This image, however, shared the fate of many other venerable remains of
Christian
art, it having been broken by modern sectaries, before the middle oftheseventeenthcentury.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
iii.
, cap.
i.
, num.
89, p.
229.
Article viii. — * Edited U;l! y, p. xxvi.
ii. , Junii
Gynseceo
Arturi.
here it seems us— Article x.
saints, p. 148.
' Sanctorum Hiber- Catalogus aliquorum
niae.
Article XI,— See Bishop Forbes'
great struggle
ArticleVIII. —St. AmalghaidhMacEachach. IntheMartyrology
of 1 a festival of honour in mac Eachach is recorded at Tallagh, Amalghaidh
the 9th of June. Little more seems to be known concerning this saint. In the
of 2 we find an almost similar and at the same Martyrology Donegal, entry,
date, of Amhalgaidh, son of Eochaidh.
Article IX. —Cruimther, Mac Ua Nesse. The Martyrology of
paid,
mac h Nessi. His proper name seems to be unknown, for he is set down only
as a Priest. We find his name entered, also, in the of at the same date, as Cruimther 3 Mac Ua Nesse.
Article X. —Festival ascribed to St. Colman. At the 9th June,
theBollandists1 Father quote
Fitzsimon2 fortheFeastofSt. Colman
Henry
but, they do not pretend to particularize who he had been, among the many
Irish Saints bearing that name.
Article XI. —St. Come, or Comus, Abbot. [Sixth Century. ,] In Adam King's Kalendar, at the 9th of June, is entered the feast of a St. Come, said to have been Abbot and Confessor in Scotland, under King Aidanus. 1 Also, he is commemorated by Dempster, in his Menologium Scotorum,2 as
by
Rev. Dr.
164, 165.
3 i n a note, Dr. Todd says : "The word
auimther, the Celtic form of the word /fro- byter, signifies a priest. " He adds, "but
See Acta
Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 9, pp. tomus ii. , Junii ix. Among the pretermitted
by
Rev. Dr.
" Kalendars of Scottish
Saints," p. 154.
2
See ibid. , p. 202.
2 Martyrology Donegal,
'
proper "
;
June io. ]
LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. ii r
an Abbot, at the same date. He must have flourished in the time of St. Columkille, who was contemporaneous with King Aidanus. He is also alluded to by Camerarius 3 as an Abbot,* and by the Bollandists,s at this date.
Cent! ) ©ap of 3une.
ARTICLE I. —ST. ILLADAN OR IOLLADHAN, SON OF EOCHAIDH, BISHOP OF RATHLIPHTHEN, NOW RATHLIHEN, KING'S COUNTY.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
A few particulars only are recorded of this holy man, and these are to be
found in the Life of St. 1 of Killare. The chiefly Aidus, Bishop
pedigree as given in the Irish Genealogies refers his origin to the pagan Mon-
archofIreland whowas Laoighre,
withSt. 2 and Patrick,
contemporaneous
whose death is- recorded with curious incidents, at a. d. 458. 3 To the latter,
he was great-grandson, being third in descent. This holy man called Illadan or Iolladhan was son to Damen, son of Ennius, who was son to Laoghaire, Kingoflreland. 4 HeisalsonamedIllandorlllandus. Hewasdescendedfrom the race of Niall of the Nine Hostages,5 as we can glean from the foregoing pedigree. It is not improbable, he had been born in that particular part of Meath province, with which his memory is especially connected, and in the earlier period of the sixth century. According to Ussher, our saint flourished,
left the cares of this Illand became Abbot world,
in the 6 year 540.
Having
over some monks, at a place called Rathlibhthen, in a part of ancient Meath,
called Feara Ceall. This now comprises Ballycowen and Ballyboy baronies, intheKing'sCounty. ? TheplacecalledRathLiphthen,inFirceall,Meath, where he was venerated, has been identified with Rathlihen, or Rathlin, a
of 8 of Killoughey parish, barony
Ballyboy,
in the This King's County. 9
part
place is Latinized Arx Libteni ; and doubtless, it was so called from an
3 See ibid. , p. 238.
* Thus eniered by the Bollandists : " S. Comus Abbas, Regii in Mara insula caus- tri. "
5 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii
et Confessoris, n. 7, p. 422.
5 According to Selbach, and the " Genea-
logies of the Irish Saints. "
6 See ILsher's " Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates," Index Chroiiologicus,
ix.
Among the pretermitted saihts, p.
p. 529- "
148. Article
i SeeDr.
Lanigan's
EcclesiasticalHis-
—
two festivals, in our Iri<-h Calendars, viz. . at
I.
by
tory
n. 43, p. 12.
»
He
is commemorated
of vol. Ireland," ii. ,
chap, x. ,
sect, iii. ,
and at November 10th. The reader is referred to his Life, at the latter
date.
2 See the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, Art. i. Life of St.
Patrick, chap, viii. , ix.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 144, 145, and nn.
(f,g, h).
4 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum I liber-
niae," xxviii. Februarii, Vita S. Aidi Epis.
8 See it described, on "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the King's County,
sheets 15, 16, 23, 24, 25, 31, 32.
» In the first instance, by Thomas
O'Conor, in "Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the King s County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837-8," vol. ii. Mr. O'Conor's Letter, dated Roscrea, February
5th, 1838, pp. 119, 120.
,0 It is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey
February 23rd,
612 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIJVTS. [June io.
ancient Fort, which rose near the site of the old monastery, and probably at a much earlier period than the erection of the latter building. It has been known as Rathlibhthen, a townland denomination a few miles from the town of Frankfort, in the King's County. It is also written, Ralihin, and Rath-
Jihin,
10but
locally pronounced
Rawleen. Wehavenomeansfor
knowing
if our saint had been the original founder of the first monastery in this locality ;
yet, it appears highly probable, as he lived in an age so remote from the pre-
sent time. Here, there was a school, in which the Sacred Scriptures were taught,
as also where secular learning was cultivated. " It is supposed, this saint
founded his about the middle of the sixth 12 St. Illand monastery, century.
was a principal instrument, in the hands of God, for determining the ecclesias- tical vocation of St. Aidus, Bishop of Killare, whom he instructed, and sent on bis mission. 1* Our saint, besides being Abbot, exercised episcopal juris- diction, also, as we find him called Bishop, in the Life of St. Aidus. '* The ruins of an old church yet lie within Rathlihin townland, in Killoughy parish. An enclosed cemetery now surrounds them. Only a few years back, the plan
—re But the stones—
and form of the old chapel we distinguishable. excepting
someofthoseinthewestend weretorndown,andusedinbuildingawall roundthecemetery. Thechurchwastwenty-twofeetsixinchesinwidth;" and it measured about 60 feet in length, so far as could be calculated by the writer. At the western gable, on the inside, there was an apartment, with a coved stone roof, extending the whole breadth of this edifice. Mortar still remaining on the roof shows, that it had been built over wicker-work. How- ever, it is now greatly injured, owing to an act of Vandalism which the people of that neighbourhood allowed to be perpetrated over twenty years ago. A pious person having bequeathed a small sum of money to have a wall erected round the exposed graveyard, a stonemason contracted —for its erection, and
then
tolerably per- Excepting the coved- roof chamber or cell, nearly every other part of the church has been removed, and even a considerable portion of that has been destroyed, as we were assured on the spot by a guide, who was cognizant of the facts we have already related. The east gable has been pulled down to within a few feet
of the soil on the outside ; interiorly, it supports one side of the coved-roof. 16 A small fragment of the north side wall stands. '7 The fine limestone of the district had been used in constructing the entire building. Immediately south of the churchyard, there is a very remarkable moat, which like so many of its class in Ireland appears to to have been in great part the work of human hands. Advantage had been taken of a natural eminence, to scarp it into an
artificial and a symmetrical shape, probably to place a fortification on the upper surface. About a quarter of a mile to the same side of it, Lady Well l8 is
hea
down the old church walls
—t once
to
fect so that their materials were used for his purpose.
Townland sheet 24.
for the
' 5 to the Rev. According
proceeded
pull
Maps
King's County,"
Anthony Cogan, in his valuable work, "The Diocese of
" See Archbishop Ussher's " Britanni-
carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap, xix. , p. 514. and n. ibid.
,6
The other side seems to have sprung from a transverse wall, as we have been in- formed; and even portions of that division remain, to attest the correctness of this in- formation,
1 This is represented in the foreground of the accompanying sketch, taken on the spot, the 9th of August, 1888. A great gap occurs in the side of the vaulted structure, within the old church, where the division wall once
xvii. , p. 498. ""
See Rev. Anthony Cogan's Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. Hi. , chap, lxxv. , p. 618.
13 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nue," xxviii. Februarii. Vita S. Aidi Epis. et Confessons, cap. iv. , v. , vi. , pp. 418. 419.
M He is venerated at the 28th of Feb- ruary.
June io. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
613
seen, towards the east by south of this church. 10 It was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin, and it used to be frequented, on the 8th of September, one of her festivals. 20 On an eminence near the old church stands a castle in ruins, which tradition says had been built by O'Molloy, to whom also the erection of the church is ascribed. " The memory of the Patron Saint Illadan was held in great veneration, at Rathlibhthen church, for many centuries after his death,
Rathlihen Old Church, King's County.
andevenuntilthetimeofColgan; whotellsus,thatthestatueofSt. Illand, with a mitre on its head, and a crozier in hand, was to be seen there in his day.
This image, however, shared the fate of many other venerable remains of Christian art, it having been broken by modern sectaries, before the middle oftheseventeenthcentury. " Thesaint'sstatue,withanepiscopalmitreon its*head and a crozier in its hand, long remained in this church, and it was to be seen there towards the close of the last century, but the head had been broken off by sacrilegious hands. 33 In 1838, Thomas O'Conor could obtain no information about the statue of St. Iolladhan, and as may supposed still less can any tradition about it be recovered at the present time. The year of
crossed the church's width. Behind the south side wail appears the top of a very
now
Lady-day became the patron day in the parish
40 See Rev. " Diocese of Anthony Cogan's
and
nished over in great part with aged haw-
thorns. In the far distance are the Slieve xix. , sect. 5, p. 514.
high
evidently
ancient
mound,
gar-
Bloom Mountains. The writer's sketch has been transferred by William F. Wakeman
" This opinion still holds sway in the
" See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
xxviii. Februarii. Vita S. Aidi, niae," Epis.
et Confessoris, n. 7, p. 422.
23 See " Monasticon Hiberni- Archdall\
cum," p. 404.
to the wood,
engraved by
Mrs. Millard.
keeps sentinel,
18 A
and a wall encompasses it.
very aged
ash tree
19 Mr. Thomas O'Conor
han was altogether forgotten there, while
says,
"that Iollad-
of Killoughey. "
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap,
neighbourhood.
614 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June io.
this saint's death is not known ; but, his festival was kept, on the ioth day
of June,24 probably that of his death. We find a feast set down, in the
of 25 at the ioth of 26 in honour of Illadan mac Martyrology Tallagh, June,
Eucdoch o Raith Liphiten. We are told, moreover,2? that Marianus O'Gorman and a commentator on St. yEngus 28 have the festival of Illand Hua Eochaidh, on the same The of a9 records
day. Martyrology Donegal him,atthesamedate,underthetitleoflolladhansonofEochaidh. Under
the head of Rath-Libhthen, Du—ald Mac Firbis enters Iolladan, descendant—
rathershouldhebestyledson ofEochaidh,andabishop,atJuneioth. 1
3° His festival is entered in that copy of the Irish Calendar^ compiled for use of the Irish Ordnance Survey, at the iv. of the June Ides, or ioth of this
month.
Article II. —St. Sanctan, or Santan, Bishop. Veneration was
given on this day, ioth of June, to Sanctan or Santan, a bishop, as we find
entered in the of 1 and of 2 It has been con- Martyrologies Tallagh, Donegal.
jectured^ that the prtsent St. Sanctan may have been identical with a young man, who was rescued from captivity, by St. Fechin,4 Abbot of Fore. s Ano- ther conjecture may be quite as correct, viz. , that he was connected with Kil-
near Bohernabreena,6 near the head waters of the River — Dodder,?
Kilnasantan was — who granted by Archbishop Comyn
nasantan,
Luke, 10 this church to St. granted
of Dublin.
built and endowed St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin 8
Patrick, and confirmation of that grant was made by Pope Celestine II I. ,9 in
county
the tiqi. In year
1231, Archbishop
Patrick's Cathedral, on demise of Andrew de Menavia, the holder of it as a
In 1 ' it was returned as wasted the O'Tooles, and in prebend. 1306, by
1326, the English sheriff describes it, as belonging to the manor of Tallagh, but
*4 See Father Sheerin's posthumous work 166, 167. The more modern hand adds
'•
edited by Father Ward,
Martyris Inclyti, Archiepiscopi Dublinensis, Mechliniensium Apostoli," . Sic. Dissertatio
num. Q. P- -'
e l>at"a S. Rumoldi, sect. 9,
Rev. . . . .
26 Or iv. of the Ides. Uv, p. xxu.
*5 Edited
«> See Colgan's
copy
manufac„e a on t]ie ] g
Dodder mills, valley,
by
"
Acta Sanctoru.
: ' xxviii. Februarii, Vita S. Aidi il^er-
nae,
et Confessoris, n. 7, p. 422.
ha bueAciiAc, " road of the from Britons,
Sancti Rumoldi
the references to Mar. and M. Taml.
Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
flourishing ; CSj i}] eacn
,
28 This however is not to be found in tne toK,cn ,-ia bpeAcnAC, "house of the Bri-
of his " Feilire," as edited by Whitley S:okes, LL. D.
2»
Edited by 1p
30 See " Proceedings of Royal Irish Aca-
Irish Mam^cript Series, vol. 1. ,
demy,"
part i. , pp- 124, 125.
31 There we meet. " 1oUat>a» ua eACAi-o e&rP o Uaic tibcen 1 VeapAlb CeAU 1
the margin,
, j
18 He ruled over the See of
Com- In * note on I find this Uaic bbcen identi-
rnroe. Ordnance Survey Office Copy, mon Place Book F, p. 54-
Harris Nicolas'
Chronolog; g> See Sir . u c YotHistory'»,"
p- 2°? ;
fied as " Rathlihen or Rathlen, in the parish a, of Killoughy, King's County, barony of A. D. 1228 to A. I. . 1255. See
Rev. Dr. J Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
^^ ^ him, in John D Alton s Men,
Archbishops of Dublin, pp. 90
" See John D Alton s " Hisf o
Article ii. — Kelly, p. xxvi.
Edited by
fh County of Dublin," p. 755- r£ of tne
to the College of St.
3
4 See his Life in the First Volume ofthis
work, at January 20th, Art. ii.
5 See "Acta S. inctoium Hibernian," xx.
Januarii. Secunda Vita S. Fechini. cap. xxxvii. , and nn. 27, 28, pp. 137, 138, 142.
6 Some think the derivation lo be boliAp
By Colgan.
were in a irt of t! )e iast the present, am. . (iedined in the beginnin- of
. .
appeared. jiave now ai lllost j,s.
8 About the year
Ware, vol. i. , "Archb. ,,^ gee Harris,
P- 3*5- oprs of Dublin," s He ruled from 1191 to i
"
century,
but t
>ate jn the latter
.
greens, &c,
4
-
'
June io. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 615
" within the lying
therefore waste and 12 the unprofitable. During
Irishry,"
border wars of the middle ages, the exercise of Divine service in it was ren- dered difficult to the settlers. l3 In the sixteenth 1* it
English century, ceased to be a church for worship, a chapel having been erected at a place called by the Irish Templeogue, or " the new church. " The old church of Kilnasantan is now a ruin ; but it measured about 18 paces in length by 5
in breadth. Although built at a very early period, and in a sequestered spot,
1 *
its walls exhibit no skill in contemptible
in this
were rude and broken granite crosses on the piers of its entrance, a large broken font inside the gate, and some tombs of the last century, uniformly
and grotesquely sculptured.
Article III. —St. Sen Berach, of Cuil-Drephni, Countv of
Sligo. The of 1 at the 10th of records the name Martyrology Tallagh, June,
ofSeinbeirech,ChuileDremni. Elsewhere,thisplaceis spokenofmoreat
Inthe of 2 atthesame Martyrology Donegal,
wefind
entered,
brated battle was fought, between Diermaid, King of Erin, with his people, and the kinsmen of Colum Cille, with the Connachtmen on the other side, to avenge the son of the King of Connacht, who was under the protection of St. Columkille. We have already treated about this matter in his Life, 4 as also alluded to the false judgment said to have been given against him for thetranscriptionofSt. Finnen'sbook. s CuleDrebene,6ascalledbyAdam- nan,? was situated in the territory of Cairbre.
Article IV. —St. Forchellach or Faircheallach, of Fore, County
length.
Sen Berach, of Cuil-drephni. Between Druim chliabh, now Drumcliff, and Sligeach, now Sligo,3 in Connacht, Cuil dreimne is situated. Here the cele-
of Westmeath. On the 10th of in the June,
of
1 Tallagh, appears
Martyrology thenameForchellach,ofFobhair,orFore,ashavingbeenvenerated. This
place is situated in the barony of Demifore, and in the county of Westmeath. An interesting account of this place has been left us, by Sir Henry Piers of
Tristernagh,
and written in 1682. 2
He relates a said to have been miracle,
" See ibid. , p. 763.
13 See an account of this ancient church, in William Monck Mason's valuable work,
"
History and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick near Dublin, from its Foundation in 1 190 to the
"Antiquities of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 53 to 55.
* See in the present volume, Art. i. , at
June 9th, chap. vii.
s In a note by Dr. Todd at this word,
Book, he says :
l* 6"
year 1819," book i. , chap, xi. , pp. 74, 75. An Inquisition of 1547 finds annexed to
this church a demesne of 100 acres, ing to the "economy of St. Patrick's. "
15 See William Monck Mason's "History
and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick near Dublin, from its Foundation in 1190 to the year
*
Est locus hie in
Colgan has it : regione
book i. , — xi. , p. 1819," chap, 74,
and n. (a), p. 31. — Article iv.
n. (1). Article hi, Edited by Rev. Dr.
*
Edited
Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxvi. 32
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. J. 66, 167.
3 Threebeautifulcopperplateengravings, with a ground plan of Sligo Abbey, drawn by T. Cocking and Bigari, appear in Grose's
See Major Charles Vallancey's "Collec- tanea de Rebus Hibernicis," vol.
Article viii. — * Edited U;l! y, p. xxvi.
ii. , Junii
Gynseceo
Arturi.
here it seems us— Article x.
saints, p. 148.
' Sanctorum Hiber- Catalogus aliquorum
niae.
Article XI,— See Bishop Forbes'
great struggle
ArticleVIII. —St. AmalghaidhMacEachach. IntheMartyrology
of 1 a festival of honour in mac Eachach is recorded at Tallagh, Amalghaidh
the 9th of June. Little more seems to be known concerning this saint. In the
of 2 we find an almost similar and at the same Martyrology Donegal, entry,
date, of Amhalgaidh, son of Eochaidh.
Article IX. —Cruimther, Mac Ua Nesse. The Martyrology of
paid,
mac h Nessi. His proper name seems to be unknown, for he is set down only
as a Priest. We find his name entered, also, in the of at the same date, as Cruimther 3 Mac Ua Nesse.
Article X. —Festival ascribed to St. Colman. At the 9th June,
theBollandists1 Father quote
Fitzsimon2 fortheFeastofSt. Colman
Henry
but, they do not pretend to particularize who he had been, among the many
Irish Saints bearing that name.
Article XI. —St. Come, or Comus, Abbot. [Sixth Century. ,] In Adam King's Kalendar, at the 9th of June, is entered the feast of a St. Come, said to have been Abbot and Confessor in Scotland, under King Aidanus. 1 Also, he is commemorated by Dempster, in his Menologium Scotorum,2 as
by
Rev. Dr.
164, 165.
3 i n a note, Dr. Todd says : "The word
auimther, the Celtic form of the word /fro- byter, signifies a priest. " He adds, "but
See Acta
Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 9, pp. tomus ii. , Junii ix. Among the pretermitted
by
Rev. Dr.
" Kalendars of Scottish
Saints," p. 154.
2
See ibid. , p. 202.
2 Martyrology Donegal,
'
proper "
;
June io. ]
LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. ii r
an Abbot, at the same date. He must have flourished in the time of St. Columkille, who was contemporaneous with King Aidanus. He is also alluded to by Camerarius 3 as an Abbot,* and by the Bollandists,s at this date.
Cent! ) ©ap of 3une.
ARTICLE I. —ST. ILLADAN OR IOLLADHAN, SON OF EOCHAIDH, BISHOP OF RATHLIPHTHEN, NOW RATHLIHEN, KING'S COUNTY.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
A few particulars only are recorded of this holy man, and these are to be
found in the Life of St. 1 of Killare. The chiefly Aidus, Bishop
pedigree as given in the Irish Genealogies refers his origin to the pagan Mon-
archofIreland whowas Laoighre,
withSt. 2 and Patrick,
contemporaneous
whose death is- recorded with curious incidents, at a. d. 458. 3 To the latter,
he was great-grandson, being third in descent. This holy man called Illadan or Iolladhan was son to Damen, son of Ennius, who was son to Laoghaire, Kingoflreland. 4 HeisalsonamedIllandorlllandus. Hewasdescendedfrom the race of Niall of the Nine Hostages,5 as we can glean from the foregoing pedigree. It is not improbable, he had been born in that particular part of Meath province, with which his memory is especially connected, and in the earlier period of the sixth century. According to Ussher, our saint flourished,
left the cares of this Illand became Abbot world,
in the 6 year 540.
Having
over some monks, at a place called Rathlibhthen, in a part of ancient Meath,
called Feara Ceall. This now comprises Ballycowen and Ballyboy baronies, intheKing'sCounty. ? TheplacecalledRathLiphthen,inFirceall,Meath, where he was venerated, has been identified with Rathlihen, or Rathlin, a
of 8 of Killoughey parish, barony
Ballyboy,
in the This King's County. 9
part
place is Latinized Arx Libteni ; and doubtless, it was so called from an
3 See ibid. , p. 238.
* Thus eniered by the Bollandists : " S. Comus Abbas, Regii in Mara insula caus- tri. "
5 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Junii
et Confessoris, n. 7, p. 422.
5 According to Selbach, and the " Genea-
logies of the Irish Saints. "
6 See ILsher's " Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Antiquitates," Index Chroiiologicus,
ix.
Among the pretermitted saihts, p.
p. 529- "
148. Article
i SeeDr.
Lanigan's
EcclesiasticalHis-
—
two festivals, in our Iri<-h Calendars, viz. . at
I.
by
tory
n. 43, p. 12.
»
He
is commemorated
of vol. Ireland," ii. ,
chap, x. ,
sect, iii. ,
and at November 10th. The reader is referred to his Life, at the latter
date.
2 See the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, Art. i. Life of St.
Patrick, chap, viii. , ix.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 144, 145, and nn.
(f,g, h).
4 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum I liber-
niae," xxviii. Februarii, Vita S. Aidi Epis.
8 See it described, on "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the King's County,
sheets 15, 16, 23, 24, 25, 31, 32.
» In the first instance, by Thomas
O'Conor, in "Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the King s County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837-8," vol. ii. Mr. O'Conor's Letter, dated Roscrea, February
5th, 1838, pp. 119, 120.
,0 It is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey
February 23rd,
612 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIJVTS. [June io.
ancient Fort, which rose near the site of the old monastery, and probably at a much earlier period than the erection of the latter building. It has been known as Rathlibhthen, a townland denomination a few miles from the town of Frankfort, in the King's County. It is also written, Ralihin, and Rath-
Jihin,
10but
locally pronounced
Rawleen. Wehavenomeansfor
knowing
if our saint had been the original founder of the first monastery in this locality ;
yet, it appears highly probable, as he lived in an age so remote from the pre-
sent time. Here, there was a school, in which the Sacred Scriptures were taught,
as also where secular learning was cultivated. " It is supposed, this saint
founded his about the middle of the sixth 12 St. Illand monastery, century.
was a principal instrument, in the hands of God, for determining the ecclesias- tical vocation of St. Aidus, Bishop of Killare, whom he instructed, and sent on bis mission. 1* Our saint, besides being Abbot, exercised episcopal juris- diction, also, as we find him called Bishop, in the Life of St. Aidus. '* The ruins of an old church yet lie within Rathlihin townland, in Killoughy parish. An enclosed cemetery now surrounds them. Only a few years back, the plan
—re But the stones—
and form of the old chapel we distinguishable. excepting
someofthoseinthewestend weretorndown,andusedinbuildingawall roundthecemetery. Thechurchwastwenty-twofeetsixinchesinwidth;" and it measured about 60 feet in length, so far as could be calculated by the writer. At the western gable, on the inside, there was an apartment, with a coved stone roof, extending the whole breadth of this edifice. Mortar still remaining on the roof shows, that it had been built over wicker-work. How- ever, it is now greatly injured, owing to an act of Vandalism which the people of that neighbourhood allowed to be perpetrated over twenty years ago. A pious person having bequeathed a small sum of money to have a wall erected round the exposed graveyard, a stonemason contracted —for its erection, and
then
tolerably per- Excepting the coved- roof chamber or cell, nearly every other part of the church has been removed, and even a considerable portion of that has been destroyed, as we were assured on the spot by a guide, who was cognizant of the facts we have already related. The east gable has been pulled down to within a few feet
of the soil on the outside ; interiorly, it supports one side of the coved-roof. 16 A small fragment of the north side wall stands. '7 The fine limestone of the district had been used in constructing the entire building. Immediately south of the churchyard, there is a very remarkable moat, which like so many of its class in Ireland appears to to have been in great part the work of human hands. Advantage had been taken of a natural eminence, to scarp it into an
artificial and a symmetrical shape, probably to place a fortification on the upper surface. About a quarter of a mile to the same side of it, Lady Well l8 is
hea
down the old church walls
—t once
to
fect so that their materials were used for his purpose.
Townland sheet 24.
for the
' 5 to the Rev. According
proceeded
pull
Maps
King's County,"
Anthony Cogan, in his valuable work, "The Diocese of
" See Archbishop Ussher's " Britanni-
carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap, xix. , p. 514. and n. ibid.
,6
The other side seems to have sprung from a transverse wall, as we have been in- formed; and even portions of that division remain, to attest the correctness of this in- formation,
1 This is represented in the foreground of the accompanying sketch, taken on the spot, the 9th of August, 1888. A great gap occurs in the side of the vaulted structure, within the old church, where the division wall once
xvii. , p. 498. ""
See Rev. Anthony Cogan's Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. Hi. , chap, lxxv. , p. 618.
13 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nue," xxviii. Februarii. Vita S. Aidi Epis. et Confessons, cap. iv. , v. , vi. , pp. 418. 419.
M He is venerated at the 28th of Feb- ruary.
June io. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
613
seen, towards the east by south of this church. 10 It was dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin, and it used to be frequented, on the 8th of September, one of her festivals. 20 On an eminence near the old church stands a castle in ruins, which tradition says had been built by O'Molloy, to whom also the erection of the church is ascribed. " The memory of the Patron Saint Illadan was held in great veneration, at Rathlibhthen church, for many centuries after his death,
Rathlihen Old Church, King's County.
andevenuntilthetimeofColgan; whotellsus,thatthestatueofSt. Illand, with a mitre on its head, and a crozier in hand, was to be seen there in his day.
This image, however, shared the fate of many other venerable remains of Christian art, it having been broken by modern sectaries, before the middle oftheseventeenthcentury. " Thesaint'sstatue,withanepiscopalmitreon its*head and a crozier in its hand, long remained in this church, and it was to be seen there towards the close of the last century, but the head had been broken off by sacrilegious hands. 33 In 1838, Thomas O'Conor could obtain no information about the statue of St. Iolladhan, and as may supposed still less can any tradition about it be recovered at the present time. The year of
crossed the church's width. Behind the south side wail appears the top of a very
now
Lady-day became the patron day in the parish
40 See Rev. " Diocese of Anthony Cogan's
and
nished over in great part with aged haw-
thorns. In the far distance are the Slieve xix. , sect. 5, p. 514.
high
evidently
ancient
mound,
gar-
Bloom Mountains. The writer's sketch has been transferred by William F. Wakeman
" This opinion still holds sway in the
" See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
xxviii. Februarii. Vita S. Aidi, niae," Epis.
et Confessoris, n. 7, p. 422.
23 See " Monasticon Hiberni- Archdall\
cum," p. 404.
to the wood,
engraved by
Mrs. Millard.
keeps sentinel,
18 A
and a wall encompasses it.
very aged
ash tree
19 Mr. Thomas O'Conor
han was altogether forgotten there, while
says,
"that Iollad-
of Killoughey. "
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap,
neighbourhood.
614 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June io.
this saint's death is not known ; but, his festival was kept, on the ioth day
of June,24 probably that of his death. We find a feast set down, in the
of 25 at the ioth of 26 in honour of Illadan mac Martyrology Tallagh, June,
Eucdoch o Raith Liphiten. We are told, moreover,2? that Marianus O'Gorman and a commentator on St. yEngus 28 have the festival of Illand Hua Eochaidh, on the same The of a9 records
day. Martyrology Donegal him,atthesamedate,underthetitleoflolladhansonofEochaidh. Under
the head of Rath-Libhthen, Du—ald Mac Firbis enters Iolladan, descendant—
rathershouldhebestyledson ofEochaidh,andabishop,atJuneioth. 1
3° His festival is entered in that copy of the Irish Calendar^ compiled for use of the Irish Ordnance Survey, at the iv. of the June Ides, or ioth of this
month.
Article II. —St. Sanctan, or Santan, Bishop. Veneration was
given on this day, ioth of June, to Sanctan or Santan, a bishop, as we find
entered in the of 1 and of 2 It has been con- Martyrologies Tallagh, Donegal.
jectured^ that the prtsent St. Sanctan may have been identical with a young man, who was rescued from captivity, by St. Fechin,4 Abbot of Fore. s Ano- ther conjecture may be quite as correct, viz. , that he was connected with Kil-
near Bohernabreena,6 near the head waters of the River — Dodder,?
Kilnasantan was — who granted by Archbishop Comyn
nasantan,
Luke, 10 this church to St. granted
of Dublin.
built and endowed St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin 8
Patrick, and confirmation of that grant was made by Pope Celestine II I. ,9 in
county
the tiqi. In year
1231, Archbishop
Patrick's Cathedral, on demise of Andrew de Menavia, the holder of it as a
In 1 ' it was returned as wasted the O'Tooles, and in prebend. 1306, by
1326, the English sheriff describes it, as belonging to the manor of Tallagh, but
*4 See Father Sheerin's posthumous work 166, 167. The more modern hand adds
'•
edited by Father Ward,
Martyris Inclyti, Archiepiscopi Dublinensis, Mechliniensium Apostoli," . Sic. Dissertatio
num. Q. P- -'
e l>at"a S. Rumoldi, sect. 9,
Rev. . . . .
26 Or iv. of the Ides. Uv, p. xxu.
*5 Edited
«> See Colgan's
copy
manufac„e a on t]ie ] g
Dodder mills, valley,
by
"
Acta Sanctoru.
: ' xxviii. Februarii, Vita S. Aidi il^er-
nae,
et Confessoris, n. 7, p. 422.
ha bueAciiAc, " road of the from Britons,
Sancti Rumoldi
the references to Mar. and M. Taml.
Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
flourishing ; CSj i}] eacn
,
28 This however is not to be found in tne toK,cn ,-ia bpeAcnAC, "house of the Bri-
of his " Feilire," as edited by Whitley S:okes, LL. D.
2»
Edited by 1p
30 See " Proceedings of Royal Irish Aca-
Irish Mam^cript Series, vol. 1. ,
demy,"
part i. , pp- 124, 125.
31 There we meet. " 1oUat>a» ua eACAi-o e&rP o Uaic tibcen 1 VeapAlb CeAU 1
the margin,
, j
18 He ruled over the See of
Com- In * note on I find this Uaic bbcen identi-
rnroe. Ordnance Survey Office Copy, mon Place Book F, p. 54-
Harris Nicolas'
Chronolog; g> See Sir . u c YotHistory'»,"
p- 2°? ;
fied as " Rathlihen or Rathlen, in the parish a, of Killoughy, King's County, barony of A. D. 1228 to A. I. . 1255. See
Rev. Dr. J Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
^^ ^ him, in John D Alton s Men,
Archbishops of Dublin, pp. 90
" See John D Alton s " Hisf o
Article ii. — Kelly, p. xxvi.
Edited by
fh County of Dublin," p. 755- r£ of tne
to the College of St.
3
4 See his Life in the First Volume ofthis
work, at January 20th, Art. ii.
5 See "Acta S. inctoium Hibernian," xx.
Januarii. Secunda Vita S. Fechini. cap. xxxvii. , and nn. 27, 28, pp. 137, 138, 142.
6 Some think the derivation lo be boliAp
By Colgan.
were in a irt of t! )e iast the present, am. . (iedined in the beginnin- of
. .
appeared. jiave now ai lllost j,s.
8 About the year
Ware, vol. i. , "Archb. ,,^ gee Harris,
P- 3*5- oprs of Dublin," s He ruled from 1191 to i
"
century,
but t
>ate jn the latter
.
greens, &c,
4
-
'
June io. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 615
" within the lying
therefore waste and 12 the unprofitable. During
Irishry,"
border wars of the middle ages, the exercise of Divine service in it was ren- dered difficult to the settlers. l3 In the sixteenth 1* it
English century, ceased to be a church for worship, a chapel having been erected at a place called by the Irish Templeogue, or " the new church. " The old church of Kilnasantan is now a ruin ; but it measured about 18 paces in length by 5
in breadth. Although built at a very early period, and in a sequestered spot,
1 *
its walls exhibit no skill in contemptible
in this
were rude and broken granite crosses on the piers of its entrance, a large broken font inside the gate, and some tombs of the last century, uniformly
and grotesquely sculptured.
Article III. —St. Sen Berach, of Cuil-Drephni, Countv of
Sligo. The of 1 at the 10th of records the name Martyrology Tallagh, June,
ofSeinbeirech,ChuileDremni. Elsewhere,thisplaceis spokenofmoreat
Inthe of 2 atthesame Martyrology Donegal,
wefind
entered,
brated battle was fought, between Diermaid, King of Erin, with his people, and the kinsmen of Colum Cille, with the Connachtmen on the other side, to avenge the son of the King of Connacht, who was under the protection of St. Columkille. We have already treated about this matter in his Life, 4 as also alluded to the false judgment said to have been given against him for thetranscriptionofSt. Finnen'sbook. s CuleDrebene,6ascalledbyAdam- nan,? was situated in the territory of Cairbre.
Article IV. —St. Forchellach or Faircheallach, of Fore, County
length.
Sen Berach, of Cuil-drephni. Between Druim chliabh, now Drumcliff, and Sligeach, now Sligo,3 in Connacht, Cuil dreimne is situated. Here the cele-
of Westmeath. On the 10th of in the June,
of
1 Tallagh, appears
Martyrology thenameForchellach,ofFobhair,orFore,ashavingbeenvenerated. This
place is situated in the barony of Demifore, and in the county of Westmeath. An interesting account of this place has been left us, by Sir Henry Piers of
Tristernagh,
and written in 1682. 2
He relates a said to have been miracle,
" See ibid. , p. 763.
13 See an account of this ancient church, in William Monck Mason's valuable work,
"
History and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick near Dublin, from its Foundation in 1 190 to the
"Antiquities of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 53 to 55.
* See in the present volume, Art. i. , at
June 9th, chap. vii.
s In a note by Dr. Todd at this word,
Book, he says :
l* 6"
year 1819," book i. , chap, xi. , pp. 74, 75. An Inquisition of 1547 finds annexed to
this church a demesne of 100 acres, ing to the "economy of St. Patrick's. "
15 See William Monck Mason's "History
and Antiquities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Church of St. Patrick near Dublin, from its Foundation in 1190 to the year
*
Est locus hie in
Colgan has it : regione
book i. , — xi. , p. 1819," chap, 74,
and n. (a), p. 31. — Article iv.
n. (1). Article hi, Edited by Rev. Dr.
*
Edited
Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxvi. 32
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. J. 66, 167.
3 Threebeautifulcopperplateengravings, with a ground plan of Sligo Abbey, drawn by T. Cocking and Bigari, appear in Grose's
See Major Charles Vallancey's "Collec- tanea de Rebus Hibernicis," vol.
