this holy virgin was
Clonmore Maedhoe, now Clonmore, in the County of Carlow,* which place
hasbeenalreadydescribedatthe8thofFebruary,5 whentreatingaboutSt.
Oncho or Onchuo, Confessor. At the 15th of September, the bright St:
Lassar is invoked in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, as the shining
one who is not 6 A commentator that she was of Cluana decrepid. adds,
Moir. At the present date, likewise, Lassar is noticed in the Martyrology of Donegal. 7 The same entry occurs in the Irish Calendar, belonging to the
8
Article IV. —The Sons of Tadhg. Some instances occur in our Irish
Calendars of Saints venerated, without their distinctive names being pre-
served, as in the present case. There is not wanting a precedent, in the
Roman
Saint's merits had been recognised, although his real name has not been placed on record. 2 In that copy of the Martyrology of Tallagh contained in
Ordnance Survey Records.
At this date, also, we rind the
and Missal, 1 for a similar distinction conferred, where a
Breviary
" See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui
Gormain," pp. 176, 1. 77.
13 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
6 Thus—
" 1n cAnrolech riAch cpAmiA,
lerme. " Kelly, p. xxxiv. In the Book of Leinster —Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Felire Hui Gor-
pp. 248, 249. — Article hi.
LAfpAp lAin-opech
*
copy is Larr'Aip Cluana mop.
2 See " Acta Sanctorum Colgan's
Finniani seu
Finneni,
3 See the list of saints, under the
Edited by Rev. Dr.
Ilibernioe," xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. pp. 248, 249.
Abbatis de Cluain- Krainl, nn. 26, 27, p. 399.
headings Lassar and Laissi, in the "Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and
b Now in the Irish Academy. kept Royal
See "Common—I'lace Book," F. , p. 78.
•
Article iv. At the 30th August.
2 Allusion is here made to that intrepid Christian Martyr, who professed his faith in Reeves, in the Table of the Martyrology, Christ, when St. Felix had been led to
pp. 430to433.
4 In a letter, dated Dublin, 25 Patrick-
martyrdom. Beingapprehendedandunited in death with St. Felix, he was thenceforth called Adauctus, and for this reason, "quod
street, August 3rd, 1873.
5 See at that date, the Second Volume of sancto martyri Felici adauctus sit ad
this work, Art. i. coronam. "
main," p. 176.
» Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, by
September 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 383
the Book of Leinster3 is the entry of a feast at the 15th of September, for the son or sons of Taide. Such name has been omitted from the published version by the Rev. Matthew Kelly, D. D. , at this date. Also, at the 15th of September, in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, are commemorated Tadg's sons for their austerity. * We read, in the Martyrology of Donegal,' that a festival to honour the sons of Tadhg was celebrated on the 15th of September.
ArticleV. —St. CyrinusandhisCompanions,Martyrs. Thefeast of this holy Bishop and Martyr, with that of his companions, was celebrated on this day in the early Irish Church, as we learn from the Feilire1 of St.
Article VI. —Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the early Irish Church, the Octave Day of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Nativity was observed as a Feast of Devotion, as we learn from the Feilire
—Dr. ^ Whitley Stokes' main," p. 176.
Felire Hui Gor-
A brief note is attached. 2 This festival to have been taken appears
^Engus.
from the ancient Hieronymian Martyrology,3 in which the names of Saints Cyrinus, Serapion, Leontius and Crocus are to be found. In the Martyr- ology of Raban Maur, only the names of Serapion and Leontius arc mentioned, at the 15th of September/ The Bollandists, who record \}r< feast at the present date, refer to the 12th of this month, as the one known to the Greeks, and also to be met with in the Roman Martyrology. s
1 An allusion to the consecration of a Basilica to her honour has
of
not been explained ; but, probably it had reference to some church erected in Ireland, and solemnly dedicated under her patronage, on this Octave of her Festival. The great Octave of Mary is celebrated on the 15th of
^Engus.
in the
commemoration of such a feast in Usuard and in other Latin Fasti, the Bollandists note it on this day. 3 It is also inserted in the Roman Martyrology. *
September,
"MaicTaidgaratenne. "
"
of Marianus O'Gorman. 2 the Finding
us—rnAC CA1'oe ? ? * •
3
4 Thus
3 There are
go by the title of Codices Hieronymiani, but which aPPear to have been taken from Calendars and Martyrologies, that date back to a period still more remote than the age of St. Jerome. Several of these belonged to
Martyrology
s Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, particular Churches. The Greeks and
posed, that Eusebius compiled a Greek Martyrology, afterwards used by St. Jerome
in the composition of one in Latin. Ancient
versions of this had been used in Ireland by
ourCalendarists. SeePereVictordeBucks
"
Recherches sur les Calendriers Ecclesias- tiques. " Bruxelles, 1877. 8vo.
4 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus v,
Septembris xv. Among the pretermitted Saints, p. 2.
S Leaving out the name ot Cyrinus, we there read—" Alexandria; natalis sanctorum
Martyrum Ilieronidis, Leontii, Serapionis, Selesii, Valeriani et Stratonis, qui sub
pp. 248, 249. —
Article v. In the Leabhar Breac among the most ancient. It has been sup-
*
copy we have the following stanza at the 15th September :—
LACoireq\<vo mbAirlicc 111AipemupcocaIcu
CitMnur- cenfoccUi
luit) corluag mop mApcpai.
Thus translated by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. —
•'
At the consecration of the Basilica, Mary,
a rampart with strength, Cyrinus, without
vainglory, went with a great host of iMartyr-
dom. "— " Transactions of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
parti. OntheCalendarofOengus,pp. MaximimoImperatoreobChristinomin—is
cxxxvn. , cxxxviii. confessionem in mare sunt demersi. "
"" Martyrologium Romanum, Edifio
novissima, p.
