No More Learning

79 On the very summit of Croghan Hill is a small moat or sepulchral tu? ? iulus. This seems to have been the monument of Congal,
teAcc ConJAibe, —^o^ "btM Gile i\o yvoencA.
Ibid. , p. no.
land," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sec. iii. , p. 386. ''
*'
72 As the Annals of the Four Masters"
have it from those of ^° From the or moat on Senat-mac-magnus, top
of Clonmacnoise, and of the Island.
73 By Ussher, Maccaille has been con- founded with Maguil or Maccaldus, Bishop of Man. In this island, it is said, likewise,
*
See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
Croghan Hill, the whole level plain or ctiiyv of Ofalia and its natural boundaries may be seen at aglance. It stretches, nearly as level as a lake south- wards, to the foot of the Slieve Bloom Moun- tains, and to the Sugar Loaf shaped Hills, at Killone, in the Queen's County, and east- wards to the Hill of Allen, in Kildare county. See ibid. , p. 112. Dr. O'Donovan describes the extent of this territory, which he illustrates with hand-drawn maps from
pp. 24 to 47, ibid.
^' He calls it "a white one. " See Col-
our saint was veiled.
chap, viii. , sec. iii. , and nn. 39, 40, pp. 386,
388.
7* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
Hymnus, seu Prima Vita S. Brigida;, p. 515. 75 Regarding St. Brigid's virtues and mira-
holy virgin's
a short time after this
cles,
death, following
we find the —
Latin version "Trias gan's
Secunda
of his Irish Hymn
" Posuit avibas Maccalleus velum
Super caput SanctK Brigidaj Clarus est in ejus gestis ;
In coelo exaudita est ejus petitio
Deum precor in omnibus adversis,
Modis omnibus, quibus valet os meum,
Profundiorem pelago, magnifice prsedi- cabilem.
Thaumaturga. " Brigidae," cap. iii. , p. 519.
Trinum et Unum. ^Ibid.
Veridica narratio. "
Martyrologists name the saint venerated at the 25th of April Maccaille, i. e. , filius Caille.
Colgan remarks, that Alac signifies son, and Caille is either the proper name of a man,
or if it be appellative, it has the signification of a veil : so that in Latin, Mac-caille could be rendered filius veli, he having obtained such a name perhaps, from the circumstance of his having veiled St. Brigid.
^i The Bishop of Man, m St. Patrick's Irish Life and elsewhere, is called Mac- cuille ; by Probus Macfill or Mac/ail ; and by Joceline he is named Macaldus, in Latin ; thus by use of the single c, it seems to be supposed, that in Irish, he was called Ma- caill or Mac-aild. The Irish word Call^ which in the genetive case becomes Cuilly
:
Vita S.
^' We have already seen, that the Irish
76 Commenting on St. Angus' " Festi- logy," he calls it "the white veil. "
77 At the 28th of April.
78 In a letter, dated Tullamore, January 4th, 1838, John O'Donovan identifies Crua-
chan Bri Eile with the present conspicuous Hill of Croghan, in the parish of Croghan, and in the barony of Lower Philipslown.
" Poem of the Monuments.
alluded to in the
Laoidh na Leacht," or
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 6i
The profession of St. Brigid is held to have occurred a. d. 467,^-* or possibly A. D. 469. ^5 That our Apostle St. Patrick^^ officiated on this occa- sion^7 has been affirmed by such writers as John Brampton^^ and Henry of Marlborough. ^9 According to another account,9° she was veiled by two holy bishops, who were disciples of St. Patrick. In his Life of the saint, Ultan relates, that she received the veil from Bishop Mel,9' a disciple of St. Patrick ;92 and the same statement is to be found among her other acts, in the Irish language. This representation has been adopted by Harris. 93 However, the story about St. Mel of Ardagh having veiled her is contra- dicted by the best authorities, and it is not even worthy of refutation, in Dr. Lanigan'sopinion. 94 Itistoberegretted,thatwehavenotonrecordtheexact name of that church,95 in which St. Brigid made her religious profession. Cruachan Brigh-eile it is usually called. 9<5 From the account left us by Cogitosus, that church97 would seem to have been renowned for religious pilgrimages in his day, and to have been the scene of numerous miracles, wroughtonbehalfofthedevoutclientsofoursaint. Still,thisunnotedchurch
^haspossiblybeenidentified. 92 Itisthoughttohavebeenontheeasternside of the conspicuous Hill of Croghan,99 near Tyrrell's Pass, on the confines of
has the same as nut and the signification ;
word Caill, the same as wood; the word
faol as wolf; whilst all, aid or alt means a
forest. Wherefore, Mac-mill, Mac-caill, Mac-aill or Mac-aild may have the signifi-
cation oifilius nucis, filius sylva:, filius lupi, ox filius saltus, in Latin ; as if the name had been bestowed on him, "ex eo quod in sylvis et saltibus latrocinia exercebat. " Colgan adds, that these notices are given by him, not because he would assert, that he had furnished the right origin for such proper names ; but, because they show dif- ferences existing between them, and may be adopted, until better interpretations or de- rivations are offered. With those two names of the saints in question, and from many ap- pellatives of saints in Ireland, which com-
9° See " Sanctorum Hystorie plurimorum
noviter et laboriose ex diversis libris col- lecte. " Louvanii, A. D, 1485, 4to.
9^ See, in reference to this account, "The Book of Obits and Martyrology of the Ca- thedi-al Church of the Holy Trinity," edited by John Clarke (^rosthwaite and Rev. James Henthorn Todd, Introduction, pp. xcvi^ to cii. , with accompanying notes.
52 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. xviii. , p. 519.
mence with Mac, scarcely one—
of Ireland," book i. , chap, iii. , p. 12.
94 Headds "It is to be found in the :
Third Life (cap. 18), with the author of which Mel appears to have been a great fa- vourite Yet, however partial to Mel, it mentions Maccaille, but
can be considered a name proper to whom it may
him as
St. Brigid to him. "
adopting its etymological origin
be applied, but many are conventional.
^'^ See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesi-
arum Antiquitates," cap. xvi. , p. 336. Also, Index Chronologicus, A. D. CCCCLXVII. ^5 See Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , section
at least
makes him a
of Mel, and represents
iii. , p. 386.
^^Joceline relates, that St. Brigid was mained attached to its roots and growing,
present at a sermon of St. Patrick, in a place called Finnabhair. Afterwards, St. Patrick went to Munster, where, as well as in other Irish provinces, he spent nine years. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciv. , xcv. , pp. 86, 87. Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
^7 Some writers place St. Patrick's death so early as a. d. 458, while others say that he lived until A. D. 493. See " Life of St.
9^ Bri Eile or Croghan was the church of St, Maccaille, See "Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the King's County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837. " John O'Donovan's letter dated TuUamore,
112.
January 4th, 1838, p.
97 This was "in the city Medi. " See
"
Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish
Brigid," by 28.
Priest, chap, iii. , p.
an Irish
Saints," p. 288.
98 See Dr. O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the
^^ See " Historia Joronalensis," ad ann.
I185.
^9 In his " Chronicle," at A. D. 493.
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (m), p. 152.
99 The parish of Croghan is described on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the King's County. " Sheets 3, 10. On
93 See Harris' Ware. Vol, iii,,
"
Writers
disciple introducing
— " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
chap, viii. , sec. iii. , p. 388.
95 In the Second Life, it is stated, while
the saint made her vows to heaven, she touched a wooden support, on which its altar rested, Cogitosus says, in his time, this wood was Still green, as if it had not been cut down and barked, but had yet re-
acceptance
privilege.
subject,
authority
'°* '"^
In the present county of Westmeath. According to Ussher.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
the King's County and Westmeath. No church at present marks this site, but a frequented graveyard is to be seen on the spot indicated. The place
itself is elevated and greatly exposed to the action of passing winds. It would seem, according to another opinion, that our saint received her religious habit at Huisneach Midi,'°° usually supposed to have been identical with Usny Hill. '°' According to Tirechan, Maccaille was then at this place,'°^ which, although not his usual residence, was probably comprised within his ecclesi- astical district. '°3 Likely, also, the church had been built of wood, and had not suffered from fire, down to the time, in which Cogitosus wTote. This accident occurred, however, before the Latin Hexameter or Sixth Life of our saint had been composed. Allusion is there made to the miraculous circumstance regarding that portion of the altar, touched by the holy virgin, having escaped conflagration.
Although certain writers have assumed, that St. Brigid made her religious
profession so early as her fourteenth year •,^'"< yet, nothing has appeared in evidence to sustain this opinion. It is true, before the passing of a decree, at the Council of Trent, that age was deemed sufficient for receiving the veil. Hector Boece'°s seems therefore to have inferred St. Brigid's earliest
^°^ On this
pressed her preference for the state of virginity. In the early ages, conse- crated virgins lived with their friends, and discharged the ordinary household duties. Afterwards, it was found more desirable they should live in com- munity. Strictenclosurewasofalaterdate,anditwasgraduallyintroduced among the religious houses. It is needless to state, how much it has con- duced to promote sanctity in such holy institutions. '''7
Maccaille is said to have clothed her with a white cloak^°^ and to have
placed a white garment or veil over her head. Relating like circumstances, Tirechan says, that she received the pallium from Mac-Cuille or Maccaille. It is worth while remarking, the dress of ancient nuns was white ; nor were there any distinct orders of religious females in Ireland, until some centuries after St. Brigid's time, as all consecrated women followed the same rule she had observed. '°9
A learned Irish ecclesiastical historian"® will not have it inferred, that
of her
declares, St. Brigid must have been at least sixteen years old, at the period of her consecration, as in those times, that was the earliest age, compatible with the perfomiance of such a ceremony. It is probable, she had attained this latter age, at least, as her parents considered her marriageable, at a time she ex-
the latter maybe traced the curious anti-
quities adjacent to the ruiped church on
Croghan Hill.
100
the place of her profession is said to have
been at Tealach Midi, where Bishop Mel
was then living, pp. 17, 18. In other
words, this place may be rendered Tulach
Midi, or the Hill of Meath,
iii. , and n. 41, pp. 386, 388.
^°^ See " The Life of St. Brigid," by an
Irish Priest, chap, iii. , pp. 33, 34.
Xn Professor O'Looney's Irish Life,
The white garment of St. Brigid is
'°3 See Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vii. , sec. ^^M P- 335-
as the — for their generally, regulation
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical as
wearing a particular habit. "
"
tical History of Ireland," vol. i,, chap, viii. , '°* See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's "Lives of sec. iii. , n. 34, p. 3S7. He quotes Tille-
"
Memoires pour servir a I'Histoire Ecclesiastique," tomus x. , pp. 84 to 302 ; and Bingham's " Ecclesiastical Antiquities,"
the Saints," vol. ii. , February I. , p. 17. mont's *°s Ussher and other writers drew similar
accounts from him.
See Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sec.
^*°*
Lanigan's
"Ecclesiastical book "°
vii. , chap, iv. , Dr. Lanigan.
sect. 6.
:
a more reliable
'°^
mentioned in her Third Life. See Col-
gan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Brigidte, cap. 108, p. 540.
'°9 Such is the opinion of Dr. Lanigan,
" We find nothing about cutting
who adds
of hair, which was not practised in the pro- fession of holy virgins as early, or, at least
Ecclesias-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. «3
our saint's father resided in the ancient province of Meath, as he is con- stantly called a Leinsterman. According to the same writer, he seems to have lived not far from Kildare, where Brigid afterwards founded her nun- nery. '" The reason why she had recourse to Maccaille was probably, be- cause he was then the nearest bishop to her father's house ; and, as the con- secration of virgins was reserved to the episcopal order, a priest could not receive her profession. It is a matter of considerable difficulty to determine theplace,wheretheholyvirginfirstestablishedherreligioushouse. Accord- ing to a local tradition, we find it stated, St. Brigid and her sister lived in Faughard Church. "^ This, however, is unreliable. Another opinion has been offered,"^ that our saint founded her first religious establishment in that part of the King's County, which formerly belonged to the ancient pro- vince of Meath, as may be conjectured from its having been not far from Usneach or Usny hill,"^ where Brigid received her veil. The place is spoken of, as being surrounded by the towns -of Meath. "s Usny hill"'^ is not far distant from the present King's County. "7 There Maccaille seems to have usually resided. In Fearcall, formerly a part of Meath, now the baronies of Ballycowen and Ballyboy,"^ in the King's County, there was a place called Rath-brighide, i. e. Brigidstown. "9 Dr. Lanigan supposes, St. Brigid's dwelling was either about that district, or in an adjoining one of
"' " In the Fourth Life (L. 2 c. 3) it is said that after an absence of some duration, she returned to her own country, that is, to the district where her relatives resided, and that in said tract a place was assigned to her for
a for — after- erecting monastery holy virgins,
wards called Kill-dara. " "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," chap, viii. , § iii. , and
n. 37, PP- 385, 388.
"^
ground plan of Usneach cemetery, and a sectional part of its upper surface, are pre-
sented by Dr, Ferguson, in the paper to which allusion has been already made. The
principal cemetery enclosure is an irregular
Tradition
called Cilt mtii|Ae, or "the Church of
Mary. " See "Louth Letters, containing tition in the enclosures. Each division con-
"*
Interesting engravings, representing a
"
an Irish Priest, chap, iii. , p. 34.
states,
that it is likewise
Information relative to the Antiquities of
the County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1835," vol. i. ,
p. 287.
"3 By Dr. Lanigan.
"4 It lies about four miles north-west from the Castletown station of the Midland Rail- way, and in the county of Westmeath. The hill is a long swelling green eminence, ly- ing east and west. It has never been sub- mitted to the plough. It has two summits, and the eastern one is occupied by an an- cient cemetery. A broad avenue formerly led to it from the south, and the lines of this are still traceable on the green sward. With the exception of the Cat Stone, and some smaller earth-works, on the lower part of its eastern slope, no other structural works re-
tains tumuli, and some of these seem to have been erected on the intersection of demarka- tion mounds. All have been opened. In the western division, the mouth of a cave has been exposed. Other holes in the sur- face show where the roofing stones have filled up passages. These mounds and tu- muli are exhibited on the ground plans. See pp, 119, 120.
"7 In his account of the parish of Conra,
Dr. O'Donovan gives some notices of Cnoc
tlipiij, or the Hill of Usneach, on which
the pagan monarch Tuathal Teachtmhar
erected a longphort in the second century.
See "Letters containing Information re-
lative to the Antiquities of the County of
Westmeath, collected during the Progress of
the Ordnance Survey in 1837," vol. i.
main on the hill. See "
Royal Irish Academy," second series, vol. i. , No. 7. A paper (xvii. ) read by Samuel Ferguson, LL. D. , Vice President, February 26, 1872, "On Ancient Cemeteries at Rathcroghan and elsewhere in Ireland (as affecting the question of the Site of the Cemetery at Taltin)," p. 118.
"5 See "Trias " Colgan's Thaumaturga.
Vita Tertia S. Brigidas, cap, xxi,, p, 529.
Letter of dated John O'Donovan,
Proceedings
of the
Bally- more, Lough Sewdy, September 17th, 1837,
with the square, angles
circle, or rather a
rounded off, being about 250
meter. Subsidiary to this, there is on the western side an annexe of the same general outline. This is about 180 feet in diameter. There appears to have been a five-fold par-
pp. 117 to 125.
"^ This place has been improperly con-
founded with St. Brigid's Town in " The Life of St. Brigid," by an Irish Priest, chap, iii. , p. 34-
"9This conjectural statement of Dr.
Lanigan correct one, in
unreservedly adopted The Life of St. Brigid," by
has been as a
feet in dia-
64 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
Westmeath. "° As in the immediately subsequent events of St. Brigid's career, the great central territory of Teathbha, or Teffia,^"^^ is frequently men- tioned, it seems likely enough, her first religious house was situated either within that district, or at least in a not very remote situation from it. Per- haps, owing to the recorded intimacy and friendship between herself and
Bishop Mel, her community, at first, was under his supervision and guardian-
I
Old Church Rums at Ardagli.
ship, and it may have been at Ardagh, where at present a very ancient ruined church is shown. "^ It is one of the most cyclopean and archaic type. "3 The door-way was perfect, but remarkably low. '^^'J Also, it must be observed, that a very prevailing popular tradition associates St. Brigid with St. Mel, as a chief patroness of the Ardagh diocese,"s and a holy
'^ He adds, that we may find a Tegh-
brighide, or Brigid's house, in Kinel-fiacha
/. 6'. , the country about Kilbeggan. See
'*
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sec. iii. , and n. 47, pp. 386, 389.
_"' This territory, called Teffa, in Certani's
Life of the Saint, lay north and south of
theEthneorInnyriver. Theformer,inSt.
Patrick's time, included the greater part of
the present County Longford, and the latter
the western half of Westmeath County. See
" The Poems of O'Dub- Topographical John
hagain and Giolla na naomh O'Huidhrin. " Edited by John O' Donovan, LL. D. , p. ix.
"^^
The greater number of its stones are eight feet long. These ruins are to be seen at the south-east angle of a modern grave-
yard. See letter of John O'Donovan, dated Edgeworthstown, May i8th, 1837. "Letters and Extracts containing Information relative
to the Antiquities of the County of Long* ford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837," p. 39.
'-3 This has been sketched by George I)e
Noyer, and it is to be found among the folio
drawings in the Royal Irish ^Vcademy's Library. It has been thence transferred to
the wood and engraved by Mr. Gregor Grey of Dublin for this work.
" In The church itself was never 1837.
very large.
'^s Such information the writer has re-
ceived from Very Rev. Thomas Canon
Monaghan, P. P. , LoughdufT, in the Diocese of Ardagh.
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 65
well"^ dedicated to her is to be seen near the town of Ardagh. "7 In one
of our saint's lives, we are told, that the bishop,"^ who received her reli-
gious profession, prepared a suitable place for her monastic habitation,"^ and
presented her with so many cows, as there were members in her commu-
nity. '3° When she and her sisters took possession of their dwelling, St. Brigid
applied herself anew to labours, to vigils, to fasting, to prayer and to divine contemplation. Thus, she endeavoured to advance in the narrow paths of
perfection, on which she had already entered. Although excelling others, in
station and merits, yet would she manifest her humility, by claiming to be an
associate merely in that society she had founded. By her example and
encouragement, she induced many ladies to embrace the most sublime
practices of a religious profession. ^31 The bishop and people of the district,
in which she lived, felt delighted with her sojourn in that place. Even they
showed themselves more desirous ot contributing to relieve the corporal
wants of the community established, than these religious were to receive
their gifts. If any superfluities remained, these were bounteously bestowed
on the poor, by the holy superioress, and according to the measure of their
^32
On a certain day, Maccaille invited St. Brigid and her nuns to a banquet.
But, when the table had been laid, and the viands placed thereon, the holy
virgin entreated that bishop to refresh the minds of his guests with spiritual,
before they should partake of corporal, food. To this request he willingly
assented, and exercised his eloquence, by taking as the subject of his dis- course our Divine Lord's exhortation from the mount. He dwelt on the
various virtues of a Christian, and especially on those eight Beatitudes, by whichthekingdomofheavenissecured. Attheconclusionofhisdiscourse,
St. Brigidsaidtohernuns "Mydearly-belovedsistersinChrist,wearein
:
number eight virgins, and eight virtues are proposed to us for your obser- vance and sanctification. Although, whoever has one virtue, in a perfect degree, must necessarily possess many other religious excellencies, as every
necessities.
"•* There is no well in the parish of Ar- dagh dedicated to St. Mel, and it is strange that St. Brigid is the patron. Her holy well, called Toberbride, lies in the townland of Banghill. See John O'Donovan's letter,
dated Edgeworthstown, May i8th, 1837. " Letters and Extracts containing Informa- tion relative to the Antiquities of the County of Longford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837," pp^ 38, 39,
"7 This well and the old church are noted
on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
fortheCountyofLongford. " Sheet19.
"8 See the " Life of St. Brigid," by an
Irish Priest, chap, iii. , p. 35.