"* Nor does there appear to be any
qualification
to this
eulogy, in regard to any particular portion of his life.
eulogy, in regard to any particular portion of his life.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
247.
'99
0'Gorman,ofCathaldMaguire,andofDone- gal.
=°^
The following is a list of the saints and their places, with presumed days for their fes- tivities. I. St. Aidan, venerated on the 27th of August, or on the 4th of September, at a place called Cluain Tarbh, or Clontarf. 2. St. Berchan,also called MobiClairenachjVene- rated on the 12th of October, at Glasnevin.
King of Ireland, from A. D. 164 to 174,
accordingtoO'Flalierty'schronology. See
"Ogygi^j" P3-'*s- iii-j cap. Ivii. , pp. 306 to
308. In Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," however, his reign is placed
much earlier, viz. , from A. D. no to 1 19.
See vol. i. , pp. 100 to 103. Having enacted 3. St. Barrindus, of Achadh-Cailltin, at a law of retaliation for the repression of the 8th of November. 4. St. Colman, of various crimes, this king died a natural Airthir Femhin. 5. St. Declan, of Ard- death, after a reign of nine years. Cathaeir more, venerated on the 24th of July. But,
Mor, or the Great, succeeded, according to from the life of this latter saint, which "
Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four Colgan intended to publish at that day, it
Masters. " Afterareignofthreeyears,we are informed, that he was slain in the battle of Magh-h-Agha, by Conn of the Hundred Fights and by the Fian or militia of Luaighne,
Secunda
would seem, Declan and his brother Colman are not derived from the race of Eochad, as
"
13th of February, or on the 4th of October.
12. St. Mochuan. 13. St. Samata, who
A. D. 122. See ibid. , pp. 102, 103. '"^ "
See "Trias Thaumaturga. Vita S. Brigidas, cap. i. , p. 519.
=°'
See ibid. Quarta Vita S. Brigida, cap. i. , p. 546.
^°^ From A. D. 177 to 211, according to
O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ix. ,
Ixi. , pp. 313 to 318. Dr. O'Donovan's the 4th of July. 10. St. Fintan, Abbot of "Annals of the Four Masters" has it from Clonenagh, venerated on the 17th of Feb- A. D. 123 to 157. See vol. i. , pp. 103 to ruary. II. St. Finan, venerated on the
105.
^°3 Among the St. Gall manuscripts like-
"
was venerated on the 1 6th of April. See "
wise there is a
Genealogia S. Brigidse. " See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap.
ii. , p. 613.
^°5 He remarks, that the Natales for most
of those saints are found entered in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, of Marianus
Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix ^°7 See his Life at the i6th of October.
='°'*
Colgan's
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. iii. , p. 613.
the author of the
writes, but rather from the posterity of his brother Fiach Sugdhe. 6. St. Diman, bishop, who was venerated on the 9th, or on the 22nd, of March. 7. St. Enan, of Drum Rath, venerated on the 19th of August. 8. St. Fechin, of Fore, venerated on the 20th of January. 9. St. Finbarr or Fionub- har. Abbot of Inis Doimhle, venerated on
Sanctilogic Genealogy"
=°8 '«^ThisaccordswiththeIrishLifeofSt.
See his Life at the i8th of January.
20 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
The son of this latter was 6ubtach, the father of St. Brigid. =^° Thus was the illustrious virgin eleventlTm Imeal descent, from the renowned Feidlimidh Rechtmar,*" or the Lawgiver,^^^ King of Ireland, in the second century of our Christian era. ^^3 It would seem, that on our saint's maternal side, Brigid was descended from the O'Connor family. '^4 The mother of this holy virgin
is incorrectly called Brocea, Brocaj^^'s or Brocessa, by Cogitosus, and by some foreign writers. But, by most of our native authorities, she is more correctlynamedBrotseach,^^^orBrocseach. =^7 ThesisterofthisBrotseach appears to have been Fanchea, the mother of three holy sons. ^'^ The Calendar of the O'Clerys states, that Broiccseach,=^9 daughter of Dallbronach, son to Aedh Meamhair,=^2o ^^^g ^^ mother of this most renowned virgin. Such a respectable pedigree is alone sufficient to disprove an assertion ot certain writers recording our saint's acts, that her mother was of servile con- dition. Both her parents are called Christians, and they are reputed to have been of noble birth. "^ It seems probable enough, they may have been among St. Patrick's converts, when he spent some time in Loutli, before re- turning to the North from his southern missionary travels. Besides the
Brigid, in the "Book of Lismore" and in
the ** Leabhar Breac" according to Professor
on its south and west, with Meath towards the north. Like other great districts of Ire- land, it had its own kings ; subject, however,
O'Looney's copy, pp. 3, 4.
*'° Such is her line as traced in the to the chief monarch of the island. Naas
**
xv. Cormac Mac Cuillenan, in his treatise on " Genealogies of the Saints," contained in the "Psalter of Cashel," assigns the same descent on the father's side, for St. Brigid.
wasthe St. capital city during
Brigid's period. Its metropolis for many ages past has been Dublin, which formerly had many suffragan sees within its present archiepiscopal limits. For some time past, it has only the suffragan In this particular, Dr. Geoffry Keating sees of Kildare and Leighlin, Ossory and
Sanctilogic Genealogies," chapter
agrees with the foregoing authorities. See
Dermod O'Connor's Keating's "General
History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 389.
2" In the Fourth Life of St. Brigid, it is said, he was thus named, because he effected great law reforms in his kingdom of Ireland, while * ' Reacht" of the Scotic dialect in
Ferns.
her. See Trias Thaumaturga. Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidas, cap. ii. , p. 613. ^'7 Irish writers more generally, as also Latin is identical with "lex. " In English more correctly, write her name Brocseach, it means "law. " and hence Colgan prefers to adopt their or-
=*^ Colgan agrees, that the cognomen thography. See ibid. Quarta Vita S. Bri-
Reachtmar is Latinized by the words
"
gidae, n, 8, p. 563,
legi- fer" or "legislator. " Such an epithet had been bestowed on him because of his being a great lover of justice. He also says that of this word '^'^ Reachtmar'''* \? , in accordance with our historic traditions, and
"
the common use of the epithet. See Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 546, and n. 3, p. 563.
='^
"Mothers of the Irish Saints," relates, that Fanchea, daughter of Dalbronach, was mo- ther of Saints Conall, Eugene, and Carbre, three sons of Neman.
='9 In the table to this martyrology, after
the holy virgin's name, we find the following comment introduced, within brackets :— "[DaughterofBroicsech; hermotherwas
the
origin
race of Eochaidh Finnfuathairt, son to Feidhlimidh Reachtmhar, son to Tuathal Teachtmhar, Monarch of Erinn.
»'* According to Professor O'Looney's Irish Life, St. Brigid's mother was Broig- seach, the daughter of Dallbronach, of the Dail Conchobhar in South Bregia.
="S In the Third Office of St. Brigid, pub-
lished by Colgan, "patre Diptoco, et matre Broca," are held to have been her parents. Her offices and other accounts make our saint a native of Leinster. This was an- ciently a Province of Ireland, bounded eastwards by the Irish Sea, having Munster
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. "° He is said to have been of Dalconchab-
of Bregia, accord- ing to an Irish Life of St. Brigid. St, Ultan also belonged to that family. A scholiast, in his preface to a hymn, said to have been composed by St. Ultan, writes, that he com- posed this hymn in . praise of St. Brigid : and that he was of the Daleconchabuir, to which belonged St, Brigid's (mother, Brot-
seach, daughter of Dallbronac,
=" See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Cogitosus' or Secunda Vita S. Brigidaj, cap, i. , p. 519.
Trias
"'3 The O'Clery's Calendar agrees, like-
wise, that St. Brigid descended from the Brocsecha. ]" See " Martyrology of Done-
gal.
="'*
Colgan remarks, that she should be
called Brotseach, as the generality of au-
thors—especially in old Latin codices—style ""
"
St. yEngus the Culdee, in his tract,
huir, in the southern
part
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 21
testimony of Cogitosus, referable to the Christian parentage of St. Brigid, in that metrical prologue to her sixth life,^" Dubtach is represented as a noble,
pious man, and still more noble, through his own proper spouse^=^3 and their holy offspring.
"* Nor does there appear to be any qualification to this
eulogy, in regard to any particular portion of his life. Whether the birth of their illustrious daughter took place before or after their conversion to Chris- tianity is not established on any reliable authority.
Our most judicious historians, Protestant and Catholic,'='S pass over in silence, or with reproof, those very incredible legends, which contradict the
^^*^
foregoing accounts.
render the least remarkable circumstances, attending St. Brigid's birth, more probable ; while the romantic narratives can be traced to no better sources than popular traditions, s—o liable to be obscured by fables. No doubt, cer- tain old Acts of the saint we cannot be sure, however, these are the most ancient and authentic —contain the entry of such preposterous statements.
Later writers, during the middle ages,''^7 adopted those vain fantasies, without sufficient examination, and these again have been repeated by more modern
or in
The best refutation of certain strange accounts, relating to St. Brigid's birth, will probably be found in a brief statement of the legend. ^30 xhe paternal ancestor of our illustrious virgin, and who is named Eochaidh Finn, went among the Lagenians, whose king bestowed many tracts of land on him, at different places. In that province the prince's posterity dwelt at a time
Indeed, an exact critical analysis will only serve to
of the historic — complete ignorance value, applic-
writers^^^
abletotheirsourcesforinformation. Th—egenealogyofSt. Brigid'smother apparently drawn from remote pedigrees shows that she was not of servile condition,229 but through family origin, in every respect, fitted to be the lawful and respected spouse of the noble Dubtach.
unreflectingly
^^'^^^ "Dubtachus erat ejus
genitor cogno-
being everywhere wife of Dubtach. "
else of as the spoken
mine dietus
Clarus homo meritis, clarus et a
;
'^'^^ That the illustrious St. Brigid was born in Scotia of noble and Christian parents is stated in the ' ' Chronica Generalis Mun- di," by Petrus de Natalibus, lib. iii. , cap. 69, as, also, in St. Brigid's Second, Third, and Fourth Offices, published by Colgan. She is said to have been "de bona pro- sapia" in the First Office,
^^^ See the succinct account of John Cap-
**
Nova Legenda Angliae," fol. "^ Such as Harris in his edition of Sir
"
James Ware's works, vol. ii,,
Ireland," book i. , chap, iii. , pp. ii, 12.
^^9 That she was a captive is intimated in
"S Such as Ussher, Ware, Lanigan, &c.
The latter writer observes, that " no atten-
tion is due to what v/e find in two or three
of the so-called Lives of St. Brigid concern-
ing her mother having been a concubine,
whom, when pregnant, the wife of Dubtach
obliged him to dismiss, and of her having
been purchased by a pagan poet or a magus,
and how, in consequence of his taking her
to Ulster, she was then delivered of the
saint. This romance-like narrative cannot
agree with the circumstance, that the parents
of the saint were Christians. I mean such the life called the fifth, whatever it has on strict Christians as were then in Ireland, nor these subjects was evidently taken from one with the rank of her mother's family and her or other of them, Amidst other nonsense
vis ; Nobilis
mitis
proa- pietate
atque humilis, repletus ;
Nobilior propria conjuge, prole pia. " —Sexta Vita S. Brigidae. Prologus. Col- gan's "TriasThaumaturga,"p. 582.
=^^3 She is understood to have been Bro-
cessa or Brotseach, the mother of St.
Brigid.
grave in his xlix.
^"^^
In those well-known acts of St. Brigid,
written by Cogitosus, she is said to have
been predestined for accomplishment of the
Almighty's decrees, by special graces re- ceived from heaven.
"Writers of
Colgan's first published metrical acts of the
saint, attributed to St. Brogan Cloen. See
*'
TriasThaumaturga. " Hymnus,seuVita Prima S. Brigidse, strophe i. , p. 515.
^3o On this subject. Dr. Lanigan remarks : * ' These stories are given in the third and fourth lives, which in very great part are mere transcripts of each other, agreeing, word for word, in many passages. The
former bears every appearance of being an abridgment of the latter. Be this as it may, they form but one authority. And as to
22 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
Fourth Life wrote. =3^ From his race, as we
when the author of St.
are told, a celebrated and powerful chieftain, named Dubtach, was derived, whoboughtafemaleservant,namedBroschach. Shewasverybeautifuland
distinguished by her great propriety of manner. =^32 Immediately after follows a romantic and an incredible account, seemingly irreconcilable with this latter statement. On learning that Broschach had conceived, the proper wife of Dubtach, it is said, became very much grieved, and advised her husband to sell his slave. ^33 Fear was expressed, at the same time, that Broschach's children should domineer over the family of his wife. But, the chieftain Dubtach would not hearken to the counsels of his consort, on ac- count of a great love he entertained for Broschach. =34
Brigid's
About this time, it is said, that two holy bishops^35 came from Britain, =36 andenteredthehouseofDubtach. OneofthesewascalledMelorMaol, andtheotherMelchuorMaolchu. ^37 Theseweredisciples,wearetold,of St. Patrick, the archbishop, who then preached God's word in Ireland. ^38 Maol said to Dubtach's " are sorrowful ? The of
wife, Why you offspring thy servant, shall be exalted above you and your progeny :239 however, love that servant equally with your own sons, because her infant shall procure blessings for your children. " But, the jealously of Dubtach's wife was not appeased,
and her brothers, who were powerful and brave men, earnestly urged Dubtach to sell his servant, in a distant part of the country. By a special inspiration, a poet, belonging to the Hy-Niall family,^40 came from the northern part of
contained in these tracts a magus is intro-
duced foretelling the future sanctity of the child, while she was still in her mother's womb. "—"Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sec. ii. , n. 22, pp. 381, 382.
'3' Colgan remarks, that this account fur- nishes no slight indication showing how the author of this life lived at a very early period, and that he flourished at least previously to the tenth century, as for many ages back, the family of St. Brigid did not live, in those
Vita Quarta S. Brigidoe, lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 546, In closing this»account of Broschach,
as she is generally called throughout the Fourth Life, the author adds regarding her,
**in omnibus enim moribus, illafoemma erat perfecta. "
=^3S They were disciples and nephews of St. Patrick, the children ofhis sister Darerca. Colgan gives their acts, at the 6th of Feb- ruary, the day of their feast, in his "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," vi. Februarii, pp. 259 to 264.
=^3* In Professor O'Looney's "Life of St. Brigid," Irish and English MS. , while call- ing them bishops of the Britons, they are said to have come from the Alps to foretel of her, pp. 5, 6.
=37Inthe"TertiaVitaS. Brigidce"they
'3='IntheThirdLife,thi—slatteraccount arecalledMelandMelchu,asalsoinmany
places to which allusion had been made. "
See Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, n. 7, p. 563. It may be asked, however, on what data Colgan grounds his assertion, even if the author specified those exactplaces? Thishehasnotdone.
ofBrocseach's — good
morals
"
as contained in other works. In the Vita S. Bri-
the Fourth Life
is See coincidently given.
are more
Quarta correctly named,
"Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. i. , p. 527. Both statements appear to have been im-
plicitly followed, in the Fifth or acephalous
Life of our saint, which Colgan supplies in
his own words, and in elegant Latin, appa-
rently written to imitate Laurence of Dur-
ham's style. This narrative is paraphrased
from more succinct accounts of previous
writers. To supply what is wanting in his
author, Colg—an draws somewhat on his own
imagination a rather exceptional' case with him.
=33 In the Irish Life of St. Brigid, con-
" «<
tained in the Leabhar Breac" and the "Book of Lismore," the account is some- what similar.
»34See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
240
Media. " The poet, in question, or the magus, as he is called in the St. Autbert MS. , came from the territory of Himaccuais
Maol and Maolchu, or by change of the dipthong, Mael and Maelchu ; for ao, ae, and te were indifferently used by the Irish and other
ancient people.
=38 Such is'the account given, in the Fourth
Life of St. Brigid.
=39 In an Irish life (chap, ii. ) this wife of
the chieftain is called Brectan. She is said to have borne seven sons to Dubtach, the seventh or last having been born after the birth of St. Brigid. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, n. 10, p. 564.
gidfe" they
Id est, de terra nepotum Neill, seu
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
Ireland,^*^ and bought this female slave from Dubtach, who consented to sell
her, because he feared the anger of his wife,^'^^ and of her brothers, belonging to a noble family. ''*3 Yet, he would not consent to sell the child, which she then bore, because wonderful things had been predicted regarding the unborn infant. ='44 in his account of these transactions, Laurence of Durham remarks, that the English, Irish, and Scotch were accustomed to deal in slaves, more than in any other kind of merchandise ; and that they even considered it an honourable kind of traffic, although so much opposed to the spirit of Chris- tianity. He says, that the mother had been known to sell her daughter, the
in Meath, and from the particular spot called Tochar-maine, as stated in St. Brigid's Irish Life (cap . v. ) Although, in the Fourth Life,
"
it is said, he was poeta de aquilone Hi-
berniae," there is nothing contradictory to be
found
because relatively to Leinster, Meath
" Be of good cheer, for no person shall be able to injure you ; the graces bestowed on your infant shall prove your protection, for to you shall be bom an illustrious daughter, who will shine in this
;
:
lay to the north, and because a certain
magus, or poet, belonging to the region of
Conall Marthemne, in Ulster, bought the mother of St. Brigid, not immediately from Dubtach, but from the aforesaid Meathian
poet. This is expressly stated, in the Irish
world with the brightness of the noon-day "*'
Life. See " Trias Colgan's
sun. Dubtach replied, I give thanks to
Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 4, p. 542.
God,
although having sons.
of the magus, Dubtach regarded his female servant with greater affection ; although his
wife, with her brothers, urged her husband
to sell his slave, in a far distant country.
•' " VitaTertiaS. See Trias Thaumaturga.
Brigidae, cap, ii. , p. 527. Vita Quarta S. Brigidffi, lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 546, ibid. In the Fifth Life of our saint, a similar story is told substantially, but in a more improved Latin phraseology and style ; a greater im- aginative liberty having been taken appa-
^41 In Professor O'Looney's MS. the poet
is said to have been of the Ui Mac Uais,
and to have been from Tochur Maine, pp.
5,6. ^^'
Laurence of Durham's fragmentary
life starts with an announcement, that the
wife of Dubtach, bitterly reproaching her
husband with his infidelities, declared that
henceforth he must make up his mind, either
to sell his female slave, or be prepared for her
own separation from him. Her persistently
expressed resolution, it is said, overcame rently with special circumstances given in
her husband's previous intention. Dubtach then placed his servant in the chariot, which
find a market.
^43 the later writers of our saint's
By acts,
we are told, that one day the holy maiden's iather and mother passed by the house of a certain magus, in a chariot. In St. Brigid's Irish Life he is called Maithginn, from whom Ross-Maithginn is denominated. He ordered the servants to inform him who were seated in it, for by the noise of this vehicle, Maith- ginn supposed it conveyed a king. The servants reported to their master, that the chariot contained Dubthac. The magus de- sired him to be called. On being hailed, the magician asked if the woman, called ancilla, who sat behind him in the chariot, was with child. On receiving an answer in the affir- mative from Dubtach, the magician asked her the name of this unborn child's father. She replied, that Dubtach was its parent. Then the magus addressed these words to him, "Be thou a careful guardian of this woman, for the child she bears shall become illustrious. " Dubtach then told the magus that his wife, who feared this child's birth,
previous accounts. See Vita Quinta S. Bri- gidce, cap, iii. , p. 567, ibid. In the metrical
enabled him to
the matter is thus briefly
after the fashion of his country, to reach a place where he could
acts of St. — Brigid,
journey
had urged him to sell his fellow-traveller, who is represented as being a slave. The magus then prophesised, that the children of Dubtach's wife should serve the family of her servant for ever. The magician also said to the servant
recorded
:
"
Quadam namque sedebat.
die
genetrix
dum forte
that hitherto I have had no daughter,
"
After these words
In curru praegnans, nee tunc enixa puel- 1am,
Dumque frementis equi spumantia coUa tenebat,
Pulverulenta quidem vestigia longa sona- bat.
Audierat sonitum vates stridere rotarum Dixerat ; ecce venit. Rex est, qui prse-
sidct axi.
Sed commitissa tamen carpentum sola re-
— gebat.
Sexta Vita S. sec. i. , 582, Brigidse, pp.
583, ibid.
^44 In the Office of St. Brigid, printed at
Paris in 1622, and in her other printed or manuscripts offices, various portents re- ferring to her conception and early child- hood are noticed, in the antiphons, hymns and responses. Also, many virtues and miracles, which afterwards distinguished her, are related,
24 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
'99
0'Gorman,ofCathaldMaguire,andofDone- gal.
=°^
The following is a list of the saints and their places, with presumed days for their fes- tivities. I. St. Aidan, venerated on the 27th of August, or on the 4th of September, at a place called Cluain Tarbh, or Clontarf. 2. St. Berchan,also called MobiClairenachjVene- rated on the 12th of October, at Glasnevin.
King of Ireland, from A. D. 164 to 174,
accordingtoO'Flalierty'schronology. See
"Ogygi^j" P3-'*s- iii-j cap. Ivii. , pp. 306 to
308. In Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," however, his reign is placed
much earlier, viz. , from A. D. no to 1 19.
See vol. i. , pp. 100 to 103. Having enacted 3. St. Barrindus, of Achadh-Cailltin, at a law of retaliation for the repression of the 8th of November. 4. St. Colman, of various crimes, this king died a natural Airthir Femhin. 5. St. Declan, of Ard- death, after a reign of nine years. Cathaeir more, venerated on the 24th of July. But,
Mor, or the Great, succeeded, according to from the life of this latter saint, which "
Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four Colgan intended to publish at that day, it
Masters. " Afterareignofthreeyears,we are informed, that he was slain in the battle of Magh-h-Agha, by Conn of the Hundred Fights and by the Fian or militia of Luaighne,
Secunda
would seem, Declan and his brother Colman are not derived from the race of Eochad, as
"
13th of February, or on the 4th of October.
12. St. Mochuan. 13. St. Samata, who
A. D. 122. See ibid. , pp. 102, 103. '"^ "
See "Trias Thaumaturga. Vita S. Brigidas, cap. i. , p. 519.
=°'
See ibid. Quarta Vita S. Brigida, cap. i. , p. 546.
^°^ From A. D. 177 to 211, according to
O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ix. ,
Ixi. , pp. 313 to 318. Dr. O'Donovan's the 4th of July. 10. St. Fintan, Abbot of "Annals of the Four Masters" has it from Clonenagh, venerated on the 17th of Feb- A. D. 123 to 157. See vol. i. , pp. 103 to ruary. II. St. Finan, venerated on the
105.
^°3 Among the St. Gall manuscripts like-
"
was venerated on the 1 6th of April. See "
wise there is a
Genealogia S. Brigidse. " See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap.
ii. , p. 613.
^°5 He remarks, that the Natales for most
of those saints are found entered in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, of Marianus
Trias Thaumaturga. " Appendix ^°7 See his Life at the i6th of October.
='°'*
Colgan's
Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidae, cap. iii. , p. 613.
the author of the
writes, but rather from the posterity of his brother Fiach Sugdhe. 6. St. Diman, bishop, who was venerated on the 9th, or on the 22nd, of March. 7. St. Enan, of Drum Rath, venerated on the 19th of August. 8. St. Fechin, of Fore, venerated on the 20th of January. 9. St. Finbarr or Fionub- har. Abbot of Inis Doimhle, venerated on
Sanctilogic Genealogy"
=°8 '«^ThisaccordswiththeIrishLifeofSt.
See his Life at the i8th of January.
20 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
The son of this latter was 6ubtach, the father of St. Brigid. =^° Thus was the illustrious virgin eleventlTm Imeal descent, from the renowned Feidlimidh Rechtmar,*" or the Lawgiver,^^^ King of Ireland, in the second century of our Christian era. ^^3 It would seem, that on our saint's maternal side, Brigid was descended from the O'Connor family. '^4 The mother of this holy virgin
is incorrectly called Brocea, Brocaj^^'s or Brocessa, by Cogitosus, and by some foreign writers. But, by most of our native authorities, she is more correctlynamedBrotseach,^^^orBrocseach. =^7 ThesisterofthisBrotseach appears to have been Fanchea, the mother of three holy sons. ^'^ The Calendar of the O'Clerys states, that Broiccseach,=^9 daughter of Dallbronach, son to Aedh Meamhair,=^2o ^^^g ^^ mother of this most renowned virgin. Such a respectable pedigree is alone sufficient to disprove an assertion ot certain writers recording our saint's acts, that her mother was of servile con- dition. Both her parents are called Christians, and they are reputed to have been of noble birth. "^ It seems probable enough, they may have been among St. Patrick's converts, when he spent some time in Loutli, before re- turning to the North from his southern missionary travels. Besides the
Brigid, in the "Book of Lismore" and in
the ** Leabhar Breac" according to Professor
on its south and west, with Meath towards the north. Like other great districts of Ire- land, it had its own kings ; subject, however,
O'Looney's copy, pp. 3, 4.
*'° Such is her line as traced in the to the chief monarch of the island. Naas
**
xv. Cormac Mac Cuillenan, in his treatise on " Genealogies of the Saints," contained in the "Psalter of Cashel," assigns the same descent on the father's side, for St. Brigid.
wasthe St. capital city during
Brigid's period. Its metropolis for many ages past has been Dublin, which formerly had many suffragan sees within its present archiepiscopal limits. For some time past, it has only the suffragan In this particular, Dr. Geoffry Keating sees of Kildare and Leighlin, Ossory and
Sanctilogic Genealogies," chapter
agrees with the foregoing authorities. See
Dermod O'Connor's Keating's "General
History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 389.
2" In the Fourth Life of St. Brigid, it is said, he was thus named, because he effected great law reforms in his kingdom of Ireland, while * ' Reacht" of the Scotic dialect in
Ferns.
her. See Trias Thaumaturga. Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Brigidas, cap. ii. , p. 613. ^'7 Irish writers more generally, as also Latin is identical with "lex. " In English more correctly, write her name Brocseach, it means "law. " and hence Colgan prefers to adopt their or-
=*^ Colgan agrees, that the cognomen thography. See ibid. Quarta Vita S. Bri-
Reachtmar is Latinized by the words
"
gidae, n, 8, p. 563,
legi- fer" or "legislator. " Such an epithet had been bestowed on him because of his being a great lover of justice. He also says that of this word '^'^ Reachtmar'''* \? , in accordance with our historic traditions, and
"
the common use of the epithet. See Thaumaturga. " Vita Quarta S. Brigidse, lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 546, and n. 3, p. 563.
='^
"Mothers of the Irish Saints," relates, that Fanchea, daughter of Dalbronach, was mo- ther of Saints Conall, Eugene, and Carbre, three sons of Neman.
='9 In the table to this martyrology, after
the holy virgin's name, we find the following comment introduced, within brackets :— "[DaughterofBroicsech; hermotherwas
the
origin
race of Eochaidh Finnfuathairt, son to Feidhlimidh Reachtmhar, son to Tuathal Teachtmhar, Monarch of Erinn.
»'* According to Professor O'Looney's Irish Life, St. Brigid's mother was Broig- seach, the daughter of Dallbronach, of the Dail Conchobhar in South Bregia.
="S In the Third Office of St. Brigid, pub-
lished by Colgan, "patre Diptoco, et matre Broca," are held to have been her parents. Her offices and other accounts make our saint a native of Leinster. This was an- ciently a Province of Ireland, bounded eastwards by the Irish Sea, having Munster
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves. "° He is said to have been of Dalconchab-
of Bregia, accord- ing to an Irish Life of St. Brigid. St, Ultan also belonged to that family. A scholiast, in his preface to a hymn, said to have been composed by St. Ultan, writes, that he com- posed this hymn in . praise of St. Brigid : and that he was of the Daleconchabuir, to which belonged St, Brigid's (mother, Brot-
seach, daughter of Dallbronac,
=" See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Cogitosus' or Secunda Vita S. Brigidaj, cap, i. , p. 519.
Trias
"'3 The O'Clery's Calendar agrees, like-
wise, that St. Brigid descended from the Brocsecha. ]" See " Martyrology of Done-
gal.
="'*
Colgan remarks, that she should be
called Brotseach, as the generality of au-
thors—especially in old Latin codices—style ""
"
St. yEngus the Culdee, in his tract,
huir, in the southern
part
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 21
testimony of Cogitosus, referable to the Christian parentage of St. Brigid, in that metrical prologue to her sixth life,^" Dubtach is represented as a noble,
pious man, and still more noble, through his own proper spouse^=^3 and their holy offspring.
"* Nor does there appear to be any qualification to this
eulogy, in regard to any particular portion of his life. Whether the birth of their illustrious daughter took place before or after their conversion to Chris- tianity is not established on any reliable authority.
Our most judicious historians, Protestant and Catholic,'='S pass over in silence, or with reproof, those very incredible legends, which contradict the
^^*^
foregoing accounts.
render the least remarkable circumstances, attending St. Brigid's birth, more probable ; while the romantic narratives can be traced to no better sources than popular traditions, s—o liable to be obscured by fables. No doubt, cer- tain old Acts of the saint we cannot be sure, however, these are the most ancient and authentic —contain the entry of such preposterous statements.
Later writers, during the middle ages,''^7 adopted those vain fantasies, without sufficient examination, and these again have been repeated by more modern
or in
The best refutation of certain strange accounts, relating to St. Brigid's birth, will probably be found in a brief statement of the legend. ^30 xhe paternal ancestor of our illustrious virgin, and who is named Eochaidh Finn, went among the Lagenians, whose king bestowed many tracts of land on him, at different places. In that province the prince's posterity dwelt at a time
Indeed, an exact critical analysis will only serve to
of the historic — complete ignorance value, applic-
writers^^^
abletotheirsourcesforinformation. Th—egenealogyofSt. Brigid'smother apparently drawn from remote pedigrees shows that she was not of servile condition,229 but through family origin, in every respect, fitted to be the lawful and respected spouse of the noble Dubtach.
unreflectingly
^^'^^^ "Dubtachus erat ejus
genitor cogno-
being everywhere wife of Dubtach. "
else of as the spoken
mine dietus
Clarus homo meritis, clarus et a
;
'^'^^ That the illustrious St. Brigid was born in Scotia of noble and Christian parents is stated in the ' ' Chronica Generalis Mun- di," by Petrus de Natalibus, lib. iii. , cap. 69, as, also, in St. Brigid's Second, Third, and Fourth Offices, published by Colgan. She is said to have been "de bona pro- sapia" in the First Office,
^^^ See the succinct account of John Cap-
**
Nova Legenda Angliae," fol. "^ Such as Harris in his edition of Sir
"
James Ware's works, vol. ii,,
Ireland," book i. , chap, iii. , pp. ii, 12.
^^9 That she was a captive is intimated in
"S Such as Ussher, Ware, Lanigan, &c.
The latter writer observes, that " no atten-
tion is due to what v/e find in two or three
of the so-called Lives of St. Brigid concern-
ing her mother having been a concubine,
whom, when pregnant, the wife of Dubtach
obliged him to dismiss, and of her having
been purchased by a pagan poet or a magus,
and how, in consequence of his taking her
to Ulster, she was then delivered of the
saint. This romance-like narrative cannot
agree with the circumstance, that the parents
of the saint were Christians. I mean such the life called the fifth, whatever it has on strict Christians as were then in Ireland, nor these subjects was evidently taken from one with the rank of her mother's family and her or other of them, Amidst other nonsense
vis ; Nobilis
mitis
proa- pietate
atque humilis, repletus ;
Nobilior propria conjuge, prole pia. " —Sexta Vita S. Brigidae. Prologus. Col- gan's "TriasThaumaturga,"p. 582.
=^^3 She is understood to have been Bro-
cessa or Brotseach, the mother of St.
Brigid.
grave in his xlix.
^"^^
In those well-known acts of St. Brigid,
written by Cogitosus, she is said to have
been predestined for accomplishment of the
Almighty's decrees, by special graces re- ceived from heaven.
"Writers of
Colgan's first published metrical acts of the
saint, attributed to St. Brogan Cloen. See
*'
TriasThaumaturga. " Hymnus,seuVita Prima S. Brigidse, strophe i. , p. 515.
^3o On this subject. Dr. Lanigan remarks : * ' These stories are given in the third and fourth lives, which in very great part are mere transcripts of each other, agreeing, word for word, in many passages. The
former bears every appearance of being an abridgment of the latter. Be this as it may, they form but one authority. And as to
22 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
Fourth Life wrote. =3^ From his race, as we
when the author of St.
are told, a celebrated and powerful chieftain, named Dubtach, was derived, whoboughtafemaleservant,namedBroschach. Shewasverybeautifuland
distinguished by her great propriety of manner. =^32 Immediately after follows a romantic and an incredible account, seemingly irreconcilable with this latter statement. On learning that Broschach had conceived, the proper wife of Dubtach, it is said, became very much grieved, and advised her husband to sell his slave. ^33 Fear was expressed, at the same time, that Broschach's children should domineer over the family of his wife. But, the chieftain Dubtach would not hearken to the counsels of his consort, on ac- count of a great love he entertained for Broschach. =34
Brigid's
About this time, it is said, that two holy bishops^35 came from Britain, =36 andenteredthehouseofDubtach. OneofthesewascalledMelorMaol, andtheotherMelchuorMaolchu. ^37 Theseweredisciples,wearetold,of St. Patrick, the archbishop, who then preached God's word in Ireland. ^38 Maol said to Dubtach's " are sorrowful ? The of
wife, Why you offspring thy servant, shall be exalted above you and your progeny :239 however, love that servant equally with your own sons, because her infant shall procure blessings for your children. " But, the jealously of Dubtach's wife was not appeased,
and her brothers, who were powerful and brave men, earnestly urged Dubtach to sell his servant, in a distant part of the country. By a special inspiration, a poet, belonging to the Hy-Niall family,^40 came from the northern part of
contained in these tracts a magus is intro-
duced foretelling the future sanctity of the child, while she was still in her mother's womb. "—"Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sec. ii. , n. 22, pp. 381, 382.
'3' Colgan remarks, that this account fur- nishes no slight indication showing how the author of this life lived at a very early period, and that he flourished at least previously to the tenth century, as for many ages back, the family of St. Brigid did not live, in those
Vita Quarta S. Brigidoe, lib. i. , cap. i. , p. 546, In closing this»account of Broschach,
as she is generally called throughout the Fourth Life, the author adds regarding her,
**in omnibus enim moribus, illafoemma erat perfecta. "
=^3S They were disciples and nephews of St. Patrick, the children ofhis sister Darerca. Colgan gives their acts, at the 6th of Feb- ruary, the day of their feast, in his "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," vi. Februarii, pp. 259 to 264.
=^3* In Professor O'Looney's "Life of St. Brigid," Irish and English MS. , while call- ing them bishops of the Britons, they are said to have come from the Alps to foretel of her, pp. 5, 6.
=37Inthe"TertiaVitaS. Brigidce"they
'3='IntheThirdLife,thi—slatteraccount arecalledMelandMelchu,asalsoinmany
places to which allusion had been made. "
See Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, n. 7, p. 563. It may be asked, however, on what data Colgan grounds his assertion, even if the author specified those exactplaces? Thishehasnotdone.
ofBrocseach's — good
morals
"
as contained in other works. In the Vita S. Bri-
the Fourth Life
is See coincidently given.
are more
Quarta correctly named,
"Tertia Vita S. Brigidae, cap. i. , p. 527. Both statements appear to have been im-
plicitly followed, in the Fifth or acephalous
Life of our saint, which Colgan supplies in
his own words, and in elegant Latin, appa-
rently written to imitate Laurence of Dur-
ham's style. This narrative is paraphrased
from more succinct accounts of previous
writers. To supply what is wanting in his
author, Colg—an draws somewhat on his own
imagination a rather exceptional' case with him.
=33 In the Irish Life of St. Brigid, con-
" «<
tained in the Leabhar Breac" and the "Book of Lismore," the account is some- what similar.
»34See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
240
Media. " The poet, in question, or the magus, as he is called in the St. Autbert MS. , came from the territory of Himaccuais
Maol and Maolchu, or by change of the dipthong, Mael and Maelchu ; for ao, ae, and te were indifferently used by the Irish and other
ancient people.
=38 Such is'the account given, in the Fourth
Life of St. Brigid.
=39 In an Irish life (chap, ii. ) this wife of
the chieftain is called Brectan. She is said to have borne seven sons to Dubtach, the seventh or last having been born after the birth of St. Brigid. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidae, n. 10, p. 564.
gidfe" they
Id est, de terra nepotum Neill, seu
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
Ireland,^*^ and bought this female slave from Dubtach, who consented to sell
her, because he feared the anger of his wife,^'^^ and of her brothers, belonging to a noble family. ''*3 Yet, he would not consent to sell the child, which she then bore, because wonderful things had been predicted regarding the unborn infant. ='44 in his account of these transactions, Laurence of Durham remarks, that the English, Irish, and Scotch were accustomed to deal in slaves, more than in any other kind of merchandise ; and that they even considered it an honourable kind of traffic, although so much opposed to the spirit of Chris- tianity. He says, that the mother had been known to sell her daughter, the
in Meath, and from the particular spot called Tochar-maine, as stated in St. Brigid's Irish Life (cap . v. ) Although, in the Fourth Life,
"
it is said, he was poeta de aquilone Hi-
berniae," there is nothing contradictory to be
found
because relatively to Leinster, Meath
" Be of good cheer, for no person shall be able to injure you ; the graces bestowed on your infant shall prove your protection, for to you shall be bom an illustrious daughter, who will shine in this
;
:
lay to the north, and because a certain
magus, or poet, belonging to the region of
Conall Marthemne, in Ulster, bought the mother of St. Brigid, not immediately from Dubtach, but from the aforesaid Meathian
poet. This is expressly stated, in the Irish
world with the brightness of the noon-day "*'
Life. See " Trias Colgan's
sun. Dubtach replied, I give thanks to
Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 4, p. 542.
God,
although having sons.
of the magus, Dubtach regarded his female servant with greater affection ; although his
wife, with her brothers, urged her husband
to sell his slave, in a far distant country.
•' " VitaTertiaS. See Trias Thaumaturga.
Brigidae, cap, ii. , p. 527. Vita Quarta S. Brigidffi, lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 546, ibid. In the Fifth Life of our saint, a similar story is told substantially, but in a more improved Latin phraseology and style ; a greater im- aginative liberty having been taken appa-
^41 In Professor O'Looney's MS. the poet
is said to have been of the Ui Mac Uais,
and to have been from Tochur Maine, pp.
5,6. ^^'
Laurence of Durham's fragmentary
life starts with an announcement, that the
wife of Dubtach, bitterly reproaching her
husband with his infidelities, declared that
henceforth he must make up his mind, either
to sell his female slave, or be prepared for her
own separation from him. Her persistently
expressed resolution, it is said, overcame rently with special circumstances given in
her husband's previous intention. Dubtach then placed his servant in the chariot, which
find a market.
^43 the later writers of our saint's
By acts,
we are told, that one day the holy maiden's iather and mother passed by the house of a certain magus, in a chariot. In St. Brigid's Irish Life he is called Maithginn, from whom Ross-Maithginn is denominated. He ordered the servants to inform him who were seated in it, for by the noise of this vehicle, Maith- ginn supposed it conveyed a king. The servants reported to their master, that the chariot contained Dubthac. The magus de- sired him to be called. On being hailed, the magician asked if the woman, called ancilla, who sat behind him in the chariot, was with child. On receiving an answer in the affir- mative from Dubtach, the magician asked her the name of this unborn child's father. She replied, that Dubtach was its parent. Then the magus addressed these words to him, "Be thou a careful guardian of this woman, for the child she bears shall become illustrious. " Dubtach then told the magus that his wife, who feared this child's birth,
previous accounts. See Vita Quinta S. Bri- gidce, cap, iii. , p. 567, ibid. In the metrical
enabled him to
the matter is thus briefly
after the fashion of his country, to reach a place where he could
acts of St. — Brigid,
journey
had urged him to sell his fellow-traveller, who is represented as being a slave. The magus then prophesised, that the children of Dubtach's wife should serve the family of her servant for ever. The magician also said to the servant
recorded
:
"
Quadam namque sedebat.
die
genetrix
dum forte
that hitherto I have had no daughter,
"
After these words
In curru praegnans, nee tunc enixa puel- 1am,
Dumque frementis equi spumantia coUa tenebat,
Pulverulenta quidem vestigia longa sona- bat.
Audierat sonitum vates stridere rotarum Dixerat ; ecce venit. Rex est, qui prse-
sidct axi.
Sed commitissa tamen carpentum sola re-
— gebat.
Sexta Vita S. sec. i. , 582, Brigidse, pp.
583, ibid.
^44 In the Office of St. Brigid, printed at
Paris in 1622, and in her other printed or manuscripts offices, various portents re- ferring to her conception and early child- hood are noticed, in the antiphons, hymns and responses. Also, many virtues and miracles, which afterwards distinguished her, are related,
24 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
