'5 A very
excellent
description and direc- tionmaybefound—withagoodmapofthat district embmcing the Mourne .
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
Ursula, Cologne.
In the Church of St.
John the Baptist, in the city of Cologne, these holy Virgins and Martyrs are said to have been venerated, on the 12th of May.
As companions of St.
Ursula, their commemoration may be referred to her chief feast, celebrated on the 2ist of October.
'
cites the Scottish Breviaiy. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 266, p. 159.
Article x. — ' See " Historia Ecclesias- tica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 248, p. 149.
^ Now it is amusing to find, that King's Congallus is said to have flourished, under King Malcolm II. , a. d, 1013, and at Hali- wode.
^ jje adds : " dum Ertha ab insula Buta cum S. Blano filio in ulteriorem Scotiam ap- °° In this form: " Congellus Abbas de pulit, ut ex Hist. EcclesiDe Dumblanensis et Sacro-Bosco et Confessor anno 1013. " Vita S. Blani ex Georgio Neutono archidia- "' Fordun is said to have praised it. cono liquet, S. Kennethi collega. Vide supra " See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of lib. 11. in S. Blano. Scripsit Conciones ad
Scottish Saints," p. 237. Scotos et Pictos, lib. i. Homiliarum Opus, °3 Thus: "12 Die. Sanctus Congallus lib. i. Contra, Arrianos, lib. i.
and conf. in Scotland vnder king mal- colme 2. "
'* In "Menologium Scoticum. "—Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 199.
' Thus : " Monasterio Sacri Nemoris Haly VVoode Congalli abbatis, religiosa continentia clari. K.
'* In " Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum. "
"' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mali xii. Among the pretermiited saints, p. 2.
Abbas Rathurelfigi monasterii in Scotia. " This is the Rathmelsigi of Venerable Bede.
^t See Fordun's " Scotichronicon," vol. i. ,
• See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scot- tish Saints," p. 310.
Article xi. —' See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mali xii,
lib. vii. , cap. 28, p. 406, Goodall's edition.
^s For the latter statements, Dempster Among the pretermitted saints, p. 4.
231
ArticleXII. —' Atthexxvii. Junii.
rum,tomusv. , MarianiScottiChronicon,
ji. 557.
' SeehisLife,alreadygivenatthe30thof
January, in the First \'ohimc of this work, Art. i.
* See Rev. James O'Laverty's " Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , p. 10.
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the
—
232 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. May 13.
ArticleXII. ReputedFeastofSt. Merexus,AbbotofBangor. On the authority of Camerarius/ the BoUandists^ have noted a feast on this day, for Merenus, as he stated, it was held, as also on the 28th of June. For this, the Aberdeen Breviary is quoted ; but, the Bollandists remark, in their copy of it, printed a. d. 1509, at neither date is there such an entry. Whether this presumed Abbot of Bangor had connexion with Ireland, or otherwise, is not made very clear.
CI)utfrntI) Gap of i¥la|>
ARTICLE I. —S'l\ TIGHERXACH, OF HOIRCHE, OR MOURNE, COUNTY OF DOWN.
{ELEVENTH CENTURY. ]
DURING this lovely month of May, we are introduced to the genial warmthofsummer. Thebeautyandfragranceofflowersovers[)read theland; but,thesweetodourofvirtuecanbeextractedonlyfromtheflowers of Heaven. From age to age, the spirit of sanctity is perpetuated in the Church of Christ. This distinguished and holy teacher was universally esteemed and beloved by the clergy of Ireland. The scene of his labours was but a small island, set in the bosom of the Atlantic ; but, the seed he had sowed was destined to produce a harvest of souls among his pupils. This pious doctor is supposed to have been master to Marianus Scotus,' and he is called the chief anmchara of Ireland. St. Tighernach—or as styled also by his disciple Tigernncb Borchecb ^—probably belonged to the eleventh cen- tury. Even those faults of character, which to the world seem trivial and of little consequence, are otherwise viewed by the saints, and, represented in their full deformity. They are judged by holy persons, according to the standard of Heaven, and when weighed in the balance of their estimation, the com- pensating merits are found wanting, without acts of great penitence. Marianus Scotus declares, that from his superior Tigernach, he learned the causeofAmnchad'sorAnmchad's3 exile,ontheoccasionofhishavingcom- mitted a slight fault. That superior of the celebrated chronologist is supposed to be identical with the present holy man. We are told, he was one of the Abbots of Bangor ;* yet, I cannot find his name on the list of Archdall, of Rev. Dr. Reeves, or of Dr. O'Donovan, when treating about that place. The Annals of the Four Masters relate, that a certain Tighernach Boircheach, chief anmchara of Ireland, was an anchoret and a successor of Finnen, Abbot of Clonard. By the i)ostfix to the name Tighearnach, we are to understand, that he was of Beanna-Boirche Mountains, near the source of the Upper Bann, in
" See "Acta Sanctorum," toinus iii. , Maii xii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 3.
Article i. — • See Colgan's *' Acta . Sane- torum Hibcrnia:," xxx. Januarii, De B. Anmichado Confessorc, n. 8, p. 206.
'See Monumenta Gernianire Ilistorica," edited by Professor George Waitz, Scriplo-
May 1 3.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 233
J
the county of Down. s This grand congeries of sublime ranges spread over thewholebaronyofMourne. Theseextendconsiderably,intoUpperand Lower Iveagh. *^ A narrow band of country stretches, however, along the sea coast. 7 On the east side, they rise stupendously high over the Irish sea, and on the north side, they screen the south shores of Lough Strangford. One road runs round their sea base, from Rostrevor^ to Newcastle,^ a distance of eighteen miles. Two run across them from Hilltown,^° respectively to Kil- keel and Rostrevor. Eoirche is known to have been identical with the Chersonese district of Mourne," or Mugarna, said to have derived its name fromMugharna,inOrighillia—anancientterritory,whichincludedthecountyof
Tlie Mourne Mountains, County of Down.
Monaghan. '^ This Chersonese is bounded on the north-east by that exceedingly high mountain, celebrated in the Western world, which formerly bore the name
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 878 to 881, and n. (o), ibid.
* These are sometimes called the Ivea^h Mountains, and sometimes the Hen and Chickens.
' . See the " Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland,'' vol. ii. , p. 808.
" See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesias- tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro- more," Appendix K, pp. 205 to 210, and Appendix LL, p. 37S.
'= The " Irish Itinerary" of Father Edmund MacCana, as translated by Dr. Reeves from the original, and which is preserved among other treasures of Irish literature, in the Bur-
^ In the parish of Kilbroney. It is de-
scribed, on the "Ordnance Survey Town- gundian Library at Brussels, adds, that
land Maps for the County of Down," sheets
5I' 54-
9 Newcastle is in the parish of Kilcoe, and
" when the family of MacMahon were driven by the English, through craft and force, from the lands of Bregia (the great plain of Bre-
it is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey gia embraced East Meath with some of the Townland Alaps for the County of Down," adjacent portions of Louth into the fastnesses sheet 49. Tiie parish itself is on sheets 42, of Origillia, and when the one small terri-
43' 48, 49, 52.
'° In the parish of Clonduff.
48. Ibid.
See sheet
tory was not sufficient to accommodate the two families—namely, the MacMahons and the MacEochys—the latter sought for them-
——
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 13.
of Slanga. In the common use of modern times, afterwards, from a patron saint,'3 it bore the name of Domangart—pronounced Donard. '-* This huge mass of land towers high over the sea, between which and its base, neverthe- less, was a thicket which the Irish called Bellach-a-Neaghri—that is, the "Pass of the JFood ;" and, there still exist the ruins of sacred buildings, once tenanted by some of our country's saints. This district is most romantic, and it will well repay the health-inspiring toil of the adventurous and robust tourist, who may desire to explore the passes and heights of tliose wild moun- tains. 's Colgan states,'^ that this Tighearnach was abbot over Clonard, where a celebrated monastery had been founded, in the sixth century. He was an anchoret, likewise, and a successor of St. Finnen,'? in that place. We read from the Irish Annals,'^ that in 1059, great diseases '£» prevailed in Laighin, and which caused the death of a great number of persons there. This holy and learned servant of Christ died of the plague, in a. d. 1061. "^° This is the date assigned by Tighernach, tlie Irish Annalist, for the great pestilence,^' which raged in Leinster, and which seems to have extended its ravages to other parts of Ireland. " At the 13th of May,^3 the Natalis of St. Tighernach, Anchoret and Confessor, in Ireland, is entered in the Kalendar of Driim- mond. ^+ On this day was venerated, as we find set down, in the Martyr- ologies of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Donegal,^5 St. Tighernach, of Boirche.
Article II. St. Moeldod, or IMoeldodius, Abbot of Mucnaimh, OR MucKNOE, County of Monaghan. At this date, in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,' we meet with the name of J^Ioeilidoid ; while, a nearlysimilarentryisintheFranciscancopy. ' TheBollandistshavegiven some brief Acts of this saint,3 at the 13th of May. Father Godefrid Henn-
234
selves another settlement—namely, this
Mugharna, which they subdued by force of
arm's and called after the name of their for-
mer inheritance. Of this they retained *' the small-pox," and the 'I'reaghait, or "the possession even unto the times Heniy VIII. " colic. "
So the writer learned from the mouth of '° See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the many aged men. See the Rev. James Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 878 to 881, and
O'Laverty's "Historical Account of the Dio- cese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," pp. 24, 25.
»3 See the Acts of St. Domangart, or Donard, at the 24th of March, Art. i. , in the Third Volume of this work.
'« A view of this scenery is here given, from a Photograi>h drawn on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard. The town of Newcastle is represented on the coast line, and Slieve Donard is the highest mountain top, tower- ing in the distance.
'5 A very excellent description and direc- tionmaybefound—withagoodmapofthat district embmcing the Mourne . Mountains in Black's "Guide to Belfast, the Giant's Causeway and the North of Ireland," pp. 356 to 364.
•*See "Acta Sanctorum I liberniae," XXX.
Januarii, Dc B. Anmichado Confcssore, n.
8, p. 206.
''' See his Acts, at the 23rd of February,
and at the 1 2th of December.
n. (o).
" It is called, bolJAC Ajuf CTAejAiT),
Latinized by Dr. O'Conor, " Profluvium van- tri>, et virium exinanitio. "
"" See Rev. Dr. OConor's "Rerum Hiber- nicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. Tigernachi Annales, p. 303.
"^ See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scotiish Saints," p. 13.
"*Thus: "111 Idus. EtinHiberniaNa- tale Sancii Tigernaig Ancorite et Confesso- ris. "
'= Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 1 26, 127. It may here be observed, that in the Appendix to the Introduction of the Donegal Martyroloi^y, these words occur, Cef a^a 1iuci\. 13 Mail. But, Dr. Todd de- clares, in a note, he is unable to explain, what this signifies. See p. xlvii.
Article ii. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxiv.
''His name is there written mAelmoit).
3 Sec " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mali xiii. De Sanclo Moeldodio, Abbate in
'^ See William M. Hennessy's " Chroni- cum Scotontm," pp. 284, 285.
'' These are called the Rolgach, Anglicized
May 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
235
schennwasthecompiler. Weareinformed,thatSt. Moeldodwasamemberof the great house of the Orgiel dynasts, representing the three Collas. * It will be difficult, however, to determine the exact time, when he flourished ; but, we may partially approximate to it, by following the genealogical tree of his family. St. Moeldod, or Maldod,5 was son to Eingin, son of Aldus, son to Fiach, son of Fiech, son to Eugene, son to Brian, son of Muredach Meth, son to Imchad, one of CoUa Dacrioch's ^ sons. We have few particulars to state regarding this saint. We are told, however, that he was Abbot of Mucmaimh, in Orgiellia,? or Uriel ; and that place has been converted by Archdall ^ into Monaghan, said to have been anciently called Muinechan. 9 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan '° asserts, that it was well known an old monastery stood at Monaghan—which he identifies with Mucnaimh—and, of this, Moeldod was Abbot, if not the founder. Sucii identification, however, is quite incorrect. In Monaghan," which has an antique history of its own, there is now no trace of the former Abbey ; but, tradition states, that it arose over a lake, near this town, and on those grounds, where the Protestant endowed school now stands, on a most beautiful site. Notwithstanding the contrary assertion of Rev. Dr. Lanigan, Mucnamh—sometimes written Muc- shnamh—is nowidentifiedwithMuckno,"aparishinthebaronyofCremorne, and county of Monaghan. Chiefly within its bounds is the beautiful lake of Mucno, with its soft and swelling shores richly wooded, and having pretty isles and islets to diversify its fine landscapes. A Druidical circle is on the
northernborder. Theeasternandnorth-easterndistrictsaremountainous. '3 It is situated, near to Castleblaney. ''* The time, when this saint lived, has not been specified. The feast of a St. Maldod, Confessor, in Ireland, occurs, likewise, on the following day, May i4th. '5 At this date, in his Scottish Menology,'^ Dempster speaks of Maldod, Bishop, in Ireland, a Scot by birth, and a man distinguished for his great holiness, remarkable patience, and the influence of his virtuous example. ^? As a proof of these assertions, he adds the letters M. C. ; by which he asserts, the Carthusian Martyrology to be indicated as authority, Canisius, and Adam Walasser. The Bollandist writer, inthe"ActaSanctorum,"hadnotseenthislatterwork; but,intheformer authors, he found nothing regarding Moeldod's episcopacy, or about his Scot- tisli origin. It is supposed, however, that this saint was identical, with an Abbot, who ruled over Muc-naimh monastery. '^ His feast was assigned to
Hibernia, pp. 245, 246.
'* SeeRev. JamesO'Laverty's"Historical
Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , p. 25, n.
5 Colgan mentions him, at the 21st day of March, in his Appendix to a life of St. En- deus, who was Abbot in Aran.
^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxi. , Martii, p. 713.
7 The people of this large tertitory are said to have been so distinguished, because they had a privilege from the Monarch of IrelaiKi, that if any of their race should be demand etl as hostages, these should be bound in chains of gold, " hence they were called Oirghialla, i. e. , of the golden hostages. "—Rev. James O'Laverty's " Historical Account of the Dio- cese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," p. 25, n.
* See "Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 585. 9Seenn. (h. i. ), ibid.
'° See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. iii. , cliap. xxi. , sect, i. , n. 8, p. 273. "Seeanaccountofthisimportanttown,in Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ire-
land," vol. ii. , pp. 382 to 384.
" See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (d), p. 445.
'3 gee "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. ii. , pp. 822, 823.
''See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na
g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (a), p. 150. 'S "• in MS. Florario Sanctorum, in Auc- tuario Greveni ad Usuardum, Martyrologio Germanico Canisii, Catalogis Ferrari! et Fitz-
Simonis. "
'^ See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scot-
tish Saints," p. 199,
'? Li his " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Scotorum," Dempster has nothing regarding Moeldod, or Moeldodius.
'^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. . Maii xiii. DeSanctoMoeldodioAbbateinHiber- nia, " p. 246,
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 13.
thisdate,byRichardWhitford,inhisEnglishMartyrology. 's Also,onthis day, the Martyrology of Donegal,^" registers tlie name Alaeldoid, of Muc- namh, as having been venerated.
Article III. St. Abben, Hermit, of Abingdon, England. In the English Martyrology of John Wilson,' there is an entry at the 13th of May, inreferencetoSt. Abben,theHermit. Whencitingthisauthority,William Camden rejects the opinion, that Abbendun, or Abbington, in England, had its name from him ; but, rather does he consider, that its first name, Sheoves- ham, was afterwards changed into the Town of the Abbey. ' Here, indeed, he labours under a great mistake ; and the Bollandists,3 who record, at this date, the feast of Abbenus, Eremita Hibernus, in Comitalu Bercheriensi, are also led astray by his authority. Abben was a native of Ireland, and he is said to have left his native country for England, after the reign of King Lucius * over the Britons. He received baptism,s while Pope Elutherius presided overtheRomanSee. ^ Themutilated"ChroniconMonasteriideAbingdon"7 informs us, that a religious monk, named Abbenus, came from Hibernia to l^. ritain, and that he faithfully preached the word of God, as the Holy Ghost inspired him. ^ He visited the court of the iUustrious King of tlie Britons, where he was most honourably received, and where he obtained the favour of that potentate, who regarded him as anoiiier Joseph. It is related, that he asked from the king a tract of land, and that he obtained the greater part of the province of Berroccense—now Berkshire. There, with the consent of the king and his council, the pilgrim happily
founded a monastery. 9 Allusions are frequently made to this place, called Abbandun,'° pleasantly situated at the influx of the small river Ock, into the Thames," in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,"" and in other records, when noting allusions to that celebrated religious institute, called after St. Abban. Themonasterythereis saidtohavebeenfoundedbyCissa,'3fathertoIna,
236
'9 This worlc was printed at London, a. d. ie26.
="^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 126, 127.
Article hi—' Printed a. d. 1640.
^ See "Britannia," under the heading Attrebatii, p. 99, in the Amsterdam edition ofhis work, Anno clo loclix. , folio.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mail xiii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 186.
autliority of the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, under the direction of the Master of the Rolls, in two volumes. London, 1858, 8vo.
^ See ibid. , vol. i. , lib. i. , sect, v. , p, 2.
9 The old chronicler adds, "cui nomen Abbendoniam, vel a nomine suo vel a loci vocabulo, alliidenter imijosuit. Secundum enim idionia Hibernensium, ut ex relatione modernorum accepimus, Abbendon "mansio
i He said to have sent letters to Pope Elutherius, in the second ccntuiy, and to have been baptized, with nearly all his sub- jects. See Matthew of Paris '' Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richard Luard, RLA. , vol. i. , pp. 129, 130.
s John Capgrave writes : " Summe Croni- cles sey this was in yere of oure Lord 165. " —"Chronicle of England," edited by Rev. Francis Charles Hingeston, B. A. , Etasvi. , p. 67.
vuli;ariter nuncupalur. " •' Historia Monas-
terii de Abingdon," vol. i. , lib. i. , sect, v. ,
pp.
cites the Scottish Breviaiy. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 266, p. 159.
Article x. — ' See " Historia Ecclesias- tica Gentis Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iii. , num. 248, p. 149.
^ Now it is amusing to find, that King's Congallus is said to have flourished, under King Malcolm II. , a. d, 1013, and at Hali- wode.
^ jje adds : " dum Ertha ab insula Buta cum S. Blano filio in ulteriorem Scotiam ap- °° In this form: " Congellus Abbas de pulit, ut ex Hist. EcclesiDe Dumblanensis et Sacro-Bosco et Confessor anno 1013. " Vita S. Blani ex Georgio Neutono archidia- "' Fordun is said to have praised it. cono liquet, S. Kennethi collega. Vide supra " See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of lib. 11. in S. Blano. Scripsit Conciones ad
Scottish Saints," p. 237. Scotos et Pictos, lib. i. Homiliarum Opus, °3 Thus: "12 Die. Sanctus Congallus lib. i. Contra, Arrianos, lib. i.
and conf. in Scotland vnder king mal- colme 2. "
'* In "Menologium Scoticum. "—Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 199.
' Thus : " Monasterio Sacri Nemoris Haly VVoode Congalli abbatis, religiosa continentia clari. K.
'* In " Catalogus Generalis Sanctorum. "
"' See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mali xii. Among the pretermiited saints, p. 2.
Abbas Rathurelfigi monasterii in Scotia. " This is the Rathmelsigi of Venerable Bede.
^t See Fordun's " Scotichronicon," vol. i. ,
• See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scot- tish Saints," p. 310.
Article xi. —' See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mali xii,
lib. vii. , cap. 28, p. 406, Goodall's edition.
^s For the latter statements, Dempster Among the pretermitted saints, p. 4.
231
ArticleXII. —' Atthexxvii. Junii.
rum,tomusv. , MarianiScottiChronicon,
ji. 557.
' SeehisLife,alreadygivenatthe30thof
January, in the First \'ohimc of this work, Art. i.
* See Rev. James O'Laverty's " Historical Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , p. 10.
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the
—
232 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. May 13.
ArticleXII. ReputedFeastofSt. Merexus,AbbotofBangor. On the authority of Camerarius/ the BoUandists^ have noted a feast on this day, for Merenus, as he stated, it was held, as also on the 28th of June. For this, the Aberdeen Breviary is quoted ; but, the Bollandists remark, in their copy of it, printed a. d. 1509, at neither date is there such an entry. Whether this presumed Abbot of Bangor had connexion with Ireland, or otherwise, is not made very clear.
CI)utfrntI) Gap of i¥la|>
ARTICLE I. —S'l\ TIGHERXACH, OF HOIRCHE, OR MOURNE, COUNTY OF DOWN.
{ELEVENTH CENTURY. ]
DURING this lovely month of May, we are introduced to the genial warmthofsummer. Thebeautyandfragranceofflowersovers[)read theland; but,thesweetodourofvirtuecanbeextractedonlyfromtheflowers of Heaven. From age to age, the spirit of sanctity is perpetuated in the Church of Christ. This distinguished and holy teacher was universally esteemed and beloved by the clergy of Ireland. The scene of his labours was but a small island, set in the bosom of the Atlantic ; but, the seed he had sowed was destined to produce a harvest of souls among his pupils. This pious doctor is supposed to have been master to Marianus Scotus,' and he is called the chief anmchara of Ireland. St. Tighernach—or as styled also by his disciple Tigernncb Borchecb ^—probably belonged to the eleventh cen- tury. Even those faults of character, which to the world seem trivial and of little consequence, are otherwise viewed by the saints, and, represented in their full deformity. They are judged by holy persons, according to the standard of Heaven, and when weighed in the balance of their estimation, the com- pensating merits are found wanting, without acts of great penitence. Marianus Scotus declares, that from his superior Tigernach, he learned the causeofAmnchad'sorAnmchad's3 exile,ontheoccasionofhishavingcom- mitted a slight fault. That superior of the celebrated chronologist is supposed to be identical with the present holy man. We are told, he was one of the Abbots of Bangor ;* yet, I cannot find his name on the list of Archdall, of Rev. Dr. Reeves, or of Dr. O'Donovan, when treating about that place. The Annals of the Four Masters relate, that a certain Tighernach Boircheach, chief anmchara of Ireland, was an anchoret and a successor of Finnen, Abbot of Clonard. By the i)ostfix to the name Tighearnach, we are to understand, that he was of Beanna-Boirche Mountains, near the source of the Upper Bann, in
" See "Acta Sanctorum," toinus iii. , Maii xii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 3.
Article i. — • See Colgan's *' Acta . Sane- torum Hibcrnia:," xxx. Januarii, De B. Anmichado Confessorc, n. 8, p. 206.
'See Monumenta Gernianire Ilistorica," edited by Professor George Waitz, Scriplo-
May 1 3.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 233
J
the county of Down. s This grand congeries of sublime ranges spread over thewholebaronyofMourne. Theseextendconsiderably,intoUpperand Lower Iveagh. *^ A narrow band of country stretches, however, along the sea coast. 7 On the east side, they rise stupendously high over the Irish sea, and on the north side, they screen the south shores of Lough Strangford. One road runs round their sea base, from Rostrevor^ to Newcastle,^ a distance of eighteen miles. Two run across them from Hilltown,^° respectively to Kil- keel and Rostrevor. Eoirche is known to have been identical with the Chersonese district of Mourne," or Mugarna, said to have derived its name fromMugharna,inOrighillia—anancientterritory,whichincludedthecountyof
Tlie Mourne Mountains, County of Down.
Monaghan. '^ This Chersonese is bounded on the north-east by that exceedingly high mountain, celebrated in the Western world, which formerly bore the name
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 878 to 881, and n. (o), ibid.
* These are sometimes called the Ivea^h Mountains, and sometimes the Hen and Chickens.
' . See the " Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland,'' vol. ii. , p. 808.
" See Rev. William Reeves' "Ecclesias- tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro- more," Appendix K, pp. 205 to 210, and Appendix LL, p. 37S.
'= The " Irish Itinerary" of Father Edmund MacCana, as translated by Dr. Reeves from the original, and which is preserved among other treasures of Irish literature, in the Bur-
^ In the parish of Kilbroney. It is de-
scribed, on the "Ordnance Survey Town- gundian Library at Brussels, adds, that
land Maps for the County of Down," sheets
5I' 54-
9 Newcastle is in the parish of Kilcoe, and
" when the family of MacMahon were driven by the English, through craft and force, from the lands of Bregia (the great plain of Bre-
it is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey gia embraced East Meath with some of the Townland Alaps for the County of Down," adjacent portions of Louth into the fastnesses sheet 49. Tiie parish itself is on sheets 42, of Origillia, and when the one small terri-
43' 48, 49, 52.
'° In the parish of Clonduff.
48. Ibid.
See sheet
tory was not sufficient to accommodate the two families—namely, the MacMahons and the MacEochys—the latter sought for them-
——
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 13.
of Slanga. In the common use of modern times, afterwards, from a patron saint,'3 it bore the name of Domangart—pronounced Donard. '-* This huge mass of land towers high over the sea, between which and its base, neverthe- less, was a thicket which the Irish called Bellach-a-Neaghri—that is, the "Pass of the JFood ;" and, there still exist the ruins of sacred buildings, once tenanted by some of our country's saints. This district is most romantic, and it will well repay the health-inspiring toil of the adventurous and robust tourist, who may desire to explore the passes and heights of tliose wild moun- tains. 's Colgan states,'^ that this Tighearnach was abbot over Clonard, where a celebrated monastery had been founded, in the sixth century. He was an anchoret, likewise, and a successor of St. Finnen,'? in that place. We read from the Irish Annals,'^ that in 1059, great diseases '£» prevailed in Laighin, and which caused the death of a great number of persons there. This holy and learned servant of Christ died of the plague, in a. d. 1061. "^° This is the date assigned by Tighernach, tlie Irish Annalist, for the great pestilence,^' which raged in Leinster, and which seems to have extended its ravages to other parts of Ireland. " At the 13th of May,^3 the Natalis of St. Tighernach, Anchoret and Confessor, in Ireland, is entered in the Kalendar of Driim- mond. ^+ On this day was venerated, as we find set down, in the Martyr- ologies of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Donegal,^5 St. Tighernach, of Boirche.
Article II. St. Moeldod, or IMoeldodius, Abbot of Mucnaimh, OR MucKNOE, County of Monaghan. At this date, in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,' we meet with the name of J^Ioeilidoid ; while, a nearlysimilarentryisintheFranciscancopy. ' TheBollandistshavegiven some brief Acts of this saint,3 at the 13th of May. Father Godefrid Henn-
234
selves another settlement—namely, this
Mugharna, which they subdued by force of
arm's and called after the name of their for-
mer inheritance. Of this they retained *' the small-pox," and the 'I'reaghait, or "the possession even unto the times Heniy VIII. " colic. "
So the writer learned from the mouth of '° See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the many aged men. See the Rev. James Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 878 to 881, and
O'Laverty's "Historical Account of the Dio- cese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," pp. 24, 25.
»3 See the Acts of St. Domangart, or Donard, at the 24th of March, Art. i. , in the Third Volume of this work.
'« A view of this scenery is here given, from a Photograi>h drawn on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard. The town of Newcastle is represented on the coast line, and Slieve Donard is the highest mountain top, tower- ing in the distance.
'5 A very excellent description and direc- tionmaybefound—withagoodmapofthat district embmcing the Mourne . Mountains in Black's "Guide to Belfast, the Giant's Causeway and the North of Ireland," pp. 356 to 364.
•*See "Acta Sanctorum I liberniae," XXX.
Januarii, Dc B. Anmichado Confcssore, n.
8, p. 206.
''' See his Acts, at the 23rd of February,
and at the 1 2th of December.
n. (o).
" It is called, bolJAC Ajuf CTAejAiT),
Latinized by Dr. O'Conor, " Profluvium van- tri>, et virium exinanitio. "
"" See Rev. Dr. OConor's "Rerum Hiber- nicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. Tigernachi Annales, p. 303.
"^ See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scotiish Saints," p. 13.
"*Thus: "111 Idus. EtinHiberniaNa- tale Sancii Tigernaig Ancorite et Confesso- ris. "
'= Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 1 26, 127. It may here be observed, that in the Appendix to the Introduction of the Donegal Martyroloi^y, these words occur, Cef a^a 1iuci\. 13 Mail. But, Dr. Todd de- clares, in a note, he is unable to explain, what this signifies. See p. xlvii.
Article ii. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxiv.
''His name is there written mAelmoit).
3 Sec " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mali xiii. De Sanclo Moeldodio, Abbate in
'^ See William M. Hennessy's " Chroni- cum Scotontm," pp. 284, 285.
'' These are called the Rolgach, Anglicized
May 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
235
schennwasthecompiler. Weareinformed,thatSt. Moeldodwasamemberof the great house of the Orgiel dynasts, representing the three Collas. * It will be difficult, however, to determine the exact time, when he flourished ; but, we may partially approximate to it, by following the genealogical tree of his family. St. Moeldod, or Maldod,5 was son to Eingin, son of Aldus, son to Fiach, son of Fiech, son to Eugene, son to Brian, son of Muredach Meth, son to Imchad, one of CoUa Dacrioch's ^ sons. We have few particulars to state regarding this saint. We are told, however, that he was Abbot of Mucmaimh, in Orgiellia,? or Uriel ; and that place has been converted by Archdall ^ into Monaghan, said to have been anciently called Muinechan. 9 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan '° asserts, that it was well known an old monastery stood at Monaghan—which he identifies with Mucnaimh—and, of this, Moeldod was Abbot, if not the founder. Sucii identification, however, is quite incorrect. In Monaghan," which has an antique history of its own, there is now no trace of the former Abbey ; but, tradition states, that it arose over a lake, near this town, and on those grounds, where the Protestant endowed school now stands, on a most beautiful site. Notwithstanding the contrary assertion of Rev. Dr. Lanigan, Mucnamh—sometimes written Muc- shnamh—is nowidentifiedwithMuckno,"aparishinthebaronyofCremorne, and county of Monaghan. Chiefly within its bounds is the beautiful lake of Mucno, with its soft and swelling shores richly wooded, and having pretty isles and islets to diversify its fine landscapes. A Druidical circle is on the
northernborder. Theeasternandnorth-easterndistrictsaremountainous. '3 It is situated, near to Castleblaney. ''* The time, when this saint lived, has not been specified. The feast of a St. Maldod, Confessor, in Ireland, occurs, likewise, on the following day, May i4th. '5 At this date, in his Scottish Menology,'^ Dempster speaks of Maldod, Bishop, in Ireland, a Scot by birth, and a man distinguished for his great holiness, remarkable patience, and the influence of his virtuous example. ^? As a proof of these assertions, he adds the letters M. C. ; by which he asserts, the Carthusian Martyrology to be indicated as authority, Canisius, and Adam Walasser. The Bollandist writer, inthe"ActaSanctorum,"hadnotseenthislatterwork; but,intheformer authors, he found nothing regarding Moeldod's episcopacy, or about his Scot- tisli origin. It is supposed, however, that this saint was identical, with an Abbot, who ruled over Muc-naimh monastery. '^ His feast was assigned to
Hibernia, pp. 245, 246.
'* SeeRev. JamesO'Laverty's"Historical
Account of the Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , p. 25, n.
5 Colgan mentions him, at the 21st day of March, in his Appendix to a life of St. En- deus, who was Abbot in Aran.
^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxi. , Martii, p. 713.
7 The people of this large tertitory are said to have been so distinguished, because they had a privilege from the Monarch of IrelaiKi, that if any of their race should be demand etl as hostages, these should be bound in chains of gold, " hence they were called Oirghialla, i. e. , of the golden hostages. "—Rev. James O'Laverty's " Historical Account of the Dio- cese of Down and Connor, Ancient and Modern," p. 25, n.
* See "Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 585. 9Seenn. (h. i. ), ibid.
'° See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. iii. , cliap. xxi. , sect, i. , n. 8, p. 273. "Seeanaccountofthisimportanttown,in Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ire-
land," vol. ii. , pp. 382 to 384.
" See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (d), p. 445.
'3 gee "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. ii. , pp. 822, 823.
''See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na
g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (a), p. 150. 'S "• in MS. Florario Sanctorum, in Auc- tuario Greveni ad Usuardum, Martyrologio Germanico Canisii, Catalogis Ferrari! et Fitz-
Simonis. "
'^ See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scot-
tish Saints," p. 199,
'? Li his " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Scotorum," Dempster has nothing regarding Moeldod, or Moeldodius.
'^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. . Maii xiii. DeSanctoMoeldodioAbbateinHiber- nia, " p. 246,
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 13.
thisdate,byRichardWhitford,inhisEnglishMartyrology. 's Also,onthis day, the Martyrology of Donegal,^" registers tlie name Alaeldoid, of Muc- namh, as having been venerated.
Article III. St. Abben, Hermit, of Abingdon, England. In the English Martyrology of John Wilson,' there is an entry at the 13th of May, inreferencetoSt. Abben,theHermit. Whencitingthisauthority,William Camden rejects the opinion, that Abbendun, or Abbington, in England, had its name from him ; but, rather does he consider, that its first name, Sheoves- ham, was afterwards changed into the Town of the Abbey. ' Here, indeed, he labours under a great mistake ; and the Bollandists,3 who record, at this date, the feast of Abbenus, Eremita Hibernus, in Comitalu Bercheriensi, are also led astray by his authority. Abben was a native of Ireland, and he is said to have left his native country for England, after the reign of King Lucius * over the Britons. He received baptism,s while Pope Elutherius presided overtheRomanSee. ^ Themutilated"ChroniconMonasteriideAbingdon"7 informs us, that a religious monk, named Abbenus, came from Hibernia to l^. ritain, and that he faithfully preached the word of God, as the Holy Ghost inspired him. ^ He visited the court of the iUustrious King of tlie Britons, where he was most honourably received, and where he obtained the favour of that potentate, who regarded him as anoiiier Joseph. It is related, that he asked from the king a tract of land, and that he obtained the greater part of the province of Berroccense—now Berkshire. There, with the consent of the king and his council, the pilgrim happily
founded a monastery. 9 Allusions are frequently made to this place, called Abbandun,'° pleasantly situated at the influx of the small river Ock, into the Thames," in the "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,"" and in other records, when noting allusions to that celebrated religious institute, called after St. Abban. Themonasterythereis saidtohavebeenfoundedbyCissa,'3fathertoIna,
236
'9 This worlc was printed at London, a. d. ie26.
="^ Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 126, 127.
Article hi—' Printed a. d. 1640.
^ See "Britannia," under the heading Attrebatii, p. 99, in the Amsterdam edition ofhis work, Anno clo loclix. , folio.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Mail xiii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 186.
autliority of the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury, under the direction of the Master of the Rolls, in two volumes. London, 1858, 8vo.
^ See ibid. , vol. i. , lib. i. , sect, v. , p, 2.
9 The old chronicler adds, "cui nomen Abbendoniam, vel a nomine suo vel a loci vocabulo, alliidenter imijosuit. Secundum enim idionia Hibernensium, ut ex relatione modernorum accepimus, Abbendon "mansio
i He said to have sent letters to Pope Elutherius, in the second ccntuiy, and to have been baptized, with nearly all his sub- jects. See Matthew of Paris '' Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richard Luard, RLA. , vol. i. , pp. 129, 130.
s John Capgrave writes : " Summe Croni- cles sey this was in yere of oure Lord 165. " —"Chronicle of England," edited by Rev. Francis Charles Hingeston, B. A. , Etasvi. , p. 67.
vuli;ariter nuncupalur. " •' Historia Monas-
terii de Abingdon," vol. i. , lib. i. , sect, v. ,
pp.
