9 This is
accompanied
by a map of the parish," together with some interesting engravings of Antiquities.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
D.
1625, English style, and he was buried
in St. Mary's Cathedral. See Vol. i. ,
March 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 255
for, he swore, that neither the saint, nor any other person, should prevent him from executing the queen's wishes, and from driving the abominations of Roman idolatry out of the island. The night following, this minister and his assistant lay, in the same chamber, but in two different beds ; when, once
more, during the night, St. Senan appeared, in pontifical garments, and sur- rounded with a great light, while carrying an episcopal crozier in his hand.
Drawing the bed-curtain aside, the apparition again struck the sleeping minister,untilbloodflowedfromhiswounds. Hiscrieswereineffectual,to bring the servants in the house to his aid, for the chamber door had been firmly fastened ; while, his room-mate looked on with terror, and fearing a like chastisement for himself The avenging spirit departed, and opening the door, the servants found access to their suffering master, who desired, at once, to be conveyed with his companions, on board a ship, which sailed from Iniscattery to Limerick. Four days after his arrival here, the miserable man died impenitent ; while, those who accompanied him to the island were so much afraid of future disagreeable consequences, that they refused to have anything more to do, in molesting the islanders on Iniscathay. 'ts
In the county of Wexford, the old parish of Templeshannon bears our saint's name, even at the present day. *^ It contains that portion of Ennis- corthy town, eastwards from the River Slaney. An ancient church is here to be seen. It is on the outskirts of the town, and it consisted of a nave-*? and choir. 48 A choir-arch, much disfigured, connects them ; while, the middle gablerisesalittleabovethesidewalls,theupperpartbeingremoved. The choir-arcli appears to have been pointed, and its gable is covered with ivy. Although burials are still continued, in the graveyard, attached to that church, no patron saint or day is now remembered by the people. ''9 It is said, a parish and church of Kilshenane,5° in the barony of Clanmaurice, and diocese of Ardfert, has St. Senan as the patron. s^
There are two chief festivals, occurring in the Irish Calendars, in honour of this great saint. One of these takes place, on the ist day of March, as we have already noticed it. Thus, too, Ussher remarkSjS^ that in the Killenen- sen Martyrology, at the Kalends, or ist of March, he found the festival of St.
*s See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Martii viii. De Sancto Se- nano. Appendix ex Alberto le Grand de SS. Armoricis, num. 63, 64, 65, p. 779.
on the — where it is about feet outside, 3 high,
by 2J feet it widens considerably on the inside. This gable is built of small and very thin stones, and it is about 2|- feet in thickness. The nave is built of large and small stones. See ibid,
** It is compounded of Teampull, "a
church,—" and Seanain, the genetive form of
Seanan the name of the famous Irish saint,
whose principal establishment was on Scat-
tery Island, in the Shannon. Thus, CeAm-
puLL SeAHAin is Latinized " ecclesia jured, however, at the top. On this gable, Senani. " See County of Wexford Antiqua-
rian Letters of the Irish Ordnance
Survey, vol. ii. , p. 251, Signed, "J. O'D. ," the initials of Mr. O'Donovan's name. The foregoing remarks are without date ; but, probably, they were wTitten in the summer
of 1840.
*^ The nave is about 30 feet, in length, by
19J feet, in breadth. The side walls, which
appear to retain the original height, and ex- tend the entire length of this portion of the church, are about 18 feet high. Only the northern portion of the gable remains ; and, at the southern extremity of the part remain- ing, there is a large stone, which seems to have been the lower stone of a doorway.
*' See ibid.
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 10, 16, 17, 22, 23, 30, 31.
The townland proper is on Sheet 16.
^i See the Bollandists' previous commen-
tary to his Life, num. 10, p. 761.
The walls of the nave are about 3 feet thick,
and they are covered with ivy. See ibid. ,
pp. 252, 253.
'*^ The choir was about \%\ paces long,
and it appears to have been of the same breadth with the nave ; but, as its side walls are now level with the ground, it is impossi- ble to measure the breadth with accuracy. The east gable is almost perfect, being slightly in-
there is a square window, formed of granite,
^o See it described on the
"
"
quitates," cap. xvii. , p. 454.
S' See
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
256 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 8.
Senan, Confessor, in Hibernia, noted. As also noticed, at the previous day, March the 7th is marked for St. Senan's festival. The 8th of March, how- ever,isthefeast,whichwasmostsolemnlycommemorated. Atthisdate,St. Senanhasbeenentered,inthe"Feilire"ofSt. ^nguss. ss TheCalendarof Cashel, Cathal Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal54 have their respec- tiveaccountsofhim,onthisday. 55 Likewise,theMartyrologyofSalisbury,56 and the English Carthusian Martyrology of Newport, record his feast, substi- tuting, however, " Fenani " for " Senani," at this date. 57 Besides, the Kalen- dar of Drummond states, at the viii. Idus : In Ireland, the Holy Confessors Senan, Aed, and Conna, on this day, went to Christ. s^ The mediaeval Anti- phonaries59 of our Irish Churches furnish conclusive proof, that formerly the Office of St. Senan, Bishop and Confessor, contained nine lessons, as recited by the clergy, in different dioceses.
The people of Thomond and of Munster hold the well of St. Senan, on Scattery Island, in the greatest veneration. In former times, the sailors on merchant vessels, sailing from Limerick out to the Atlantic, if detained by contrary winds, at the mouth of the Shannon, usually went, in a religious manner, and drew water from it, invoking the patron's intercession. This supply was brought on board their ships, and within twenty-four hours, their expectation of favouring winds was never known to be disappointed. From the sepulchre of St. Senan, also, the people were accustomed to take small olive-coloured stones, which were regarded as relics. These, when put into what they drank, were supposed to effect a cure, or a prevention from plague, or from any kind of contagious disease. The seamen were in the habit of wearing them as amulets, about their persons, when out at sea, and believed that so they should not be drowned, while devoutly invoking the holy name of Senan. On one occasion, a shipwrecked merchant, thus furnished, and praying to the patron, found when his vessel disappeared, that some invisible force impelled him safely towards the shore. The brother of tliis merchant, being furnished, likewise, with similar relics, survived, and escaped from this accident ; while, it was remarked, that nine other mariners, not having them, perished in the raging sea. ^'° Besides, the celebrated well, on Scattery Island, in Killshinane parish, county of Kerry, there is a well, also dedicated to St. Senan. A patron is held there annually, on the 8th day of March. Again, there is a remarkable well of a St. Senan at Dumass, on the western bank of the Shannon, and in the county of Clare. ^' In addition to the fore- going, there is an object, marked as St. Senan's altar, on Henry Pelham's old
S3 The following Irish stanza, and its English translation, have been furnished by Professo—r O'Looney, from the " Leabhar Breac :"
X). UIII. \o, SeriAfi in-ofe cacIiaij
CpochAi^ ecjAAic n<i*^AcTi CoriAntnL clii bu<voAc1i
efpuc beoAet) bAjAch.
Senan of Innis Catha
Who strangled the hideous
Narach
Conandil the triumphant hero The bishop Beoaed the war-
like.
5* Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 68 to 71.
55 See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Martii viii. De Sancto
Senano. Previous Commentary, num. 9,
p. 761.
5° Edited by Richard Whitford, A. D.
1526.
57 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctonim Hiber-
nise," Martii viii. Appendix ad Vitam S.
Senani, cap. vi. , p. 539.
ss See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p, 7.
59
Thus, in these Manuscripts, belonging to the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, and classed B. i. 3. ,andB. 3. 12. , at the 8th of March, the respective Calendars note ix. lect.
^° See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Martii viii. De Sancto Se- nano. Theforegoingaccountwillbefound in Appendix ex Alberto le Grand de SS. Armoricis, num. 61, 62, p. 779.
*' See " The Illustrated Dublin Journal," vol. i. . No. 4, p. 52.
March 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 257
Map of the County Clare. It is within the bounds of Killard parish,^^ in the barony of Ibrickan, During the last century, the Bell of St. Senan was reli-
giously preserved, by the people, living near Scattery Island ; and, it was used by them, for the purpose of giving evidence. Many believed, that to swear falsely on it was to ensure immediately the takmg of convulsions, to be followed by a speedy death. ^3
The hermit and the coenobite of our early Irish and Christian Church were moulded on the same framework of society, as fashions the religious of this nineteenth century. ^'* Still must it be regretted, that the history of the Irish coenobic life and Monastic Orders is as yet comparatively unwritten ; no man of this generation has dared to grapple with this vast subject, the materials for elucidating which are not yet stored up fully in printed books. They lie scattered, through the public libraries and record rooms, not alone of Ireland, but of half the cities of Europe ; they are locked up in the charter chests of great landowners, or in the still less accessible bookcases of wealthy and ignorant collectors. It is true, that even in a divisional sense, the task must prove a life-long labour, and much reading, during the most active period of life, must be directed to kindred subjects ; but, had such a work come to partial perfection, until of late years, it should have been written, on the authority of printed documents only, for facilities were but grudgingly afforded, by public authorities, for researchful acquaintance with muniments undertheircustody. Privateandunaidedeffortcouldthereforehavegiven but a very imperfect outline of the subject. Let us hope, however, that the glimpses, so imperfectly revealed in savored biography, may urge others to deal more completely with a grand historical picture.
Article II. —%v. Liber, or Liberius, Abbot of Aghaboe, Queen's County. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries^ Some doubtful notices of this holy man are to be found in Colgan,^ and the Bollandists^ place him, among their pretermitted saints, at this date. Little is known regarding him ; but, it is stated, this saint was the son of a nobleman, called Aradius. It has been inferred, that Liber must have been born, about, or after, the middle of the sixth century, and that he flourished, towards the year 580. Then, it is said, that in his youth, the name he bore indicated his morals, until converted by a miracle of St. Canice,^ to a life of grace. He then became a model of virtue, and he is conjecturally thought, to have placed himself, as a disciple, under such holy guidance, as his great spiritual director afforded. Simply the name of Liber, with the letter S. appended, is seen in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'^ at the 8th of March. This saint is regarded, as the immediate successor of the founder of Aghaboe,^ Blessed Canice. This place is situated in the southern part of the Queen's County. In treating of Aghaboe and about its former history, the Rev. Edward Ledwich undertakes to give an exact description of the old ruins,^ near which he lived as a rector, for over twenty years. 7
<^^ It is shown on the " Ordnance Townland Maps for the County of Clare," Sheets 38, 46, 47, 56, 57.
*3 See Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran's " Gene- ral History of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 188.
* See "Monastic Legends. " A paper, read by Edward George Kirvvan Browne,
before the Academia, at Hackney, p. 7. London,8vo. —
Article ii. 'See "Acta Sanctorum Hibern-jE. " viii. Martii. Vua s. Liberi or
^ See "Acta tomus Martii Sanctorum," i. ,
viii. , p. 749.
3 See his Life, at the nth of October,
^
•'*'.
. copperplate engraving has been R
Survey
His antiquarian knowledge, however, is
-t Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p.
xviii.
5 it is now a parish, within the baronies
of Clandonagh, and of Clarmallagh, and it
is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the Queen's County," Sheets 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 34. The townland proper is on Sheet 22.
* From a
sketch, taken by Daniel Grose
2^8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 8.
singularlyatfault,inreferencetovariousplacesandparticulars. Hehasalso contributed the historical article, on this place, published by Archdall. ' A much more complete account he has given, in the work or collection of William Shaw Mason.
9 This is accompanied by a map of the parish," together with some interesting engravings of Antiquities. " The old Cathedral here stood, on the site of the modern Protestant church, and some vestiges of the more ancient building are traceable, in the walls and about the founda-
The Dominican Abbey Church, Aghaboe, Queen's County.
tions. A much frequented graveyard surrounds it, and cut-stone pieces, rudely torn from the mulUons and carvmgs of the ruined Dominican Abbey, which is near, now are to be found, at the heads of humble graves. A predecessor of the Rev. Edward Ledwich in the living is charged by him, with having de- molished most of the venerable pile, to inclose a demesne. " The Abbey is said, in one account, to have been built, a. d. 1052, in another, a. d. 1250, and, again, a. d. 1382, by the Fitzpatricks. St. Canice having died, a. d. 598, or 599, it is thought, St. Liberius immediately succeeded him, as Abbot of Aghaboe. Here, he probably lived, for the rest of his life ; and, he died, in the year 618, according to the Annals of Ulster, and of the Four Masters ; but, in 619, according to those of Clonmacnois. '^ Marianus, his Scholiast,
introduced into Grose's "
Antiquities
of Ire-
and diocese of Ossory. By the Rev. Edward Ledwicli, LL. D. , Member of many learned
Societies, author of the Antiquities of Ire- land, and editor of Grose, on the same sub-
ject, pp. 13 to 78.
'°
Copied from the Down Survey.
" These are, exterior views of the Abbey and Church of Aghciboe, as also a view and
land," vol. ii. , pp. 39, 40.
"> The house in which Rev. Edward Led-
wich lived, and the glebe lands, have been sold to the tenant, Jeremiah Dunne, Esq. , who had been in possession, and who pur- chased them, under provisions of the late Irish Church Disestablishment Act.
* See his " Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
to
588 590.
9 See "A Statistical Account, or Paro- chial Survey of Ireian. l, drawn up hom the Communications of the Clergy," vol. i. ,No. ii. Parish of Aghaboe, Queen's County
ground plan of the Mote of Monacoghlan.
" The interior view of the accompanying
ruins was sketched by the writer, in the summer of 1856. It has been transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard.
March 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 259
Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal,^^ register Liber, as having had a festival, on this day, and they assert, that he was Abbot of Achadh-bo-Cain- nigh ; for, such was the denomination, bestowed on this place, ever held sacred to the memory of the glorious Patron.
Article III. —St. Duthac or Dubthac, Patron and Bishop of Ross, Scotland. S^Eleventh Century? ^ Despising alike the applause of princes and of people, this holy man avoided company, banqueting, and all worldly comforts. Yet, by this course of life, he acquired a just meed of fame, among the people of Britain and Ireland, where his travels produced grace. ' A Life of St. Duthac was written by Father Patrick Anderson,^ a Scotch Jesuit, who compiled Lives of the Scottish Saints, which manuscript had been preserved, in the Scotch College, at Paris. He flourished, in the beginning of the seventeenth century. 3 The Rt. Rev. Bishop Challenor,* the " Memorial of British Piety,"s Rev. Alban Butler^ and Rev. S. Baring-Gould^ havetheirrespectivenoticesofDuthac. Also,theBollandists,^andBishop Forbes,9 who give an account of this saint, tell us, that he sprung from no ignoble family of the Scoti, and that his wise instructors early imbued him with a knowledge of the Christian Faith. While engaged at his youthful studies, it pleased God to perform a wonderful miracle. His preceptor havmg sent him fjr fire to a workshop, snatching up with a tongs some burning thorns, the workman there cast them into the youth's bosom. His clothes even remained unsinged and unscathed, while Duthac carried the burning thorns safely to his master. By Divine direction, it is stated, that Dubthac crossed over to Hibernia. '° There, he applied to study the precepts and laws of the Old and New Testament, and on his return to Scotland, he taught these publicly with all gentleness. Shortly after, he was consecrated by his co- bishops, as universal and chief pastor. " He was remarkable, for his gift of miracles. One of these throws a picturesque light, on the manners of his time. Duthac had been invited to a feast, where one of the comjjany, after drinking, had a sick headache. He had sent a portion of swine's flesh, with a gold ring, by one of Duthac's disciples ; but, the latter, on passing a ceme- tery, laid down the flesh and ring tliere, desiring to offer prayers, for the souls departed. Meantime, a hungry kite snatched them up and flew away across a river, towards a dense wood. Fearing the anger, both of the donor and of his master, the disciple straightway returned, with an account of what had happened. Whereupon,St. Duthacretiredforafewminutes,andheprayed;
'3 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
pp. 240 to 243, and n. (q). Ibid.
'* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
*
See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. iii. , March viii. ^ See " Lives of the Saints," vol. iii. , pp,
164, 165. *"
See Acta Sanctorum," tomusi. , Martii viii. De S. Duthaco Episcopo Rossensi in Scotia. A in three
sections, to a Vitse Compendium ex Breviario
Aberdonensi, in six paragraphs, pp. 799, 800.
» See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp.
Dempster writes thus : Unura scio, in Ilibernia diu ilium versatum : vidi in Malisio episcopo—Sanctandreano Catalogo
70, 71. — Article hi.
'See the "Martyrology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen," in
" ofthe of Proceedings Society Antiquaries
of—Scotland," vol. ii. Sessions mdcccliv- V. MDCCCLVi. -vii. , p. 262.
' He was nephew to John Lesley, the pious Bishop of Ross, who died at Bruxelles, A. D. 1 591, and who had an extraordinary devotion towards St. Duthac, as chief patron of his diocese.
previous Commentary,
3 See Dr. Oliver's
"
Collections towards
illustrating ihe Biography of the Scots, English, and Irish Members of the Society
"
de iila ecclesia. "
Gentis Scotorum, tomus i. , lib. iv. , num. 378, pp. 207, 208.
" The words in his Office are " universalis et praecipuus pastor. "
ofJesus,"p 17.
< See " Britannia Sancta,"
5 See p. 48.
part i. , p. 163.
328, 329.
'° "
"
Historia Ecclesiastica
26o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 8.
when the kite soon returned, and laid what lie had taken, at the saint's feet. Blessed Uiithac accepted the ring, but he restored the flesh to that kite, which anon flew awa3^ Again, in the case of a cake, made with honey and butter, food was miraculously increased, and the remains worked cures. While celebrating the feast of St. Finbarr" of Cork, a canon of Dornoch Church caused a fat ox to be killed for the po^r. Determining to carry a portion of it himself to St. Duthac, during a dark and stormy night ; the spit, on which this food was carried, gave a light both coming and going. According to Dempster,'^ he wrote a Book, " Meditationes solitariae," a Book " De Vanitate Philosopho- rum," and a Book, " De Dei Nominibus ex S, Dionysio. " While some state, he flourished a. d. 807, others have it at a. d. 1249. The Ofhce and Lessons of St. Duthac or Dubthac occur in the Breviary of Aberdeen,'* on the 8th of the March Ides, when his death occurred, and when his festival is celebrated. The date for his demise, given by Bishop Forbes, is a. d. 1068. If the supple- ment to Fordun may be trusted, St. Duthac had another tie to Scotland, in his disciple Malisius or Macliosa, who, he prophesied, should become Epis- copusScotorum. 's TheAnnalsofUlsterenterhisdecease,ata. d. 1065;'^ and, while calling him Albanach, the principal Confessor of Erin and Alban, they state, that he rested at Armagh. He was venerated in Ross, and indeed throughout all Scotland, by princes and people. He flourished during the time of Vilhelmus, or Gulielmus,'7 the ninety-third King of Scotland, accord- ing to Lesley. '^ This should bring him into the twelfth century. Again, Hector Boece states the report, that St. Duthac lived, during the reign of Alexander II. , and, it is said, he was preceptor to Blessed Gilbert, Bishop of Cathanensis,'9 He is greatly honoured, in the Church of Tayne, in the diocese of Ross, and to this place, great numbers of pilgrims resorted. ^° Seven years after death, his body was found incorrupt, and his relics were translated to a grander shrine. ^' His shirt, his stock, and his bell, were pre- served. ^^ The following places in Scotland are named after him : Kilduich, at the head of Loch Duich -p Kilduthie, near the Loch of Leys ; Arduthie close to Stonehaven, and the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Dupthac, at Arbroath. ^'* He is reputed to have foretold an invasion of the
Danes, which happened A. d, 1263, when they were defeated by Alexander Stuart, the great grandfather to King Robert. ^s In the Kalendar of Hyrd-
manstoun, at the viii. Ides, or 8th of March, is entered St. Duthac, Bishop and Confessor. The same entry occurs in the Kalendar of Arbuthnott, and in that of Aberdeen, his feast is similarly noted, with the remark, that he had
" His feast and his Acts are at the 25th
of September,
'3 See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iv. , num. 378, pp. 207, 208.
'* Pars Hyemalis, fol. Ixv.
'S Malisius is marked in the Catalogue as
after Fothad and Kellach. It is true, that
the Edinburgh College MS. and the Cupar MS. havenotthisentry. Fordun's"Scoti-
339. See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," pp. 328, 329.
'* See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernica-
rumScriptores,"tomusiv. "AnnatesUlto- nienses," p. 342.
''According to George Buchanan, he reigned from a. d. 1 165 to 1214.
'* See " De Origine, Moribus, et Rebus Gestis Scotorum. " lib. vi. , p 228.
•' See Hector Boece's "Historic Scoto- rum," lib. xiii. , p. cclxxxv.
°° Thus King James IV. made a pilgrim- age to St. Uuihac's shrine, in 1497, 1504 and 1505- See L)r. John Stuart's "Records of
the Priory of the Isle of May," Preface, pp.
In the Registrum Episcopatus Aber- donensis," vol.
in St. Mary's Cathedral. See Vol. i. ,
March 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 255
for, he swore, that neither the saint, nor any other person, should prevent him from executing the queen's wishes, and from driving the abominations of Roman idolatry out of the island. The night following, this minister and his assistant lay, in the same chamber, but in two different beds ; when, once
more, during the night, St. Senan appeared, in pontifical garments, and sur- rounded with a great light, while carrying an episcopal crozier in his hand.
Drawing the bed-curtain aside, the apparition again struck the sleeping minister,untilbloodflowedfromhiswounds. Hiscrieswereineffectual,to bring the servants in the house to his aid, for the chamber door had been firmly fastened ; while, his room-mate looked on with terror, and fearing a like chastisement for himself The avenging spirit departed, and opening the door, the servants found access to their suffering master, who desired, at once, to be conveyed with his companions, on board a ship, which sailed from Iniscattery to Limerick. Four days after his arrival here, the miserable man died impenitent ; while, those who accompanied him to the island were so much afraid of future disagreeable consequences, that they refused to have anything more to do, in molesting the islanders on Iniscathay. 'ts
In the county of Wexford, the old parish of Templeshannon bears our saint's name, even at the present day. *^ It contains that portion of Ennis- corthy town, eastwards from the River Slaney. An ancient church is here to be seen. It is on the outskirts of the town, and it consisted of a nave-*? and choir. 48 A choir-arch, much disfigured, connects them ; while, the middle gablerisesalittleabovethesidewalls,theupperpartbeingremoved. The choir-arcli appears to have been pointed, and its gable is covered with ivy. Although burials are still continued, in the graveyard, attached to that church, no patron saint or day is now remembered by the people. ''9 It is said, a parish and church of Kilshenane,5° in the barony of Clanmaurice, and diocese of Ardfert, has St. Senan as the patron. s^
There are two chief festivals, occurring in the Irish Calendars, in honour of this great saint. One of these takes place, on the ist day of March, as we have already noticed it. Thus, too, Ussher remarkSjS^ that in the Killenen- sen Martyrology, at the Kalends, or ist of March, he found the festival of St.
*s See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Martii viii. De Sancto Se- nano. Appendix ex Alberto le Grand de SS. Armoricis, num. 63, 64, 65, p. 779.
on the — where it is about feet outside, 3 high,
by 2J feet it widens considerably on the inside. This gable is built of small and very thin stones, and it is about 2|- feet in thickness. The nave is built of large and small stones. See ibid,
** It is compounded of Teampull, "a
church,—" and Seanain, the genetive form of
Seanan the name of the famous Irish saint,
whose principal establishment was on Scat-
tery Island, in the Shannon. Thus, CeAm-
puLL SeAHAin is Latinized " ecclesia jured, however, at the top. On this gable, Senani. " See County of Wexford Antiqua-
rian Letters of the Irish Ordnance
Survey, vol. ii. , p. 251, Signed, "J. O'D. ," the initials of Mr. O'Donovan's name. The foregoing remarks are without date ; but, probably, they were wTitten in the summer
of 1840.
*^ The nave is about 30 feet, in length, by
19J feet, in breadth. The side walls, which
appear to retain the original height, and ex- tend the entire length of this portion of the church, are about 18 feet high. Only the northern portion of the gable remains ; and, at the southern extremity of the part remain- ing, there is a large stone, which seems to have been the lower stone of a doorway.
*' See ibid.
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 10, 16, 17, 22, 23, 30, 31.
The townland proper is on Sheet 16.
^i See the Bollandists' previous commen-
tary to his Life, num. 10, p. 761.
The walls of the nave are about 3 feet thick,
and they are covered with ivy. See ibid. ,
pp. 252, 253.
'*^ The choir was about \%\ paces long,
and it appears to have been of the same breadth with the nave ; but, as its side walls are now level with the ground, it is impossi- ble to measure the breadth with accuracy. The east gable is almost perfect, being slightly in-
there is a square window, formed of granite,
^o See it described on the
"
"
quitates," cap. xvii. , p. 454.
S' See
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
256 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 8.
Senan, Confessor, in Hibernia, noted. As also noticed, at the previous day, March the 7th is marked for St. Senan's festival. The 8th of March, how- ever,isthefeast,whichwasmostsolemnlycommemorated. Atthisdate,St. Senanhasbeenentered,inthe"Feilire"ofSt. ^nguss. ss TheCalendarof Cashel, Cathal Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal54 have their respec- tiveaccountsofhim,onthisday. 55 Likewise,theMartyrologyofSalisbury,56 and the English Carthusian Martyrology of Newport, record his feast, substi- tuting, however, " Fenani " for " Senani," at this date. 57 Besides, the Kalen- dar of Drummond states, at the viii. Idus : In Ireland, the Holy Confessors Senan, Aed, and Conna, on this day, went to Christ. s^ The mediaeval Anti- phonaries59 of our Irish Churches furnish conclusive proof, that formerly the Office of St. Senan, Bishop and Confessor, contained nine lessons, as recited by the clergy, in different dioceses.
The people of Thomond and of Munster hold the well of St. Senan, on Scattery Island, in the greatest veneration. In former times, the sailors on merchant vessels, sailing from Limerick out to the Atlantic, if detained by contrary winds, at the mouth of the Shannon, usually went, in a religious manner, and drew water from it, invoking the patron's intercession. This supply was brought on board their ships, and within twenty-four hours, their expectation of favouring winds was never known to be disappointed. From the sepulchre of St. Senan, also, the people were accustomed to take small olive-coloured stones, which were regarded as relics. These, when put into what they drank, were supposed to effect a cure, or a prevention from plague, or from any kind of contagious disease. The seamen were in the habit of wearing them as amulets, about their persons, when out at sea, and believed that so they should not be drowned, while devoutly invoking the holy name of Senan. On one occasion, a shipwrecked merchant, thus furnished, and praying to the patron, found when his vessel disappeared, that some invisible force impelled him safely towards the shore. The brother of tliis merchant, being furnished, likewise, with similar relics, survived, and escaped from this accident ; while, it was remarked, that nine other mariners, not having them, perished in the raging sea. ^'° Besides, the celebrated well, on Scattery Island, in Killshinane parish, county of Kerry, there is a well, also dedicated to St. Senan. A patron is held there annually, on the 8th day of March. Again, there is a remarkable well of a St. Senan at Dumass, on the western bank of the Shannon, and in the county of Clare. ^' In addition to the fore- going, there is an object, marked as St. Senan's altar, on Henry Pelham's old
S3 The following Irish stanza, and its English translation, have been furnished by Professo—r O'Looney, from the " Leabhar Breac :"
X). UIII. \o, SeriAfi in-ofe cacIiaij
CpochAi^ ecjAAic n<i*^AcTi CoriAntnL clii bu<voAc1i
efpuc beoAet) bAjAch.
Senan of Innis Catha
Who strangled the hideous
Narach
Conandil the triumphant hero The bishop Beoaed the war-
like.
5* Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 68 to 71.
55 See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Martii viii. De Sancto
Senano. Previous Commentary, num. 9,
p. 761.
5° Edited by Richard Whitford, A. D.
1526.
57 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctonim Hiber-
nise," Martii viii. Appendix ad Vitam S.
Senani, cap. vi. , p. 539.
ss See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," p, 7.
59
Thus, in these Manuscripts, belonging to the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, and classed B. i. 3. ,andB. 3. 12. , at the 8th of March, the respective Calendars note ix. lect.
^° See the Bollandists' " Acta Sancto- rum," tomus i. , Martii viii. De Sancto Se- nano. Theforegoingaccountwillbefound in Appendix ex Alberto le Grand de SS. Armoricis, num. 61, 62, p. 779.
*' See " The Illustrated Dublin Journal," vol. i. . No. 4, p. 52.
March 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 257
Map of the County Clare. It is within the bounds of Killard parish,^^ in the barony of Ibrickan, During the last century, the Bell of St. Senan was reli-
giously preserved, by the people, living near Scattery Island ; and, it was used by them, for the purpose of giving evidence. Many believed, that to swear falsely on it was to ensure immediately the takmg of convulsions, to be followed by a speedy death. ^3
The hermit and the coenobite of our early Irish and Christian Church were moulded on the same framework of society, as fashions the religious of this nineteenth century. ^'* Still must it be regretted, that the history of the Irish coenobic life and Monastic Orders is as yet comparatively unwritten ; no man of this generation has dared to grapple with this vast subject, the materials for elucidating which are not yet stored up fully in printed books. They lie scattered, through the public libraries and record rooms, not alone of Ireland, but of half the cities of Europe ; they are locked up in the charter chests of great landowners, or in the still less accessible bookcases of wealthy and ignorant collectors. It is true, that even in a divisional sense, the task must prove a life-long labour, and much reading, during the most active period of life, must be directed to kindred subjects ; but, had such a work come to partial perfection, until of late years, it should have been written, on the authority of printed documents only, for facilities were but grudgingly afforded, by public authorities, for researchful acquaintance with muniments undertheircustody. Privateandunaidedeffortcouldthereforehavegiven but a very imperfect outline of the subject. Let us hope, however, that the glimpses, so imperfectly revealed in savored biography, may urge others to deal more completely with a grand historical picture.
Article II. —%v. Liber, or Liberius, Abbot of Aghaboe, Queen's County. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries^ Some doubtful notices of this holy man are to be found in Colgan,^ and the Bollandists^ place him, among their pretermitted saints, at this date. Little is known regarding him ; but, it is stated, this saint was the son of a nobleman, called Aradius. It has been inferred, that Liber must have been born, about, or after, the middle of the sixth century, and that he flourished, towards the year 580. Then, it is said, that in his youth, the name he bore indicated his morals, until converted by a miracle of St. Canice,^ to a life of grace. He then became a model of virtue, and he is conjecturally thought, to have placed himself, as a disciple, under such holy guidance, as his great spiritual director afforded. Simply the name of Liber, with the letter S. appended, is seen in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'^ at the 8th of March. This saint is regarded, as the immediate successor of the founder of Aghaboe,^ Blessed Canice. This place is situated in the southern part of the Queen's County. In treating of Aghaboe and about its former history, the Rev. Edward Ledwich undertakes to give an exact description of the old ruins,^ near which he lived as a rector, for over twenty years. 7
<^^ It is shown on the " Ordnance Townland Maps for the County of Clare," Sheets 38, 46, 47, 56, 57.
*3 See Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran's " Gene- ral History of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 188.
* See "Monastic Legends. " A paper, read by Edward George Kirvvan Browne,
before the Academia, at Hackney, p. 7. London,8vo. —
Article ii. 'See "Acta Sanctorum Hibern-jE. " viii. Martii. Vua s. Liberi or
^ See "Acta tomus Martii Sanctorum," i. ,
viii. , p. 749.
3 See his Life, at the nth of October,
^
•'*'.
. copperplate engraving has been R
Survey
His antiquarian knowledge, however, is
-t Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p.
xviii.
5 it is now a parish, within the baronies
of Clandonagh, and of Clarmallagh, and it
is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the Queen's County," Sheets 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 34. The townland proper is on Sheet 22.
* From a
sketch, taken by Daniel Grose
2^8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 8.
singularlyatfault,inreferencetovariousplacesandparticulars. Hehasalso contributed the historical article, on this place, published by Archdall. ' A much more complete account he has given, in the work or collection of William Shaw Mason.
9 This is accompanied by a map of the parish," together with some interesting engravings of Antiquities. " The old Cathedral here stood, on the site of the modern Protestant church, and some vestiges of the more ancient building are traceable, in the walls and about the founda-
The Dominican Abbey Church, Aghaboe, Queen's County.
tions. A much frequented graveyard surrounds it, and cut-stone pieces, rudely torn from the mulUons and carvmgs of the ruined Dominican Abbey, which is near, now are to be found, at the heads of humble graves. A predecessor of the Rev. Edward Ledwich in the living is charged by him, with having de- molished most of the venerable pile, to inclose a demesne. " The Abbey is said, in one account, to have been built, a. d. 1052, in another, a. d. 1250, and, again, a. d. 1382, by the Fitzpatricks. St. Canice having died, a. d. 598, or 599, it is thought, St. Liberius immediately succeeded him, as Abbot of Aghaboe. Here, he probably lived, for the rest of his life ; and, he died, in the year 618, according to the Annals of Ulster, and of the Four Masters ; but, in 619, according to those of Clonmacnois. '^ Marianus, his Scholiast,
introduced into Grose's "
Antiquities
of Ire-
and diocese of Ossory. By the Rev. Edward Ledwicli, LL. D. , Member of many learned
Societies, author of the Antiquities of Ire- land, and editor of Grose, on the same sub-
ject, pp. 13 to 78.
'°
Copied from the Down Survey.
" These are, exterior views of the Abbey and Church of Aghciboe, as also a view and
land," vol. ii. , pp. 39, 40.
"> The house in which Rev. Edward Led-
wich lived, and the glebe lands, have been sold to the tenant, Jeremiah Dunne, Esq. , who had been in possession, and who pur- chased them, under provisions of the late Irish Church Disestablishment Act.
* See his " Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
to
588 590.
9 See "A Statistical Account, or Paro- chial Survey of Ireian. l, drawn up hom the Communications of the Clergy," vol. i. ,No. ii. Parish of Aghaboe, Queen's County
ground plan of the Mote of Monacoghlan.
" The interior view of the accompanying
ruins was sketched by the writer, in the summer of 1856. It has been transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard.
March 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 259
Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal,^^ register Liber, as having had a festival, on this day, and they assert, that he was Abbot of Achadh-bo-Cain- nigh ; for, such was the denomination, bestowed on this place, ever held sacred to the memory of the glorious Patron.
Article III. —St. Duthac or Dubthac, Patron and Bishop of Ross, Scotland. S^Eleventh Century? ^ Despising alike the applause of princes and of people, this holy man avoided company, banqueting, and all worldly comforts. Yet, by this course of life, he acquired a just meed of fame, among the people of Britain and Ireland, where his travels produced grace. ' A Life of St. Duthac was written by Father Patrick Anderson,^ a Scotch Jesuit, who compiled Lives of the Scottish Saints, which manuscript had been preserved, in the Scotch College, at Paris. He flourished, in the beginning of the seventeenth century. 3 The Rt. Rev. Bishop Challenor,* the " Memorial of British Piety,"s Rev. Alban Butler^ and Rev. S. Baring-Gould^ havetheirrespectivenoticesofDuthac. Also,theBollandists,^andBishop Forbes,9 who give an account of this saint, tell us, that he sprung from no ignoble family of the Scoti, and that his wise instructors early imbued him with a knowledge of the Christian Faith. While engaged at his youthful studies, it pleased God to perform a wonderful miracle. His preceptor havmg sent him fjr fire to a workshop, snatching up with a tongs some burning thorns, the workman there cast them into the youth's bosom. His clothes even remained unsinged and unscathed, while Duthac carried the burning thorns safely to his master. By Divine direction, it is stated, that Dubthac crossed over to Hibernia. '° There, he applied to study the precepts and laws of the Old and New Testament, and on his return to Scotland, he taught these publicly with all gentleness. Shortly after, he was consecrated by his co- bishops, as universal and chief pastor. " He was remarkable, for his gift of miracles. One of these throws a picturesque light, on the manners of his time. Duthac had been invited to a feast, where one of the comjjany, after drinking, had a sick headache. He had sent a portion of swine's flesh, with a gold ring, by one of Duthac's disciples ; but, the latter, on passing a ceme- tery, laid down the flesh and ring tliere, desiring to offer prayers, for the souls departed. Meantime, a hungry kite snatched them up and flew away across a river, towards a dense wood. Fearing the anger, both of the donor and of his master, the disciple straightway returned, with an account of what had happened. Whereupon,St. Duthacretiredforafewminutes,andheprayed;
'3 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
pp. 240 to 243, and n. (q). Ibid.
'* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
*
See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and other principal Saints," vol. iii. , March viii. ^ See " Lives of the Saints," vol. iii. , pp,
164, 165. *"
See Acta Sanctorum," tomusi. , Martii viii. De S. Duthaco Episcopo Rossensi in Scotia. A in three
sections, to a Vitse Compendium ex Breviario
Aberdonensi, in six paragraphs, pp. 799, 800.
» See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp.
Dempster writes thus : Unura scio, in Ilibernia diu ilium versatum : vidi in Malisio episcopo—Sanctandreano Catalogo
70, 71. — Article hi.
'See the "Martyrology for the use of the Church of Aberdeen," in
" ofthe of Proceedings Society Antiquaries
of—Scotland," vol. ii. Sessions mdcccliv- V. MDCCCLVi. -vii. , p. 262.
' He was nephew to John Lesley, the pious Bishop of Ross, who died at Bruxelles, A. D. 1 591, and who had an extraordinary devotion towards St. Duthac, as chief patron of his diocese.
previous Commentary,
3 See Dr. Oliver's
"
Collections towards
illustrating ihe Biography of the Scots, English, and Irish Members of the Society
"
de iila ecclesia. "
Gentis Scotorum, tomus i. , lib. iv. , num. 378, pp. 207, 208.
" The words in his Office are " universalis et praecipuus pastor. "
ofJesus,"p 17.
< See " Britannia Sancta,"
5 See p. 48.
part i. , p. 163.
328, 329.
'° "
"
Historia Ecclesiastica
26o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 8.
when the kite soon returned, and laid what lie had taken, at the saint's feet. Blessed Uiithac accepted the ring, but he restored the flesh to that kite, which anon flew awa3^ Again, in the case of a cake, made with honey and butter, food was miraculously increased, and the remains worked cures. While celebrating the feast of St. Finbarr" of Cork, a canon of Dornoch Church caused a fat ox to be killed for the po^r. Determining to carry a portion of it himself to St. Duthac, during a dark and stormy night ; the spit, on which this food was carried, gave a light both coming and going. According to Dempster,'^ he wrote a Book, " Meditationes solitariae," a Book " De Vanitate Philosopho- rum," and a Book, " De Dei Nominibus ex S, Dionysio. " While some state, he flourished a. d. 807, others have it at a. d. 1249. The Ofhce and Lessons of St. Duthac or Dubthac occur in the Breviary of Aberdeen,'* on the 8th of the March Ides, when his death occurred, and when his festival is celebrated. The date for his demise, given by Bishop Forbes, is a. d. 1068. If the supple- ment to Fordun may be trusted, St. Duthac had another tie to Scotland, in his disciple Malisius or Macliosa, who, he prophesied, should become Epis- copusScotorum. 's TheAnnalsofUlsterenterhisdecease,ata. d. 1065;'^ and, while calling him Albanach, the principal Confessor of Erin and Alban, they state, that he rested at Armagh. He was venerated in Ross, and indeed throughout all Scotland, by princes and people. He flourished during the time of Vilhelmus, or Gulielmus,'7 the ninety-third King of Scotland, accord- ing to Lesley. '^ This should bring him into the twelfth century. Again, Hector Boece states the report, that St. Duthac lived, during the reign of Alexander II. , and, it is said, he was preceptor to Blessed Gilbert, Bishop of Cathanensis,'9 He is greatly honoured, in the Church of Tayne, in the diocese of Ross, and to this place, great numbers of pilgrims resorted. ^° Seven years after death, his body was found incorrupt, and his relics were translated to a grander shrine. ^' His shirt, his stock, and his bell, were pre- served. ^^ The following places in Scotland are named after him : Kilduich, at the head of Loch Duich -p Kilduthie, near the Loch of Leys ; Arduthie close to Stonehaven, and the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. Dupthac, at Arbroath. ^'* He is reputed to have foretold an invasion of the
Danes, which happened A. d, 1263, when they were defeated by Alexander Stuart, the great grandfather to King Robert. ^s In the Kalendar of Hyrd-
manstoun, at the viii. Ides, or 8th of March, is entered St. Duthac, Bishop and Confessor. The same entry occurs in the Kalendar of Arbuthnott, and in that of Aberdeen, his feast is similarly noted, with the remark, that he had
" His feast and his Acts are at the 25th
of September,
'3 See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Scotorum," tomus i. , lib. iv. , num. 378, pp. 207, 208.
'* Pars Hyemalis, fol. Ixv.
'S Malisius is marked in the Catalogue as
after Fothad and Kellach. It is true, that
the Edinburgh College MS. and the Cupar MS. havenotthisentry. Fordun's"Scoti-
339. See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of
Scottish Saints," pp. 328, 329.
'* See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernica-
rumScriptores,"tomusiv. "AnnatesUlto- nienses," p. 342.
''According to George Buchanan, he reigned from a. d. 1 165 to 1214.
'* See " De Origine, Moribus, et Rebus Gestis Scotorum. " lib. vi. , p 228.
•' See Hector Boece's "Historic Scoto- rum," lib. xiii. , p. cclxxxv.
°° Thus King James IV. made a pilgrim- age to St. Uuihac's shrine, in 1497, 1504 and 1505- See L)r. John Stuart's "Records of
the Priory of the Isle of May," Preface, pp.
In the Registrum Episcopatus Aber- donensis," vol.
