There were several places bearing this Christian Religion, the
descendants
of name, Finnabhuir, in Ireland.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
85, xci.
, p.
86, cxxxvi.
, cxxxvii.
, p.
95,
must have become obso-
referred to " Colgan's
St. Patrick's
lete, and they probably lapsed into the fore- going denominations. See nn. 233, 234, 23s, 236, 237, 238.
Trias Thaumaturga. " See Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ivii. , p. 25, n. 51, p. 32. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxxvi. , p. 73, Ixxxvi. , p. 85, Ixxxviii. ,
Acts,
'55 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
*'
Ecclesiasti-
cal History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap. vi. ,
sect, iii. , n. 24, p. 269.
^°°
a very level plain. "
'^' This is in the of Middle parish barony
"
It was called also Magh-clair, meaning
^°3 The festival of Cruimther Colum, as called in the Irish Tripartite Life, was cele- brated here, on the 4th of June, as also on the 6th of December.
^°-* Thus is he called, in the Irish Tripar- tite Life.
'"S According to other accounts, it was a Ritual Book.
'^ Archdall seized upon this observation,
and thence made out, that the abbey of
Donnaghmore, in Tyrone, had been founded by St. Patrick. See " Monasticon Hiber-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 663
CHAPTER XVI.
THE IRISH APOSTLE FOUNDS CHURCHES IN HY-BRUIN, AND AT TULACH-MAINE—HE PREACHES AT FINN-ABHUIR—HE VISITS THE OIRGAILLIANS—EOCHAID MAC CRIM- THAINN AND HIS CHILDREN—CLOGHER AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD—ST, MACCAER- THENN IS PLACED OVER THE SEE, ESTABLISHED AT CLOGHER—DESCRIPTION OF ALTADAVEN—MISSION IN HUA-MEITHTIRE—ST. PATRICK VISITS THE PEOPLE OF MUGHDORNIA—THE CONVERSION OF THEIR CHIEFTAIN, VICTOR—ST. PATRICK IS OPPOSED, BY THE PEOPLE OF FERA-ROIS.
While the most holy Patriarch of Western Europe was thus engaged, travelling through Ulster, founding churches, providing for their government,
and spreading everywhere the Kingdom of Christ, he happened to come into the territory of Hy-Briuin,^ in the north. He rested there on Sunday, it is said ; and, he measured out the boundaries for a church, which he built there, and, which, afterwards was known, as Domnach-airthir, otherwise Domnach-Airthir Maighe. ' Here,heleftafavouritedisciple,namedConsedus,bysomewriters, orPresbyterConaedh,and,byJocelyn,heiscalledConnendus. 3 Hewasa man of great virtue and learning, who could not bear to leave St. Patrick's society. After a few days, St. Connendus came to St. Patrick, and desired
to abdicate his pastoral charge, through great humility. He found St.
"
Patrick resting, at a place, towards the east, called Fiodh, or
the wood. " +
However, the holy Apostle commanded him, to return back to his church, and foretelling, that he need not fear the effusion of blood, for none should ever be killed, in that place ; although, it was added, he should have few holy persons Uving near him, but rather men addicted to deeds of violence, and stealers of swine. s The event showed St. Patrick's prophecy to have
nn.
113, nn. loi, 102, p. 113, nn. 139, 140, 141,
142, 143, 144, 14s, 146, pp. 114, 115. Sep-
timaVita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. cxxviii. ,
cxxix. , cxxx,, cxxxi. , cxxxii. , cxxxiii. ,
cxxxiv. , cxxxv. , cxxxvi. , cxxxvii. , cxxxviii. ,
cxxxix. , cxl. , cxli. , cxlii. , cxliii. , pp. 146 to
148, and nn. , from 193 to 240, pp. 182 to
184. See, also. Miss Cusack's "Life of airbe, in Hy-Tuirtre. This, however, seems
36, 37, p. iio,n. 94,p. ii2,nn. 96,97, p.
St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," the Irish Tripartite version, pp. 439 to 447, with accompanying not—es.
'
Chapter xvi. This tribe is said to
have been descended from Brian, the son of
Fieg, and O'Flaherty adds, "ex quo Hy- briuin Borealis in dicecesi Ardmachana. "—
"
to me an incorrect opinion.
* Colgan states, this was the southern dis-
trict of Tyrone, belonging to the diocese of
and which once was well Armagh, wooded.
In his day, the trees had been greatly cleared away, although the name was retained.
Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxvi. , p. 364. It
Life ; but, in the Irish version, it is said to
have been a place for pig-eaters.
^ This is said to have been when proved,
Connacan, son of Colman, son of Niall Frossach, lived, and went into this district. According to Irish historical accounts, Niall Frossach, who was King of Ireland for seven years, resigned in 765, and died at I- Coluim-Cille, on his pilgrimage, eight years
seems probable, this territory was in the
modern of and barony Dungannon, county
of Tyrone. Colgan thinks it to have been identical with Muinter Birn, in Tyrone, and to have been so called from Bruin, son to Muiredach Meith, son to Imchad, son of Colla Da Crioch.
'
Jocelyn has noted this, as one of the
seven churches, built by St. Patrick, in Hy-
Tuirtrie. Colgan says, it must be distin-
guished from another Domnach Airthir, in by the Cinel-Conaill, at a. d. 810. Also, Kienacht, diocese of Derry. Both, he states, the death of Connegan, son of Colum, is have lost the ancient name, and he guessed, mentioned, during a hosting, made into that the present church might have been Ulidia, in 853. See Dr. O'Donovan's identical with one, called Achadh-longa, or edition, vol. i,, pp. 368, 369, 422, 423, 486, Achadh-logo, in his own time. 487. It is stated, in the Irish Tripartite
3 There are names of Saints or Connatus,
Condatus, Conna, or Conda, Connanus, or Condanus, in our Calendars, at various days. It seems difficult to identify this saint, with
any one of those holy persons. It is thought, by Colgan, that the church of this priest,
called here Domnach-Airthir, may not be different from one named Domnach-Foth-
s So is it stated, in the Latin
Tripartite
afterwards. The "Annals of the Four
"
Masters record the death of his son Colum,
664 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [March 17.
been most true. ^ The Apostolic man Patrick went, afterwards, to Telach- Maine,7 or Tulach-maine,^ It is obvious, from the context, that the place, here referred to, must have been in northern Ulster. 9 There he received a welcome, from the local Dynast Maine, son of Conlaedh, who humbled him- self, and who received all the welcome monitions of the holy missionary. For manifesting this obedient spirit, Patrick blessed him, and also blessed his wife. As a consequence of that benediction, she brought forth, at one birth, twin daughters. Patrick baptized these blessed ones. In due course of time, these virgins'^" were espoused to the Son of God ; while, St Patrick blessed veils for their heads, and received their religious vows. He left a senior with them, likewise, to instruct them, in the duties of their happy state. It would seem, that the holy Apostle resolved on the conversion of the Orgials, or Oriels ; a great sept descended from the three CoUas," who con-
Life, that when with an army, Connacan
was at the Fiodh, nine men moved off from
a tree, which Artifex, a pilgrim, selected.
He was beheaded ; i ight were liberated, Scotland, A. D. 326, by Muireadhach Ti-
however, in his land. A corresponding ac-
count was evidently added, at a later period,
by some copyist of the Tripartite, to show the fulfilment of St. Patrick's prophecy.
7 So is the name written, in the Irish Tri-
partite Life.
^ It is thus rendered, in the Latin Tripar-
tite. There is a Tullymoan, in the parish of Urney ; while there is a parish, called Tiilly- niskan, in the barony of Dungannon. Both are in the county of Tyrone. However, this place has not yet been identified.
5 There is only found one TuUymain, in
the parish of Faughanvale, and barony of
Tirkeeran, in the county of Londonderry.
It may have been the place here indicated,
in the opinion of the writer of a note, in Miss
"
Cusack's
" Without exactly identifying these holy
virgins, Colgan adds in a note, that at the 6th ofJuly, our Calendars contain an entry, viz. : the three daughters of Maine, of Ai- riudh-Bainne, called Dermor, Ethne, and Cumman.
reach, their first cousin, and son to Fiacha, the former monarch. The three Collas re- turned to Ireland three years afterwards, and threw themselves on the mercy of Mui- readhach, who not only forgave them, but, seeing they were brave men, took them into his service and confidence. He even gave them command in his army, and after some years, he proposed, that they should establish themselves, in some more independent position, than they could attain under him. He pointed to the Ulster kingdom, as an object worthy their ambition ; and they, agreeing to make war against it, led an army into Fearnmaigh, now the barony of Farney, in the county of IMonaghan, where they encamped on the Carn of Achaidh Leith Derg, which has not been identified. From this stronghold, they ravaged that country around them, until the Ulstermen, under their king Fergus Fogha, came to meet them. An obstinate battle was fought, in which the three Collas jsroved victorious, although Colla Meann perished there. King Fergus Fogha, the last King of Ulster, who dwelt in the Fort of Emhain, fell in that en- gagement, and his followers were driven over Glenn Righ, the valley of the present Newry Water, into the modern counties of Down and Antrim, from which they never afterwards returned. The victors destroyed Emania, and then took possession of the greater part of Ulster. This they held, as Swordland ; and, from those warlike princes descended the Maguires, the iSIac Mahons, the O'Hanlons, the Mac Canns, as also the
Life of St. Patrick. "
" The celebrated Cormac Mac Art had
been succeeded in the sovereignty of Ire-
land, by his son Cairbre Lifechair, A,D.
268. The latter king was killed, in the
battle of Gabhra, or Gawra ; but, he left
three sons, called Fiacha Srabtene, Eoch-
aidh, and Eochaidh Domhlen. Fiacha
Srabtene succeeded his father Cairbre A. D.
286, and he reigned for seventeen years,
until he was slain, by the sons of his brother,
Eochaidh Domhlen, in the battle of Dubh-
chomar, supposed to be at the confluence of
the Riveis Boyneand Blackwater, in Meath,
A. D. 322. Those sons were known as the Dugalds of Scotland, with many other three Collas, and their mother is called
Olechia, the daughter of Updarius, and a Briton of Albania. They are severally
named, Colla Uais, or the Noble, who was 118 to 125, wiih accompanying notes ; and,
theeldest Colla orthe ; Meann,
"LecturesontheManu- script Materials of Ancient Irish History,"
Stammerer, and Colla Fochri, or the Earthly. Colla Uais assumed the sovereignty, after their
Eugene O'Curry's lect. iii. , pp. 72, 73.
victory, but, he only held it for four years ; he and his brothers, with three hundred
others, having been expelled into Alba, or
Mac Donnells, the Mac Allisters, and Mac
families. See O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxv. , p. 359 ; Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp.
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 665
quered the ancient Ultonians, and wrested from them, that portion of the Ulster province, lying westwards of Glenn Righe, Lough Neagh, and the
Lower Bann. Their territory formerly was comprised, generally speaking, within the present counties of Londonderry, Tyrone, Armagh, Monaghan, FermanaghandLouth. ^^ PatrickdidnotvisitArd-Macha^3onthatoccasion,
but went into the territory of Hy-Cremthand. ^* This district, it has been thought, was in the barony of Slane,^5 and county of Meath,^^ it being so called from Creamhthann,^7 a descendant from the CoUa da Chrioch. ^^ Here, indeed, we meet with a digression, in the order of narrative, as found in the
Tripartite Lives, if the locality of Hy Cremthand be rightly identified ; but, it seems more correct, to place it within the present county of Tyrone/9 Here, too, it is stated, St. Patrick founded churches and residences.
While at Finn-Abhuir,='° or Finnabhair,^' in that district of Ultonia, known as Lemhuin," or Lemania,^3 a vast concourse of persons had assembled. Three whole days,^^ without intermission, did the saint read the Four Gospels, and preach from a hill, to multitudes, that flocked from all parts to hear him. These persons thought they had not been there one day,^s so effective and attractive were the saint's doctrine and discourses. In that assembly, the most holy virgin Saint Brigid^^ was present. Reclining her head,sheslept. SaintPatrick,perceivingthis,forbadeanypersontoawaken God's beloved spouse. By the issue was manifested, that passage of the
"
Canticles, which might be fitly applied to her :
I sleep, but my heart
waketh,"^7 becauseherHeavenlySpouseimpartedaknowledgeofmysteries to her. When she awoke, the saint commanded her to tell, in the hearing
ofallthepeople,whatshehadseen. Obeyinghim,St. Brigidrelated,thatshe
saw, at first, an assembly of men, all clothed in white, with ploughs, oxen, and fields all white ; after that, she saw all of these stained with spots ; and lastl)^, she observed them to become wholly black. In another vision, she beheld
" Shortly after the introduction of the Life.
There were several places bearing this Christian Religion, the descendants of name, Finnabhuir, in Ireland. The place Eoghan deprived them of tlie counties of here mentioned is said to be now called Tyrone and Londonderry. See John Findermore, a townland in the parish and
O'Donovan's "Topographical Poems of JohnO'DubhagainandGioUanaNaomh O'Huidhrin," p. xix. , n. 103.
quently mentioned, in the "Annals of the Four Masters. "
'5 Colgan places this little district, in
Southern and, he " nunc ad Orgiell, adds,
barony of Clogher, shown on the
'3 Now
Tyrone," Sheets 58, 64.
-' It receives this form of in the spelling,
Irish Tripartite Life,
Armagh.
'* This division, and its chiefs, are fre-
Baroniam Slanensem spectans, vulgo Crivi-
j'/«aw«i? dicta. " See, also, John O'Dono-
van's " Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of gawley were in it, having Clogher on its
Rights," n. (f ), p. 152. ^^AccordingtoColgan.
'7 He was the son of Fieg, son to Deoda-
tus, son of Rocliad, son of Colla-da-Crioch.
western, and the cliurch of Errigal Keeroge onitsnorthern,boundary. AsClossach,it is frequently mentioned, in O'Mellan's Irish "Journal of the Wars of 1641. "
^^ It is said to have been an open district
of Tyrone.
"-t The Irish and Latin Tripartite Lives
state, that he preached three whole days,
and as many nights.
^3 According to Jocelyn, but the Irish and
Latin Tripartite Lives have it one hour.
^^ The Patroness of Ireland, whose great
feast occurs, on the ist of Febniary.
^^ Canticle of Canticles, v. 2.
=*
"
i. Februarii. De S. Cinnia sive Kinnia
Virgine, n. 7, p. 235.
'* See, also, ibid. , xxi. Martii. Appendix
ad Acta S. Endaei, cap. 3, 4, pp. 712 to 714.
'9 Most of our modem writers seem to follow Colgan's opinion, on this question ; to us, the territory appears to lie, in the
country around Clogher.
See Colgan's
Acta Sanctorum Hibemice,"
='°
So is it called, in the Latin Tripartite
See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciv. ,
Ordnance SurveyTownlandMapsfortheCountyof
^^
Lemania, or Liamhain, otherwise
called Magh-lemna, according to Colgan, was in Tyrone, and in the diocese of
It was otherwise called Clossach. The River Blackwater ran through it, while the fort of Augher and the village of Bally-
Clogher.
"
666 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
sheep, dogs and wolves, contending together. St. Patrick then interpreted the first part of her vision, as relating to his own time, wherein good works and faithwereunitedtogether,andexercised; thesecondstatehadreferencetothe following generation, which should indeed persist in the candour of faith, but, notwithstanding, should deface it with depraved works ; the third state, he referred to ensuing ages, wherein men should not alone abandon the exercise of good works, but, moreover, would profane their livesj by re- nouncingtheirfaith. Thecontentionofvariousanimalswasheldtoindicate a strife between good and bad clerics and laics, in the time of a long subse- quentgeneration. Noneoftheaudiencedoubted,butthatthisinterpretation of St. Patrick must inevitably happen. ^^ Again, the holy virgin declared, that subsequently she saw two stones, the one little and the other big. A shower fell over each of these. The little stone increased, after it had re- ceivedthedrop,and,thereupon,silverysparksburstfromit. Thelargestone seemed to decrease, moreover, as the rain descended. Now, St. Patrick
stoodwithintheterritoryofOrgiell. ThepeopleofOirgaillia,calledalsothe Orgiellians,=9 were known as the posterity of the three Collas ; and, Eoch- aidh Mac Crimthainn3° ruled over them, at that time, when St. Patrick was there. s'' The Dynast had four children ; two sons, Bressal, said to have been the eldest, and Cairpre Damhairgit ; he had, likewise, two daughters, one named Dearfraoich,32 and another called Cinnia. 33 The prophet Patrick ex- plained the vision of St. Brigid, in an admirable manner, and as having, in the latter phase, a relation to Bressal and to Cairpre Damhairgit. The elder obstinately opposed the Gospel. Wherefore, he and his whole race were extirpated, in consequence of the dreadful imprecations denounced on them by St. Patrick ; while Carbrie, surnamed Damhairgid, most willingly em- braced the principles of truth, and he enjoyed the blessings imparted to him, with his posterity. From him, too, a numerous succession of Orgiellian princes, and a line of many saints, descended.
When St. Patrick had come into the ancient territory of Hy-Crimthean,
said also, to have been called the territory of Cinel Feradhaigh,34 or Kinel-
Farry, he proceeded straightway towards Cloghar, the chief seat of the Ergal Dynast, according to a popular tradition. 35 It is stated, likewise, that the
"
chief's residence ;36 and, that, from it the place derived its denomination.
Cloch-oir, or
golden stone," had been erected in the courtyard of the
xcv. , pp. 86, 87, and n. 105, p. 113. Sep- tima Vita S. Patricii, hb. iii. , cap. iv. , pp. 149, 150, and n. 11, p, 184.
^9 The fanciful derivation of their name is said to arise, from their having detained hostages given to them, in golden fetters ;
cording to the O'Clery's Calendar, at the 4th of April,
33 Her feast occurs, at the ist of February.
34 it comprised the barony of Clogher, in the county of Tyrone, and it was the patri- mony of the Mac Cathmhaoil family, also known as Mac
" a host-
3° A very beautiful blank-verse poem of Howell. See John O'Donovan's "Topo-
thus, o^A age. "
means
"gold,"
and
51AII,
Cawell, variously Anglicised into Caulfield, Campbell, Camphill and
de
Aubrey Vere, intituled,
" St. Pat—rick and
Poems of
graphical John O'Dubhagain
and
King Eochaidh," thus commences
:
Giolla na Naomh n. O'Huidhrin," p. xix. ,
102.
^s Por this and many other particulars which follow, a communication of " Oriel," Rev. Daniel O'Connor, headed " Clochar-
or of the " in " The na-Righ, Clogher Kings,
" Eochaidh, son of Cruimther, reigned, a king
Northward in Clochar. "
—See to 167.
3'
"Legends
of St. Patrick,"
pp. 149
Northern Star " of isourautho- June, 1871,
See O'FIaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxvi,, p. 364.
3* She was mother to Tighernach, Bishop of Clones, in the county of Monaghan, ac-
rity. 3^
There is an extensive circular mound,
with triple ramparts of earth surroimding it, on an elevated spot, within the Protestant bishop's former demesne ; and, this may
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 667
Being informed, how this king had passed a law, that no smoke must be seen in the neighbourhood, before smoke should issue from his castle ; the Apostle, for some sufficient reason, dared to disregard the Royal mandate. On a hill, not far from Clogher, he lighted a fire, at the dawn of day. This
''
the hill of fire. " 37 At Clogher, as the people state, St. Patrick confounded the Druids, by a miracle, which he
eminence is still known as ]Mullaghtinny, or
Clogher Church, County of Tyrone.
there wrought. ^s The remnant of the celebrated Cloch-oir is even yet pre-
served, it is said, within the churchyard precincts,39 where the present Protestant church stands,4° near the site of St. Mac-Carthen's former church. '*^
have been the site of the ancient chieftain's his life. St. Patrick, thereupon, struck the
"
residence. In the Annals of the Four Cloch-oir, with his Pastoral . Staff, the cele-
Masters," this place is called Clochar-mac- n-Daimhnc.
37 It is said, this act greatly incensed the
Dynast, who despatched messengers to arrest the saint. But, instead, these pro-
Hereupon, the king himself, with two wolf-dogs, ap- proached ; when these animals rushed for-
approaching him, their rage departed, and O'Connor and the writer to Clogher, in they began to fawn before him. Then, they June, 1878. The fragment is nearly an ob-
fessed themselves Christians.
the Cathedral and it is a silicious sand-stone, as Richard
Joseph Cruise, Esq. , G. S. I. , pronounced, ward, as if to devour the Apostle, yet, on who accomj)anied the Rev. Daniel
fiercely turned against their former master,
whom they pursued and killed, in the town-
land of in the of Kilnaheerly, parish
drawn on the spot, by William F. Wake- local legend differs much from the old man, and it has been engraved by Mrs.
Clogher. It is needless to observe, this
written narratives.
3^ It was pretended, that a stone, called
Kerdman Kelstach, could restore the dead to life ; and, when a young man, instructed
for the purpose, feigned himself dead, he in reaUt ydied, nor was the idol able to restore
Millard.
''^ So long as the kings of Ergal retained
their power, the church and other religious
institutions at Clogher appear to have with-
stood the Danish and Norwegian ravages. But, in the year 1380, Lord Mortimer with
brated Bachal Isa. Then, the head of the stone flew asunder, and, from it, a demon issued, but he immediately took to flight.
— 39 There, it is pointed out, resting not
in its original site—against the side of the
—Protestant church
—formerly
long square, five feet in height, being six feet three inches, in circumference.
'*'' The illustration was accompanying
668 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
The town of Clogher runs in a long street, having houses only on one side ; the demesne wall of the bishop running along the opposite side, the graveyard and wall forming a continuation. Within the cemetery,*^ the site of the ancient church is shown, but the foundations are covered over with sods, while curious carved fragments of it are built into the adjoining walls.
Here, St, Patrick resolved on erecting a See. Among his disciples was one,
particularly distinguished for his bodily strength, and for his affectionate re-
gards,towardsthatgreatmaster. HispropernamewasAodhorAldus,and
his father's was Chaerthann. Most generally, however, that son obtained
the better-known patronymic, Maccaerthenn. ''3 This faithful follower was
the staff of Patrick's declining years ; for, he bore the master on his shoulders
over fords of rivers and dangerous obstacles on the way. 44— Now, at one
time, Patrick came by where the lordly Knockmany rises'ts its brow even
thencrownedbyaPaganmonument. 4^ HewasonhiswayfromClochar,
and from the north, when that once strong man carried him across a difficult
place, but with manifest signs of distress, and his breathing became short. 17
Maccaerthenn was then in the decline Of life ; yet, the Irish Apostle found him
to be a useful co-labourer, and in every way obedient to his wishes. Then
adverting to his distress, the Apostle had compassion for his weakness, and promised to give him a settlement tor the remainder of his days. He after-
wards left Bishop Mac-Carthend in Clochar, and the Domhnach-Airgid^^ was
his forces destroyed Clogher. Fires, at various times, broke out in this city. Its church was rel^uiU, in the eleventh century ; yet, this too may have suffered complete or partial destruction.
^'^ Here is an old stone font of circular shape, lying on the grass, with bent mould- ings. It is two feet four inches in diameter, at the top.
*^ According to Sir James Ware, he died, on the 24th of March, a. d. 506. On that day. his festival is still held.
'•'' Owing to this support, he was called
"Patrick's Champion," and "Patrick's
vol. iv. Fourth Series. July, 1876, pp. 95 to 106. From this commanding spot, there is a most extensive and charming prospect on eveiy direction.
*^ There is thought to have been a Pagan
Altnr, with large pillars st. inding around in Ciom-Cruach fashion. Here, in Pagan times, the Gods of the Gentiles are said to have been propitiated ; and, even in Chris- tian times, the Feast of Lammas, with its many festivities, continued to be celebrated, down to a late period. The Lammas games of Knockmany were long sustained. Tradi- tion slates, that athletic sports, were here enlivened by the riuhi, an ancient Irish
strong-man. "
•s Under its wood-crowned shadows,- dance, in which the sons and daughters of
Clogher grew- up as a giant, and extended its portals to Augher, the royal gateway, and to the historic houses of Ballyxally. William Carkton, a native of the country near Clogher, and who is yet well remem- bered in this neighbourhood, has written
Ergaljoined. Hurlingsandraces,also,were favourite games. Until a recent period, races were run on the "race-road," extend- ing under the foot of Knockmany. The memory of these olden practices is even now fading away ; and, the Lammas or " Goose- berry Fair " of Clogher is at present the only remnant, to remind people of departed sports. The Blackwater flows, at the base of Knockmany.
" A Legend of Knockmany," and a beauti- ''"
ful poem, called Knockmany. The "characters" and "places" commemo- rated, by this celebrated Irish writer, are
the
who arc not a little proud of his genius and
and Killany, in the neighbourhood, are said
to have been called after Queen Baine,
whose death is recorded at A. D. iii, in Dr.
O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters,"
vol. i. , pp. 102, 103. Here, her cairn was
raised. It has been admirably described in churches, while I am still on the road. " and illustrated, by W. F. Wakeman, in " I will then leave thee in a church," said his paper, "The Magalithic Sepulchral Patrick, " that shall not be too near us for
Life thus
fame. Knockmany, as also Mullaghbenny laboured to bring St. Patrick over, he
traditionally noted, by
people there,
Tripartite
relates
Chamber of Knockmany, County Tyrone. "
''
The Journal of the Royal Historical
See
and ArchKological Association of Ireland,"
t? The Irish
the occurrence : When Maccaerthenn
"
Uch, lich," through weariness.
sighed out, ""
My debroth," said Patrick, you were
not accustomed to say that word. " " I am
old and infirm," exclaimed Mac Carthend,
"
familiarity, and that shall not be too distant for intercourse between us. "
*^ This, as we are told, was sent to St.
and you have left all my early companions
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 669
given to him, as a precious souvenir^^ of the Irish Apostle's fond remem- brances. It is a highly ornamented reliquary,5° enclosing Latin copies of the
four Gospels ;5i and, even yet, it is preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, in Dublin. It is stated, traditionally, that Bishop Mac-Car- thenn founded a monastery, before the chief's palace, at Clogher, when the royal family had been converted. Not many years ago, the walls of this foundation were supposed to be discovered, when a portion of the old ceme-
tery was dug away, to make room for a more spacious thoroughfare, in that part of the town, known as Church Hill. s^
Eochaid had a daughter, called Cinnia, or Cinnu,53 and her father wished
her to marry a man of noble family. This chieftain is called Cormac,S4 son
of Cairpre Mac Neill.
must have become obso-
referred to " Colgan's
St. Patrick's
lete, and they probably lapsed into the fore- going denominations. See nn. 233, 234, 23s, 236, 237, 238.
Trias Thaumaturga. " See Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ivii. , p. 25, n. 51, p. 32. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxxvi. , p. 73, Ixxxvi. , p. 85, Ixxxviii. ,
Acts,
'55 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
*'
Ecclesiasti-
cal History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap. vi. ,
sect, iii. , n. 24, p. 269.
^°°
a very level plain. "
'^' This is in the of Middle parish barony
"
It was called also Magh-clair, meaning
^°3 The festival of Cruimther Colum, as called in the Irish Tripartite Life, was cele- brated here, on the 4th of June, as also on the 6th of December.
^°-* Thus is he called, in the Irish Tripar- tite Life.
'"S According to other accounts, it was a Ritual Book.
'^ Archdall seized upon this observation,
and thence made out, that the abbey of
Donnaghmore, in Tyrone, had been founded by St. Patrick. See " Monasticon Hiber-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 663
CHAPTER XVI.
THE IRISH APOSTLE FOUNDS CHURCHES IN HY-BRUIN, AND AT TULACH-MAINE—HE PREACHES AT FINN-ABHUIR—HE VISITS THE OIRGAILLIANS—EOCHAID MAC CRIM- THAINN AND HIS CHILDREN—CLOGHER AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD—ST, MACCAER- THENN IS PLACED OVER THE SEE, ESTABLISHED AT CLOGHER—DESCRIPTION OF ALTADAVEN—MISSION IN HUA-MEITHTIRE—ST. PATRICK VISITS THE PEOPLE OF MUGHDORNIA—THE CONVERSION OF THEIR CHIEFTAIN, VICTOR—ST. PATRICK IS OPPOSED, BY THE PEOPLE OF FERA-ROIS.
While the most holy Patriarch of Western Europe was thus engaged, travelling through Ulster, founding churches, providing for their government,
and spreading everywhere the Kingdom of Christ, he happened to come into the territory of Hy-Briuin,^ in the north. He rested there on Sunday, it is said ; and, he measured out the boundaries for a church, which he built there, and, which, afterwards was known, as Domnach-airthir, otherwise Domnach-Airthir Maighe. ' Here,heleftafavouritedisciple,namedConsedus,bysomewriters, orPresbyterConaedh,and,byJocelyn,heiscalledConnendus. 3 Hewasa man of great virtue and learning, who could not bear to leave St. Patrick's society. After a few days, St. Connendus came to St. Patrick, and desired
to abdicate his pastoral charge, through great humility. He found St.
"
Patrick resting, at a place, towards the east, called Fiodh, or
the wood. " +
However, the holy Apostle commanded him, to return back to his church, and foretelling, that he need not fear the effusion of blood, for none should ever be killed, in that place ; although, it was added, he should have few holy persons Uving near him, but rather men addicted to deeds of violence, and stealers of swine. s The event showed St. Patrick's prophecy to have
nn.
113, nn. loi, 102, p. 113, nn. 139, 140, 141,
142, 143, 144, 14s, 146, pp. 114, 115. Sep-
timaVita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. cxxviii. ,
cxxix. , cxxx,, cxxxi. , cxxxii. , cxxxiii. ,
cxxxiv. , cxxxv. , cxxxvi. , cxxxvii. , cxxxviii. ,
cxxxix. , cxl. , cxli. , cxlii. , cxliii. , pp. 146 to
148, and nn. , from 193 to 240, pp. 182 to
184. See, also. Miss Cusack's "Life of airbe, in Hy-Tuirtre. This, however, seems
36, 37, p. iio,n. 94,p. ii2,nn. 96,97, p.
St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," the Irish Tripartite version, pp. 439 to 447, with accompanying not—es.
'
Chapter xvi. This tribe is said to
have been descended from Brian, the son of
Fieg, and O'Flaherty adds, "ex quo Hy- briuin Borealis in dicecesi Ardmachana. "—
"
to me an incorrect opinion.
* Colgan states, this was the southern dis-
trict of Tyrone, belonging to the diocese of
and which once was well Armagh, wooded.
In his day, the trees had been greatly cleared away, although the name was retained.
Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxvi. , p. 364. It
Life ; but, in the Irish version, it is said to
have been a place for pig-eaters.
^ This is said to have been when proved,
Connacan, son of Colman, son of Niall Frossach, lived, and went into this district. According to Irish historical accounts, Niall Frossach, who was King of Ireland for seven years, resigned in 765, and died at I- Coluim-Cille, on his pilgrimage, eight years
seems probable, this territory was in the
modern of and barony Dungannon, county
of Tyrone. Colgan thinks it to have been identical with Muinter Birn, in Tyrone, and to have been so called from Bruin, son to Muiredach Meith, son to Imchad, son of Colla Da Crioch.
'
Jocelyn has noted this, as one of the
seven churches, built by St. Patrick, in Hy-
Tuirtrie. Colgan says, it must be distin-
guished from another Domnach Airthir, in by the Cinel-Conaill, at a. d. 810. Also, Kienacht, diocese of Derry. Both, he states, the death of Connegan, son of Colum, is have lost the ancient name, and he guessed, mentioned, during a hosting, made into that the present church might have been Ulidia, in 853. See Dr. O'Donovan's identical with one, called Achadh-longa, or edition, vol. i,, pp. 368, 369, 422, 423, 486, Achadh-logo, in his own time. 487. It is stated, in the Irish Tripartite
3 There are names of Saints or Connatus,
Condatus, Conna, or Conda, Connanus, or Condanus, in our Calendars, at various days. It seems difficult to identify this saint, with
any one of those holy persons. It is thought, by Colgan, that the church of this priest,
called here Domnach-Airthir, may not be different from one named Domnach-Foth-
s So is it stated, in the Latin
Tripartite
afterwards. The "Annals of the Four
"
Masters record the death of his son Colum,
664 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [March 17.
been most true. ^ The Apostolic man Patrick went, afterwards, to Telach- Maine,7 or Tulach-maine,^ It is obvious, from the context, that the place, here referred to, must have been in northern Ulster. 9 There he received a welcome, from the local Dynast Maine, son of Conlaedh, who humbled him- self, and who received all the welcome monitions of the holy missionary. For manifesting this obedient spirit, Patrick blessed him, and also blessed his wife. As a consequence of that benediction, she brought forth, at one birth, twin daughters. Patrick baptized these blessed ones. In due course of time, these virgins'^" were espoused to the Son of God ; while, St Patrick blessed veils for their heads, and received their religious vows. He left a senior with them, likewise, to instruct them, in the duties of their happy state. It would seem, that the holy Apostle resolved on the conversion of the Orgials, or Oriels ; a great sept descended from the three CoUas," who con-
Life, that when with an army, Connacan
was at the Fiodh, nine men moved off from
a tree, which Artifex, a pilgrim, selected.
He was beheaded ; i ight were liberated, Scotland, A. D. 326, by Muireadhach Ti-
however, in his land. A corresponding ac-
count was evidently added, at a later period,
by some copyist of the Tripartite, to show the fulfilment of St. Patrick's prophecy.
7 So is the name written, in the Irish Tri-
partite Life.
^ It is thus rendered, in the Latin Tripar-
tite. There is a Tullymoan, in the parish of Urney ; while there is a parish, called Tiilly- niskan, in the barony of Dungannon. Both are in the county of Tyrone. However, this place has not yet been identified.
5 There is only found one TuUymain, in
the parish of Faughanvale, and barony of
Tirkeeran, in the county of Londonderry.
It may have been the place here indicated,
in the opinion of the writer of a note, in Miss
"
Cusack's
" Without exactly identifying these holy
virgins, Colgan adds in a note, that at the 6th ofJuly, our Calendars contain an entry, viz. : the three daughters of Maine, of Ai- riudh-Bainne, called Dermor, Ethne, and Cumman.
reach, their first cousin, and son to Fiacha, the former monarch. The three Collas re- turned to Ireland three years afterwards, and threw themselves on the mercy of Mui- readhach, who not only forgave them, but, seeing they were brave men, took them into his service and confidence. He even gave them command in his army, and after some years, he proposed, that they should establish themselves, in some more independent position, than they could attain under him. He pointed to the Ulster kingdom, as an object worthy their ambition ; and they, agreeing to make war against it, led an army into Fearnmaigh, now the barony of Farney, in the county of IMonaghan, where they encamped on the Carn of Achaidh Leith Derg, which has not been identified. From this stronghold, they ravaged that country around them, until the Ulstermen, under their king Fergus Fogha, came to meet them. An obstinate battle was fought, in which the three Collas jsroved victorious, although Colla Meann perished there. King Fergus Fogha, the last King of Ulster, who dwelt in the Fort of Emhain, fell in that en- gagement, and his followers were driven over Glenn Righ, the valley of the present Newry Water, into the modern counties of Down and Antrim, from which they never afterwards returned. The victors destroyed Emania, and then took possession of the greater part of Ulster. This they held, as Swordland ; and, from those warlike princes descended the Maguires, the iSIac Mahons, the O'Hanlons, the Mac Canns, as also the
Life of St. Patrick. "
" The celebrated Cormac Mac Art had
been succeeded in the sovereignty of Ire-
land, by his son Cairbre Lifechair, A,D.
268. The latter king was killed, in the
battle of Gabhra, or Gawra ; but, he left
three sons, called Fiacha Srabtene, Eoch-
aidh, and Eochaidh Domhlen. Fiacha
Srabtene succeeded his father Cairbre A. D.
286, and he reigned for seventeen years,
until he was slain, by the sons of his brother,
Eochaidh Domhlen, in the battle of Dubh-
chomar, supposed to be at the confluence of
the Riveis Boyneand Blackwater, in Meath,
A. D. 322. Those sons were known as the Dugalds of Scotland, with many other three Collas, and their mother is called
Olechia, the daughter of Updarius, and a Briton of Albania. They are severally
named, Colla Uais, or the Noble, who was 118 to 125, wiih accompanying notes ; and,
theeldest Colla orthe ; Meann,
"LecturesontheManu- script Materials of Ancient Irish History,"
Stammerer, and Colla Fochri, or the Earthly. Colla Uais assumed the sovereignty, after their
Eugene O'Curry's lect. iii. , pp. 72, 73.
victory, but, he only held it for four years ; he and his brothers, with three hundred
others, having been expelled into Alba, or
Mac Donnells, the Mac Allisters, and Mac
families. See O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxv. , p. 359 ; Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp.
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 665
quered the ancient Ultonians, and wrested from them, that portion of the Ulster province, lying westwards of Glenn Righe, Lough Neagh, and the
Lower Bann. Their territory formerly was comprised, generally speaking, within the present counties of Londonderry, Tyrone, Armagh, Monaghan, FermanaghandLouth. ^^ PatrickdidnotvisitArd-Macha^3onthatoccasion,
but went into the territory of Hy-Cremthand. ^* This district, it has been thought, was in the barony of Slane,^5 and county of Meath,^^ it being so called from Creamhthann,^7 a descendant from the CoUa da Chrioch. ^^ Here, indeed, we meet with a digression, in the order of narrative, as found in the
Tripartite Lives, if the locality of Hy Cremthand be rightly identified ; but, it seems more correct, to place it within the present county of Tyrone/9 Here, too, it is stated, St. Patrick founded churches and residences.
While at Finn-Abhuir,='° or Finnabhair,^' in that district of Ultonia, known as Lemhuin," or Lemania,^3 a vast concourse of persons had assembled. Three whole days,^^ without intermission, did the saint read the Four Gospels, and preach from a hill, to multitudes, that flocked from all parts to hear him. These persons thought they had not been there one day,^s so effective and attractive were the saint's doctrine and discourses. In that assembly, the most holy virgin Saint Brigid^^ was present. Reclining her head,sheslept. SaintPatrick,perceivingthis,forbadeanypersontoawaken God's beloved spouse. By the issue was manifested, that passage of the
"
Canticles, which might be fitly applied to her :
I sleep, but my heart
waketh,"^7 becauseherHeavenlySpouseimpartedaknowledgeofmysteries to her. When she awoke, the saint commanded her to tell, in the hearing
ofallthepeople,whatshehadseen. Obeyinghim,St. Brigidrelated,thatshe
saw, at first, an assembly of men, all clothed in white, with ploughs, oxen, and fields all white ; after that, she saw all of these stained with spots ; and lastl)^, she observed them to become wholly black. In another vision, she beheld
" Shortly after the introduction of the Life.
There were several places bearing this Christian Religion, the descendants of name, Finnabhuir, in Ireland. The place Eoghan deprived them of tlie counties of here mentioned is said to be now called Tyrone and Londonderry. See John Findermore, a townland in the parish and
O'Donovan's "Topographical Poems of JohnO'DubhagainandGioUanaNaomh O'Huidhrin," p. xix. , n. 103.
quently mentioned, in the "Annals of the Four Masters. "
'5 Colgan places this little district, in
Southern and, he " nunc ad Orgiell, adds,
barony of Clogher, shown on the
'3 Now
Tyrone," Sheets 58, 64.
-' It receives this form of in the spelling,
Irish Tripartite Life,
Armagh.
'* This division, and its chiefs, are fre-
Baroniam Slanensem spectans, vulgo Crivi-
j'/«aw«i? dicta. " See, also, John O'Dono-
van's " Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of gawley were in it, having Clogher on its
Rights," n. (f ), p. 152. ^^AccordingtoColgan.
'7 He was the son of Fieg, son to Deoda-
tus, son of Rocliad, son of Colla-da-Crioch.
western, and the cliurch of Errigal Keeroge onitsnorthern,boundary. AsClossach,it is frequently mentioned, in O'Mellan's Irish "Journal of the Wars of 1641. "
^^ It is said to have been an open district
of Tyrone.
"-t The Irish and Latin Tripartite Lives
state, that he preached three whole days,
and as many nights.
^3 According to Jocelyn, but the Irish and
Latin Tripartite Lives have it one hour.
^^ The Patroness of Ireland, whose great
feast occurs, on the ist of Febniary.
^^ Canticle of Canticles, v. 2.
=*
"
i. Februarii. De S. Cinnia sive Kinnia
Virgine, n. 7, p. 235.
'* See, also, ibid. , xxi. Martii. Appendix
ad Acta S. Endaei, cap. 3, 4, pp. 712 to 714.
'9 Most of our modem writers seem to follow Colgan's opinion, on this question ; to us, the territory appears to lie, in the
country around Clogher.
See Colgan's
Acta Sanctorum Hibemice,"
='°
So is it called, in the Latin Tripartite
See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciv. ,
Ordnance SurveyTownlandMapsfortheCountyof
^^
Lemania, or Liamhain, otherwise
called Magh-lemna, according to Colgan, was in Tyrone, and in the diocese of
It was otherwise called Clossach. The River Blackwater ran through it, while the fort of Augher and the village of Bally-
Clogher.
"
666 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
sheep, dogs and wolves, contending together. St. Patrick then interpreted the first part of her vision, as relating to his own time, wherein good works and faithwereunitedtogether,andexercised; thesecondstatehadreferencetothe following generation, which should indeed persist in the candour of faith, but, notwithstanding, should deface it with depraved works ; the third state, he referred to ensuing ages, wherein men should not alone abandon the exercise of good works, but, moreover, would profane their livesj by re- nouncingtheirfaith. Thecontentionofvariousanimalswasheldtoindicate a strife between good and bad clerics and laics, in the time of a long subse- quentgeneration. Noneoftheaudiencedoubted,butthatthisinterpretation of St. Patrick must inevitably happen. ^^ Again, the holy virgin declared, that subsequently she saw two stones, the one little and the other big. A shower fell over each of these. The little stone increased, after it had re- ceivedthedrop,and,thereupon,silverysparksburstfromit. Thelargestone seemed to decrease, moreover, as the rain descended. Now, St. Patrick
stoodwithintheterritoryofOrgiell. ThepeopleofOirgaillia,calledalsothe Orgiellians,=9 were known as the posterity of the three Collas ; and, Eoch- aidh Mac Crimthainn3° ruled over them, at that time, when St. Patrick was there. s'' The Dynast had four children ; two sons, Bressal, said to have been the eldest, and Cairpre Damhairgit ; he had, likewise, two daughters, one named Dearfraoich,32 and another called Cinnia. 33 The prophet Patrick ex- plained the vision of St. Brigid, in an admirable manner, and as having, in the latter phase, a relation to Bressal and to Cairpre Damhairgit. The elder obstinately opposed the Gospel. Wherefore, he and his whole race were extirpated, in consequence of the dreadful imprecations denounced on them by St. Patrick ; while Carbrie, surnamed Damhairgid, most willingly em- braced the principles of truth, and he enjoyed the blessings imparted to him, with his posterity. From him, too, a numerous succession of Orgiellian princes, and a line of many saints, descended.
When St. Patrick had come into the ancient territory of Hy-Crimthean,
said also, to have been called the territory of Cinel Feradhaigh,34 or Kinel-
Farry, he proceeded straightway towards Cloghar, the chief seat of the Ergal Dynast, according to a popular tradition. 35 It is stated, likewise, that the
"
chief's residence ;36 and, that, from it the place derived its denomination.
Cloch-oir, or
golden stone," had been erected in the courtyard of the
xcv. , pp. 86, 87, and n. 105, p. 113. Sep- tima Vita S. Patricii, hb. iii. , cap. iv. , pp. 149, 150, and n. 11, p, 184.
^9 The fanciful derivation of their name is said to arise, from their having detained hostages given to them, in golden fetters ;
cording to the O'Clery's Calendar, at the 4th of April,
33 Her feast occurs, at the ist of February.
34 it comprised the barony of Clogher, in the county of Tyrone, and it was the patri- mony of the Mac Cathmhaoil family, also known as Mac
" a host-
3° A very beautiful blank-verse poem of Howell. See John O'Donovan's "Topo-
thus, o^A age. "
means
"gold,"
and
51AII,
Cawell, variously Anglicised into Caulfield, Campbell, Camphill and
de
Aubrey Vere, intituled,
" St. Pat—rick and
Poems of
graphical John O'Dubhagain
and
King Eochaidh," thus commences
:
Giolla na Naomh n. O'Huidhrin," p. xix. ,
102.
^s Por this and many other particulars which follow, a communication of " Oriel," Rev. Daniel O'Connor, headed " Clochar-
or of the " in " The na-Righ, Clogher Kings,
" Eochaidh, son of Cruimther, reigned, a king
Northward in Clochar. "
—See to 167.
3'
"Legends
of St. Patrick,"
pp. 149
Northern Star " of isourautho- June, 1871,
See O'FIaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxvi,, p. 364.
3* She was mother to Tighernach, Bishop of Clones, in the county of Monaghan, ac-
rity. 3^
There is an extensive circular mound,
with triple ramparts of earth surroimding it, on an elevated spot, within the Protestant bishop's former demesne ; and, this may
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 667
Being informed, how this king had passed a law, that no smoke must be seen in the neighbourhood, before smoke should issue from his castle ; the Apostle, for some sufficient reason, dared to disregard the Royal mandate. On a hill, not far from Clogher, he lighted a fire, at the dawn of day. This
''
the hill of fire. " 37 At Clogher, as the people state, St. Patrick confounded the Druids, by a miracle, which he
eminence is still known as ]Mullaghtinny, or
Clogher Church, County of Tyrone.
there wrought. ^s The remnant of the celebrated Cloch-oir is even yet pre-
served, it is said, within the churchyard precincts,39 where the present Protestant church stands,4° near the site of St. Mac-Carthen's former church. '*^
have been the site of the ancient chieftain's his life. St. Patrick, thereupon, struck the
"
residence. In the Annals of the Four Cloch-oir, with his Pastoral . Staff, the cele-
Masters," this place is called Clochar-mac- n-Daimhnc.
37 It is said, this act greatly incensed the
Dynast, who despatched messengers to arrest the saint. But, instead, these pro-
Hereupon, the king himself, with two wolf-dogs, ap- proached ; when these animals rushed for-
approaching him, their rage departed, and O'Connor and the writer to Clogher, in they began to fawn before him. Then, they June, 1878. The fragment is nearly an ob-
fessed themselves Christians.
the Cathedral and it is a silicious sand-stone, as Richard
Joseph Cruise, Esq. , G. S. I. , pronounced, ward, as if to devour the Apostle, yet, on who accomj)anied the Rev. Daniel
fiercely turned against their former master,
whom they pursued and killed, in the town-
land of in the of Kilnaheerly, parish
drawn on the spot, by William F. Wake- local legend differs much from the old man, and it has been engraved by Mrs.
Clogher. It is needless to observe, this
written narratives.
3^ It was pretended, that a stone, called
Kerdman Kelstach, could restore the dead to life ; and, when a young man, instructed
for the purpose, feigned himself dead, he in reaUt ydied, nor was the idol able to restore
Millard.
''^ So long as the kings of Ergal retained
their power, the church and other religious
institutions at Clogher appear to have with-
stood the Danish and Norwegian ravages. But, in the year 1380, Lord Mortimer with
brated Bachal Isa. Then, the head of the stone flew asunder, and, from it, a demon issued, but he immediately took to flight.
— 39 There, it is pointed out, resting not
in its original site—against the side of the
—Protestant church
—formerly
long square, five feet in height, being six feet three inches, in circumference.
'*'' The illustration was accompanying
668 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[March 17.
The town of Clogher runs in a long street, having houses only on one side ; the demesne wall of the bishop running along the opposite side, the graveyard and wall forming a continuation. Within the cemetery,*^ the site of the ancient church is shown, but the foundations are covered over with sods, while curious carved fragments of it are built into the adjoining walls.
Here, St, Patrick resolved on erecting a See. Among his disciples was one,
particularly distinguished for his bodily strength, and for his affectionate re-
gards,towardsthatgreatmaster. HispropernamewasAodhorAldus,and
his father's was Chaerthann. Most generally, however, that son obtained
the better-known patronymic, Maccaerthenn. ''3 This faithful follower was
the staff of Patrick's declining years ; for, he bore the master on his shoulders
over fords of rivers and dangerous obstacles on the way. 44— Now, at one
time, Patrick came by where the lordly Knockmany rises'ts its brow even
thencrownedbyaPaganmonument. 4^ HewasonhiswayfromClochar,
and from the north, when that once strong man carried him across a difficult
place, but with manifest signs of distress, and his breathing became short. 17
Maccaerthenn was then in the decline Of life ; yet, the Irish Apostle found him
to be a useful co-labourer, and in every way obedient to his wishes. Then
adverting to his distress, the Apostle had compassion for his weakness, and promised to give him a settlement tor the remainder of his days. He after-
wards left Bishop Mac-Carthend in Clochar, and the Domhnach-Airgid^^ was
his forces destroyed Clogher. Fires, at various times, broke out in this city. Its church was rel^uiU, in the eleventh century ; yet, this too may have suffered complete or partial destruction.
^'^ Here is an old stone font of circular shape, lying on the grass, with bent mould- ings. It is two feet four inches in diameter, at the top.
*^ According to Sir James Ware, he died, on the 24th of March, a. d. 506. On that day. his festival is still held.
'•'' Owing to this support, he was called
"Patrick's Champion," and "Patrick's
vol. iv. Fourth Series. July, 1876, pp. 95 to 106. From this commanding spot, there is a most extensive and charming prospect on eveiy direction.
*^ There is thought to have been a Pagan
Altnr, with large pillars st. inding around in Ciom-Cruach fashion. Here, in Pagan times, the Gods of the Gentiles are said to have been propitiated ; and, even in Chris- tian times, the Feast of Lammas, with its many festivities, continued to be celebrated, down to a late period. The Lammas games of Knockmany were long sustained. Tradi- tion slates, that athletic sports, were here enlivened by the riuhi, an ancient Irish
strong-man. "
•s Under its wood-crowned shadows,- dance, in which the sons and daughters of
Clogher grew- up as a giant, and extended its portals to Augher, the royal gateway, and to the historic houses of Ballyxally. William Carkton, a native of the country near Clogher, and who is yet well remem- bered in this neighbourhood, has written
Ergaljoined. Hurlingsandraces,also,were favourite games. Until a recent period, races were run on the "race-road," extend- ing under the foot of Knockmany. The memory of these olden practices is even now fading away ; and, the Lammas or " Goose- berry Fair " of Clogher is at present the only remnant, to remind people of departed sports. The Blackwater flows, at the base of Knockmany.
" A Legend of Knockmany," and a beauti- ''"
ful poem, called Knockmany. The "characters" and "places" commemo- rated, by this celebrated Irish writer, are
the
who arc not a little proud of his genius and
and Killany, in the neighbourhood, are said
to have been called after Queen Baine,
whose death is recorded at A. D. iii, in Dr.
O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters,"
vol. i. , pp. 102, 103. Here, her cairn was
raised. It has been admirably described in churches, while I am still on the road. " and illustrated, by W. F. Wakeman, in " I will then leave thee in a church," said his paper, "The Magalithic Sepulchral Patrick, " that shall not be too near us for
Life thus
fame. Knockmany, as also Mullaghbenny laboured to bring St. Patrick over, he
traditionally noted, by
people there,
Tripartite
relates
Chamber of Knockmany, County Tyrone. "
''
The Journal of the Royal Historical
See
and ArchKological Association of Ireland,"
t? The Irish
the occurrence : When Maccaerthenn
"
Uch, lich," through weariness.
sighed out, ""
My debroth," said Patrick, you were
not accustomed to say that word. " " I am
old and infirm," exclaimed Mac Carthend,
"
familiarity, and that shall not be too distant for intercourse between us. "
*^ This, as we are told, was sent to St.
and you have left all my early companions
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 669
given to him, as a precious souvenir^^ of the Irish Apostle's fond remem- brances. It is a highly ornamented reliquary,5° enclosing Latin copies of the
four Gospels ;5i and, even yet, it is preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, in Dublin. It is stated, traditionally, that Bishop Mac-Car- thenn founded a monastery, before the chief's palace, at Clogher, when the royal family had been converted. Not many years ago, the walls of this foundation were supposed to be discovered, when a portion of the old ceme-
tery was dug away, to make room for a more spacious thoroughfare, in that part of the town, known as Church Hill. s^
Eochaid had a daughter, called Cinnia, or Cinnu,53 and her father wished
her to marry a man of noble family. This chieftain is called Cormac,S4 son
of Cairpre Mac Neill.
