Maelruain
gathered around him a fraternity, for whom he ordained certain rules of stricter observance.
gathered around him a fraternity, for whom he ordained certain rules of stricter observance.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
In our Annals, the death of St.
Flann is set
2
Article X. —Reputed Feast of a St. Golinia, or Golina, Virgin.
1
TheBollandistsstate, thatthefeastofSt. GoliniaistobefoundintheIrish
Calendars, at the 6th of July ; but, they suspect there is some corruption of the entry, and they desire further enlightenment regarding her. Florarius 2 and Henry Fitzsimon3 enter St. Golina, virgin, at this same date/ The same name, written Colinia, occurs at the 6th of July, in the anonymous Calendar, published by O'Sullevan Beare. 5
down, as occurring, in the year 734.
Article XI. —Reputed Festival of St. Silvester, Companion of 1
St. Palladius, in Marr, Scotland. The Bollandists, having found in Dempster and Ferrarius a festival of St. Sylvester mentioned at the nth of
2 referred to this date, when were about to treat of St. Palladius. they
June,
But nothing had been found to warrant any special notice; at least, we are not furnished with any particulars, which might enable us to understand, if any such feast should have place in the Calendar, for the introduction seems to have been on the sole authority of Dempster, who may be regarded in the double capacity of inventive saint-maker and of unscrupulous saint-stealer.
Kelly, p. xxviii.
2
(z), ibid,
Article x. —1 See "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Julii vi. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 249.
2 Thus: "In Hibernia, Golinise virginis. "
Julii vi. p. 250.
Among the pretermitted saints,
"
3 In Hibernian"
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
3 Thus :
Fube. " We suspect the reading should be
"heros nostra; gentis de Autro
Antro Fube. "
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. * See O'Sullevan Beare's Historic
"
Cathoiicce Ibernire Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xii. , p. 54.
5 See ibid. , cap. xi. , p. 50. Articlexi. —1 See"ActaSanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Julii vi. Among the pretermitted Appendix T, p. 249, and Appendix LL, feasts, p. 249.
188, 189. Article viii.
—
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxviii. Article ix. —»
See "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
2 See the Sixth Volume of this work, at 2 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the that date, for a slight reference to him,
p. 379.
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 336, 337, and n. Art. iv.
"
Catalogus aliquorum Sanctorum
G
9 8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 7.
^ffaentb 2Bap of 3ulp,
ARTICLE I. —ST. MAOLRUAIN OR MAELRUAIN, ABBOT OF TALLAGII, COUNTY OF DUBLIN.
[EIGHTH CENTURY. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH OF ST. MAE1. RUAN—HE FOUNDS A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE AT TALLAGH—DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE—HE FORMS A SOCIETY OF CULDEES THERE—ANECDOTES—PERIOD OF FOUNDATION.
biography, says an eminent trench writer, is one of the most
recitals of the middle ages; it inspirited the weak and it terrified SAINnaTifLY
the powerful j it furnished a great bridle to curb society, and to preserve it from the violence of war. The legends or myths of Christianity were even
in harmony with social usages ; while through them, holy places were held sacred from the fierce intrusion of armed men. There the peaceful were pro-
tected,andtheirweaknesswasrespected; underthevividimpressionsofFaith,
1
morality had been observed, even through the stories of astounding miracles. The special contemporary, friend and companion, who knew the character of St. Maelruan so well, has set forth his fair renown, at this date, in the cele- brated " Feilire. "2 This must have been one of the earliest commemorations ofthepresentholyman. TheBollandists3 haveonlyverybrieflyrecorded the name of Moelruanus Episcopus, at the 7th of July. There are notices of him, likewise, in the work of Rev. Dr. Lanigan. * From all we can learn
regarding him, Maelruain belonged to the race of Eochaidh, son to Muiread- hach, who sprung from the seed of Heremon. s The father of St. Maelruan is called Colman. Broicseach was the name of his mother. 6 We are not informed about the place of his birth. This latter event occurred, most pro- bably about the beginning of the eighth century. It is greatly to be regretted, that we have so few personal records of a saint, who was so very remarkable in his time, and whose life had such a marked influence on the revival of reli-
gion and literature in the early Irish Church. We do not know where he had
Article i. —Chapter i. — ' See Cape-
Ague's"Charlemagne,"tomei. , chap,ii. ,
p. 39.
2 Thus we find the stanza, taken from the
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. CalendarofOengus. p. cix.
On the
ii. , Julii vii. Among the pretermitted feasts,
p. 452.
4 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. Hi. , chap. xx„ sect, vi. , p. 232, and on. 46, 47, pp. 233, 234.
S One hundred and eighty-one Irish kings are said to have reigned from the lime of Ihremon to Roderick. See Ciraldi Cam- brensis Opera, vol. v. Edited by James F. Dimock, M. A. , "
splendid sun of the isle of the Gael. " According to a note, in the I. eabhar "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Brcac copy of the Calendar of St. yEngus.
"
translation of Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
Leabliar Breac" copy, with the English
LAmoppluAgA-o tigniAp pApmern cpom coe-oen moelpu<Mii A-opech pichco 5piAn An nvopi ^oe-oel.
"With a beautiful host, Parmenius' great
Topographia Ilibernica,"
heavy troop, Moelruain ran to heaven—, Dist. in. , cap. xlv. , p. iSS. •
3 See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
July 7. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 99
been educated, although it seems to be a fact well established, that he had
been well grounded in a religious and literary training, before he thought of establishinghisownverycelebratedschool. Hemusthaveresolvedonleading
a religious life, when young, and he wns probably advanced to holy orders, when he was of an age to assume their obligations. Our writers, who allude tohim,callhimabishop; but,itdoesnotseemlikely,thatheattainedtothat distinction, at least, until he had first been in charge of his celebrated monas- tic institute, for which he had framed special Rules. However, there seems to be no very ancient authority or evidence, which might warrant us in sup- posing, that he had attained to the episcopal rank.
A pious and an illustrious King of Leinster, named Donnchadh or Don-
och, who flourished in the beginning of the eighth century, is said to have
bestowedthesiteofTamlachtonSt. Maelraan. ? But,asheonlyruledover
the province for one year, and perished in battle towards the close of a. d.
727, this seems too early a date for the religious foundation. From Dun-
8
chadh, the region around Tamlacht was subsequently called Ui-Dunchada. 9
This is known to have comprised that portion of the present county of
Dublin, through which the River Dodder flows. 10
11
It is more generally
12
believed, however, that Cellach, son of Dunchadh,
Tamlacht to St. Mae1main. Its earliest name was derived from the first recorded pestilence, 13 or Tam/i, which destroyed Parthalon's colony, and which is referred by the Four Masters to a. m. 2820, according to the long chronology of theSeptuagint. Theentrybythoseannalistsis, "NineTho—usandofParthalon's
died in one week on T * five thou- Sean-Mhagh-Ealta-Edair namely,
people
sand men and four thousand women. "** Whence it was named Tamlacht Muin-
tire Parthaloin ; while, after the lapse of ages, this place was called Tallagh,near Dublin. 10 The tumuli of these early colonists, who died from that sudden
for Tallacht or Tamlaght.
M This destruction of the colony of Par-
thalon, which is said to have occurred in
"the old plain of the valley of the flocks," stretchingbetweenBenEdair,nowknownas
Howth, and Tallaght, and on which-the city of Dublin now stands, is thus mentioned in the "Book of Invasions," contained in the " Book of Leinster. " " In Sean-Magh-Etair Parthalon became extinct in a thousand men and four thousand women, of one week's mortality," or " Tamh" This translation is by Professor Eugene O'Curry. This is the oldest manuscript account of that pestilence that we now possess.
'5 Likewise, in an ancient bardic poem, in
" Partha- Ion's people, to the number of nine thou-
sand, died of Tamh in one week. "
,6 In the "Chronicon Scotorum MSS. ,"
as translated by Mr. O'Curry, the following
entry occurs " In one thousand five hun- :
tired and four (400 according to Eochaidh O'Flinn) from Parthalon's arrival in Ireland till the first mortality ( Duiiie-bhadh, i. e. , human mortality) that came in Ireland after the Deluge ; that is, the death by pestilence (Tamh) of Parthalon's people, which hap- pened on Monday, in the calends of May, and continued till the Sunday following. It
'
was from that mortality ( Dnine-bhadh) of Parthalon's people the name of the (7aim-
" tures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient
7 See Professor Eugene O'Curry's
Lee-
Iiish History," Lect. xvii. , p. 364.
8 He had a son Faelan, father of Bran,
father to Murchadhach, father of Faelan, father to Lorcan, father of Dunchadh, from whom descended the families of Mac Gilla- mocholmog, of O'Byrne, and of O'Toole, so famous in the history of Leinster.
Dunchadh was awarded
9 This
to him as an inheritance.
territory
10 See "The Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Naomh O'iluidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan, LL. D. , pp. xiii. , xiv. , and nn. 58, 59, and p. liv. , n. 438.
11 He was the son of Murchadh, son to Bran Mut, or the Silent, belonging to the Ui Dunlaing.
12 He fell in the battle of Almhaor Allen, in Kildare, by the sword of his brother Faelan, ancestor of the Ui Faelan, or the O'Byrnes.
13 In a " Report of the Census Commis- sioners of Ireland for the year 1 85 1," part v. , vol. i. , we find a most valuable annalistic reference to diseases and pestilences, in this country, from the earliest times to the pre- sent. In this able report, which does so much credit to the learning and research of Sir William Robert Wilde, we find various accounts, which serve to furnish a derivation
the ''Book of Leinster, it is said
:
King of Leinster,
gave
100 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[July 7.
epidemic, can still be seen upon the hills in its vicinity. This is the first recorded pestilence in Ireland. The—Irish word Tamk means an epidemic
andthetermTamhleadit the monument1? —whichfre- plague
pestilence;
quently enters into topographical names in Ireland, signifies a place where a
number of cut off persons
were interred 18 together.
by pestilence
At present, this is the well-known village "9 and parish, in the barony of
Uppercross, and in the county of Dublin. It lies on the western slope of the mountains, which form so beautiful an outline, as seen from the metropolis of
Villa igh, County of Dul
Ireland. It lies about five miles from the city. The village is beautifully
20
Tavellagh or Taulagh-Maelruny, from having been founded and afterwards
21
dedicated to the present saint.
Amid the prevailing laxity of monastic discipline, here St.
Maelruain
gathered around him a fraternity, for whom he ordained certain rules of stricter observance. These consisted partly of precepts for conventual and sacerdotalguidance; but,theywereespeciallydistinguished,bytheprinciples
laid down, and by the regulations prescribed for religious worship and the exercise of devotion. 22 It is very likely, that a very numerous community was formed, and the members placed themselves under his guidance, as
situated, in a fine open country.
This place is said to have been called
Abbot and f—ounder of a new order. A list of the u
of Maelruain ofTallagh" viz. ,thecontemporarieswithwhomhehadcontractedaninti-
leachta (the death or mortality place) of the men of Ireland is derived. "
17 See the version of Sanar* Cho]\niAic, or
engraved by Mrs. Millard.
Lewis' "
of Ii eland," vol. ii. , pp. 587, 588.
' See D'Alton S " of the John History
County of Dublin," p. 761.
'•
llie Culdees of the British Islands, as they appear in History : with an Appendix of Evidences. " By William Reeves, D. D. , &c, part ii. , sect, ii. , p. 7. 19 The accompanying illustration, drawn Dublin, 1864, 4I0. This remarkably re- on the spot by William F. Wakeman, and searched and learned Treatise seems to ex- by him transferred to the wood, has been haust all that can be known regarding the
Cormac's "
Stokes, LL. D. , p. 160.
'' translated and anno- tated by the late John O'Donovan, LL. D. Edited with Notes and Indices, by Whitley
18
Glossary,
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters, "vol. i. , pp. 8, 9, andn. (c), ibid,
unity-folk
Topographical Dictionary
July 7. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
101
mate union—is to be
Book of Leinster. 24 A stanza 2 * on the same men, is attributed to Cormac Mac Cuillanain.
ancient Culdees.
33 At the end of column
24 Now preserved in the Franciscan Con-
vent, Merchants' Quay, Dublin.
County of Dublin," p. 761.
3° See Professor " Lec- Eugene O'Curry's
tures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xvii. , p. 364.
25 At the end of column
3I See Dr. O'Donovan's vol. edition,
i. ,
26
5.
The same stanza is copied in the lower
margin, apparently in Colgan's handwriting.
pp. 272, 273.
32 In 817, a new rule and additional regu-
found,
in the detached ten 2*
folia, belonging
to the
Few personal anecdotes, regarding this holy Abbot Maelruain have been pre- served. A commentator on the " Feilire " of St. yEngus, at this date, has an account of a certain thief, who stole the only cow, belonging to the Ostiarius of Mailruain of Tallaght. The latter 2 ? was urgent on his patron saint to avenge the theft ; but, Maelruain advised the door-keeper to bide his time, and that the devil should inflict on the thief still greater evil, while his punishment in hell
should be the 28 because the heavier,
transgressor
more bad actions the longer he continued in this life. There is extant a
romantic Irish poem, entitled u Legendary Story of St. Maelruan, first bishop
of 2 ? From the character of the we well it is Tallagh. " heading, may suppose,
not a genuine account of any incident in his career.
It is stated, that St. Maelruan there founded a church, in honour of God
and of St. Michael the Archangel, in the year 769. 3° This, likewise, is the date given for the first erection of Tamlacht-Mailruain, in the u Annals of the
1
Four Masters. "*
years after the institution by Chrodegang of the order of Canons in his church of Metz, and to whom the title of Fratres Dominici had been given. It was subsequentlychangedtothatofCanonici. Theywereanintermediateclass, between monks and secular priests. They adopted to a great extent the dis- cipline without the vows of monks, while they discharged the office of minis- ters in various churches. *2 St. Maelruain's institution have
27 He said " I me not thankful for the lations had been enacted for the order of
of St. Maelruain
:
" "
:
patron that avengeth not my cow on the
thief, for we see him without want of cattle
or of children or of health. "
28
This is represented as having been expressed in an Irish rami, the composition
—
SeAnj; hiperiMm 1/m-o jroruiech 1nichiAH CAingen ocuf bj\ech SechmAlL alerTA Ar\cech 16
Sir*ifiur»tt nihimApgo.
Canons, at the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle. 33 See Rev. Dr. Reeves on " The Cul-
dees of the British Islands," &c, part ii. ,
It is thus translated into English by Dr. Whitley Stokes: "Seng t sessam (? ) have we for every one, afar offtrial and judgment, oblivion of their
on — advantage every day,
tain. "
See ibid. ,
p. 362^.
eternal hell (it is) not a falsehood. "
3
A
of this is
in a
Parch-
"
copy
given,
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. Notes from the Lebar Brecc, pp. 91, 92, p. cxvii.
29 See D'Alton's " of the John History
page,'
6 and
enumerating
these
This church of Tamlacht was founded, about twenty-four
Possibly, may been borrowed from, or may have had some features in common with, the
order of Canons. It seems to be pretty well established, that both the Keledei of Scotland, as well as the Colidei of Ireland, exhibited the main characteris- tics of secular canons in their discipline, during the ages that succeeded this
period.
33
3.
sect, ii. , pp. 9, 1—0. ii.
was to commit permitted
x
Chapter copy
of the
of " found in the Martyrology Tallagh
Book of Leinster," as edited by Dr. Robert
Atkinson, we read at that date, the follow-
"
ing entry: iiii. Idus Augusti Maelruain
cum suis reliquiis Sanctorum martyrum et virginum ad Tamlachtain venit. " See
c.
2 On a 6th of September, as we find it set
down thus : "hi. Non. Sep. Adventus reli- quiarum Scethi filiae Mechi ad Tamlach-
p. 361
large
ment 4to Manuscript, No. 223, belonging to the Messrs. Hodges and Smith collection,
preserved in the Royal Irish Academy.
4 For a fuller account of this valuable his-
In that
io2 LIVES 01 7HE IRISH SAINTS.
[July 7.
CHAPTER II.
THE LITERARY COMPOSITIONS OF ST. MAELRUAIN—DEATH OF CEALLACH, AND HIS BURIAL AT TAMLACHT—ST. /ENGUS THE CULDEE JOINS THAT COMMUNITY—THE CULDEES—RULE OF ST. MAELRUAIN.
Already have we alluded to the date for St. Maelruain's establishment at Tallagh ; and, if we may draw an inference from a Festival set down in its Calendar, the 10th of August was a day on which the holy founder brought to
1
or deposited at that place the relics of venerated Martyrs and Virgins, with
suitable rites and ceremonies. It is probable, that on the occasion, the church there and its altar had been consecrated ; for we know, that the con- tinuous practice, in the case of such ceremonials, is to place relics of the saints within the altar-stone on which the holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Another supposition may be arrived at, however, that those relics had been conveyed in procession, and had been placed in shrines, which were placed probably over the high altar ; for we know, likewise, that at a period sub- sequent, other sacred relics 2 had arrived at Tallaght, and that the annual commemoration of both events was regarded as matter for observance there, both by the monks- and by the people, who annually assembled to pray before those sacred remains.
Besides his other excellent virtues and accomplishments, St. Maelruain
is traditionally regarded as having indulged in literary work, and he is credited with having been a poet. Yet of his genuine metrical compositions, we doubt if many of them have been preserved. An Irish poem is said to have been composed by St. Maelruan of Tallagh. 3 A much more important compilation has come down to our times, and it is known as the Martyrolo-
gium Tamlactense, or the " Maityrology of Tallaght. "* It has been supposed, that the conception and authorship of this work were due, in the first instance, to St. Maelruain ;5 although, it is thought, he received assistance in its pre- paration, from the celebrated St. /Engus the Culdee, 6 who was a subject and an inmate of his monastery. That we have not the original draft of St. Mael- ruain's composition is proved from the fact, that his own name has been entered in the preserved and published copies, at this same day. However, it seems most probable, that St. ^ngus added to the work, after St. Mael- ruain's death ; and, even after the death of the former, we find the insertion of St. /Engtis'* own name, so thatthere must have been interpolations, in nearly all thelatercopies. Indeed,itwasnounusualcustomforunauthorizedpersonsto tamper with records of this character, by introducing items of information on their own responsibility, and to complete what they deemed to be defects or omissions. This was especially the case, with regard to copies of Annals or ofCalendars, preserved in our monasteries. 7
It should seem, that the temporal patron of Tallaght must have preserved very close personal relations with St. Maelruain and his community. This
torical and ecclesiastical record, the reader
is referred to the First Volume of this work.
Introduction, sect. ii. Also to the Third et Moelruaiii. " Volume, at the nth of March, Ait. i. , in the
Life of St. /Engusius Hagiographus or St.
. /Engus the Culdee, chap. iii.
s See Kev. Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. iii. , sect, vi. , n. 47, p. 224.
who inserted
such comments, as well as on
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical
chap, xx. ,
some writers have done—on those illogically
"
6 On its title lias been found, also. , Martyrologium Aengussii filii Ilua-obhlenii
1 1t should be very unwarrantable to charge
these additions as attempted forgeries—as
the monks, who preserved such records, and who transmitted them to posterity.
July 7. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
103
may fairly be inferred, from the simple entry which remains to us of an Irish dynast's closing career. According to the "Annals of the Four Masters/'8 Cellach died a. d. 771. He is said to have been buried at the church in Tal-
laght ; and, no doubt, for many long succeeding generations, the pious com- munity there offered up Masses and prayers for their deceased benefactor.
We believe the following story to be apocryphal, as it seems unchronological.
10
Saighir, and she was desirous of going to the Island of Doiinhle. This is held
12 who have As we have seen already,^ the greater probability is, that it lay between the counties of Wex-
Mainnsena,9 the mother of Brenaiun,
of Biorr, as we are told,
11
came to
to have been the Clear well-known present Cape Island, by
writers,
was the admis- then little known to fame and wishing himself to be altogether unnoticed as an humble postulant. The celebrity of St. Maelruin's institute, and the congeniality of its discipline to his peculiar habits, probably induced St. ^Engus to leave Dysart Enos and to visitTamlacht. Foralongtime,heservedthereasamerefarmlabourer, and only an accident brought him prominently under the observation of the Abbot St. Maelruan. Afterwards they became bosom friends, while their
tastes in literature and sympathies in holy exercises continued to the close of St. Maelruan's career. Elsewhere, this narrative has been written, and it is only necessary to refer the reader to those pages, which serve to illustrate the biography of both saints.
Those religious, known as the Culdees, were at Tallagh, during the time
furnished some description and illustrations of that place.
ford and Waterford. " Go said Ciaran of not,"
1 * " it is in but,
Saighir,
Tamhlacht thy own resurrection and the resurrection of thy son Brenaiun shall be. " It does not appear, that Tamlacht had a cemetery before the eighth century. One of the most interesting and instructive incidents of the
while Maelruain ruled over the — at this period monastery place,
sion of the celebratedSt.
^Engusthe
15 Culdee—
ofSt. Melruan. 16 fromtheLivesofSt. Patrickandofother Although
very early Irish saints, we find the designation Culdee applied to holy servants of
God ; yet, it has been thought, this term was not in vogue in their time, but
thatitwas
subsequently applied.
x? Sofaraswecan thebrothers understand,
8
See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. ,
^Engussius Hagiographus or St. /Engus the Culdee, in the Third Volume of this work
pp. 376, 377.
9 A note by Dr. Todd says, at the fore-
"
at the nth of March, Art. i. , chaps, ii. , going word, Mainnsena. This paragraph iii. , iv.
2
Article X. —Reputed Feast of a St. Golinia, or Golina, Virgin.
1
TheBollandistsstate, thatthefeastofSt. GoliniaistobefoundintheIrish
Calendars, at the 6th of July ; but, they suspect there is some corruption of the entry, and they desire further enlightenment regarding her. Florarius 2 and Henry Fitzsimon3 enter St. Golina, virgin, at this same date/ The same name, written Colinia, occurs at the 6th of July, in the anonymous Calendar, published by O'Sullevan Beare. 5
down, as occurring, in the year 734.
Article XI. —Reputed Festival of St. Silvester, Companion of 1
St. Palladius, in Marr, Scotland. The Bollandists, having found in Dempster and Ferrarius a festival of St. Sylvester mentioned at the nth of
2 referred to this date, when were about to treat of St. Palladius. they
June,
But nothing had been found to warrant any special notice; at least, we are not furnished with any particulars, which might enable us to understand, if any such feast should have place in the Calendar, for the introduction seems to have been on the sole authority of Dempster, who may be regarded in the double capacity of inventive saint-maker and of unscrupulous saint-stealer.
Kelly, p. xxviii.
2
(z), ibid,
Article x. —1 See "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Julii vi. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 249.
2 Thus: "In Hibernia, Golinise virginis. "
Julii vi. p. 250.
Among the pretermitted saints,
"
3 In Hibernian"
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
3 Thus :
Fube. " We suspect the reading should be
"heros nostra; gentis de Autro
Antro Fube. "
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. * See O'Sullevan Beare's Historic
"
Cathoiicce Ibernire Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xii. , p. 54.
5 See ibid. , cap. xi. , p. 50. Articlexi. —1 See"ActaSanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Julii vi. Among the pretermitted Appendix T, p. 249, and Appendix LL, feasts, p. 249.
188, 189. Article viii.
—
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxviii. Article ix. —»
See "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
2 See the Sixth Volume of this work, at 2 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the that date, for a slight reference to him,
p. 379.
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 336, 337, and n. Art. iv.
"
Catalogus aliquorum Sanctorum
G
9 8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 7.
^ffaentb 2Bap of 3ulp,
ARTICLE I. —ST. MAOLRUAIN OR MAELRUAIN, ABBOT OF TALLAGII, COUNTY OF DUBLIN.
[EIGHTH CENTURY. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH OF ST. MAE1. RUAN—HE FOUNDS A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE AT TALLAGH—DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE—HE FORMS A SOCIETY OF CULDEES THERE—ANECDOTES—PERIOD OF FOUNDATION.
biography, says an eminent trench writer, is one of the most
recitals of the middle ages; it inspirited the weak and it terrified SAINnaTifLY
the powerful j it furnished a great bridle to curb society, and to preserve it from the violence of war. The legends or myths of Christianity were even
in harmony with social usages ; while through them, holy places were held sacred from the fierce intrusion of armed men. There the peaceful were pro-
tected,andtheirweaknesswasrespected; underthevividimpressionsofFaith,
1
morality had been observed, even through the stories of astounding miracles. The special contemporary, friend and companion, who knew the character of St. Maelruan so well, has set forth his fair renown, at this date, in the cele- brated " Feilire. "2 This must have been one of the earliest commemorations ofthepresentholyman. TheBollandists3 haveonlyverybrieflyrecorded the name of Moelruanus Episcopus, at the 7th of July. There are notices of him, likewise, in the work of Rev. Dr. Lanigan. * From all we can learn
regarding him, Maelruain belonged to the race of Eochaidh, son to Muiread- hach, who sprung from the seed of Heremon. s The father of St. Maelruan is called Colman. Broicseach was the name of his mother. 6 We are not informed about the place of his birth. This latter event occurred, most pro- bably about the beginning of the eighth century. It is greatly to be regretted, that we have so few personal records of a saint, who was so very remarkable in his time, and whose life had such a marked influence on the revival of reli-
gion and literature in the early Irish Church. We do not know where he had
Article i. —Chapter i. — ' See Cape-
Ague's"Charlemagne,"tomei. , chap,ii. ,
p. 39.
2 Thus we find the stanza, taken from the
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. CalendarofOengus. p. cix.
On the
ii. , Julii vii. Among the pretermitted feasts,
p. 452.
4 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. Hi. , chap. xx„ sect, vi. , p. 232, and on. 46, 47, pp. 233, 234.
S One hundred and eighty-one Irish kings are said to have reigned from the lime of Ihremon to Roderick. See Ciraldi Cam- brensis Opera, vol. v. Edited by James F. Dimock, M. A. , "
splendid sun of the isle of the Gael. " According to a note, in the I. eabhar "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Brcac copy of the Calendar of St. yEngus.
"
translation of Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
Leabliar Breac" copy, with the English
LAmoppluAgA-o tigniAp pApmern cpom coe-oen moelpu<Mii A-opech pichco 5piAn An nvopi ^oe-oel.
"With a beautiful host, Parmenius' great
Topographia Ilibernica,"
heavy troop, Moelruain ran to heaven—, Dist. in. , cap. xlv. , p. iSS. •
3 See "Acta tomus Sanctorum,"
July 7. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 99
been educated, although it seems to be a fact well established, that he had
been well grounded in a religious and literary training, before he thought of establishinghisownverycelebratedschool. Hemusthaveresolvedonleading
a religious life, when young, and he wns probably advanced to holy orders, when he was of an age to assume their obligations. Our writers, who allude tohim,callhimabishop; but,itdoesnotseemlikely,thatheattainedtothat distinction, at least, until he had first been in charge of his celebrated monas- tic institute, for which he had framed special Rules. However, there seems to be no very ancient authority or evidence, which might warrant us in sup- posing, that he had attained to the episcopal rank.
A pious and an illustrious King of Leinster, named Donnchadh or Don-
och, who flourished in the beginning of the eighth century, is said to have
bestowedthesiteofTamlachtonSt. Maelraan. ? But,asheonlyruledover
the province for one year, and perished in battle towards the close of a. d.
727, this seems too early a date for the religious foundation. From Dun-
8
chadh, the region around Tamlacht was subsequently called Ui-Dunchada. 9
This is known to have comprised that portion of the present county of
Dublin, through which the River Dodder flows. 10
11
It is more generally
12
believed, however, that Cellach, son of Dunchadh,
Tamlacht to St. Mae1main. Its earliest name was derived from the first recorded pestilence, 13 or Tam/i, which destroyed Parthalon's colony, and which is referred by the Four Masters to a. m. 2820, according to the long chronology of theSeptuagint. Theentrybythoseannalistsis, "NineTho—usandofParthalon's
died in one week on T * five thou- Sean-Mhagh-Ealta-Edair namely,
people
sand men and four thousand women. "** Whence it was named Tamlacht Muin-
tire Parthaloin ; while, after the lapse of ages, this place was called Tallagh,near Dublin. 10 The tumuli of these early colonists, who died from that sudden
for Tallacht or Tamlaght.
M This destruction of the colony of Par-
thalon, which is said to have occurred in
"the old plain of the valley of the flocks," stretchingbetweenBenEdair,nowknownas
Howth, and Tallaght, and on which-the city of Dublin now stands, is thus mentioned in the "Book of Invasions," contained in the " Book of Leinster. " " In Sean-Magh-Etair Parthalon became extinct in a thousand men and four thousand women, of one week's mortality," or " Tamh" This translation is by Professor Eugene O'Curry. This is the oldest manuscript account of that pestilence that we now possess.
'5 Likewise, in an ancient bardic poem, in
" Partha- Ion's people, to the number of nine thou-
sand, died of Tamh in one week. "
,6 In the "Chronicon Scotorum MSS. ,"
as translated by Mr. O'Curry, the following
entry occurs " In one thousand five hun- :
tired and four (400 according to Eochaidh O'Flinn) from Parthalon's arrival in Ireland till the first mortality ( Duiiie-bhadh, i. e. , human mortality) that came in Ireland after the Deluge ; that is, the death by pestilence (Tamh) of Parthalon's people, which hap- pened on Monday, in the calends of May, and continued till the Sunday following. It
'
was from that mortality ( Dnine-bhadh) of Parthalon's people the name of the (7aim-
" tures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient
7 See Professor Eugene O'Curry's
Lee-
Iiish History," Lect. xvii. , p. 364.
8 He had a son Faelan, father of Bran,
father to Murchadhach, father of Faelan, father to Lorcan, father of Dunchadh, from whom descended the families of Mac Gilla- mocholmog, of O'Byrne, and of O'Toole, so famous in the history of Leinster.
Dunchadh was awarded
9 This
to him as an inheritance.
territory
10 See "The Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Naomh O'iluidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan, LL. D. , pp. xiii. , xiv. , and nn. 58, 59, and p. liv. , n. 438.
11 He was the son of Murchadh, son to Bran Mut, or the Silent, belonging to the Ui Dunlaing.
12 He fell in the battle of Almhaor Allen, in Kildare, by the sword of his brother Faelan, ancestor of the Ui Faelan, or the O'Byrnes.
13 In a " Report of the Census Commis- sioners of Ireland for the year 1 85 1," part v. , vol. i. , we find a most valuable annalistic reference to diseases and pestilences, in this country, from the earliest times to the pre- sent. In this able report, which does so much credit to the learning and research of Sir William Robert Wilde, we find various accounts, which serve to furnish a derivation
the ''Book of Leinster, it is said
:
King of Leinster,
gave
100 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[July 7.
epidemic, can still be seen upon the hills in its vicinity. This is the first recorded pestilence in Ireland. The—Irish word Tamk means an epidemic
andthetermTamhleadit the monument1? —whichfre- plague
pestilence;
quently enters into topographical names in Ireland, signifies a place where a
number of cut off persons
were interred 18 together.
by pestilence
At present, this is the well-known village "9 and parish, in the barony of
Uppercross, and in the county of Dublin. It lies on the western slope of the mountains, which form so beautiful an outline, as seen from the metropolis of
Villa igh, County of Dul
Ireland. It lies about five miles from the city. The village is beautifully
20
Tavellagh or Taulagh-Maelruny, from having been founded and afterwards
21
dedicated to the present saint.
Amid the prevailing laxity of monastic discipline, here St.
Maelruain
gathered around him a fraternity, for whom he ordained certain rules of stricter observance. These consisted partly of precepts for conventual and sacerdotalguidance; but,theywereespeciallydistinguished,bytheprinciples
laid down, and by the regulations prescribed for religious worship and the exercise of devotion. 22 It is very likely, that a very numerous community was formed, and the members placed themselves under his guidance, as
situated, in a fine open country.
This place is said to have been called
Abbot and f—ounder of a new order. A list of the u
of Maelruain ofTallagh" viz. ,thecontemporarieswithwhomhehadcontractedaninti-
leachta (the death or mortality place) of the men of Ireland is derived. "
17 See the version of Sanar* Cho]\niAic, or
engraved by Mrs. Millard.
Lewis' "
of Ii eland," vol. ii. , pp. 587, 588.
' See D'Alton S " of the John History
County of Dublin," p. 761.
'•
llie Culdees of the British Islands, as they appear in History : with an Appendix of Evidences. " By William Reeves, D. D. , &c, part ii. , sect, ii. , p. 7. 19 The accompanying illustration, drawn Dublin, 1864, 4I0. This remarkably re- on the spot by William F. Wakeman, and searched and learned Treatise seems to ex- by him transferred to the wood, has been haust all that can be known regarding the
Cormac's "
Stokes, LL. D. , p. 160.
'' translated and anno- tated by the late John O'Donovan, LL. D. Edited with Notes and Indices, by Whitley
18
Glossary,
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters, "vol. i. , pp. 8, 9, andn. (c), ibid,
unity-folk
Topographical Dictionary
July 7. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
101
mate union—is to be
Book of Leinster. 24 A stanza 2 * on the same men, is attributed to Cormac Mac Cuillanain.
ancient Culdees.
33 At the end of column
24 Now preserved in the Franciscan Con-
vent, Merchants' Quay, Dublin.
County of Dublin," p. 761.
3° See Professor " Lec- Eugene O'Curry's
tures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xvii. , p. 364.
25 At the end of column
3I See Dr. O'Donovan's vol. edition,
i. ,
26
5.
The same stanza is copied in the lower
margin, apparently in Colgan's handwriting.
pp. 272, 273.
32 In 817, a new rule and additional regu-
found,
in the detached ten 2*
folia, belonging
to the
Few personal anecdotes, regarding this holy Abbot Maelruain have been pre- served. A commentator on the " Feilire " of St. yEngus, at this date, has an account of a certain thief, who stole the only cow, belonging to the Ostiarius of Mailruain of Tallaght. The latter 2 ? was urgent on his patron saint to avenge the theft ; but, Maelruain advised the door-keeper to bide his time, and that the devil should inflict on the thief still greater evil, while his punishment in hell
should be the 28 because the heavier,
transgressor
more bad actions the longer he continued in this life. There is extant a
romantic Irish poem, entitled u Legendary Story of St. Maelruan, first bishop
of 2 ? From the character of the we well it is Tallagh. " heading, may suppose,
not a genuine account of any incident in his career.
It is stated, that St. Maelruan there founded a church, in honour of God
and of St. Michael the Archangel, in the year 769. 3° This, likewise, is the date given for the first erection of Tamlacht-Mailruain, in the u Annals of the
1
Four Masters. "*
years after the institution by Chrodegang of the order of Canons in his church of Metz, and to whom the title of Fratres Dominici had been given. It was subsequentlychangedtothatofCanonici. Theywereanintermediateclass, between monks and secular priests. They adopted to a great extent the dis- cipline without the vows of monks, while they discharged the office of minis- ters in various churches. *2 St. Maelruain's institution have
27 He said " I me not thankful for the lations had been enacted for the order of
of St. Maelruain
:
" "
:
patron that avengeth not my cow on the
thief, for we see him without want of cattle
or of children or of health. "
28
This is represented as having been expressed in an Irish rami, the composition
—
SeAnj; hiperiMm 1/m-o jroruiech 1nichiAH CAingen ocuf bj\ech SechmAlL alerTA Ar\cech 16
Sir*ifiur»tt nihimApgo.
Canons, at the Council of Aix-la-Chapelle. 33 See Rev. Dr. Reeves on " The Cul-
dees of the British Islands," &c, part ii. ,
It is thus translated into English by Dr. Whitley Stokes: "Seng t sessam (? ) have we for every one, afar offtrial and judgment, oblivion of their
on — advantage every day,
tain. "
See ibid. ,
p. 362^.
eternal hell (it is) not a falsehood. "
3
A
of this is
in a
Parch-
"
copy
given,
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. Notes from the Lebar Brecc, pp. 91, 92, p. cxvii.
29 See D'Alton's " of the John History
page,'
6 and
enumerating
these
This church of Tamlacht was founded, about twenty-four
Possibly, may been borrowed from, or may have had some features in common with, the
order of Canons. It seems to be pretty well established, that both the Keledei of Scotland, as well as the Colidei of Ireland, exhibited the main characteris- tics of secular canons in their discipline, during the ages that succeeded this
period.
33
3.
sect, ii. , pp. 9, 1—0. ii.
was to commit permitted
x
Chapter copy
of the
of " found in the Martyrology Tallagh
Book of Leinster," as edited by Dr. Robert
Atkinson, we read at that date, the follow-
"
ing entry: iiii. Idus Augusti Maelruain
cum suis reliquiis Sanctorum martyrum et virginum ad Tamlachtain venit. " See
c.
2 On a 6th of September, as we find it set
down thus : "hi. Non. Sep. Adventus reli- quiarum Scethi filiae Mechi ad Tamlach-
p. 361
large
ment 4to Manuscript, No. 223, belonging to the Messrs. Hodges and Smith collection,
preserved in the Royal Irish Academy.
4 For a fuller account of this valuable his-
In that
io2 LIVES 01 7HE IRISH SAINTS.
[July 7.
CHAPTER II.
THE LITERARY COMPOSITIONS OF ST. MAELRUAIN—DEATH OF CEALLACH, AND HIS BURIAL AT TAMLACHT—ST. /ENGUS THE CULDEE JOINS THAT COMMUNITY—THE CULDEES—RULE OF ST. MAELRUAIN.
Already have we alluded to the date for St. Maelruain's establishment at Tallagh ; and, if we may draw an inference from a Festival set down in its Calendar, the 10th of August was a day on which the holy founder brought to
1
or deposited at that place the relics of venerated Martyrs and Virgins, with
suitable rites and ceremonies. It is probable, that on the occasion, the church there and its altar had been consecrated ; for we know, that the con- tinuous practice, in the case of such ceremonials, is to place relics of the saints within the altar-stone on which the holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Another supposition may be arrived at, however, that those relics had been conveyed in procession, and had been placed in shrines, which were placed probably over the high altar ; for we know, likewise, that at a period sub- sequent, other sacred relics 2 had arrived at Tallaght, and that the annual commemoration of both events was regarded as matter for observance there, both by the monks- and by the people, who annually assembled to pray before those sacred remains.
Besides his other excellent virtues and accomplishments, St. Maelruain
is traditionally regarded as having indulged in literary work, and he is credited with having been a poet. Yet of his genuine metrical compositions, we doubt if many of them have been preserved. An Irish poem is said to have been composed by St. Maelruan of Tallagh. 3 A much more important compilation has come down to our times, and it is known as the Martyrolo-
gium Tamlactense, or the " Maityrology of Tallaght. "* It has been supposed, that the conception and authorship of this work were due, in the first instance, to St. Maelruain ;5 although, it is thought, he received assistance in its pre- paration, from the celebrated St. /Engus the Culdee, 6 who was a subject and an inmate of his monastery. That we have not the original draft of St. Mael- ruain's composition is proved from the fact, that his own name has been entered in the preserved and published copies, at this same day. However, it seems most probable, that St. ^ngus added to the work, after St. Mael- ruain's death ; and, even after the death of the former, we find the insertion of St. /Engtis'* own name, so thatthere must have been interpolations, in nearly all thelatercopies. Indeed,itwasnounusualcustomforunauthorizedpersonsto tamper with records of this character, by introducing items of information on their own responsibility, and to complete what they deemed to be defects or omissions. This was especially the case, with regard to copies of Annals or ofCalendars, preserved in our monasteries. 7
It should seem, that the temporal patron of Tallaght must have preserved very close personal relations with St. Maelruain and his community. This
torical and ecclesiastical record, the reader
is referred to the First Volume of this work.
Introduction, sect. ii. Also to the Third et Moelruaiii. " Volume, at the nth of March, Ait. i. , in the
Life of St. /Engusius Hagiographus or St.
. /Engus the Culdee, chap. iii.
s See Kev. Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. iii. , sect, vi. , n. 47, p. 224.
who inserted
such comments, as well as on
Lanigan's
" Ecclesiastical
chap, xx. ,
some writers have done—on those illogically
"
6 On its title lias been found, also. , Martyrologium Aengussii filii Ilua-obhlenii
1 1t should be very unwarrantable to charge
these additions as attempted forgeries—as
the monks, who preserved such records, and who transmitted them to posterity.
July 7. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
103
may fairly be inferred, from the simple entry which remains to us of an Irish dynast's closing career. According to the "Annals of the Four Masters/'8 Cellach died a. d. 771. He is said to have been buried at the church in Tal-
laght ; and, no doubt, for many long succeeding generations, the pious com- munity there offered up Masses and prayers for their deceased benefactor.
We believe the following story to be apocryphal, as it seems unchronological.
10
Saighir, and she was desirous of going to the Island of Doiinhle. This is held
12 who have As we have seen already,^ the greater probability is, that it lay between the counties of Wex-
Mainnsena,9 the mother of Brenaiun,
of Biorr, as we are told,
11
came to
to have been the Clear well-known present Cape Island, by
writers,
was the admis- then little known to fame and wishing himself to be altogether unnoticed as an humble postulant. The celebrity of St. Maelruin's institute, and the congeniality of its discipline to his peculiar habits, probably induced St. ^Engus to leave Dysart Enos and to visitTamlacht. Foralongtime,heservedthereasamerefarmlabourer, and only an accident brought him prominently under the observation of the Abbot St. Maelruan. Afterwards they became bosom friends, while their
tastes in literature and sympathies in holy exercises continued to the close of St. Maelruan's career. Elsewhere, this narrative has been written, and it is only necessary to refer the reader to those pages, which serve to illustrate the biography of both saints.
Those religious, known as the Culdees, were at Tallagh, during the time
furnished some description and illustrations of that place.
ford and Waterford. " Go said Ciaran of not,"
1 * " it is in but,
Saighir,
Tamhlacht thy own resurrection and the resurrection of thy son Brenaiun shall be. " It does not appear, that Tamlacht had a cemetery before the eighth century. One of the most interesting and instructive incidents of the
while Maelruain ruled over the — at this period monastery place,
sion of the celebratedSt.
^Engusthe
15 Culdee—
ofSt. Melruan. 16 fromtheLivesofSt. Patrickandofother Although
very early Irish saints, we find the designation Culdee applied to holy servants of
God ; yet, it has been thought, this term was not in vogue in their time, but
thatitwas
subsequently applied.
x? Sofaraswecan thebrothers understand,
8
See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. ,
^Engussius Hagiographus or St. /Engus the Culdee, in the Third Volume of this work
pp. 376, 377.
9 A note by Dr. Todd says, at the fore-
"
at the nth of March, Art. i. , chaps, ii. , going word, Mainnsena. This paragraph iii. , iv.
