ThiscomelinessoffeaturetheAlmightyhad bestowed on his
favoured
child.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
D.
624.
Also the
"ofatthe Martyrology Donegal," January
31st,pp. 32,33,
»°9This seems to have been—the name—of
this particular saint is uncertain in Scotland. See the " Kalendar," Pridie Kal. Feb. , and
Aberdonen-
"•' See Thomas Innes' " Civil and Ecclesi-
astical History of Scotland," book ii. , p. 161.
"
Sanctorum, Pars Hyemalis, fol. 45 b a.
"S This is the vulgar pronunciation of our saint's name, iu the counties of Wexford and Cavan.
the Also "
Registrum Episcopatus
*'* See Rev. William Reeves' " On paper
Breviarium Aberdonense," Proprium
"
deen," Ap. Proceedings of the Society of of the Lord Primate. " Read before the
vol.
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 261. '"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi- bemise," viii. Martii. Secunda Vita S. Senani, cap. xviii. , p. 614, rectc, 528. Also
Giraldus Cambrensis' " Hiber- Topograpliia
sis,"
ii. , p. 3. "
Martyrology
of Aber-
Some Ecclesiastical Bells in the Collection
"* His in Perthshire is called St. parish
Madoes,formerlySt. Madois. See"New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p, 607.
Royal Irish Academy, December 14th, 1863.
"^In the "Martyrology of Donegal,"
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 32, 33. "* "
nise,"
xxxi.
Januarii. Appendix, cap. ii. .
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 531
in a state of perplexity and sometimes on'uncertain ground. It is considered, that an account of Maidoc, afterwards Bishop of Ferns, having been a host- agewithKingAinmire'cannotbereconciledwithchronology. ^ Ithasbeen stated, by a learned Chronologer,3 however, that the saint's boyhood must be referred to such a monarch's reign. Notwithstanding, a mistake has been admitted, in the opinion of some historians, by entering the name of An- mireus,^ for that of some king who ruled prior to him. s In accounts left us, we might just as fairly state, that such a monarch must have lived long after Ainmire'stime,ifweadmitthecomputationofcertainIrishAnnals. ^ The Genealogies of the Irish Saints? only serve to tangle more, in the attempt to unravel. Thus St. Tighernach, Bishop of Clones, who died on the 4th of April,^ A. D. 548, and who is derived from the same stock as Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, falls a generation later than the latter saint. 9 In the natural order of things, this calculation should throw the (subject of our biography, his birth and youth, into the closing part of the fifth century. For want of the Acts of St. Maedoc, or Edan,^° Bishop of Clonmore," and of another Bishop
p. 221. — Chapter ii.
'The sonof Sedna. See
See ibid. , pp. 78, 79. " 7 As contained in the
"
"
There he is
3 See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesia- rum Antiquitates,"chap. xvii. , p. 500. Also,
"
Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. vii. called " Ainmerius. "
See his Life at that date.
5 Thus from Araalgaidh, the great-great-
grandfather of St. Maedoc, proceeds a son
Cairpre, father to Aedh, father of Ainmire,
father of Nindiu, father of St. Tighernach. '° '' "
^See Harris' Ware, vol. i.
Ferns," p. 436. This is founded on the supposition, that St. David of Wales died A. D. 544, and that St. Maidoc had been his disciple.
rum," edited and translated by William M.
Hennessy. See pp. 58, 59.
* Dr. Lanigan thinks his reign did not
commence at the earliest until a. d. 566.
O' Flaherty states that he reigned from a. d.
568 to 571. See " Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. xciii. , p. 431.
5 Dr. Lanigan has ably reviewed the mis- takes of Ussher in reference to his Chrono- logical statements. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. ix. , and n. 147, pp. 470, 474, 475.
*Thus in the "Chronicon Scotorum," edited by William M. Hennessy, St. Mae- doc, Bishop of Ferns, died A. D. 656. See pp. 94 to 97. This, however, appears as a
misplaced double entry ; for it only repeats what had been already given at a. d. 625.
Ainmire, ^King of Ireland, and from this second union sprung King Aedh, who was killed in the battle of Dunbolg, A. D. 598. It seems probable enough, that after Briga's second marriage, she brought her three first sons with her to the northern parts of Ire- land. See No. iv. of the "Loca Patri- ciana," by the Rev. John Francis Shearman, published in "The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association ot Ireland. Fourth Series, vol. ii. . No. l6. October, 1873, p. 544.
"Bishops of
Index Chronologicus," A. D. DLXVI. Ac-
cording to O'Mahony's Keating's "History
of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , King Ain-
mire reigned from a. d. 560 to 563. See
chap. i. , p. 444. According to Dr. O'Dono-
van's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
he was king from a. d. 564 to 566. See pp.
204, 205. The Annals of Ulster place him
from A. D, 566 to 568. Dr. O'Donovan
thinks the latter year to be the true date for
his death—yet the Ulster Annals through
error have it again at A. D. 575. The Annals
of Clonmacnoise state he died A. D. 569,
See ibid. , n. (b) This date also agrees January. Briga was afterwards married to with one found in the "Chronicon Scoto-
Neamshancus the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A.
of
^
According to the Neamsenchus, found in the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A. , this saint belonged to the Dal Messincorb family of Leinster, in this line, viz. , Messincorb, said to have been seventy-seventh in descent from his stem, was father to Echaidh Lamderg, father of Fothadh, father of Eochaidh Lam- doit, father to Fothad, father of Fergus Lamderg, father to Maine Eiges, the Poet, who had been married to Briga. Three saintly sons spnmg from this union, viz. , Edan, Bishop of Cluaine Mor Mcedoc, who was living A. D. 598; Etchen, Bishop of Cluain Foda, whose feast occurs at the lith of February, and who died a. d. 577
an of Cill Seighan, said to be Kilshine, whose feast has been recorded at the 21st of
"VeneratedatthenthofApril. These Acts Colgan appears to have had in his pos- session, and to have prepared for publication
"
at this day. See his Catalogus Actuum
Sanctorum ordine Mensium et Dierum," now preserved among the Franciscan MSS. in Dublin. Yet, I cannot discover where
;
Seigh-
532 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
Aedh," to compare with those of St. Moedoc, Bishop of Ferns, we have reason to suspect much of what follows, as taken chiefly from his published Life, must be received with hesitancy, and may be referable to one or other of the former saints. ^3 The writer is still more fortified in such an opinion, because it accords nearly with the results of a laborious and critical examina- tion referring to this whole subject, by one of the most painstaking and com-
petent among Irish antiquaries and genealogists. ^4 With such a premonition, nothing better can be done, than to proceed with the recorded incidents of
our saint's reputed life and times.
While Aedan^s or Maidoc was a small boy in his parents' house, Anmy-
reus or Ainmire, King of Ireland, required him as a hostage from his father. He is stated to have been a powerful noble of Breffney territory. ^^ Other hostages, belonging to the Hua Briun'7 tribe, are said to have been his fellow- captives. While under that monarch's keeping, Ainmire was struck with his modest,innocentdeportment.
ThiscomelinessoffeaturetheAlmightyhad bestowed on his favoured child. While those hostages^^ were in his presence,
"
the king said to persons around him, in reference to our saint :
This boy is
a favourite, and he must remain with me in the royal palace, or if it please
him, I shall send him back free to his parents. "'^ The child of grace re-
" plied : If,
my Lord King, thou art my patron, I beseech thee in the name
of God, whom I wish to serve, that thou wouldst liberate those boys who
werebroughthitherwithme. " Themonarchimmediatelygrantedhisrequest. Dismissing all those hostages to their several places of abode, and, at the instance of our saint, Ainmire recommended himself to the prayers of Maidoc, while predicting at the same time, that he should afterwards become a great
of the Church. =°
From his earliest youth, the blessed child Aedh^'' was gifted with a power
pillar
the Acts alluded to are preserved, if they be extant.
" He was the son of Eoghan, son to
Bruighde, son of Nathboidh, son to Illain, son of Dunlang and of his wife Cuach. Now the Ui Dunlaing descended from this Dunlang, King of Leinster, who flourished in
sixth century.
'®
This seems referable to Maidoc, after- wards Bishop of Ferns ; for it is not likely King Ainmire should detain his own step- son Maidoc, afterwards Bishop of Cluain Mor Mcedoc, as a hostage.
'^ This name applies to Breffney, or to some part of it, in which the Hy Brians or
the fifth century, and he lived contemporane- ously with St. Patrick. According to the
posterity of Brian, son to Eochod Magmea-
Aedh—ranked among the saints must have lived about
then ruled. See "Acta Colgan's
usualorderofdescent,
— Bishop
donius,
Sanctorum Hibemise," xxxi. Januarii, n. 8,
Such is the information most kindly communicated to me from his MSS.
216. Also "
O'Flaherty's Ogygia," pars,
the
of the " Loca Patriciana,"
'3 According to Bishop Forbes' "Kalen-
dars of Scottish Saints," St. Modoc, Bishop and Confessor, venerated at the 31st of
The Man- A. D. 568. As the same writer places his ners and Customs of the Ancient Irish," a
year 630.
p.
iii. , cap. Ixxix. , p. 374.
the Rev. Francis Shearman, C. C. , Howth.
retained and frequently condemned to death for infraction of covenants, as securities to insure the ob- servance of treaties. Those hostages seem to have been kept under very strict Jz/rz^^/Z^wf^,
''
January, was a hostage with King Ainmire
and sometimes in fetters. See
birth at A. D. 558, Modoc was then ten years old. See p. 403.
'* Allusion is made to the Rev. John Fran-
cis Shearman, whose special investigations and collections have placed at his disposal a most valuable series of early genealogical
tables, relating
which will shortly appear in book-form, under the title, "Loca Patriciana. "
series of lectures delivered by the late Eu-
gene O'Curry, M. R. I. A, Introduction by
by W. K. Sullivan, Ph. D. , vol. i. , pp. cccli. 'and ccclv. , n. 614.
'' This proves his own step-son Maidoc was not the hostage.
^^^See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
ii. , p. 208,
by
John
usually
to our saints and chiefs,
*s — ^' Aedh or Aedhan appears to have been
calledwhen the name of Maidoc seems to have
name in I—
a
especially in the northern parts during the
very prevalent
boy;
been acquired when he went to Wales,
reland and a
'* were Hostages
So he appears to have been
ac-
January 3 1. J LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 533
of performing miracles. He had a special love for the Adorable Trinity.
His occupation appears to have been of a pastoral character, for he is repre- sented as having been in the company of some shepherds, when one of those manifestationsoccurred. Itwasasourceofedificationforpersonslivinginthe neighbourhood, who had heard and seen him. His acquaintances magnified the Lord's name, in the person of His favoured child. ^"^ When Aidan's parents saw him gifted with so many graces, they consigned him to the care of a certain holy man,23 that their child might receive a liberal education. At length, the fame of his extraordinary sanctity began to spread abroad, and it reached throughout the whole extent of his native island. ^*
About this time, some holy men prayed to God, that they might specially know the place of their resurrection, so that there they might serve our Lord
while living. ^s The angel of God appeared to them and said
Maidoc, and he will show you the place of your resurrection. "
:
" Go to St.
On coming
:
to him, our saint said to them " Have you heard the sound of a cymbal or
bell,''^ on your way hither? " They answered in the negative. Our saint
" Come with me and I shall
arise from the dead. " Having joined company, Maidoc showed them the place destined for their future departure ; and here those servants of God remained to the very day of their death. ="7 While our saint was one day engaged in reading, and in a retired place, wearied after a chase by dogs, a deer stood before him, as if beseeching his protection. Having a knowledge of this poor animal's case, he placed some object^^ upon his horns. ^9 The dogs thencomingup,theirtremblingquarrybecameamerephantom. Notbeing able to find the animal there, nor to trace him further, the deer-hounds de- sisted from their chase. Thus the deer escaped free, and shook Maidoc's offering from his horns. 3°
St. Maidoc appears to have had some early Divine admonition regarding his future connexion with the city of Ferns, as a place selected for his settle- ment. WithLasserianofDevenish,3iwhoseemstohavebeenhisdearest friend,32 before the erection of the monastery in that island on Lough Erne, a miraculous sign was afforded, to determine the direction of their respective
replied :
point
out the
spot
in which must you
cording to John of Teignmouth and John Capgrave. See Ussher's " Britannicarum
Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p.
^^ In the Latin life published by Colgan, the original word is " ceraculum," probably because manufactured from wax. In another
MS. , it is called " Oraculum," as being an
article connected with In the Irish prayers.
language, it is known as a. paitrin ox paidrin. ^ It has been suggested, that as formerly boys were taught to write on waxen tablets, and that as the Lord's Prayer inscribed on them was a customary writing exercise, the " Ce- a '* Pater Noster," and a "Paitrin," corresponding with a
500.
" See
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
iii. , p. 208.
^3 We are left in ignorance of this teacher's
name and place of habitation ; but probably he lived near that spot where St. Maidoc was bom and nurtured.
re-
Colgan's nise," xxxi. Januarii.
^* See
niae," xxxi. Januarii. iv. , p. 208.
^s Here
Colgan's
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
several relations between these raculum," "Oraculum,"
terms,
we are left in
3° See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
again
garding the holy persons alluded to, and the churches or places where they were to live and die are also unnamed.
ignorance
**
the air, to fix the spot for an ecclesiastical
establishment, is one frequently occurring in ters,"vol. i. , pp. 202, 203. The "Chroni-
This indication of a bell, sounding in
32 gt. Laserian died A. D. 563, according to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Mas-
the lives of our Irish Saints.
^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctomm Hiber-
niffi," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. v. , p. 208.
"
con Scotorum has his death at A. D. 564.
See pp. 56, 57. Now, as according to tlie
sameauthorities,St. Maidoc died A. D. 624 or 625; the latter must have been very young-
Rosary, may readily be discovered.
niae," xxxi. Januarii, Vita S. Maidoci, cap. vi. , p. 208.
"" See his Life at the I2th of September.
534 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
missions. We are next told,33 that one day, Maidoc was walking on a mountain, known as Beatha,34 Sliabh Beagh,3s or Slieve Baha,36 an early-
legendary or fabled landmark,37 called after a mythic personage of the pre- historic times. 38 When there, he wished to visit a place, known as Ardain- nygh. 39 Here a St. Aired4° is said then to have lived. 4' Night began to close upon Maidoc's journey. Beseeching the Lord's assistance, angels came to him, and took him in their hands. ^^ They led him to that very spot selected, where they set him down in the midst of a castle. 43 Here, in com-
at the time of this interview.
33 In the seventh chapter of Maidoc's acts,
according to Colgan, our saint went to the
south and Laserian to the north. In the
Rev. W. Rees' ' ' Lives of the Cambro- J.
British Saints," Molassus was directed to go southwards "to the island of Boum, and Aidus to the right, to the borders of the
observes, that the stories of Irish invasions before the Flood are possibly remnants of
Druidic mythology, adopted by Christian
bards and antiquaries to suit their own ideas
of in accord with Revelation. See History
also O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. i. , p. 162.
^^Bith, in the genitive Betha, means "life," in modem Gaelic. He is called a son of Noah, by the bards, and he is said to have been refused permission to enter the
ark. counsel with an those Taking idol,
afterwards named fitted out a ship and put to sea. They landed in Ireland, after a long voyage. According to the English version
" See
34 This mountain is said to have been called
Laginensians.
after Bith—according to the Bards the father
p. 556.
be obtained. SeelDr. O'Donovan's "An- nals of the Four Masters," vol. v. , n. (n), pp. 1260 to 1262, and vol. vi. , n. (f), p. 1940, Hid.
it. There is a townland, Erdinagh, in the parish of Aghalurcher, barony of Magher-
—who
of the female leader Ceasair or Kesair
died in Ireland only a few days before the Flood, and who was buried under a cam, which is still shown on that part of Slieve Beagh, extending across a portion of Clones parish, in the county of Fermanagh. The site is known as Carnmore. See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Feimanagh," Sheet 35.
35 So it is called in the Down Survey. It
forms a long range, extending in a north-
eastern direction, through the barony of
Magherastepana, and parishes of Clones and
Tedavnet, in the county of Fermanagh, and
along the western boundary of the barony of
Trough, in the county of Monaghan, and
through a part of the parish of Clogher, in
the county of Tyrone. From the top of is the only object of antiquity exhibited on Clones moat a good view of Carnmore can
" 3*0'Flaherty calls it Sliaw-beatha. See met Avith on this townland. These seem to
Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. i. , p. 162 ; but in
Seward's "Topographical Dictionary of Ire- "
land, itisincorrectlyspelledSlieveBaugh. The O'Clerys' "I,eabhar Gabhala" gives some account of its denominational origin. Its local and aboriginal pronunciation will be recognised by the Irish scholar from the natives of Clones parish, when welcoming strangers: Sex>ohe&tAa^ShbiAbbeACA.
37 We are told, in the bardic legends, that
forty days before the universal Deluge,
according to the Eusebian and Septuagint
computation, A. M. 2242, that Ceasair came
to Ireland, -with three men and fifty women.
As may be seen, in O'Mahony's Keating's
be the only probable modem equivalents for Aired, Ard-rinnygh, or Ard-airidh.
"ofatthe Martyrology Donegal," January
31st,pp. 32,33,
»°9This seems to have been—the name—of
this particular saint is uncertain in Scotland. See the " Kalendar," Pridie Kal. Feb. , and
Aberdonen-
"•' See Thomas Innes' " Civil and Ecclesi-
astical History of Scotland," book ii. , p. 161.
"
Sanctorum, Pars Hyemalis, fol. 45 b a.
"S This is the vulgar pronunciation of our saint's name, iu the counties of Wexford and Cavan.
the Also "
Registrum Episcopatus
*'* See Rev. William Reeves' " On paper
Breviarium Aberdonense," Proprium
"
deen," Ap. Proceedings of the Society of of the Lord Primate. " Read before the
vol.
Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 261. '"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hi- bemise," viii. Martii. Secunda Vita S. Senani, cap. xviii. , p. 614, rectc, 528. Also
Giraldus Cambrensis' " Hiber- Topograpliia
sis,"
ii. , p. 3. "
Martyrology
of Aber-
Some Ecclesiastical Bells in the Collection
"* His in Perthshire is called St. parish
Madoes,formerlySt. Madois. See"New Statistical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p, 607.
Royal Irish Academy, December 14th, 1863.
"^In the "Martyrology of Donegal,"
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 32, 33. "* "
nise,"
xxxi.
Januarii. Appendix, cap. ii. .
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 531
in a state of perplexity and sometimes on'uncertain ground. It is considered, that an account of Maidoc, afterwards Bishop of Ferns, having been a host- agewithKingAinmire'cannotbereconciledwithchronology. ^ Ithasbeen stated, by a learned Chronologer,3 however, that the saint's boyhood must be referred to such a monarch's reign. Notwithstanding, a mistake has been admitted, in the opinion of some historians, by entering the name of An- mireus,^ for that of some king who ruled prior to him. s In accounts left us, we might just as fairly state, that such a monarch must have lived long after Ainmire'stime,ifweadmitthecomputationofcertainIrishAnnals. ^ The Genealogies of the Irish Saints? only serve to tangle more, in the attempt to unravel. Thus St. Tighernach, Bishop of Clones, who died on the 4th of April,^ A. D. 548, and who is derived from the same stock as Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, falls a generation later than the latter saint. 9 In the natural order of things, this calculation should throw the (subject of our biography, his birth and youth, into the closing part of the fifth century. For want of the Acts of St. Maedoc, or Edan,^° Bishop of Clonmore," and of another Bishop
p. 221. — Chapter ii.
'The sonof Sedna. See
See ibid. , pp. 78, 79. " 7 As contained in the
"
"
There he is
3 See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesia- rum Antiquitates,"chap. xvii. , p. 500. Also,
"
Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. vii. called " Ainmerius. "
See his Life at that date.
5 Thus from Araalgaidh, the great-great-
grandfather of St. Maedoc, proceeds a son
Cairpre, father to Aedh, father of Ainmire,
father of Nindiu, father of St. Tighernach. '° '' "
^See Harris' Ware, vol. i.
Ferns," p. 436. This is founded on the supposition, that St. David of Wales died A. D. 544, and that St. Maidoc had been his disciple.
rum," edited and translated by William M.
Hennessy. See pp. 58, 59.
* Dr. Lanigan thinks his reign did not
commence at the earliest until a. d. 566.
O' Flaherty states that he reigned from a. d.
568 to 571. See " Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. xciii. , p. 431.
5 Dr. Lanigan has ably reviewed the mis- takes of Ussher in reference to his Chrono- logical statements. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec. ix. , and n. 147, pp. 470, 474, 475.
*Thus in the "Chronicon Scotorum," edited by William M. Hennessy, St. Mae- doc, Bishop of Ferns, died A. D. 656. See pp. 94 to 97. This, however, appears as a
misplaced double entry ; for it only repeats what had been already given at a. d. 625.
Ainmire, ^King of Ireland, and from this second union sprung King Aedh, who was killed in the battle of Dunbolg, A. D. 598. It seems probable enough, that after Briga's second marriage, she brought her three first sons with her to the northern parts of Ire- land. See No. iv. of the "Loca Patri- ciana," by the Rev. John Francis Shearman, published in "The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association ot Ireland. Fourth Series, vol. ii. . No. l6. October, 1873, p. 544.
"Bishops of
Index Chronologicus," A. D. DLXVI. Ac-
cording to O'Mahony's Keating's "History
of Ireland," book ii. , part i. , King Ain-
mire reigned from a. d. 560 to 563. See
chap. i. , p. 444. According to Dr. O'Dono-
van's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. ,
he was king from a. d. 564 to 566. See pp.
204, 205. The Annals of Ulster place him
from A. D, 566 to 568. Dr. O'Donovan
thinks the latter year to be the true date for
his death—yet the Ulster Annals through
error have it again at A. D. 575. The Annals
of Clonmacnoise state he died A. D. 569,
See ibid. , n. (b) This date also agrees January. Briga was afterwards married to with one found in the "Chronicon Scoto-
Neamshancus the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A.
of
^
According to the Neamsenchus, found in the Leabhar Breac, R. I. A. , this saint belonged to the Dal Messincorb family of Leinster, in this line, viz. , Messincorb, said to have been seventy-seventh in descent from his stem, was father to Echaidh Lamderg, father of Fothadh, father of Eochaidh Lam- doit, father to Fothad, father of Fergus Lamderg, father to Maine Eiges, the Poet, who had been married to Briga. Three saintly sons spnmg from this union, viz. , Edan, Bishop of Cluaine Mor Mcedoc, who was living A. D. 598; Etchen, Bishop of Cluain Foda, whose feast occurs at the lith of February, and who died a. d. 577
an of Cill Seighan, said to be Kilshine, whose feast has been recorded at the 21st of
"VeneratedatthenthofApril. These Acts Colgan appears to have had in his pos- session, and to have prepared for publication
"
at this day. See his Catalogus Actuum
Sanctorum ordine Mensium et Dierum," now preserved among the Franciscan MSS. in Dublin. Yet, I cannot discover where
;
Seigh-
532 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
Aedh," to compare with those of St. Moedoc, Bishop of Ferns, we have reason to suspect much of what follows, as taken chiefly from his published Life, must be received with hesitancy, and may be referable to one or other of the former saints. ^3 The writer is still more fortified in such an opinion, because it accords nearly with the results of a laborious and critical examina- tion referring to this whole subject, by one of the most painstaking and com-
petent among Irish antiquaries and genealogists. ^4 With such a premonition, nothing better can be done, than to proceed with the recorded incidents of
our saint's reputed life and times.
While Aedan^s or Maidoc was a small boy in his parents' house, Anmy-
reus or Ainmire, King of Ireland, required him as a hostage from his father. He is stated to have been a powerful noble of Breffney territory. ^^ Other hostages, belonging to the Hua Briun'7 tribe, are said to have been his fellow- captives. While under that monarch's keeping, Ainmire was struck with his modest,innocentdeportment.
ThiscomelinessoffeaturetheAlmightyhad bestowed on his favoured child. While those hostages^^ were in his presence,
"
the king said to persons around him, in reference to our saint :
This boy is
a favourite, and he must remain with me in the royal palace, or if it please
him, I shall send him back free to his parents. "'^ The child of grace re-
" plied : If,
my Lord King, thou art my patron, I beseech thee in the name
of God, whom I wish to serve, that thou wouldst liberate those boys who
werebroughthitherwithme. " Themonarchimmediatelygrantedhisrequest. Dismissing all those hostages to their several places of abode, and, at the instance of our saint, Ainmire recommended himself to the prayers of Maidoc, while predicting at the same time, that he should afterwards become a great
of the Church. =°
From his earliest youth, the blessed child Aedh^'' was gifted with a power
pillar
the Acts alluded to are preserved, if they be extant.
" He was the son of Eoghan, son to
Bruighde, son of Nathboidh, son to Illain, son of Dunlang and of his wife Cuach. Now the Ui Dunlaing descended from this Dunlang, King of Leinster, who flourished in
sixth century.
'®
This seems referable to Maidoc, after- wards Bishop of Ferns ; for it is not likely King Ainmire should detain his own step- son Maidoc, afterwards Bishop of Cluain Mor Mcedoc, as a hostage.
'^ This name applies to Breffney, or to some part of it, in which the Hy Brians or
the fifth century, and he lived contemporane- ously with St. Patrick. According to the
posterity of Brian, son to Eochod Magmea-
Aedh—ranked among the saints must have lived about
then ruled. See "Acta Colgan's
usualorderofdescent,
— Bishop
donius,
Sanctorum Hibemise," xxxi. Januarii, n. 8,
Such is the information most kindly communicated to me from his MSS.
216. Also "
O'Flaherty's Ogygia," pars,
the
of the " Loca Patriciana,"
'3 According to Bishop Forbes' "Kalen-
dars of Scottish Saints," St. Modoc, Bishop and Confessor, venerated at the 31st of
The Man- A. D. 568. As the same writer places his ners and Customs of the Ancient Irish," a
year 630.
p.
iii. , cap. Ixxix. , p. 374.
the Rev. Francis Shearman, C. C. , Howth.
retained and frequently condemned to death for infraction of covenants, as securities to insure the ob- servance of treaties. Those hostages seem to have been kept under very strict Jz/rz^^/Z^wf^,
''
January, was a hostage with King Ainmire
and sometimes in fetters. See
birth at A. D. 558, Modoc was then ten years old. See p. 403.
'* Allusion is made to the Rev. John Fran-
cis Shearman, whose special investigations and collections have placed at his disposal a most valuable series of early genealogical
tables, relating
which will shortly appear in book-form, under the title, "Loca Patriciana. "
series of lectures delivered by the late Eu-
gene O'Curry, M. R. I. A, Introduction by
by W. K. Sullivan, Ph. D. , vol. i. , pp. cccli. 'and ccclv. , n. 614.
'' This proves his own step-son Maidoc was not the hostage.
^^^See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
ii. , p. 208,
by
John
usually
to our saints and chiefs,
*s — ^' Aedh or Aedhan appears to have been
calledwhen the name of Maidoc seems to have
name in I—
a
especially in the northern parts during the
very prevalent
boy;
been acquired when he went to Wales,
reland and a
'* were Hostages
So he appears to have been
ac-
January 3 1. J LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 533
of performing miracles. He had a special love for the Adorable Trinity.
His occupation appears to have been of a pastoral character, for he is repre- sented as having been in the company of some shepherds, when one of those manifestationsoccurred. Itwasasourceofedificationforpersonslivinginthe neighbourhood, who had heard and seen him. His acquaintances magnified the Lord's name, in the person of His favoured child. ^"^ When Aidan's parents saw him gifted with so many graces, they consigned him to the care of a certain holy man,23 that their child might receive a liberal education. At length, the fame of his extraordinary sanctity began to spread abroad, and it reached throughout the whole extent of his native island. ^*
About this time, some holy men prayed to God, that they might specially know the place of their resurrection, so that there they might serve our Lord
while living. ^s The angel of God appeared to them and said
Maidoc, and he will show you the place of your resurrection. "
:
" Go to St.
On coming
:
to him, our saint said to them " Have you heard the sound of a cymbal or
bell,''^ on your way hither? " They answered in the negative. Our saint
" Come with me and I shall
arise from the dead. " Having joined company, Maidoc showed them the place destined for their future departure ; and here those servants of God remained to the very day of their death. ="7 While our saint was one day engaged in reading, and in a retired place, wearied after a chase by dogs, a deer stood before him, as if beseeching his protection. Having a knowledge of this poor animal's case, he placed some object^^ upon his horns. ^9 The dogs thencomingup,theirtremblingquarrybecameamerephantom. Notbeing able to find the animal there, nor to trace him further, the deer-hounds de- sisted from their chase. Thus the deer escaped free, and shook Maidoc's offering from his horns. 3°
St. Maidoc appears to have had some early Divine admonition regarding his future connexion with the city of Ferns, as a place selected for his settle- ment. WithLasserianofDevenish,3iwhoseemstohavebeenhisdearest friend,32 before the erection of the monastery in that island on Lough Erne, a miraculous sign was afforded, to determine the direction of their respective
replied :
point
out the
spot
in which must you
cording to John of Teignmouth and John Capgrave. See Ussher's " Britannicarum
Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p.
^^ In the Latin life published by Colgan, the original word is " ceraculum," probably because manufactured from wax. In another
MS. , it is called " Oraculum," as being an
article connected with In the Irish prayers.
language, it is known as a. paitrin ox paidrin. ^ It has been suggested, that as formerly boys were taught to write on waxen tablets, and that as the Lord's Prayer inscribed on them was a customary writing exercise, the " Ce- a '* Pater Noster," and a "Paitrin," corresponding with a
500.
" See
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
iii. , p. 208.
^3 We are left in ignorance of this teacher's
name and place of habitation ; but probably he lived near that spot where St. Maidoc was bom and nurtured.
re-
Colgan's nise," xxxi. Januarii.
^* See
niae," xxxi. Januarii. iv. , p. 208.
^s Here
Colgan's
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Maidoci, cap.
several relations between these raculum," "Oraculum,"
terms,
we are left in
3° See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
again
garding the holy persons alluded to, and the churches or places where they were to live and die are also unnamed.
ignorance
**
the air, to fix the spot for an ecclesiastical
establishment, is one frequently occurring in ters,"vol. i. , pp. 202, 203. The "Chroni-
This indication of a bell, sounding in
32 gt. Laserian died A. D. 563, according to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Mas-
the lives of our Irish Saints.
^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctomm Hiber-
niffi," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. v. , p. 208.
"
con Scotorum has his death at A. D. 564.
See pp. 56, 57. Now, as according to tlie
sameauthorities,St. Maidoc died A. D. 624 or 625; the latter must have been very young-
Rosary, may readily be discovered.
niae," xxxi. Januarii, Vita S. Maidoci, cap. vi. , p. 208.
"" See his Life at the I2th of September.
534 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
missions. We are next told,33 that one day, Maidoc was walking on a mountain, known as Beatha,34 Sliabh Beagh,3s or Slieve Baha,36 an early-
legendary or fabled landmark,37 called after a mythic personage of the pre- historic times. 38 When there, he wished to visit a place, known as Ardain- nygh. 39 Here a St. Aired4° is said then to have lived. 4' Night began to close upon Maidoc's journey. Beseeching the Lord's assistance, angels came to him, and took him in their hands. ^^ They led him to that very spot selected, where they set him down in the midst of a castle. 43 Here, in com-
at the time of this interview.
33 In the seventh chapter of Maidoc's acts,
according to Colgan, our saint went to the
south and Laserian to the north. In the
Rev. W. Rees' ' ' Lives of the Cambro- J.
British Saints," Molassus was directed to go southwards "to the island of Boum, and Aidus to the right, to the borders of the
observes, that the stories of Irish invasions before the Flood are possibly remnants of
Druidic mythology, adopted by Christian
bards and antiquaries to suit their own ideas
of in accord with Revelation. See History
also O'Flaherty's "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. i. , p. 162.
^^Bith, in the genitive Betha, means "life," in modem Gaelic. He is called a son of Noah, by the bards, and he is said to have been refused permission to enter the
ark. counsel with an those Taking idol,
afterwards named fitted out a ship and put to sea. They landed in Ireland, after a long voyage. According to the English version
" See
34 This mountain is said to have been called
Laginensians.
after Bith—according to the Bards the father
p. 556.
be obtained. SeelDr. O'Donovan's "An- nals of the Four Masters," vol. v. , n. (n), pp. 1260 to 1262, and vol. vi. , n. (f), p. 1940, Hid.
it. There is a townland, Erdinagh, in the parish of Aghalurcher, barony of Magher-
—who
of the female leader Ceasair or Kesair
died in Ireland only a few days before the Flood, and who was buried under a cam, which is still shown on that part of Slieve Beagh, extending across a portion of Clones parish, in the county of Fermanagh. The site is known as Carnmore. See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Feimanagh," Sheet 35.
35 So it is called in the Down Survey. It
forms a long range, extending in a north-
eastern direction, through the barony of
Magherastepana, and parishes of Clones and
Tedavnet, in the county of Fermanagh, and
along the western boundary of the barony of
Trough, in the county of Monaghan, and
through a part of the parish of Clogher, in
the county of Tyrone. From the top of is the only object of antiquity exhibited on Clones moat a good view of Carnmore can
" 3*0'Flaherty calls it Sliaw-beatha. See met Avith on this townland. These seem to
Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. i. , p. 162 ; but in
Seward's "Topographical Dictionary of Ire- "
land, itisincorrectlyspelledSlieveBaugh. The O'Clerys' "I,eabhar Gabhala" gives some account of its denominational origin. Its local and aboriginal pronunciation will be recognised by the Irish scholar from the natives of Clones parish, when welcoming strangers: Sex>ohe&tAa^ShbiAbbeACA.
37 We are told, in the bardic legends, that
forty days before the universal Deluge,
according to the Eusebian and Septuagint
computation, A. M. 2242, that Ceasair came
to Ireland, -with three men and fifty women.
As may be seen, in O'Mahony's Keating's
be the only probable modem equivalents for Aired, Ard-rinnygh, or Ard-airidh.
