55 See various evidences accumulated on this subject, and referring to the
earliest
periods of our ecclesiastical history, by Mr.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
One of its walls was deco- rated and painted with various images, besides being covered with tapestry and along the breadth, in the eastern side of the church, it extended from one partition wall to the other.
There were two doors, at either extremity of this wall.
Through that door on the right hand side, the bishop,3^ with his canons, and those who assisted at ecclesiastical rites, entered the sanctuary, when approaching to offer the Dominical sacrifice 33 on the altar; while the abbess, with her nuns and postulants, entered through a door towards the left, whenever they prepared, to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour.
34 Another wall divided the ground floor of the church into two equal parts, and it extended from the eastern 35 side to
employed in Irish histoiy, wherever bishops had monasteries annexed to their cathe- drals.
'^ In alluding to " this whimsical and truly uncanonical position " of Colgan, Rev. Dr. Lanigan, in continuation, remarks : "Colgan took it into his head that as there was an affinity between the names Brigid and Birget, their monastic institutions were likewise formed on a similar plan. What has a like- ness of names to do in this matter ? Besides, in the institution of St. Brigitta there was no such thing as jurisdiction over bishops. Colgan ought to have reflected, that this Swedish princess, most probably, knew little or nothing concerning the system of St. Brigid ; for at the time of her forming her establishment — viz. , not long before A. D. 1370, the nunnery of Kildare was in a state of great insignificance. Archdall has given to his readers in a positive manner what Colgan had proposed as a matter of doubt, and tells them that the abbots of Kildare were for several years subject to the abbess. " —" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xi. , n. 142, pp. 414,
415;
*' These conjectures may receive confirma-
tion, from an anecdote already related, when St. Brigid, assuming the ownership of some sacerdotal vestments, undertook their distri- bution in favour of the poor, having no other alms to offer.
''See ibid. , nn. I43, I44, 145, pp. 411, 415-
3° We are even told, Cogitosus is supposed to have written his Life of St. Brigid before A. D. 594. See Wills' " Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished Irishmen," vol. i. , part I, First Period, p. 103.
3' In his usual pleasing style, the late venerable Archbishop of Calcutta has furnished us with a description of this church, from passages in Cogitosus ; while he seems inclined to believe, that the church itself hadbeenentirelyconstructedofwood. See Carew's "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," chap, vi. , pp. 233, 234.
3- The words of Cogitosus are, that the bishop entered " eum sua regular! schola, et his qui sacris sunt deputaii ministerii^. "
33 Tile words are "sacra ct Dominica immolare sacrificia. "
3« The words are " ut convivio corporis et sanguinis fruantur Jesu Chrisli. "
35 RicU " western. "
;
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 83
the opposite wall, lying across the breadth. There was one door, highly ornamented, on the riglit hand side of this church. Through it, the priests and maleportionofthecongregationentered; whileanotherwasonthelefthand side, through which the religious of the nunnery and the female contingent of the congregation passed. 3° There were many windows in the walls, to admit light within the church. Various divisions of the faithful, according to rank, station, and sex, afforded to all an opportunity for assisting at the Divine mysteries and various ceremonies carried out in the church, accord- ing to an established order, and the requireiiients of ecclesiastical discipline. 37
A miracle, which occurred in repairing this church, and which, Cogitosus thinksshouldnotbepassedoverinsilence,hasbeenplacedonrecord. 3^ When the old door of the left side passage, through which St. Brigid used to enter the church, had been altered, repaired, and placed on its former hinges, by artisans, it could not exactly cover the opening as required. A fourth part of this space appeared exposed, without anything left to fill it ; and, if a fourth more were added and joined to the height of ^he gate, then it might fill up
the entire altitude of this reconstructed and lo^ty passage. The workmen held a consultation, about making another new and larger door to fill up this entrance, or to prepare a panel for an addition to the old door, so as to make it the required size. A principal artisan among the Irish then spoke : " On this night, we should fervently implore the Lord, before St. Brigid, that before morning she may counsel us what course we ought to pursue, in refer- encetothismatter," Afterthesewords,hepassedawholenightinprayer, beside St. Brigid's tomb. On the morning he arose. He then found, on forcing and settling the old door on its hinge, the whole passage was filled, so that a single chink was not left uncovered, nor in its height was any, even the least, excess discovered. Thus, it happened, as the whole aperture was filled, that St. Brigid—as was generally believed—had miraculously extended that door in height. Nor did any part appear open, except when the door was moved on entering her church. This miracle, accomplished by Divine omnipotence, was evidently manifested to the eyes of all, who looked upon the door and the passage. 39
It is but fair to state, moreover, that not only the antiquity of St. Brigid's Acts, by Cogitosus, has been doubted by some writers, but even their authenticity has been denied by others, in consequence, chiefly—if not altogether—of details given in the preceding description, regarding the church atKildare. t° Averypresumptuousandanexceedinglyincompetentwriter*' on our country's antiquities asserts, that what evinces the work of Cogitosus to be suppositious, is his description, concerning the monuments of St. Bridget and of St. Conlaeth, on the right and left sides of the altar, at Kildare. They were not only highly finished with gold and silver ornaments, with gems and
3* Thus, the great aisle of it outside the 39 The foregoing description in the text sanctuary was divided by a partition separa- substantially agrees with the thirty-fifth ting the males from the females, and chapter of Cogitosus, the Latin of which,
each division had a door peculiar to itself. From what has been now observed, we see that the nuns had not a separate church for themselves, although their habitation ad- joined it on one side, while that of the bis- hop and chapter seems to have been close to it on the other. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, xvi. , n. 141, p. 414.
37 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Brigidas, cap. xxxv. , pp. 523, 524.
3* See ibid. , p. 524.
witli a faithful literal translation, will be found in Mr. I'etrie's splendid work, "The Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. subs, i. , pp. 197 to 199.
*° Basnage, the editor of Canisius, thinks that Cogitosus' supposed description of the church of Kildare, "smelt strongly of later ages," than those when he flourished. See "Antique Lectiones," tomus v. , p. 625.
-t' The Rev. Edward Ledwich.
*- Therefore, the superficial writer Led- wich, when treating about Irish Literature
84 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
precious stones, suspended gold and silver crowns, but the wall of the chan- cel was painted with portraits. '*^ This church architecture, he deems to be the work of fancy, and that it could not have existence earlier than the twelfth century. The Irish, in his opinion, had no stone edifices, in the sixth century; and, this statement, he thinks, had been conclusively proved by himself. To these groundless assertions, the learned Dr. Petrie replies, that such objec- tions betray a great want of antiquarian research, and are of very little weight. '*^ Even Dr. Lanigan—who considered the work of Cogitosus as an- terior, at least, to the ninth century, while arguing in support of its antiquity —need not have supposed, that the early church at Kildare was a wooden structure. This supposition—wholly improbable and gratuitous—the text willbynomeansauthorize. Variousevidenceshavebeenadduced,relative totheantiquityofstonechurchesinIreland. Numberlessillustrationsareavail- able to prove, that the plan and general form of this church, which consisted of a nave and chancel, were designs exactly and commonly adopted in the abbeyorcathedralstonechurchesthroughoutIreland. ''* Itshavingtwolateral doorways, instead of a single western portal, is pointed out as a peculiarity quite necessary, owing to the circumstances of the structure having been de- signed for the use of two religious communities and belonging to different sexes. 45 These had distinct and separate places assigned them, according to an almost universal practice of ancient times. '^^ A necessity for this separa- tion of the sexes possibly led to a division of the nave, by a wooden partition, andintotwoequalportions. Thesewereenteredbythelateraldoorways,already mentioned; andthisarrangementledagain,perhaps,toapiercingoffthewall, or partition, which separated the nave from the chancel. A doorway was on either side of the chancel arch. It was opened there, in order to admit an en- trance into the chancel for the bishop with his chapter, on the right or south side, and for the abbess with her nuns, on the left or north side. Another peculiar feature is noticeable, in the description of this church. It had a number of windows, although the Irish churches were remarkable for the few- ness of such apertures yet, in the notice of such peculiarity, there is as little
;
to excite a suspicion, regarding the truth of the general description, as in the
other instance. The very arrangement of the church into a double nave ne- cessarily required a double number of windows in order to light \\. ^^
It does not appear from our records, wiien the use of glass had been intro-
in the Middle Ages, has pronounced the book of Cogito-sus tobe suppositious. See "Anti- quities of Ireland," p. 352. Yet, there is nothing therein described inconsistent with historic truth ; nay more, capable of being sustained by demonstrative proof.
'"Although he not only freely acknow- ledges, there is great reason to doubt, that the work of Cogitosus, as had been supposed by Colgan, Vossius, Dr. O'Conor, and others —even by the judicious Ware—belonged to the sixth century ; and, he had even under- taken to prove, that its real age was some early part of the ninth century yet. Dr.
;
Petrie by no means concurred in Dr. Led- wich's sweeping scepticism, as to the truth of that description, relating to the church, and which tiie latter regarded as altogether fan- ciful, and posterior to the twelfth century.
See ibid.
** It is not to be inferred, that any of the
existing antiquarian remains at Kildare are referable to the time of St. Brigid or St.
Conleth. Even, in later times, and near our own epocli, these have undergone considera- ble mutilation, repairs and unmeaning alterations. See "Official Illustrated Guide to the Great Southern and Western Rail- way, " by George S. Measom, pp. 8, 9.
''5 SeeBingham's"OriginesEcclesiasticae; Antiquities of the Christian Church," book viii. , cap. iii. , with plans and illustrations,
'•^ See ihid. ^ cap. v. , sect. 6.
"^ The Rev. Dr. O'Conor has well re- marked, that if the writer had described these windows as having been glazed, it might have afforded some historical argu- ment against supposing that he lived in the sixth or seventh century, inasmuch as glass was not usually found in the windows of English churches, until the close of the latter but, even that would be noevidence to prove, that the writer did not flourish previously to the twelfth centur)', because the use of glass mighthave been introduced into Ireland long before that age, through intercourse of the
;
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 85
duced from abroad ;'^^ however, there are vitreous specimens found in Ireland, and of a very remote age. "*? We know, that St. Bennet, bishop and abbot of Weremouth in England, after the year 674, went over to France, and thence invited glaziers, to make glass windows for his churcli and to light its upper galleries. 5° There is no reason for supposing, that the Irish ecclesiastics could have lagged behind, in the adoption of glazed windows for their churches jSi on the contrary, it is quite possible, they had antici- pated the British, in the art of glass making,52 by very many years. A prac- tice ofornamenting saints' shrines, in the manner described by Cogitosus, was derived from the most primitive ages of the Church, the early Chris- tians being accustomed to decorate their martyrs' tombs. S3 Hence, it is more ancient, than even the time of St. Brigid. Nor can it be fairly supposed, such art was then unknown or unpractised in Ireland. We have abundant proofs afforded, that from the first introduction of Christianity into this island, our artificers and ecclesiastics were distinguished for taste and skill, in designing and in executing sacred vessels and shrines. 54 In these respects, they were not surpassed, even by their contemporaries on the Con- tinent. ss Even, the present subject of our biography has the reputation of having been a skilled artist, and of working the precious metals. With perfect dispositions and sentiments of complete worldly abandonment, St. Conleth devoted his life to God, serving him, moreover, in public minis- trations, as in quiet and retirement. He had many interviews and counsels with St. Brigid, while he lived ; and, he most zealously aided or directed her efforts, for the progress of religion, during the infancy of our Irish Church.
Irish with Italy and Gaul. We also know
that a constant influx of English and other
illustrious foreigners visited Ireland for their
education. However, as Cogitosus makes
no mention, concerning glass in the windows
of the churcli at Kildare, it affords evidence,
not only regarding the truth of his descrip-
tion, but also of its antiquity, although that
antiquity may not be so great as many have
imagined. At all events, if he had been many fine Monuments and objects of the
fabricating any fanciful description of this church, while glazed windows were still of rare occurrence, probably he would not have neglected to have added so important a fea- ture, to heighten his description of the gene- ral effect produced. See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , subs, i. , pp. 199 to 201.
''^ At Paris, in 1 800, appeared a very beautiful work, in which this subject is well treated. It was writted by Lenoir, and in- tituled " Musee des Monumens Fran9ais, ou Description historique et chronologique des Statues, Bas-Reliefs, et Tombeaux, pour servir a I'Histoire de France, et a celle de I'Art, avec I'Histoire de la Peinture sur Verre, et Description des Vitraux anciens et modernes. " It appeared, in six octavo volumes, and it contains nearly 300 beau- tiful plates.
"s There is a very learned and an interest- ingdissertationonthe invention and antiquity of glass as used in windows, when the author comes to the conclusion, that it had not been
Celtic period.
5- The reader is referred for further infor-
used in the windows belonging to Solomon's temple, although made in many ancient countries. See Samuel Lee's " Orbis Mira- culum, or the Tem]ile of Solomon, por- trayed by Scripture-Light," chap. ii. pp, 23, 24.
s° See Bishop Challoner's " Britannia Sancta," part i. , pp. 25, 26.
5' Lenoir's work, already noted, includes
mation, on this subject, to an interesting Frenchwork,intituled, "AluseedesMonu- mens Franfais, dessines par M. E. Biet,
J.
avec un texte explicatif," par J. Bres. It is
a folio, and it contains 40 most beautiful plates of Tombs, Monuments, Stained Glass, etc. , of the Middle Ages. This book was published, in Paris, A. D. 1821.
55 See Buonarotti's "Osservazioni sopra alcuni Frammenti di Vetro," pp. 133, 134.
3-* Avisit to the Royal Irish Academy's Museum—open to the general public, in Dawson-street, Dublin—must completely remove any doubt yet existing on this sub- ject. See, also. Sir William Wilde's admir- ablypreparedcatalogueofits antiquities.
55 See various evidences accumulated on this subject, and referring to the earliest periods of our ecclesiastical history, by Mr. Petiie, in his work already cited, "The Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland, "part ii. , subs, i. , pp. 202 to 204.
86 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [^Iay 3.
CHAPTER III.
VARIOUS NAMES FOR THIS SAINT—NATURE OF HIS EPISCOPAL JURISDICTION—RECORDED INCIDENTS RELATING TO ST. CONLATH'S VIOLENT DEATH—THE LOCALITY WHERE IT IS SAID TO HAVE OCCURRED, WHILE ON HIS WAY TO ROME—ENQUIRY REGARDING THE SITES OF SECHAI CONDLAD, AND LIAMAIN—PRESERVATION OF ST. CONLATH'S RELICS—CALENDAR NOTICES OF THIS HOLY BISHOP—PAROCHIAL CHURCH OF ST. CONLETH ERECTED AT NEWBRIDGE—OTHER MEMORIALS—CONCLUSION.
The authority of a Scholiast on the FeiUre of St. ^ngus makesRonchend the first name of Chondlaeid ' or Candlaj^" and he was called Mochonda of Daire, according to the same writer. It seems very probable, that the Daire alluded to must be identified with the present Kildare. From the foregoing state- ments, it would appear, that Machonda, Rondchend, Condlaed, or Candla, is one and the same person. It is 'stated, also, that this bishop of Kildare's name stands for Cundail Aedh, rendered " Aedh the Wise. "3 Classed among St. Patrick's disciples—perhaps it should be more accurate to say cotem-
—
In his Life of St. Brigid, Cogitosus does not expressly name the anchorite, who was selected^ by the abbess of Kildare, to undertake as bishop the spiritual care of her church. 7 It seems evident, that Conleth was the prelate here alluded to,^ for he was contemporary with the holy virgin. The subsequent part of the narrative, however, removes any doubt on the subject. St. Con- leth is not only styled a bishop, but a prophet of God, by two other writers ofherActs-p and,heisexpresslynamedConlianus,whowaschosenbyher, as the first bishop, for her city at Kildare. '° In keeping with a very unsup-
is Coeltan, or Conlaid, Bishop of Kildare. -* Without suificient evidence, it has been asserted,^ that St. Conleth had previously visited either Italy or Brittany, and had brought therefrom those ecclesiastical variegated vestments, to which allusion has been already made. That success attend- ing the first attempts of St. Conlath, in diffusing a knowledge of the Gospel, must have been as gratifying to St. Brigid's heart, as it was profitable to the eternal well-being of our pagan progenitors, in the district where he desired to labour. However, he chose rather to live and serve God in retirement.
poraries
ChapterIII. —' Onthishisfirstnoteis ofiferedthefolIowingcommentinIri-h,Cont)- tde-o . 1. cunnAil^Xet). . 1. <\e-o cunii<iiL, thus translated by Dr. Whitley Stokes, LL. D. "Condlaed . i. Ciinnail AeJ, i. e. 'friendly Aed. '" Thatpassageandaclausesucceed- ingithave been rendered into English, for
O'Beirne Crowe, A. B. , in the manner succeeding : " Condlaed that is, ' Prudence Fire,' that is, Fire of Prudence, is his name, and he is bishop of Cell Dara. "
(Kildare).
" The writer has received the following
". St. Patrick,ApostleofIreland,"Intro- ductory Dissertation, p. 20.
"* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
sByRev. Dr. Todd,in"St. Patrick,Apos- tie of Ireland," Introductory Dissertation, p. 23.
* He is only called " illustrem virum et solitaiium omnibus moribus ornatum, per quern Deus virtutes operatus est plurimas, convocans cum de eremo, et de sua vita solitaria, et sibi obviam pergens, ut Eccle- siam in Episcopal! dignitate cum ea guber- naret, atque ut nihil de ordine Sacerdotali in suis deesset Ecclesiis, accersi\-it. "
the writer, by
J.
philological note from the Irish Professor in
thc Queen's College, Galway, J. O'Beirne
Crowe: "The oldest form of the name is
nom. Ca. nd\:i, gen. Condlad, dat. Conlied,
&c. , a ^-stem : a later form is m/w. Cond- Secuntla Vita S. Brigidce, Prologus, p.
laed, an a-steni. "
3 " If this be so," remarks Dr. Todd,
" the bishop's original name must have been Aedh or Hugh, and the title of Cundail, 'the wise,' was given him as expressing his ecclesiastical learning and eminence. " See
5"^'
^ See ibid. , n. 6, p. 525.
' See her life attributed to St. Ultan, Ter-
tia Vita S. Brigidoe, cap. li. ,p. 532, and th. at assigned to Animosus, Qiiarta Vita S. Bri- gidoc, lib. ii. , cap. xix. , p. 552.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 87
ported and unwarrantable theory, having reference to early Irish episcopal jurisdiction, it has been asserted," that St. Conleth had not been appointed bishop over a See or a territorial district, called Kildare j" insomuch as this city belonged not to him, but to St. Brigid. It has been assumed, that from her, the election or nomination of St. Conlaeth to his episcopal office had been obtained ; and, therefore, it is argued, he was bound to exercise tliat office, subject to her jurisdiction, as bishop in her city of Kildare ; since that name, signifying the " Church of the Oak," was then given, not to a diocese, but only to the monastic establishment of St. Brigid. ^3 However, the foregoing conclusions are not warranted by any logical and researchful analysis of evi- dence, as drawn from the existing records or documents of Irish history.
From certain biographical or traditional statements, the Rev. Dr. Todd draws a conclusion, that the normal state of episcopacy in Ireland had been non-dio- cesan, and that each bishop acted independently, without recognising any archiepiscopal jurisdiction. He thinks, moreover, each bishop in Ireland had either been entirely independent, or only subject to the abbot of his monastery, or in the spirit of clanship to his chieftain. '^ But, this is a very groundless assumption ; since sufficient documentary evidence—and of unquestionable genuineness—remains, to manifest general subordination to the primatial See of Armagh, at an early period. When other archiepiscopal sees had been erected in Ireland, their privileges or respective jurisdictions were likewise very accurately and canonically defined or determined. The premises, on which certain writers build their favourite speculations on this subject, are too partial and restricted in their application, or too unauthenticated in all their circumstances and bearings, to furnish reliable evidence for any such conclu- sion. In some cases, the assumed facts are quite legendary, or at least un- proved. Therefore, it would be hazardous to form a theory, at variance with received customs and traditions, not alone in the Irish Church, but in other Churches on the Continent. The most which can be assumed is, that the canonlawhadnotintheearlieragesreceiveditsfulldevelopment; and,pro- bably, some apparent anomalies of monastic and church government, at the time, could be explained in a very satisfactory way, were we only in possession of all the circumstances, which produced or accompanied decrees or practices, regulating the actions of our primitive clergy and laity. The great principles of ecclesiastical government and jurisdiction, since the establishment of Christianity, have had invariably a uniform, practical, and universal applica- tion or order, for regulating the various concerns or wants of the whole Church, ineveryageandnation. Admittingthedoubtofabbatialandepiscopaldig- nity being united in the same person, with the bishop's qualihed subjection to
Colgan says, it is quite certain, that for many ages, pre- vious to his own time, the bishop of that place was distinct from the abbot. Nor had either personage been subject to the abbess, while there had been,
in that place, separate churches or chapels. '5 The college or house of
'* See ibid. the diocese, church, and district of Kildare, " By the Rev. James Henthorn Todd. with a catalogue of its churches—as they "It is true, indeed, that the Rev. Dr. stood—in his time. This statement was
the abbess at Kildare
;
Todd cites the authority of Animosus, to sus- tain his position. He adds : " This language clearly indicates the power claimed by the monastic superior, although in this case a female, over the bishop. "
'3 See " St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," Introductory Dissertation, p. 22.
'* See ibid. , p. 27.
'5 Colgan received an account concerning
furnished by the Most Rev. Ross Mageo- chagan, belonging to the Order of Preachers, and the bishop over Kildare. He is charac- terized as a man of great piety and zeal, an ornament to his order, and to the Church. The following is a translation of this corn- munication, from the Latin, as furnished by
: Colgan —
" The church of Kildare was founded soon after the arrival of St. Patrick
88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
canonswasnearthecathedral,inwhichitisthought'^ theabbot'7 formerly resided. Not far from the same house was a nunnery for women, belonging to the order of Regular Canonesses. '^ At this distance in point of time, however, and from the want of ancient records, to elucidate the past religious institutes existing at Kildare, it cannot be possible to solve the various his- toric problems preceding, with a sufficient degree of accuracy and complete- ness.
We have now traced St. Conleth's imperfectly known Acts, through some changing years of his venerable life. Let us next consider the mysterious workings of Providence, at the close of his existence. Virtuous labours and a useful missionary career were brought to a term, by a doleful and violent yet not by an unprovided or untimely—death, if we are to credit somewhat remote accounts. The most reliable record we have been able to meet with, regarding St. Conleth's death, is given in the celebrated Feilire Tract of St. . ^ngus the Culdee, and which is contained in the old Manuscript, called the Leabhar Breac. '9 There only the most simple allusion is made to his death, at the 3rd of May, with a eulogium, that he was " a fair pillar. "2° A scholiast on this passage, however, undertakes to explain more particularly the cause and manner, as also the exact locality, of Conlaid's end. He mentions a journey Conleth was about making to Rome,^' against the persuasion of St. Brigit,^^ who was presumed to have a prophetic forecast of its failure and fatal
rounds the town on every side. The deaneiy of Naas extends to the south and west, from the Deanery of Kildare. The deanery of Killeigh extends, partly to the west, and north, of Kildare ; while, that of Clane lies partly to the east, and nonh, of the city, already named. In former times, through each of these deaneries, there were many Parish Churches, Religious Houses, many Chapels, Hermitages, Hospitals for the Sick, and Consecrated Cemeteries, without any Churches or Chapels in connection. Several of these were entirely destroyed, and many others are hastening to decay. " See " Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Quinta ad Acta
in Ireland ; its first bishop was Lonius, and
after him Ivorius. St. Brigid is its patron.
The city of Kildare is situated in the pro-
vince of Leinster, about twenty English miles
from the city of Dublin, and westward from
the same metropolis. It is not only the head
of Kildare diocese, but of the whole county
of Kildare, which takes name from it. In
that chuich of Kildare, there were formerly
four or five dignities, viz. , the Archdeaconate,
Deaconate, Chancellar}', Treasurership, and
Chantorship. There were also four canons,
and eight prebendaries, with a canonical col-
lege, built near the church. The greatest
length of Kildare Diocese extends from the
town (Keonen^is? )—Clane is probably S. Brigidre, cap. i. , pp. 627, 628. There meant—within seven English miles of were also four Vicars foreign in the dio-
Dublin, to a road, called Bealach-Garbhain, in the Slieve Bloom mountains, being about twenty-four miles. The road of Bealach- Garbhain divides Leinster from Munster, on that part. The breadth of this diocese does not extend beyond twelve or fourteen miles from the limits of the towns of Bally-Sonain and Kilruith, with Narrachmore and Buaile-bhcg on the southern side, to the
cese.
'« By Colgan.
'7 The aforesaid abbot and his monks
seemingly belonged to the corresponding canonical institute for men.
'^ This same writer supposes the abbot and abbess of Kildare belonged ab initio to a similar religious institute.
;
'9 Now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca- River Boyne on the northern part, and demy.
which there divides the diocese from that of Meath. Throughout its whole northern limits, the diocese of Kildare is bounded by that of Meath, on the east ; and, partly on the southern side, it is bounded by the Dub- lindiocese; thedioceseofLeighlinalsoex- tends on its southern confines ; while, on the west, it is bounded by the dioceses of Killa- loe and of Meath. This diocese of Kildare is divided into the four forane deaneries, or vicarages of Kildare, Naas, Killeigh, and Clane. The deanery of Kildare is situated in the middle of this diocese, and it sur-
-" The following is the text :
P|MmAi|\ee chjAAinx) c]\uiche C]\ifc conibti|\ buAixie
b>. \r ConbAit) CAiiiAige Veilnu\]\niun\eUAi^e.
Thus translated, by Dr. WTiitley Stokes :
" The first finding of the wood of the Christ's Cross with many virtues. (The) death of Condlad, a fair pillar. Marj' (the) Virgin's
great feast.
" Dr. Todd remarks, that this passage
— —
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 89
termination. He would not be dissuaded from his purpose, however, and this act of disobedience towards the holy Brigid is said to have been the cause of an accident on the way. The Rev. Dr. Todd deems the lioly bishop probably felt a natural desire to revisit Rome, to procure a new set of pontifical vest- ments, for the more solemn celebration of Divine service; the former ones havingbeenbestowed,asanalms,onbehalfofthepoor. ^3 Hethinks,also, St. Conlaed's artistic skill and taste may have formed a strong motive with him, to visit Rome, even in opposition to St. Brigid's commands. ==* The holy man seems to have journeyed onwards from his own place towards the sea. We are next informed, that wild hounds or wolves eat him at Sechai Condlad,^5 at the side of Liamain, in Mag Laighen, or the plain of Leinster. This level would appear to have been a very extensive range—perhaps too a very un-
—
O'Donovan seems to place it chiefly, in the northern part of the present
county of Kildare. "^ However, a very excellent and distinguished Irish
scholar,^?
employed in Irish histoiy, wherever bishops had monasteries annexed to their cathe- drals.
'^ In alluding to " this whimsical and truly uncanonical position " of Colgan, Rev. Dr. Lanigan, in continuation, remarks : "Colgan took it into his head that as there was an affinity between the names Brigid and Birget, their monastic institutions were likewise formed on a similar plan. What has a like- ness of names to do in this matter ? Besides, in the institution of St. Brigitta there was no such thing as jurisdiction over bishops. Colgan ought to have reflected, that this Swedish princess, most probably, knew little or nothing concerning the system of St. Brigid ; for at the time of her forming her establishment — viz. , not long before A. D. 1370, the nunnery of Kildare was in a state of great insignificance. Archdall has given to his readers in a positive manner what Colgan had proposed as a matter of doubt, and tells them that the abbots of Kildare were for several years subject to the abbess. " —" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xi. , n. 142, pp. 414,
415;
*' These conjectures may receive confirma-
tion, from an anecdote already related, when St. Brigid, assuming the ownership of some sacerdotal vestments, undertook their distri- bution in favour of the poor, having no other alms to offer.
''See ibid. , nn. I43, I44, 145, pp. 411, 415-
3° We are even told, Cogitosus is supposed to have written his Life of St. Brigid before A. D. 594. See Wills' " Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished Irishmen," vol. i. , part I, First Period, p. 103.
3' In his usual pleasing style, the late venerable Archbishop of Calcutta has furnished us with a description of this church, from passages in Cogitosus ; while he seems inclined to believe, that the church itself hadbeenentirelyconstructedofwood. See Carew's "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," chap, vi. , pp. 233, 234.
3- The words of Cogitosus are, that the bishop entered " eum sua regular! schola, et his qui sacris sunt deputaii ministerii^. "
33 Tile words are "sacra ct Dominica immolare sacrificia. "
3« The words are " ut convivio corporis et sanguinis fruantur Jesu Chrisli. "
35 RicU " western. "
;
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 83
the opposite wall, lying across the breadth. There was one door, highly ornamented, on the riglit hand side of this church. Through it, the priests and maleportionofthecongregationentered; whileanotherwasonthelefthand side, through which the religious of the nunnery and the female contingent of the congregation passed. 3° There were many windows in the walls, to admit light within the church. Various divisions of the faithful, according to rank, station, and sex, afforded to all an opportunity for assisting at the Divine mysteries and various ceremonies carried out in the church, accord- ing to an established order, and the requireiiients of ecclesiastical discipline. 37
A miracle, which occurred in repairing this church, and which, Cogitosus thinksshouldnotbepassedoverinsilence,hasbeenplacedonrecord. 3^ When the old door of the left side passage, through which St. Brigid used to enter the church, had been altered, repaired, and placed on its former hinges, by artisans, it could not exactly cover the opening as required. A fourth part of this space appeared exposed, without anything left to fill it ; and, if a fourth more were added and joined to the height of ^he gate, then it might fill up
the entire altitude of this reconstructed and lo^ty passage. The workmen held a consultation, about making another new and larger door to fill up this entrance, or to prepare a panel for an addition to the old door, so as to make it the required size. A principal artisan among the Irish then spoke : " On this night, we should fervently implore the Lord, before St. Brigid, that before morning she may counsel us what course we ought to pursue, in refer- encetothismatter," Afterthesewords,hepassedawholenightinprayer, beside St. Brigid's tomb. On the morning he arose. He then found, on forcing and settling the old door on its hinge, the whole passage was filled, so that a single chink was not left uncovered, nor in its height was any, even the least, excess discovered. Thus, it happened, as the whole aperture was filled, that St. Brigid—as was generally believed—had miraculously extended that door in height. Nor did any part appear open, except when the door was moved on entering her church. This miracle, accomplished by Divine omnipotence, was evidently manifested to the eyes of all, who looked upon the door and the passage. 39
It is but fair to state, moreover, that not only the antiquity of St. Brigid's Acts, by Cogitosus, has been doubted by some writers, but even their authenticity has been denied by others, in consequence, chiefly—if not altogether—of details given in the preceding description, regarding the church atKildare. t° Averypresumptuousandanexceedinglyincompetentwriter*' on our country's antiquities asserts, that what evinces the work of Cogitosus to be suppositious, is his description, concerning the monuments of St. Bridget and of St. Conlaeth, on the right and left sides of the altar, at Kildare. They were not only highly finished with gold and silver ornaments, with gems and
3* Thus, the great aisle of it outside the 39 The foregoing description in the text sanctuary was divided by a partition separa- substantially agrees with the thirty-fifth ting the males from the females, and chapter of Cogitosus, the Latin of which,
each division had a door peculiar to itself. From what has been now observed, we see that the nuns had not a separate church for themselves, although their habitation ad- joined it on one side, while that of the bis- hop and chapter seems to have been close to it on the other. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, xvi. , n. 141, p. 414.
37 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Brigidas, cap. xxxv. , pp. 523, 524.
3* See ibid. , p. 524.
witli a faithful literal translation, will be found in Mr. I'etrie's splendid work, "The Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. subs, i. , pp. 197 to 199.
*° Basnage, the editor of Canisius, thinks that Cogitosus' supposed description of the church of Kildare, "smelt strongly of later ages," than those when he flourished. See "Antique Lectiones," tomus v. , p. 625.
-t' The Rev. Edward Ledwich.
*- Therefore, the superficial writer Led- wich, when treating about Irish Literature
84 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
precious stones, suspended gold and silver crowns, but the wall of the chan- cel was painted with portraits. '*^ This church architecture, he deems to be the work of fancy, and that it could not have existence earlier than the twelfth century. The Irish, in his opinion, had no stone edifices, in the sixth century; and, this statement, he thinks, had been conclusively proved by himself. To these groundless assertions, the learned Dr. Petrie replies, that such objec- tions betray a great want of antiquarian research, and are of very little weight. '*^ Even Dr. Lanigan—who considered the work of Cogitosus as an- terior, at least, to the ninth century, while arguing in support of its antiquity —need not have supposed, that the early church at Kildare was a wooden structure. This supposition—wholly improbable and gratuitous—the text willbynomeansauthorize. Variousevidenceshavebeenadduced,relative totheantiquityofstonechurchesinIreland. Numberlessillustrationsareavail- able to prove, that the plan and general form of this church, which consisted of a nave and chancel, were designs exactly and commonly adopted in the abbeyorcathedralstonechurchesthroughoutIreland. ''* Itshavingtwolateral doorways, instead of a single western portal, is pointed out as a peculiarity quite necessary, owing to the circumstances of the structure having been de- signed for the use of two religious communities and belonging to different sexes. 45 These had distinct and separate places assigned them, according to an almost universal practice of ancient times. '^^ A necessity for this separa- tion of the sexes possibly led to a division of the nave, by a wooden partition, andintotwoequalportions. Thesewereenteredbythelateraldoorways,already mentioned; andthisarrangementledagain,perhaps,toapiercingoffthewall, or partition, which separated the nave from the chancel. A doorway was on either side of the chancel arch. It was opened there, in order to admit an en- trance into the chancel for the bishop with his chapter, on the right or south side, and for the abbess with her nuns, on the left or north side. Another peculiar feature is noticeable, in the description of this church. It had a number of windows, although the Irish churches were remarkable for the few- ness of such apertures yet, in the notice of such peculiarity, there is as little
;
to excite a suspicion, regarding the truth of the general description, as in the
other instance. The very arrangement of the church into a double nave ne- cessarily required a double number of windows in order to light \\. ^^
It does not appear from our records, wiien the use of glass had been intro-
in the Middle Ages, has pronounced the book of Cogito-sus tobe suppositious. See "Anti- quities of Ireland," p. 352. Yet, there is nothing therein described inconsistent with historic truth ; nay more, capable of being sustained by demonstrative proof.
'"Although he not only freely acknow- ledges, there is great reason to doubt, that the work of Cogitosus, as had been supposed by Colgan, Vossius, Dr. O'Conor, and others —even by the judicious Ware—belonged to the sixth century ; and, he had even under- taken to prove, that its real age was some early part of the ninth century yet. Dr.
;
Petrie by no means concurred in Dr. Led- wich's sweeping scepticism, as to the truth of that description, relating to the church, and which tiie latter regarded as altogether fan- ciful, and posterior to the twelfth century.
See ibid.
** It is not to be inferred, that any of the
existing antiquarian remains at Kildare are referable to the time of St. Brigid or St.
Conleth. Even, in later times, and near our own epocli, these have undergone considera- ble mutilation, repairs and unmeaning alterations. See "Official Illustrated Guide to the Great Southern and Western Rail- way, " by George S. Measom, pp. 8, 9.
''5 SeeBingham's"OriginesEcclesiasticae; Antiquities of the Christian Church," book viii. , cap. iii. , with plans and illustrations,
'•^ See ihid. ^ cap. v. , sect. 6.
"^ The Rev. Dr. O'Conor has well re- marked, that if the writer had described these windows as having been glazed, it might have afforded some historical argu- ment against supposing that he lived in the sixth or seventh century, inasmuch as glass was not usually found in the windows of English churches, until the close of the latter but, even that would be noevidence to prove, that the writer did not flourish previously to the twelfth centur)', because the use of glass mighthave been introduced into Ireland long before that age, through intercourse of the
;
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 85
duced from abroad ;'^^ however, there are vitreous specimens found in Ireland, and of a very remote age. "*? We know, that St. Bennet, bishop and abbot of Weremouth in England, after the year 674, went over to France, and thence invited glaziers, to make glass windows for his churcli and to light its upper galleries. 5° There is no reason for supposing, that the Irish ecclesiastics could have lagged behind, in the adoption of glazed windows for their churches jSi on the contrary, it is quite possible, they had antici- pated the British, in the art of glass making,52 by very many years. A prac- tice ofornamenting saints' shrines, in the manner described by Cogitosus, was derived from the most primitive ages of the Church, the early Chris- tians being accustomed to decorate their martyrs' tombs. S3 Hence, it is more ancient, than even the time of St. Brigid. Nor can it be fairly supposed, such art was then unknown or unpractised in Ireland. We have abundant proofs afforded, that from the first introduction of Christianity into this island, our artificers and ecclesiastics were distinguished for taste and skill, in designing and in executing sacred vessels and shrines. 54 In these respects, they were not surpassed, even by their contemporaries on the Con- tinent. ss Even, the present subject of our biography has the reputation of having been a skilled artist, and of working the precious metals. With perfect dispositions and sentiments of complete worldly abandonment, St. Conleth devoted his life to God, serving him, moreover, in public minis- trations, as in quiet and retirement. He had many interviews and counsels with St. Brigid, while he lived ; and, he most zealously aided or directed her efforts, for the progress of religion, during the infancy of our Irish Church.
Irish with Italy and Gaul. We also know
that a constant influx of English and other
illustrious foreigners visited Ireland for their
education. However, as Cogitosus makes
no mention, concerning glass in the windows
of the churcli at Kildare, it affords evidence,
not only regarding the truth of his descrip-
tion, but also of its antiquity, although that
antiquity may not be so great as many have
imagined. At all events, if he had been many fine Monuments and objects of the
fabricating any fanciful description of this church, while glazed windows were still of rare occurrence, probably he would not have neglected to have added so important a fea- ture, to heighten his description of the gene- ral effect produced. See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , subs, i. , pp. 199 to 201.
''^ At Paris, in 1 800, appeared a very beautiful work, in which this subject is well treated. It was writted by Lenoir, and in- tituled " Musee des Monumens Fran9ais, ou Description historique et chronologique des Statues, Bas-Reliefs, et Tombeaux, pour servir a I'Histoire de France, et a celle de I'Art, avec I'Histoire de la Peinture sur Verre, et Description des Vitraux anciens et modernes. " It appeared, in six octavo volumes, and it contains nearly 300 beau- tiful plates.
"s There is a very learned and an interest- ingdissertationonthe invention and antiquity of glass as used in windows, when the author comes to the conclusion, that it had not been
Celtic period.
5- The reader is referred for further infor-
used in the windows belonging to Solomon's temple, although made in many ancient countries. See Samuel Lee's " Orbis Mira- culum, or the Tem]ile of Solomon, por- trayed by Scripture-Light," chap. ii. pp, 23, 24.
s° See Bishop Challoner's " Britannia Sancta," part i. , pp. 25, 26.
5' Lenoir's work, already noted, includes
mation, on this subject, to an interesting Frenchwork,intituled, "AluseedesMonu- mens Franfais, dessines par M. E. Biet,
J.
avec un texte explicatif," par J. Bres. It is
a folio, and it contains 40 most beautiful plates of Tombs, Monuments, Stained Glass, etc. , of the Middle Ages. This book was published, in Paris, A. D. 1821.
55 See Buonarotti's "Osservazioni sopra alcuni Frammenti di Vetro," pp. 133, 134.
3-* Avisit to the Royal Irish Academy's Museum—open to the general public, in Dawson-street, Dublin—must completely remove any doubt yet existing on this sub- ject. See, also. Sir William Wilde's admir- ablypreparedcatalogueofits antiquities.
55 See various evidences accumulated on this subject, and referring to the earliest periods of our ecclesiastical history, by Mr. Petiie, in his work already cited, "The Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland, "part ii. , subs, i. , pp. 202 to 204.
86 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [^Iay 3.
CHAPTER III.
VARIOUS NAMES FOR THIS SAINT—NATURE OF HIS EPISCOPAL JURISDICTION—RECORDED INCIDENTS RELATING TO ST. CONLATH'S VIOLENT DEATH—THE LOCALITY WHERE IT IS SAID TO HAVE OCCURRED, WHILE ON HIS WAY TO ROME—ENQUIRY REGARDING THE SITES OF SECHAI CONDLAD, AND LIAMAIN—PRESERVATION OF ST. CONLATH'S RELICS—CALENDAR NOTICES OF THIS HOLY BISHOP—PAROCHIAL CHURCH OF ST. CONLETH ERECTED AT NEWBRIDGE—OTHER MEMORIALS—CONCLUSION.
The authority of a Scholiast on the FeiUre of St. ^ngus makesRonchend the first name of Chondlaeid ' or Candlaj^" and he was called Mochonda of Daire, according to the same writer. It seems very probable, that the Daire alluded to must be identified with the present Kildare. From the foregoing state- ments, it would appear, that Machonda, Rondchend, Condlaed, or Candla, is one and the same person. It is 'stated, also, that this bishop of Kildare's name stands for Cundail Aedh, rendered " Aedh the Wise. "3 Classed among St. Patrick's disciples—perhaps it should be more accurate to say cotem-
—
In his Life of St. Brigid, Cogitosus does not expressly name the anchorite, who was selected^ by the abbess of Kildare, to undertake as bishop the spiritual care of her church. 7 It seems evident, that Conleth was the prelate here alluded to,^ for he was contemporary with the holy virgin. The subsequent part of the narrative, however, removes any doubt on the subject. St. Con- leth is not only styled a bishop, but a prophet of God, by two other writers ofherActs-p and,heisexpresslynamedConlianus,whowaschosenbyher, as the first bishop, for her city at Kildare. '° In keeping with a very unsup-
is Coeltan, or Conlaid, Bishop of Kildare. -* Without suificient evidence, it has been asserted,^ that St. Conleth had previously visited either Italy or Brittany, and had brought therefrom those ecclesiastical variegated vestments, to which allusion has been already made. That success attend- ing the first attempts of St. Conlath, in diffusing a knowledge of the Gospel, must have been as gratifying to St. Brigid's heart, as it was profitable to the eternal well-being of our pagan progenitors, in the district where he desired to labour. However, he chose rather to live and serve God in retirement.
poraries
ChapterIII. —' Onthishisfirstnoteis ofiferedthefolIowingcommentinIri-h,Cont)- tde-o . 1. cunnAil^Xet). . 1. <\e-o cunii<iiL, thus translated by Dr. Whitley Stokes, LL. D. "Condlaed . i. Ciinnail AeJ, i. e. 'friendly Aed. '" Thatpassageandaclausesucceed- ingithave been rendered into English, for
O'Beirne Crowe, A. B. , in the manner succeeding : " Condlaed that is, ' Prudence Fire,' that is, Fire of Prudence, is his name, and he is bishop of Cell Dara. "
(Kildare).
" The writer has received the following
". St. Patrick,ApostleofIreland,"Intro- ductory Dissertation, p. 20.
"* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
sByRev. Dr. Todd,in"St. Patrick,Apos- tie of Ireland," Introductory Dissertation, p. 23.
* He is only called " illustrem virum et solitaiium omnibus moribus ornatum, per quern Deus virtutes operatus est plurimas, convocans cum de eremo, et de sua vita solitaria, et sibi obviam pergens, ut Eccle- siam in Episcopal! dignitate cum ea guber- naret, atque ut nihil de ordine Sacerdotali in suis deesset Ecclesiis, accersi\-it. "
the writer, by
J.
philological note from the Irish Professor in
thc Queen's College, Galway, J. O'Beirne
Crowe: "The oldest form of the name is
nom. Ca. nd\:i, gen. Condlad, dat. Conlied,
&c. , a ^-stem : a later form is m/w. Cond- Secuntla Vita S. Brigidce, Prologus, p.
laed, an a-steni. "
3 " If this be so," remarks Dr. Todd,
" the bishop's original name must have been Aedh or Hugh, and the title of Cundail, 'the wise,' was given him as expressing his ecclesiastical learning and eminence. " See
5"^'
^ See ibid. , n. 6, p. 525.
' See her life attributed to St. Ultan, Ter-
tia Vita S. Brigidoe, cap. li. ,p. 532, and th. at assigned to Animosus, Qiiarta Vita S. Bri- gidoc, lib. ii. , cap. xix. , p. 552.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 87
ported and unwarrantable theory, having reference to early Irish episcopal jurisdiction, it has been asserted," that St. Conleth had not been appointed bishop over a See or a territorial district, called Kildare j" insomuch as this city belonged not to him, but to St. Brigid. It has been assumed, that from her, the election or nomination of St. Conlaeth to his episcopal office had been obtained ; and, therefore, it is argued, he was bound to exercise tliat office, subject to her jurisdiction, as bishop in her city of Kildare ; since that name, signifying the " Church of the Oak," was then given, not to a diocese, but only to the monastic establishment of St. Brigid. ^3 However, the foregoing conclusions are not warranted by any logical and researchful analysis of evi- dence, as drawn from the existing records or documents of Irish history.
From certain biographical or traditional statements, the Rev. Dr. Todd draws a conclusion, that the normal state of episcopacy in Ireland had been non-dio- cesan, and that each bishop acted independently, without recognising any archiepiscopal jurisdiction. He thinks, moreover, each bishop in Ireland had either been entirely independent, or only subject to the abbot of his monastery, or in the spirit of clanship to his chieftain. '^ But, this is a very groundless assumption ; since sufficient documentary evidence—and of unquestionable genuineness—remains, to manifest general subordination to the primatial See of Armagh, at an early period. When other archiepiscopal sees had been erected in Ireland, their privileges or respective jurisdictions were likewise very accurately and canonically defined or determined. The premises, on which certain writers build their favourite speculations on this subject, are too partial and restricted in their application, or too unauthenticated in all their circumstances and bearings, to furnish reliable evidence for any such conclu- sion. In some cases, the assumed facts are quite legendary, or at least un- proved. Therefore, it would be hazardous to form a theory, at variance with received customs and traditions, not alone in the Irish Church, but in other Churches on the Continent. The most which can be assumed is, that the canonlawhadnotintheearlieragesreceiveditsfulldevelopment; and,pro- bably, some apparent anomalies of monastic and church government, at the time, could be explained in a very satisfactory way, were we only in possession of all the circumstances, which produced or accompanied decrees or practices, regulating the actions of our primitive clergy and laity. The great principles of ecclesiastical government and jurisdiction, since the establishment of Christianity, have had invariably a uniform, practical, and universal applica- tion or order, for regulating the various concerns or wants of the whole Church, ineveryageandnation. Admittingthedoubtofabbatialandepiscopaldig- nity being united in the same person, with the bishop's qualihed subjection to
Colgan says, it is quite certain, that for many ages, pre- vious to his own time, the bishop of that place was distinct from the abbot. Nor had either personage been subject to the abbess, while there had been,
in that place, separate churches or chapels. '5 The college or house of
'* See ibid. the diocese, church, and district of Kildare, " By the Rev. James Henthorn Todd. with a catalogue of its churches—as they "It is true, indeed, that the Rev. Dr. stood—in his time. This statement was
the abbess at Kildare
;
Todd cites the authority of Animosus, to sus- tain his position. He adds : " This language clearly indicates the power claimed by the monastic superior, although in this case a female, over the bishop. "
'3 See " St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," Introductory Dissertation, p. 22.
'* See ibid. , p. 27.
'5 Colgan received an account concerning
furnished by the Most Rev. Ross Mageo- chagan, belonging to the Order of Preachers, and the bishop over Kildare. He is charac- terized as a man of great piety and zeal, an ornament to his order, and to the Church. The following is a translation of this corn- munication, from the Latin, as furnished by
: Colgan —
" The church of Kildare was founded soon after the arrival of St. Patrick
88 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
canonswasnearthecathedral,inwhichitisthought'^ theabbot'7 formerly resided. Not far from the same house was a nunnery for women, belonging to the order of Regular Canonesses. '^ At this distance in point of time, however, and from the want of ancient records, to elucidate the past religious institutes existing at Kildare, it cannot be possible to solve the various his- toric problems preceding, with a sufficient degree of accuracy and complete- ness.
We have now traced St. Conleth's imperfectly known Acts, through some changing years of his venerable life. Let us next consider the mysterious workings of Providence, at the close of his existence. Virtuous labours and a useful missionary career were brought to a term, by a doleful and violent yet not by an unprovided or untimely—death, if we are to credit somewhat remote accounts. The most reliable record we have been able to meet with, regarding St. Conleth's death, is given in the celebrated Feilire Tract of St. . ^ngus the Culdee, and which is contained in the old Manuscript, called the Leabhar Breac. '9 There only the most simple allusion is made to his death, at the 3rd of May, with a eulogium, that he was " a fair pillar. "2° A scholiast on this passage, however, undertakes to explain more particularly the cause and manner, as also the exact locality, of Conlaid's end. He mentions a journey Conleth was about making to Rome,^' against the persuasion of St. Brigit,^^ who was presumed to have a prophetic forecast of its failure and fatal
rounds the town on every side. The deaneiy of Naas extends to the south and west, from the Deanery of Kildare. The deanery of Killeigh extends, partly to the west, and north, of Kildare ; while, that of Clane lies partly to the east, and nonh, of the city, already named. In former times, through each of these deaneries, there were many Parish Churches, Religious Houses, many Chapels, Hermitages, Hospitals for the Sick, and Consecrated Cemeteries, without any Churches or Chapels in connection. Several of these were entirely destroyed, and many others are hastening to decay. " See " Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Quinta ad Acta
in Ireland ; its first bishop was Lonius, and
after him Ivorius. St. Brigid is its patron.
The city of Kildare is situated in the pro-
vince of Leinster, about twenty English miles
from the city of Dublin, and westward from
the same metropolis. It is not only the head
of Kildare diocese, but of the whole county
of Kildare, which takes name from it. In
that chuich of Kildare, there were formerly
four or five dignities, viz. , the Archdeaconate,
Deaconate, Chancellar}', Treasurership, and
Chantorship. There were also four canons,
and eight prebendaries, with a canonical col-
lege, built near the church. The greatest
length of Kildare Diocese extends from the
town (Keonen^is? )—Clane is probably S. Brigidre, cap. i. , pp. 627, 628. There meant—within seven English miles of were also four Vicars foreign in the dio-
Dublin, to a road, called Bealach-Garbhain, in the Slieve Bloom mountains, being about twenty-four miles. The road of Bealach- Garbhain divides Leinster from Munster, on that part. The breadth of this diocese does not extend beyond twelve or fourteen miles from the limits of the towns of Bally-Sonain and Kilruith, with Narrachmore and Buaile-bhcg on the southern side, to the
cese.
'« By Colgan.
'7 The aforesaid abbot and his monks
seemingly belonged to the corresponding canonical institute for men.
'^ This same writer supposes the abbot and abbess of Kildare belonged ab initio to a similar religious institute.
;
'9 Now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca- River Boyne on the northern part, and demy.
which there divides the diocese from that of Meath. Throughout its whole northern limits, the diocese of Kildare is bounded by that of Meath, on the east ; and, partly on the southern side, it is bounded by the Dub- lindiocese; thedioceseofLeighlinalsoex- tends on its southern confines ; while, on the west, it is bounded by the dioceses of Killa- loe and of Meath. This diocese of Kildare is divided into the four forane deaneries, or vicarages of Kildare, Naas, Killeigh, and Clane. The deanery of Kildare is situated in the middle of this diocese, and it sur-
-" The following is the text :
P|MmAi|\ee chjAAinx) c]\uiche C]\ifc conibti|\ buAixie
b>. \r ConbAit) CAiiiAige Veilnu\]\niun\eUAi^e.
Thus translated, by Dr. WTiitley Stokes :
" The first finding of the wood of the Christ's Cross with many virtues. (The) death of Condlad, a fair pillar. Marj' (the) Virgin's
great feast.
" Dr. Todd remarks, that this passage
— —
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 89
termination. He would not be dissuaded from his purpose, however, and this act of disobedience towards the holy Brigid is said to have been the cause of an accident on the way. The Rev. Dr. Todd deems the lioly bishop probably felt a natural desire to revisit Rome, to procure a new set of pontifical vest- ments, for the more solemn celebration of Divine service; the former ones havingbeenbestowed,asanalms,onbehalfofthepoor. ^3 Hethinks,also, St. Conlaed's artistic skill and taste may have formed a strong motive with him, to visit Rome, even in opposition to St. Brigid's commands. ==* The holy man seems to have journeyed onwards from his own place towards the sea. We are next informed, that wild hounds or wolves eat him at Sechai Condlad,^5 at the side of Liamain, in Mag Laighen, or the plain of Leinster. This level would appear to have been a very extensive range—perhaps too a very un-
—
O'Donovan seems to place it chiefly, in the northern part of the present
county of Kildare. "^ However, a very excellent and distinguished Irish
scholar,^?
