Barony
of Clonmahon,26 but in that of chiefly
l * Said to have been of Inis-CaoinDegha,
Bishop, and venerated at the 18th of August.
of Clonmahon,26 but in that of chiefly
l * Said to have been of Inis-CaoinDegha,
Bishop, and venerated at the 18th of August.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
" Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
508.
26 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vii. , sect,
"
1
130 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August o.
3
9 since there was no sufficient reason to think, that his disciple, Fechin, reached the age it had been calculated that he did. 30 According to the Calendar of Oengus, Nathi was
buried at Achad Cain, or Achonry.
The feast of our saint is kept, according to our Martyrologies and
Calendars, on the 9th day of August ; although, it does not appear in the Roman Martyrology. At this same date, in the published Martyrology of
;
existence, before the period of his death j
" Nathi Achadh Conaire "31 and he bears a
is the
similar title, in a Latin designation in the Book of Leinster copy. 32 At the 9th of August, in the Martyrology33 of Donegal, is recorded Cruimhther 34 Nathi, of Achadh-caoin-Conaire, in Lughne, of Connaught. In the Irish Calendar, now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy," at the Fifth of the
Tallaght,
entry,
sac,
Ides—corresponding with the 9th of August—we have another entry of 6
this saint's festival. In the "Circle of the Seasons"-' is his festival, at. the 9th of August. In the Scottish Kalendar of Drummond, St. Nathi is venerated on the 9th of August. 3? He is honoured, as principal patron of Achonry Diocese. His feast is kept there, as a Double of the First Class, with an
Office and an Octave.
To the homes of his flock the true pastor carries joy and consolation. In
the Church, the self-sacrificing bishop shines as a beacon to guide storm- beaten and wearied sufferers towards a haven of rest. We have to regret, nevertheless, that in many instances so few records have been left us, to unfold the interior lives of many ancient saints, or even to relate the exact dates and circumstances, which might serve to render their actions more intelligible. In the present case, we have only been able to glean from incidental allusions, which occur in the acts of other Irish saints, those very meagre accounts left us regarding the Patron of Achonry Diocese.
ARTICLE II. —ST. FEIDIILIMIDH, OR FELIMY, PATRON OF KILMORE PARISH, COUNTY OF CAVAN, AND OF KILMORE DIOCESE.
{PROBABLY IN THE SIXTH CENTURY. ']
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—FAMILY RELATIONS OF ST. FEIDHLIMID—PROBABLE PLACE OF HIS BIRTH—THE CONFOUNDING OF KILMORE IN BREIFNEY WITH KILMORE DU1TH- RUIBH—SUPPOSED CONNEXION OF THIS SAINT WITH THE FORMER PLACE— DESCRIPTION OF KILMORE, IN THE COUNTY OF CAVAN.
A Christian education must always be commenced, and from the earliest age of children, within the family circle ; and, afterwards, the pastors of the
29 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan, alluding to St. have heen still alive in this year ; for, as we Fechin of Fore having been a disciple of our have seen, he survived Fcchin's ordination. "
Saint, adds in a note " From his having —Ibid.
:
beenascholarofNathiandevena
before his death, it follows that Nathi must have lived to a great age. Fechin did not die until A. D. 665, when he was carried off
by a plague. Now supposing that he lived to the age of 90, he would have been born in
30 TheRev. Dr. Lanigan adds: "It is
very probable, that he did not pass his eightieth year, in which case he would not
3* SeeRev. Dr. "CalendarofIrish Kelly's
Saints," &c, p. xxxi.
3J There we read : tlachi pperbicep 111
. debut) ChonAipe.
» Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 214, 215.
34 At this word, Dr. Todd has a note,
"This word signifies priest. "
M " ttACi 6 There we find, CrunmcAp
Ach<v6ConApe1 lui£m'bonar. "—Ordnance Survey Office Copy. Common Place Book, F, p. 69.
and
605. "—"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, v. , n. 40, p. 192.
575,
might
have been ordained in priest
priest
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 131
Church would willingly assist parents in forming the morals and manners ot
their offspring. We can hardly doubt, that in the case of the present holy man, as also of his brothers andsisters, such advantages must have been enjoyed. A few brief and uncertain notices of St. Fedlimid, or Felimy, are all we can
12
find in the writings of Rev. Alban Butler, Rev. Dr. Lanigan, and Rev. S.
Baring-Gould. 3 Our ecclesiastical history has left no satisfactory remem- brances in reference to the Acts of this saint. Moreover, tradition preserves for us very little, which might serve to throw additional light on the few recorded particulars given to us. Whatever we can glean, from inference, should assign the period of his birth, to the beginning of the sixth century. Our saint is said to have been a brother to St. Diermit, a celebrated abbot of Inis Clothrann,* on the mother's side. It would seem, from a Tract, attributedtoSt. ^EngustheCuldee,5 thatDediva,theladyalludedto,had beenmarriedtofourdifferenthusbands. Thefatherofoursaintisthought to have been Carill. 6 From that order, in which her children are set down, it might reasonably be suspected that Fedlimid was older than St. Diermit,? because, in the enumeration, the latter is last named among the sons, and alsoafteradaughterofDediva. Wecanhardlyhaveanydoubt,thathis
mother was a truly religious woman, who took every care, relating to the spiritual welfare of her childre—n. No less than six of her sons, and a
who is called — to be sister to
daughter, Femia, presumed Fedlimid,
both on
the father's and mother's side
are ranked in the list of our national saints.
Again, this pious mother, was daughter to Tren, and a grand-daughter to
Dubtach Ui Lugair, that celebrated chief poet of Ireland, who was the first to rise and pay his respects to the venerable stranger, St. Patrick,8 after he
had proclaimed the truths of Christianity before the Monarch Laoighaire andtheIrishchiefs,assembledatTara. 9 Thus,sanctityseemedtohavebeen inherited by St. Fedlimid, and by his happy brothers and sister. Mutually these children must have been the cause of great edification, one to the other ; while all must have afforded the liveliest satisfaction and happiness to their respective parents. To name their children, and in that order in which they are found recorded, we learn that these were : St. Senan, 10 son of
11 12
Fintan,St. Manchin, sonofCollan,St. Caillin, St. Fedlimid,sonofCarill,^
36 See
p.
222.
demy.
See
niae," x. Januarii. p. 52.
37Thusentered V. Idus
: Augusti. "Apud
}
Colgan's
" Acta Hiber- Sanctorum
Vita S. Diermitii, n. 5,
Hiberniam Nata—l e
et Confessoris. " Bishop
of the Scottish Saints," p. 21.
Saints," vol. viii. , August ix. 2"
Sancti Nathy Forbes'
Presbyteri "Kalendars
Article il—Chapter i. —* See " Lives
of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal
8 See his Life in the Third Volume of
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, iii. , p. 10.
3
See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. , August 9, p. 106.
* His Acts will be found, at the 10th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i. To these the reader is referred, for an account of his relationship with St. Fedlimid.
5 pn the " Mothers of the Saints of Ire- land. "
6
,
This, however, can only be inferred from
the position of his name, immediately before that of Dega, son of Cairill, in the Tract of jEngus, on the "Mothers of the Irish Saints," as found in the " Leabhar Lecain," a Manu- scnpt belonging to the Royal Irish Aca-
work, at the 17th of March, Art. i. , chap,
9 See Rev. Michael J. O'Farrell's " Popu- lar Life of St. Patrick," chap, viii. , p. 106.
10 Said to have been of Laraghbrian, near Maynooth, and venerated on the 2nd of September. For an account of him, see the Ninth Volume of this work, at that date.
" Said to have been of Corann, and vene- rated on the 13th of January. See notices of him in the First Volume of this Work, at that date, Art. x.
" Said to have been of Feenagh, County of Leitrim, and venerated on the 13th of November. See an account of him, at that date, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
I3 The present saint, venerated as Bishop of Cillmor Diutreb,and of Kilmore in Breiff-
ney, venerated August 3rd and 9th.
this ix.
1 32 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 9.
St. or 1 * son of Carill, St. Femia,1 * Dagius Dega,
of Carill, and St. Diermait. 16 All of these appear to have entered into religion, as they are thus characterized ; at least, they fought the good fight, and achieved that
crown which awaits the victors, in their contests for eternal life.
It seems likely enough, the parents of St. Fedlimid, or Felimy, dwelt in
or near the ancient territory of Breifny, comprising the present counties of Leitrim and Cavan ; for, so far as we can discover, most of their sainted off- spring appear to have found settlements in or near that western province, of which it formerly constituted a considerable portion. Where St. Fedlimid received his early education does not seem to be known, nor when, nor by whom, he had been ordained.
It is quite certain, however, that a mistake has occurred, to most of our Irish historians, in confounding Kilmore of Breifney, and in the county of Cavan, with Kilmore Duithruibh, situated in the county of Roscommon. This latter appears to have been the place with which the present St. Fedlimid had been most associated, while he was living ;
well be assumed, he had relations with both Kilmores. ? In the Irish Calendars, the present St. Fedlimid is said to have been of Cill-mor- Pithruibh. This was thought by Colgan, to express the old name for Kil-
more, an episcopal See, in the territory of Breifney, and in the present
of Cavan. '8 In like
1? have the Cavan thought
the
Kilmore to be identical with Kilmore Deathreib, in the territory of Tir-
Briuin, near the Shannon. In this error, they have been followed by Archdall. 20 In Cill-mor-Dithruib, St. Columkille21 erected a church before
22
he removed to Scotland.
this place has been identified, however, with Kilmore, near the Shannon, in the territory of Tir-Bruin, in the county of Roscommon. 23 Moreover, the acute and learned Rev. Dr. Reeves also proves its identification with that parish, in the Barony of Ballintobber North. According to some accounts, St. Patrick is said to have founded an
Abbey Kilmore, in the County of Roscommon, and—the remains of an old
—called Tubber-Patrick, or Patrick's Well from a fine spring church,
near it are shown, at Ballycommon. At Kilbride are the ruins of another old church, with traces of a cemetery, said to have been formerly the
as a 2* in the parish, partly
county
manner,
O'Clerys
burial 2 * place.
parochial
It is generally assumed, that St. Fedlimid selected Kilmore, now known
See an account of him, in the present volume, at that day.
»s Or Feme, Virgin nnd M:irtyr, venerated at the 17th of September. See an account of her, at that date, in the Ninth Volume of thiswork.
16 Of Inisclothran in Lough Ree, venc- rated on the loth of January. Such are the identifications of Rev. John Francis Shear- man, in " Loca Patriciana," No. 2 Genealo- gical Tables, p. 24.
*f See what has been already stated, at
the 3rd of August, in the present volume, Art. ix.
Topographicus, to "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nice. "
' 9 In the " Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
214, 215. 20 "
See MonasticonHibernicum,"p. 42. n See his Life, in the Sixth Volume of
this work, at the 9th of June, Art. i.
Barony
of Clonmahon,26 but in that of chiefly
l * Said to have been of Inis-CaoinDegha,
Bishop, and venerated at the 18th of August. num. 36, p. 494. See, also, the Index
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (s. ) pp. 327, 328. 18 2+"
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Qaarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. 1. , p. 350. and n. 108, p. 381. However, he corrects him- self in a subsequent passage, Quinta
See Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 186, 187.
2S It is described on the " Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of
daughter
By our greatest of topographical investigators,
Appendix ad Acta S. Columbee, cap. ii. ,
"
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life
of St. Columba," lib. i. , chap. 50, n. (g) p.
99. Various other particulars regarding it are there inserted,
*'
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
1
although, it may
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
133
2? in the of Cavan, to be his chief residence. Upper Loughtee, County
The In a beautiful and secluded spot, the old cemetery may be seen, surrounded by high walls on every side, and entered through an iron gate. A shady avenue leads to it from the high road, which conducts to the town of Cavan. The graveyard is evidently very ancient, while numbers of Catholic and
Protestant families are still interred within it. It contains several modern
tombs, and a few that are old. It must be observed, the graves have been
kept reasonably free from desecration or neglect. ^ Within the enclosure
was the ancient church, originally erected, it seems probable, by St.
Fedlimid. From its size or importance, it obtained the denomination Kil-
"
more, or the great church,'^ and from it the parish and diocese were
subsequently named. Owing to the many places similarly designated, in different parts of Ireland, this Kilmore has been confounded with other but distinct Kilmores.
The former Catholic church at Kilmore appears to have been re- constructed, and to have been turned into a place for Protestant worship ;3* but, of late years, it has been deserted, since an elegantly designed Gothic ecclesiastical structure was erected to serve for the purposes of a Protestant cathedral. 32 It occupies a very fine site, adjoining Kilmore House and Demesne, the beautiful episcopal residence of the Protestant Bishop of this see. Undulating in surface, rich in soil, well dressed and adorned with magnificent trees, the landscape is all that the eye of taste might desire. ^
CHAPTER II.
OPINIONS REGARDING THE ECCLESIASTICAL RANK OF ST. FEIDHLIMIDH—THE BEDELL MEMORIAL CHURCH AT KILMORE—ECCLESIASTICAL RUINS IN THE TOWN OF CAVAN—PERSONALITY AND PERIOD OF ST. FEIDHLIMIDH—UNCERTAIN ACCOUNT OF KILMORE DIOCESE—COMMEMORATION OF ST. FEIDHLIMIDH—CONCLUSION.
Regarding this patron Saint of Kilmore diocese, little is known ; but, a
respectable authority thinks it possible, he led there a recluse life, and that
magnificent waters of Lough Oughter bound it towards the West. 28
he was, perhaps, in charge of a parish.
2
chorepiscopi lived in the beginning of the sixth century. However, so far as we are able to trace from our records, the Diocese of Kilmore appears to be one of the least ancient in Ireland. 3
a been monastery having
erected at Kilmore, 1 either St. by
respecting
Fedlimid, or by any other person ;
have been a Bishop, our saint might have attained the rank of chorepiscopus. This order prevailed in primitive times of the Irish Church ; and many
Cavan," sheets 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 31.
26
This portion contains 3,937 acres and 5 perches of land.
27 This portion contains 12,948 acres, 3
roods, and 28 perches. 28
taining the remains had been transferred to a large vault built by the Protestant Primate Beresford. The old tomb was placed over it in a conspicuous position. Its inscription is now barely legible.
acres are under within this parish of Kilmore, and of these
3° See Win. Wenman Seward's "
Altogether 2,334
water,
Topo- graphia Hibernica," at the word Kilmore.
2,154 are on Lough Oughter.
29 One of the most interesting objects here
to attract the visitor's attention is the vault and monument over the remains of William Bedell, the celebrated Protestant Bishop of Kilmore, who died on the 7ih of February, a. d. 1641. His ancient tomb was removed from the angle of the graveyard in which he had been interred, and the 1 ad coffin con-
31 it is now used as a Sunday School, and it is attached to an old dwelling, formerly the residence of William Bedell, Protestant Bishop of Kilmore.
32 This was erected to commemorate Wm. Bedell, the Protestant Bishop of Kilmore. The character and acts of this eminent and amiable man are well set forth in Henry Joseph Monck Mason's " Life of William
For, we have no certain account,
yet, as he is traditionally considered to
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 9.
One of the most interesting features of the Bedell-Memorial Cathedral, to
which allusion has been already made, is a re-erected old Irish recessed door-
way,* taken from Trinity Island, near the upper part of Lough Oughter, about fivemilesfromCavantown. Itistheremnantofanancientchurch,situated within a still older cemetery, the Island itself containing over 80 acres, and rising in the shape of two high swelling cones over the lake's surface. The soil is of exceeding great fertility. * The whole length of the church on Trinity Island interiorly measures 76 feet, by 20 in width. 6 The graveyard
Ruins of the Franciscan Monastery of Cavan.
the Strict Observance ;9
it is nowdismantled,
but a large square tower
still remains, with a
circularly-headed door- way in the lower com-
partment, over which are two tiers of square windows. 10 Theupper part is covered with
ivy. " Acemetery, en- closed with a high wall, surrounds it.
That our saint was identical with a Feid- limid, or Felim, fifth
1
bishop of Clogher, who was buried in the Church of Clunes, near Tigernach, is a supposition of Sir James Ware. This Fedlimid was likewise called bishop of Clunes
Bedell, D. D. , Lord Bishop of Kilmore. " London, 1843, 8vo.
4 Of its class, this is probably the most
beautiful and interesting specimen to be
seen in of Ireland. It was removed any part
stone by stone, it is said, to the old church
33 "
west is Danesfort, the residence of the Dean
Adjoining
the demesne on'the north-
of Kilmore ; and around Crossdoney, or
south of Kilmore demesne are numerous re-erected according to its former appear-
villas. "—" The Parliamentary Gazetter of Ireland," vol. ii—. , p. 515.
ance. It has since been taken asunder, and placed as an entrance to the vestry, behind
Chapter
monastery at Kilmore in Cavan.
new Memorial with a magnificently rounded arch, recessed
'
one of the
Neither Ware, Harris,
to the
Bedell Cathedral. It has chevron mouldings,
ii.
nor De Burgo have an account of any old
transepts
2 See Kev. Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, iii. , p. 10.
3 See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti Ecclesise Hibernicse," vol. iii. , p. 153.
over side-moulded and connecting
Lanigan's
receding jambs. The stones are all finely carved in zig-zag and interlaced patterns ; and it con- tains the most interesting and beautiful details of ancient Irish architecture, the
" Ecclesiastical
is even yet much used
as a family place for interments. Thepeo-
ple living on the Island
point out a saint's
grave in the ceme-
tery,? on the south
side but,thenameis ;
not now remembered.
In the town ofCavan
,
about three miles dis-
tant, towards the east,
are the remains of a
8
Franciscan Friary
of
at Kilmore, about a mile distant, and there
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
or Cluain, x 3 a church situated near Lough Erne. However, Ware would not undertake to settle this disputed point. »4 Notwithstanding that
his observation is
a mere —of Ware, for which no argument only conjecture
a
can be adduced,15 the Rev. Alban Butler — unsafe authority
position, and he tells us, that our saint seems the same, whom the Registry
of Clogher styles bishop of Cluain, or Clunes, near Lough Erne, and who was buried there near Tigernach, first bishop of that see. 16 We are told, that St. Fedlimid flourished about the year 540, being contemporary with St. Kieran of Clonmacnois, 1 ? who died in and with St. Senan of 18
who died in 544. I9
By the best informed writers, however, the Cavan Kilmore is not sup-
posed to have been constituted, as a diocese, at so early a period. The pre-
very
peculiarly connected with Irish Hagiology unqualifiedly adopts his sup-
writer has yet seen. The stones seem com- posed of a reddish gritty substance, weather-
worn, yet with the carvings all very sharply denned ; except where some damages at the
10
According to Archdall's statement, the Friars of the Strict Observance had re- formed this monastery before the year 1499 ; whereas, the O'Clerys have it, that the monastery of the Friars in Cavan was pro- cured from Rome by O'Reilly, for Friars of the Order deObservantia, in opposition to the
through a modern door.
s Two farmers, with their families, live on
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," vol. v. , pp. 1262, 1263, and n. (r. ) ibid.
6 An erdomh or side
wall, is 18 feet 6 inches, extending from east
12 to the According
to west, and 22 feet, extending from north
perfect,
large
Bishops
Clogher," p. 178.
addition,
Registry
Clogher.
7 This is situated on the extreme verge of
the Island, and a stone-wall enclosure has
of late years been built around it. Human
Harris has it St. Dermod, bishop of Clones, &c. Yet, at the Bishops of Clogher, follow- ing Ware, Harris himself has not Dermod, but Fedlimid, bishop, at Clones. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of
Ireland," vol. ii. chap, x. , sect, iii. , n. 41, p. 12. Also, Harris' Ware, vol. i.
remains and various
singular
remnants of
14 See " of 226. Bishops Kilmore," p.
on the south
of
The same authority tells us, that a well,
548, Iniscatty,
angles have been supplied with a plain coat-
ing of cement, executed with good taste and
judgment. The upper arch is of considerable
height, and the door-way is of sufficient Friars of the Order de Communi Vita. See width to afford easy access to the vestry,
"The accompanying is an illustration, drawn from a photograph, by William F. of beautiful fields, separated by hawthorn Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs.
that Island, which is divided into a number hedge-rows.
Mdlard.
called Tibrad Fethlim, or Felim's Well, had to south. The western gable is still very been dedicated to him. See Harris' Ware,
and now covered over with
masses of ivy, which extend over the con-
necting side walls, that remain for a Harris has strangely misrepresented Ware's considerable part at their former height. A text. Instead of Fedlimid, bishop of Clones, pointed window rises over a deformed breach
underneath, from which had been removed
that most beautiful recessed door-way, to
which allusion has been already made.
antiquity have been turned up, in several
ports of the Island.
8
The first religious foundation here about
A. D. 1300, by Giolla-Iosa-Ruadh O'Reilly,
was intended for Friars of the Order of St.
Dominick. See De Burgo's " Hibernia mid, bishop at Clones, and for anothe—r, Dominicana," cap. ix. , sect, xxv. , num. iii. , perhaps only a priest, at Kilmore. " p. 286. However, in 1393, the O'Reilly " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , family expelled the Dominicans, and gave chap, x. , sect, iii. , p. 10.
the house to the Conventual Franciscans. It "> See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs is said afterwards to have passed into pos- and other principal Saints," vol. viii. , session of the Brothers Minor of the Strict August ix.
Observance in 1 502. See Sir James Ware, 17 His feast occurs on the 9th of September,
"De Hibernia, et Antiquitatibus ejus, at which date his Life may be found, in the Disquisitiones," cap. xxiv. , p. 193. Ninth Volume of this work, Art.
508.
26 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vii. , sect,
"
1
130 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August o.
3
9 since there was no sufficient reason to think, that his disciple, Fechin, reached the age it had been calculated that he did. 30 According to the Calendar of Oengus, Nathi was
buried at Achad Cain, or Achonry.
The feast of our saint is kept, according to our Martyrologies and
Calendars, on the 9th day of August ; although, it does not appear in the Roman Martyrology. At this same date, in the published Martyrology of
;
existence, before the period of his death j
" Nathi Achadh Conaire "31 and he bears a
is the
similar title, in a Latin designation in the Book of Leinster copy. 32 At the 9th of August, in the Martyrology33 of Donegal, is recorded Cruimhther 34 Nathi, of Achadh-caoin-Conaire, in Lughne, of Connaught. In the Irish Calendar, now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy," at the Fifth of the
Tallaght,
entry,
sac,
Ides—corresponding with the 9th of August—we have another entry of 6
this saint's festival. In the "Circle of the Seasons"-' is his festival, at. the 9th of August. In the Scottish Kalendar of Drummond, St. Nathi is venerated on the 9th of August. 3? He is honoured, as principal patron of Achonry Diocese. His feast is kept there, as a Double of the First Class, with an
Office and an Octave.
To the homes of his flock the true pastor carries joy and consolation. In
the Church, the self-sacrificing bishop shines as a beacon to guide storm- beaten and wearied sufferers towards a haven of rest. We have to regret, nevertheless, that in many instances so few records have been left us, to unfold the interior lives of many ancient saints, or even to relate the exact dates and circumstances, which might serve to render their actions more intelligible. In the present case, we have only been able to glean from incidental allusions, which occur in the acts of other Irish saints, those very meagre accounts left us regarding the Patron of Achonry Diocese.
ARTICLE II. —ST. FEIDIILIMIDH, OR FELIMY, PATRON OF KILMORE PARISH, COUNTY OF CAVAN, AND OF KILMORE DIOCESE.
{PROBABLY IN THE SIXTH CENTURY. ']
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—FAMILY RELATIONS OF ST. FEIDHLIMID—PROBABLE PLACE OF HIS BIRTH—THE CONFOUNDING OF KILMORE IN BREIFNEY WITH KILMORE DU1TH- RUIBH—SUPPOSED CONNEXION OF THIS SAINT WITH THE FORMER PLACE— DESCRIPTION OF KILMORE, IN THE COUNTY OF CAVAN.
A Christian education must always be commenced, and from the earliest age of children, within the family circle ; and, afterwards, the pastors of the
29 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan, alluding to St. have heen still alive in this year ; for, as we Fechin of Fore having been a disciple of our have seen, he survived Fcchin's ordination. "
Saint, adds in a note " From his having —Ibid.
:
beenascholarofNathiandevena
before his death, it follows that Nathi must have lived to a great age. Fechin did not die until A. D. 665, when he was carried off
by a plague. Now supposing that he lived to the age of 90, he would have been born in
30 TheRev. Dr. Lanigan adds: "It is
very probable, that he did not pass his eightieth year, in which case he would not
3* SeeRev. Dr. "CalendarofIrish Kelly's
Saints," &c, p. xxxi.
3J There we read : tlachi pperbicep 111
. debut) ChonAipe.
» Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 214, 215.
34 At this word, Dr. Todd has a note,
"This word signifies priest. "
M " ttACi 6 There we find, CrunmcAp
Ach<v6ConApe1 lui£m'bonar. "—Ordnance Survey Office Copy. Common Place Book, F, p. 69.
and
605. "—"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, v. , n. 40, p. 192.
575,
might
have been ordained in priest
priest
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 131
Church would willingly assist parents in forming the morals and manners ot
their offspring. We can hardly doubt, that in the case of the present holy man, as also of his brothers andsisters, such advantages must have been enjoyed. A few brief and uncertain notices of St. Fedlimid, or Felimy, are all we can
12
find in the writings of Rev. Alban Butler, Rev. Dr. Lanigan, and Rev. S.
Baring-Gould. 3 Our ecclesiastical history has left no satisfactory remem- brances in reference to the Acts of this saint. Moreover, tradition preserves for us very little, which might serve to throw additional light on the few recorded particulars given to us. Whatever we can glean, from inference, should assign the period of his birth, to the beginning of the sixth century. Our saint is said to have been a brother to St. Diermit, a celebrated abbot of Inis Clothrann,* on the mother's side. It would seem, from a Tract, attributedtoSt. ^EngustheCuldee,5 thatDediva,theladyalludedto,had beenmarriedtofourdifferenthusbands. Thefatherofoursaintisthought to have been Carill. 6 From that order, in which her children are set down, it might reasonably be suspected that Fedlimid was older than St. Diermit,? because, in the enumeration, the latter is last named among the sons, and alsoafteradaughterofDediva. Wecanhardlyhaveanydoubt,thathis
mother was a truly religious woman, who took every care, relating to the spiritual welfare of her childre—n. No less than six of her sons, and a
who is called — to be sister to
daughter, Femia, presumed Fedlimid,
both on
the father's and mother's side
are ranked in the list of our national saints.
Again, this pious mother, was daughter to Tren, and a grand-daughter to
Dubtach Ui Lugair, that celebrated chief poet of Ireland, who was the first to rise and pay his respects to the venerable stranger, St. Patrick,8 after he
had proclaimed the truths of Christianity before the Monarch Laoighaire andtheIrishchiefs,assembledatTara. 9 Thus,sanctityseemedtohavebeen inherited by St. Fedlimid, and by his happy brothers and sister. Mutually these children must have been the cause of great edification, one to the other ; while all must have afforded the liveliest satisfaction and happiness to their respective parents. To name their children, and in that order in which they are found recorded, we learn that these were : St. Senan, 10 son of
11 12
Fintan,St. Manchin, sonofCollan,St. Caillin, St. Fedlimid,sonofCarill,^
36 See
p.
222.
demy.
See
niae," x. Januarii. p. 52.
37Thusentered V. Idus
: Augusti. "Apud
}
Colgan's
" Acta Hiber- Sanctorum
Vita S. Diermitii, n. 5,
Hiberniam Nata—l e
et Confessoris. " Bishop
of the Scottish Saints," p. 21.
Saints," vol. viii. , August ix. 2"
Sancti Nathy Forbes'
Presbyteri "Kalendars
Article il—Chapter i. —* See " Lives
of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal
8 See his Life in the Third Volume of
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, iii. , p. 10.
3
See "Lives of the Saints," vol. viii. , August 9, p. 106.
* His Acts will be found, at the 10th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i. To these the reader is referred, for an account of his relationship with St. Fedlimid.
5 pn the " Mothers of the Saints of Ire- land. "
6
,
This, however, can only be inferred from
the position of his name, immediately before that of Dega, son of Cairill, in the Tract of jEngus, on the "Mothers of the Irish Saints," as found in the " Leabhar Lecain," a Manu- scnpt belonging to the Royal Irish Aca-
work, at the 17th of March, Art. i. , chap,
9 See Rev. Michael J. O'Farrell's " Popu- lar Life of St. Patrick," chap, viii. , p. 106.
10 Said to have been of Laraghbrian, near Maynooth, and venerated on the 2nd of September. For an account of him, see the Ninth Volume of this work, at that date.
" Said to have been of Corann, and vene- rated on the 13th of January. See notices of him in the First Volume of this Work, at that date, Art. x.
" Said to have been of Feenagh, County of Leitrim, and venerated on the 13th of November. See an account of him, at that date, in the Eleventh Volume of this work.
I3 The present saint, venerated as Bishop of Cillmor Diutreb,and of Kilmore in Breiff-
ney, venerated August 3rd and 9th.
this ix.
1 32 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 9.
St. or 1 * son of Carill, St. Femia,1 * Dagius Dega,
of Carill, and St. Diermait. 16 All of these appear to have entered into religion, as they are thus characterized ; at least, they fought the good fight, and achieved that
crown which awaits the victors, in their contests for eternal life.
It seems likely enough, the parents of St. Fedlimid, or Felimy, dwelt in
or near the ancient territory of Breifny, comprising the present counties of Leitrim and Cavan ; for, so far as we can discover, most of their sainted off- spring appear to have found settlements in or near that western province, of which it formerly constituted a considerable portion. Where St. Fedlimid received his early education does not seem to be known, nor when, nor by whom, he had been ordained.
It is quite certain, however, that a mistake has occurred, to most of our Irish historians, in confounding Kilmore of Breifney, and in the county of Cavan, with Kilmore Duithruibh, situated in the county of Roscommon. This latter appears to have been the place with which the present St. Fedlimid had been most associated, while he was living ;
well be assumed, he had relations with both Kilmores. ? In the Irish Calendars, the present St. Fedlimid is said to have been of Cill-mor- Pithruibh. This was thought by Colgan, to express the old name for Kil-
more, an episcopal See, in the territory of Breifney, and in the present
of Cavan. '8 In like
1? have the Cavan thought
the
Kilmore to be identical with Kilmore Deathreib, in the territory of Tir-
Briuin, near the Shannon. In this error, they have been followed by Archdall. 20 In Cill-mor-Dithruib, St. Columkille21 erected a church before
22
he removed to Scotland.
this place has been identified, however, with Kilmore, near the Shannon, in the territory of Tir-Bruin, in the county of Roscommon. 23 Moreover, the acute and learned Rev. Dr. Reeves also proves its identification with that parish, in the Barony of Ballintobber North. According to some accounts, St. Patrick is said to have founded an
Abbey Kilmore, in the County of Roscommon, and—the remains of an old
—called Tubber-Patrick, or Patrick's Well from a fine spring church,
near it are shown, at Ballycommon. At Kilbride are the ruins of another old church, with traces of a cemetery, said to have been formerly the
as a 2* in the parish, partly
county
manner,
O'Clerys
burial 2 * place.
parochial
It is generally assumed, that St. Fedlimid selected Kilmore, now known
See an account of him, in the present volume, at that day.
»s Or Feme, Virgin nnd M:irtyr, venerated at the 17th of September. See an account of her, at that date, in the Ninth Volume of thiswork.
16 Of Inisclothran in Lough Ree, venc- rated on the loth of January. Such are the identifications of Rev. John Francis Shear- man, in " Loca Patriciana," No. 2 Genealo- gical Tables, p. 24.
*f See what has been already stated, at
the 3rd of August, in the present volume, Art. ix.
Topographicus, to "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nice. "
' 9 In the " Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
214, 215. 20 "
See MonasticonHibernicum,"p. 42. n See his Life, in the Sixth Volume of
this work, at the 9th of June, Art. i.
Barony
of Clonmahon,26 but in that of chiefly
l * Said to have been of Inis-CaoinDegha,
Bishop, and venerated at the 18th of August. num. 36, p. 494. See, also, the Index
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (s. ) pp. 327, 328. 18 2+"
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Qaarta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. 1. , p. 350. and n. 108, p. 381. However, he corrects him- self in a subsequent passage, Quinta
See Lewis' Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 186, 187.
2S It is described on the " Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of
daughter
By our greatest of topographical investigators,
Appendix ad Acta S. Columbee, cap. ii. ,
"
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life
of St. Columba," lib. i. , chap. 50, n. (g) p.
99. Various other particulars regarding it are there inserted,
*'
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
1
although, it may
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
133
2? in the of Cavan, to be his chief residence. Upper Loughtee, County
The In a beautiful and secluded spot, the old cemetery may be seen, surrounded by high walls on every side, and entered through an iron gate. A shady avenue leads to it from the high road, which conducts to the town of Cavan. The graveyard is evidently very ancient, while numbers of Catholic and
Protestant families are still interred within it. It contains several modern
tombs, and a few that are old. It must be observed, the graves have been
kept reasonably free from desecration or neglect. ^ Within the enclosure
was the ancient church, originally erected, it seems probable, by St.
Fedlimid. From its size or importance, it obtained the denomination Kil-
"
more, or the great church,'^ and from it the parish and diocese were
subsequently named. Owing to the many places similarly designated, in different parts of Ireland, this Kilmore has been confounded with other but distinct Kilmores.
The former Catholic church at Kilmore appears to have been re- constructed, and to have been turned into a place for Protestant worship ;3* but, of late years, it has been deserted, since an elegantly designed Gothic ecclesiastical structure was erected to serve for the purposes of a Protestant cathedral. 32 It occupies a very fine site, adjoining Kilmore House and Demesne, the beautiful episcopal residence of the Protestant Bishop of this see. Undulating in surface, rich in soil, well dressed and adorned with magnificent trees, the landscape is all that the eye of taste might desire. ^
CHAPTER II.
OPINIONS REGARDING THE ECCLESIASTICAL RANK OF ST. FEIDHLIMIDH—THE BEDELL MEMORIAL CHURCH AT KILMORE—ECCLESIASTICAL RUINS IN THE TOWN OF CAVAN—PERSONALITY AND PERIOD OF ST. FEIDHLIMIDH—UNCERTAIN ACCOUNT OF KILMORE DIOCESE—COMMEMORATION OF ST. FEIDHLIMIDH—CONCLUSION.
Regarding this patron Saint of Kilmore diocese, little is known ; but, a
respectable authority thinks it possible, he led there a recluse life, and that
magnificent waters of Lough Oughter bound it towards the West. 28
he was, perhaps, in charge of a parish.
2
chorepiscopi lived in the beginning of the sixth century. However, so far as we are able to trace from our records, the Diocese of Kilmore appears to be one of the least ancient in Ireland. 3
a been monastery having
erected at Kilmore, 1 either St. by
respecting
Fedlimid, or by any other person ;
have been a Bishop, our saint might have attained the rank of chorepiscopus. This order prevailed in primitive times of the Irish Church ; and many
Cavan," sheets 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 31.
26
This portion contains 3,937 acres and 5 perches of land.
27 This portion contains 12,948 acres, 3
roods, and 28 perches. 28
taining the remains had been transferred to a large vault built by the Protestant Primate Beresford. The old tomb was placed over it in a conspicuous position. Its inscription is now barely legible.
acres are under within this parish of Kilmore, and of these
3° See Win. Wenman Seward's "
Altogether 2,334
water,
Topo- graphia Hibernica," at the word Kilmore.
2,154 are on Lough Oughter.
29 One of the most interesting objects here
to attract the visitor's attention is the vault and monument over the remains of William Bedell, the celebrated Protestant Bishop of Kilmore, who died on the 7ih of February, a. d. 1641. His ancient tomb was removed from the angle of the graveyard in which he had been interred, and the 1 ad coffin con-
31 it is now used as a Sunday School, and it is attached to an old dwelling, formerly the residence of William Bedell, Protestant Bishop of Kilmore.
32 This was erected to commemorate Wm. Bedell, the Protestant Bishop of Kilmore. The character and acts of this eminent and amiable man are well set forth in Henry Joseph Monck Mason's " Life of William
For, we have no certain account,
yet, as he is traditionally considered to
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 9.
One of the most interesting features of the Bedell-Memorial Cathedral, to
which allusion has been already made, is a re-erected old Irish recessed door-
way,* taken from Trinity Island, near the upper part of Lough Oughter, about fivemilesfromCavantown. Itistheremnantofanancientchurch,situated within a still older cemetery, the Island itself containing over 80 acres, and rising in the shape of two high swelling cones over the lake's surface. The soil is of exceeding great fertility. * The whole length of the church on Trinity Island interiorly measures 76 feet, by 20 in width. 6 The graveyard
Ruins of the Franciscan Monastery of Cavan.
the Strict Observance ;9
it is nowdismantled,
but a large square tower
still remains, with a
circularly-headed door- way in the lower com-
partment, over which are two tiers of square windows. 10 Theupper part is covered with
ivy. " Acemetery, en- closed with a high wall, surrounds it.
That our saint was identical with a Feid- limid, or Felim, fifth
1
bishop of Clogher, who was buried in the Church of Clunes, near Tigernach, is a supposition of Sir James Ware. This Fedlimid was likewise called bishop of Clunes
Bedell, D. D. , Lord Bishop of Kilmore. " London, 1843, 8vo.
4 Of its class, this is probably the most
beautiful and interesting specimen to be
seen in of Ireland. It was removed any part
stone by stone, it is said, to the old church
33 "
west is Danesfort, the residence of the Dean
Adjoining
the demesne on'the north-
of Kilmore ; and around Crossdoney, or
south of Kilmore demesne are numerous re-erected according to its former appear-
villas. "—" The Parliamentary Gazetter of Ireland," vol. ii—. , p. 515.
ance. It has since been taken asunder, and placed as an entrance to the vestry, behind
Chapter
monastery at Kilmore in Cavan.
new Memorial with a magnificently rounded arch, recessed
'
one of the
Neither Ware, Harris,
to the
Bedell Cathedral. It has chevron mouldings,
ii.
nor De Burgo have an account of any old
transepts
2 See Kev. Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, iii. , p. 10.
3 See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti Ecclesise Hibernicse," vol. iii. , p. 153.
over side-moulded and connecting
Lanigan's
receding jambs. The stones are all finely carved in zig-zag and interlaced patterns ; and it con- tains the most interesting and beautiful details of ancient Irish architecture, the
" Ecclesiastical
is even yet much used
as a family place for interments. Thepeo-
ple living on the Island
point out a saint's
grave in the ceme-
tery,? on the south
side but,thenameis ;
not now remembered.
In the town ofCavan
,
about three miles dis-
tant, towards the east,
are the remains of a
8
Franciscan Friary
of
at Kilmore, about a mile distant, and there
August 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 135
or Cluain, x 3 a church situated near Lough Erne. However, Ware would not undertake to settle this disputed point. »4 Notwithstanding that
his observation is
a mere —of Ware, for which no argument only conjecture
a
can be adduced,15 the Rev. Alban Butler — unsafe authority
position, and he tells us, that our saint seems the same, whom the Registry
of Clogher styles bishop of Cluain, or Clunes, near Lough Erne, and who was buried there near Tigernach, first bishop of that see. 16 We are told, that St. Fedlimid flourished about the year 540, being contemporary with St. Kieran of Clonmacnois, 1 ? who died in and with St. Senan of 18
who died in 544. I9
By the best informed writers, however, the Cavan Kilmore is not sup-
posed to have been constituted, as a diocese, at so early a period. The pre-
very
peculiarly connected with Irish Hagiology unqualifiedly adopts his sup-
writer has yet seen. The stones seem com- posed of a reddish gritty substance, weather-
worn, yet with the carvings all very sharply denned ; except where some damages at the
10
According to Archdall's statement, the Friars of the Strict Observance had re- formed this monastery before the year 1499 ; whereas, the O'Clerys have it, that the monastery of the Friars in Cavan was pro- cured from Rome by O'Reilly, for Friars of the Order deObservantia, in opposition to the
through a modern door.
s Two farmers, with their families, live on
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," vol. v. , pp. 1262, 1263, and n. (r. ) ibid.
6 An erdomh or side
wall, is 18 feet 6 inches, extending from east
12 to the According
to west, and 22 feet, extending from north
perfect,
large
Bishops
Clogher," p. 178.
addition,
Registry
Clogher.
7 This is situated on the extreme verge of
the Island, and a stone-wall enclosure has
of late years been built around it. Human
Harris has it St. Dermod, bishop of Clones, &c. Yet, at the Bishops of Clogher, follow- ing Ware, Harris himself has not Dermod, but Fedlimid, bishop, at Clones. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of
Ireland," vol. ii. chap, x. , sect, iii. , n. 41, p. 12. Also, Harris' Ware, vol. i.
remains and various
singular
remnants of
14 See " of 226. Bishops Kilmore," p.
on the south
of
The same authority tells us, that a well,
548, Iniscatty,
angles have been supplied with a plain coat-
ing of cement, executed with good taste and
judgment. The upper arch is of considerable
height, and the door-way is of sufficient Friars of the Order de Communi Vita. See width to afford easy access to the vestry,
"The accompanying is an illustration, drawn from a photograph, by William F. of beautiful fields, separated by hawthorn Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs.
that Island, which is divided into a number hedge-rows.
Mdlard.
called Tibrad Fethlim, or Felim's Well, had to south. The western gable is still very been dedicated to him. See Harris' Ware,
and now covered over with
masses of ivy, which extend over the con-
necting side walls, that remain for a Harris has strangely misrepresented Ware's considerable part at their former height. A text. Instead of Fedlimid, bishop of Clones, pointed window rises over a deformed breach
underneath, from which had been removed
that most beautiful recessed door-way, to
which allusion has been already made.
antiquity have been turned up, in several
ports of the Island.
8
The first religious foundation here about
A. D. 1300, by Giolla-Iosa-Ruadh O'Reilly,
was intended for Friars of the Order of St.
Dominick. See De Burgo's " Hibernia mid, bishop at Clones, and for anothe—r, Dominicana," cap. ix. , sect, xxv. , num. iii. , perhaps only a priest, at Kilmore. " p. 286. However, in 1393, the O'Reilly " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , family expelled the Dominicans, and gave chap, x. , sect, iii. , p. 10.
the house to the Conventual Franciscans. It "> See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs is said afterwards to have passed into pos- and other principal Saints," vol. viii. , session of the Brothers Minor of the Strict August ix.
Observance in 1 502. See Sir James Ware, 17 His feast occurs on the 9th of September,
"De Hibernia, et Antiquitatibus ejus, at which date his Life may be found, in the Disquisitiones," cap. xxiv. , p. 193. Ninth Volume of this work, Art.
