Patrick, since, the soothsayer, Balaam,
draim —and bothofCillcleithe 3 and
;" Eoghan Niell, f Ros,^*
or
Rus,=s
ofDun-
daleithglassf^ alltheseplacesbeingwithinthepresentcountyofDown.
draim —and bothofCillcleithe 3 and
;" Eoghan Niell, f Ros,^*
or
Rus,=s
ofDun-
daleithglassf^ alltheseplacesbeingwithinthepresentcountyofDown.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
See
ibid. , n. 46, p. 19.
^See "Tertia Vita S. Patricii," cap.
xxxi. , p. 23.
urged, that the streight, or river, connecting the bay, with the strand, is the "fretum brenasse," and that either the Blackstaff or Drumca River, entering the north end of the strand, is the River Slainge. The inhabi- tants, also, give it as a tradition, that the parish derived its name, owing to the fact of the saint having first kindled, on the Kinle,
9° It is also a singular circumstance, that "
Dundrum Bay itself is designated Holy
Bay," in a very ancient unpublished map,
belonging to the manuscript library of hills, which traverse it, the light of the
Trinity College, thus, apparently showing, that some peculiar sanctity was attached to
the place.
9' See " De Prassulibus Hibernise Com-
mentarius. "
9^ In his annotations, Harris writes, that
or the Mouth of the River Slaing, is now called the Bay of Dnn- drum, in the county of Down. The River Slaing, or Slain, riseth in the barony of Castle-reagh, and county of Down, and, takingasoutherlycourse,fallsintot—he
north end of the Bay of Dundruvi. "
Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
magh," p. 12, note. here be found.
93 See " The Life of St. Patrick, Apostle
of Ireland," chap, xi. , p. 127, note.
9^ North of the outer bay, a narrow
streight or river runs from the bulls of the
to the town of Dundrum,— it bar, connecting
with the strand, or inner bay a large sheet of water at high tide. The inhabitants of Ballykinlar parish, which is situate to the east side of this strand, point out a nook, in Middle Ballykinlar, as the place of St.
Gospel. The place has its name, Baile- Caindlera, signifying the "town of the candlestick," because it furnished lights for Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
95 Among these may be named Rev. Dr. "
the ' ' Inkber
Slaing,
Ireland," vol. i. , sect, chap, v. ,
ii. ,
n.
16,
"
But, nosxich river can
ing the barony of Ards, states : —"After- wards the said barony of Ards is bounded on thesouthsidebyanarmeofthesea,called Loghcoyn, which (from Newtowne) extends to Portaferry Towne in the Ards, and Strangford Towne in the barony of Lecale, betwixt which two townes the sea, comeing in by a strong current and a narrow passage, makes Lochcoyn aforesaid, and that narrow entry of the sea is called Strangford, because of tiie swift and rapid entry which the sea
is
Archbishops of Ar-
the saint. See
"
Ordnance Survey Town-
Lanigan. See Ecclesiastical History of
pp. 213, 214.
9* The Down survey of 1650, in describ-
there makes. " The
" word, "ford,"
or fiordr," itself Danish, signifying a frith, or streight. This is precisely the character of Strangford River, and the Danish of
"strong" is "streng," thus showing the nametobeofDanishorigin.
544 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
with " Brennasse. " Yet, there is additional proof, which confirms this view.
For, a townland, near Strangford Lough, and now named Ballintougher. w was formerly called Ballybrene, in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas. '°° No reasonable doubt can exist, that the name, Brenasse, is the Latinized form of " brena," entering into the composition of the name Balibren. Nor, can there be a question, that the land of Brena, stated to have been overflowed, and that Balibren, mentioned in the Taxation, were identical. Such forms naturally imparted a name to the " Fretum Brenasse. " On the southern shore of Lough Strangford, a small river—formerly called the Slaney"'— empties itself between Saul's and Gore's Islands ; nor can there be any doubt, owing to its name, and to the fact, that immediately near its exit are the Slaney Rocks,'°^ it was the Slainge, where St. Patrick and his companions disembarked. '°3 It was formerly a tidal river, for upwards of a mile, and nigh to the little village of Raholp. '°* In past times, it had been of importance, as a government port. Latterly, a battery and floodgate have been erected, near its mouth, for the purpose of keeping out the tide, and of reclaiming the broad expanse of land, at the embouchure.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE IRISH apostle's ARRIVAL AT SAUL—SOOTHSAYERS' PREDICTIONS REGARDING HIS COMING—KING LAOGHAIRE'S INSTRUCTIONS—OPPOSITION AND CONVERSION OF DICHUO OR DICHU—ST. PATRICK ERECTS A CHURCH AT SAUL—PUNISH- MENT OF A MAGICIAN—ST. PATRICK VISITS HIS FORMER MASTER, MILCHO, BUT FAILS IN EFFECTING HIS CONVERSION—TERRITORIAL POSITION OF THE CRUITHNI AND DALARADIANS—ST. PATRICK RETURNS TO DICHU—HE RECEIVES ROSS, OR RUS, INTO THE CHURCH—HE INSTRUCTS AND BAPTIZES MOCHOE, AFTERWARDS BISHOP OF ISLAND MAHEE—ST. PATRICK RELEASES THE SONS OF DICHU FROM CAPTIVITY.
As Saint Patrick and his companions approached the shore, they desired some respite from their labours. ' At the end of the Brene Strait, and at the mouth of the Slaney River, their bark^ was concealed, in some creek, when
97 See " An Inquiry into the true Land- ing-place of St. Patrick in Ulster," pub- lisliedatDownpatrick,June,1858,byJ. W. Hanna, pp. 12.
5^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 6, 7, and n. (w. ) 99 This is to be seen, in the parish of Saul,
"
on the Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the of Sheet County Down," 31.
two miles to the south. See " Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Down,"Sheet38. Itismoreplainlymarked, on Kennedy's Map of the County Down, pub- lished in 1767, and on Williamson's, pub- lished in 1814, than on the Ordnance Maps. The two former show it, as being then con- siderably broad at the mouth,
'°^ On a is these, diiiUas^, seaweed,
gathered by the neighbouring iniiabitants.
'"^ See W. Hanna's J.
"'°
bren,
with Ballintougher, on the authority of an Inquisition, 3 Edward VI. See Rev. \Villiani Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Antiqui-
ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," p. 40, n. (k. )
'°'
This was related to Mr. Hanna, by all
pp. 7 to 10.
'"^ This is in the parish of Ballyculter, barony of Lower Lecale, and it is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down," Sheet 31.
Chapter viii • See " Vita S. Quarta
Patricii," cap. xxxiii. , p. 39.
^ That vessel, in which the saint had
sailed, was a hooker or wherry, and not a ship. It is recorded, that on reaching land,
thevoyagershidit, nearsomesequestered part of the coast. This could not have been
In A. D. 1306. The old church of Bali-
here has been identified mentioned,
into the
the old near the the residents, place; but,
name had fallen into disuse, in 185S, since the
stream had been previously embanked. The
opening or estuary lies, between the town-
lands of Ballintougher, andRingbane or Rin- ban, " the white Promontory. " The little
River Slaney rises in Loughmoney, about
"Inquiry
true Landing-place of St. Patrick in Ulster,"
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 545
the missionaries travelled a little distance into the country,3 perhaps, to re-
connoitre its position, and to obtain some necessary intelligence, for their holy-
objects. They seem to have travelled westwards, towards Saul, which was
about two miles distant ; and, from it, the high hills of Ballintougher must
have intercepted a view of their vessel, lying in the Slaney River. * Mean-
time, the Magicians, and Soothsayers of that region,s had long before
prophesied, regarding St. Patrick's approach, and in the manner following :
"
There shall come a man, vvith his crown shaved, and in his hand a crooked staff; his table shall be set in the east of his house, and his people shall stand behind him; from his table he shall sing blasphemies, and all his family will answer, Amen, Amen. When this man shall come, he will destroy our Gods, throw down our altars, and temples ; he shall seduce the people and bring them after him ; he shall subdue, or take away our kings, who will resist him. His doctrines, too, shall reign for ever. " Somewhat different in terms, although agreeing in substance, are the magical prophecies, attributed to the Druids, in the Tripartite Life. ^ At this time, the reigning Monarch of Ireland, Laeghaire Mac Neill,7 a fierce and cruel pagan, had many Magi or Haruspices,^ who are said to have predicted what should happen, in the future ; and, among these, the chief ones were Lochra or Lochru, and Lo- chadh Mael or Luchat Calvus. 9 A certain Conn, or Constantine,'° is said, also, to have had this foreknowledge of the Irish Apostle, probably three
done, had it been a ship. It was, therefore,
a sort of large boat, which St. Patrick liad
either purchased or hired. See Rev. Dr. Lani- "
See the Second Life, cap. xxix. , p. 14. * This situation answers well to the de-
scription given, in the Book oi Armagh, re- garding the Slain, which runs at the end of the Brene.
sjocelyn gives it the Irish title Vlagh, and the Latin rendering Vlidia. At first, that province was called by ancient Irish writers, Ulta and Ulaidh, and by Latin writers Ul- tonia, Ulidia, or more correctly, Uladia,
Thus it to all rendered, applied Ulster,
ever, while he makes Theodosius the sixtieth
Emperor after Augustus, the Latin Tripar- tite Life deems Theodosius to have been the
sixty-fifth, while the Irish Tripartite sets him down as the forty- fifth— probably a—n
3
—The Galasius quoted in the Tripartite was unknown to Colgan. He does not seem to have been Pope St. Galacius L. , who died A. D. 496,
nor Galasius, Archbishop of Armagh, who succeeded St. Malachy O'Morgair, and who flourished A. D. 1150, unless some interpo- lator inserted such a chronological addition to the Tripartite text.
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
gan's
vol. i. , chap, v. , sect, iii. , n. 22, p. 217.
excepting the county of Cavan. Besides, it and included Louth. But, when the Dalfiatach,
in the second century of the Christian era, and afterwards the race of CoUa, and the sons of Niall, invaded it, the original rulers and
guish them, as only two distinct persons, Probus, on the contrary, notes them as three, whom he calls Locri, Eglid and Mel. See " Vita S. lib.
were driven into a more confined
people
space, now represented by the County of Down, where the were
Quinta xxvi. , p. 49.
people specially called Ulidiaiis, in the time of Jocelyn. The annals and customs of Uladh are set forth, in Rev. Dr. Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Anti- quities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
thought
him identical, with
Appendix 1. 1. , pp. 352 to 369.
*
See the Seventh Life, lib. i. , cap. xliii. ,
p. 123, and, also Miss Cusack's "Life of
St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 379 to 381, with notes.
7 It was said, by Galasius, that St. Patrick came into Ireland, in the fifth year of his reign, Pope Ceiestine being in the eighth
year of his Popedom, in the eighth year of
the Emperor Theodosius' reign. Colgan the British Museum. This was transcribed
thinks, that the foregoing statement tallies very well with received chronology. How-
VoL. III. —No. 9.
error of transcription.
®
Life calls " **
Jocelyn calls them Arioli. The Second
them, venefici,"' incantatores," nequissimse artis inventores. "
"
9 While most of St. Patrick's Acts distin-
Patricii,"
'° Some have
Conn of the Hundred Battles, who reigned over Ireland, from A. D. 123 to 157. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 102 to 105. Colgan thinks, however, that a different person, among the Druids or Magi of Ireland, is here meant, so far as memory served him, regarding some document he had read.
" There is a Poem, known as the " Baile
Chuinn Ched-Chathaigh," or Ecstasy of Conn of the Hundred Battles, a copy of
which was found by Eugene O'Curry, in
on vellum, about A. D. 1590, by Donnel
O'Davoren, in Burren, County Clare. The 2 M
1849, among the Egerton MSS. , No. 88, of
i. , cap.
546 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
hundredyearsbeforethatperiod. " Nor,needitseemstrange,orincredible, if the Lord inspired, or even permitted, that magicians should thus foretel the
^^
and King Nabuchodnazor, as Jocelyn remarks, plainly prophesied the coming of Christ,'3 and even the devils most reluctantly bore testimony to the Son of God. ^* ThoseMagiciansandtheirprophecieshadmovedLaogaire,tocom- mand his subjects throughout all his dominions, that they should watch all the havens, and ports, in order to drive St. Patrick away, when or whereso- ever he should land. ^s
A reigning chieftain of that district, afterwards called Lecale,'*^ was Dichu,
or Dichuo,^7 the son of Trichim,^^ belonging to the race, of Fiatach Finn, Monarch of Ireland. Regarding his parentage, however, most of St. Patrick's Lives are silent. '^ He is said to have had six other brothers, who are thus named : Laeghaire, of Dun f° Ailill, of Maghbile f Duirthect, of Aen-
arrival and the several acts of St.
Patrick, since, the soothsayer, Balaam,
draim —and bothofCillcleithe 3 and
;" Eoghan Niell, f Ros,^*
or
Rus,=s
ofDun-
daleithglassf^ alltheseplacesbeingwithinthepresentcountyofDown. Dichuo was a pagan, and he had a swineherd there employed. He was the firstwhometthestrangers. ThegreatApostleofIrelanddesiredtomakemen free in that land, where he had formerly been a slave, when a youtli, and where he had served in a like lowly capacity. It is a singular circumstance, that after hiding their ship or ships, at Inber-Slani, the first person met was a swineherd ; thus, practising that same occupation, St. Patrick had himself
composition, professing to have been written of Downpatrick, Saul, as also other religious in the second century, predicts the fortunes establishments. In the Second Life (cap.
and misfortunes of the Irish people, down to the time of a false fratricidal King of Tara —supposed to have been Domnall Brea- ghach O'Maeilsechlainn, who murdered his cousin Diarmaid, the rightful heir, in A. D.
XXX. , p. 14), Dichu is said to have lived in the plain Inish, or as the Irish called it, Mag-Inish, or the " Island plain ;" since, as Colgan thinks, this district, if not in reality an island, was at least a peninsula. See n.
1 179. In his reign, the Saxons were to come 51, p. 19. See its description and historical
into Ireland. Unless these quotations be
regarded as interpolations, they show the Tripartite Life of our saint to have been a
comparatively modem composition. See more on this subject, in " Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish His- tory," lect. xviii. , pp. 385 to 387, and Ap- pendix, No. cxxvii. , pp. 617, 618.
'" See Numbers xxii. , xxiii. , xxiv.
'^ See Daniel ii. , iii. , iv.
"• See " Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap.
xxxi. , p. 71, and n. 31, pp. 109, no.
'5 See
" ibid. , cap. xxxii. , p. 71. And, also,
Septima Vita S. Patricii," lib. i. ,* cap. xliii. , and nn. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, pp. 123, 171, 172. There is an account regarding the time of St. Patrick's mission, differing from
"
notices, in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
Appendix I. , pp. 201 to 205.
^^ He was afterwards venerated, as a
saint ; and, it is thought, his festival was kept at Saul, on the 29th of April.
'"
See the Third Life, cap. xxxi. , p. 23, and the Seventh Life, lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , p.
124.
'' Thus, we may mention the First,
Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Lives.
^ Possibly Downpatrick. "' NowMoville.
^
of April. By Jocelyn, he is said to have the received version of it, in the Book of been "prsedicto Dichu Germanus came
'* Lecan, at fol. 306. a. b. See the Cata-
logue of Manuscripts, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy," compiled by Eugene O'Curry. There is likewise a Poem, by Finn Mac Cumhaill, on St. Patrick's coming into Ireland. It is classed 23, H. I, p. 82, in the Hodges and Smith Collection of Manu- scripts, described at p. 688.
^^ Calle—d in Irish, Leth-Cathail, " Cathal's
portion,"
Rus. "—"Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxiv. , p. 72.
^5 He is called the son of Trichem, in the Second (cap. xxxi. , p. 14), Third (cap. xxxii. , p. 23), and Fourth Lives (cap. xxxvii. , p. 39). He is said to have lived, towards the south of Dichuo's residence. Had the writers of these Acts known, that Dichuo was his son, it appears strange, that they
now co-extens—
have not so
in the same
ive with the
designated him, and,
modern barony of Lecale manner, because it be-
longed to a chief so named, who flourished about A. D. 700. In it were situated the city
with to Rus. regard
Now Island Mahee.
=3 Now Kilclief.
-' His feast is supposed to fall on the 7tk
as
However, the notion, that Dicho and Rus were brothers, has probably had its origin,
they did,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 547
been subjected to, in the country, whither he had now come, in order to
proclaim Christ's Gospeh That swineherd of Dichu, however, thought those strangers, whom he met, were pirates or thieves. ^7 At once, he communi- cated such intelHgence to his master, and brought him to the place, whither they had come. The chieftain, Dichuo, was a man of great strength, of gigantic stature, and of a fierce spirit. In a transport of rage, this chief set his dogs to worry or devour them. ^^ Whereupon, St. Patrick cried out : "NetradasDoniinebestiisanimasconfitentestibi. "^9 Yet,anattackinganimal no sooner saw God's servant, than he became mute, and apparently stiff as a stone. On seeing this, it is said,3° that Dichuo drew out a sword, thinking to kill the saint. But God, opposing the shield of his divine protection, all Dichu's strength failed him. That celebrated miracle, which the Book of Kings relates to have been formerly \vrought on Jeroboam, St. Patrick more profitablyrenewedonthisoccasion. Whenthatkingwassacrificingtoidols, and had stretched out his hand to seize the prophet, who was reproving him, forthwith his arm stiffened. On his repentance, however, the prophet healed him, yet the king did not when healed forsake his error. 3^ Such a paralysis, as we are told, grew over all his body, that Dichuo could neither stir hand nor foot. This punishment, however, led to his conversion. The noble, seeingthisgreatmiraclewroughtuponhimself,becameanotherman; forhe, and all his household, inspired by God and believing in Christ, were baptized. Dichu having obtained health both of soul and body, bestowed upon Saint Patrick the place, where that miracle happened, with all necessary appurte-
nances, for the building of a church. Then the saint imparted to him a
special blessing. 3^ Hence, from accounts, Dichu or Dichuo is generally held tohavebeenthefirstconvert,madeinUlsterj33 but,heseems,eventohave been the first in Ireland, received by St. Patrick into the Church. 34
Contrary to the usual practice of church-building, Dichu's bam ran from north to south. 35 However, this granary was actually converted into a
church ; and, probably, St. Patrick obtained a spot of ground adjoining it, foraplaceofinterment,orforecclesiasticalpurposes. s^ Thisplacegotthe name of Sabul Patric, or Sabhall, now Saul. 37 It was called, Sabhall Padrurc,38 or Saint Patrick's Bam, even to the twelfth century, when Jocelyn wrote his
from such a circumstance. Then, four more brothers, and all belonging to the most noble house of Dalfiatach, are mentioned. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect. ii. , n. 17, p. 215.
=* Now Downpatrick.
^'^
See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick," p. 382.
No one of his sept or kindred Shall di«, except after a long life. "
—"
Miss Cusack's Life of St. Patrick," p.
382.
33 So Colgan conjectures, as he thinks,
owing to the Tripartite statement, that Sineli had been the first made in Ireland.
See lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , p. 124. In thissup- position, he is followed by Harris, in his edition of Sir James Ware's Works, vol. i.
" of 12. Archbishops Armagh," p.
34 xhe Second Life expresses this most
clearly, "crediidtet baptizatus est, et pri-
mus Scotorum per Patricium confessus est. "
See cap. xxix. , p. 14. The Fourth Life
adds to the account of his belief and baptism,
"
" XXIX. , p. 14.
"/ See
Secunda Vita S. Patricii," cap.
*9 See the Seventh P' 114'
Life,
lib.
i. , cap. xlvii. ,
**
3' See iii. Kings, xiii. 4.
3^
"
By Jocelyn.
It is thus expressed :—
The
Who gave me the Sabhall ;
May he be hereafter, Heavenly, joyous, glorious.
blessing
of God on
Dichu,
— ut
primus Scotorum, fertur, per Patricium
" The blessing of God on Dichu—
confessus est. " Cap. xxxiii. , p. 39. Pro- bus, also, has a like statement. See the Fifth Life, lib. i. , cap. xxviii. , p. 49,
35 See the Third Life, cap. xxxi. , p, 23,
and the Sixth Life, cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
Dichu with full folds
^ See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical
(flocks) ;
548 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
ibid. , n. 46, p. 19.
^See "Tertia Vita S. Patricii," cap.
xxxi. , p. 23.
urged, that the streight, or river, connecting the bay, with the strand, is the "fretum brenasse," and that either the Blackstaff or Drumca River, entering the north end of the strand, is the River Slainge. The inhabi- tants, also, give it as a tradition, that the parish derived its name, owing to the fact of the saint having first kindled, on the Kinle,
9° It is also a singular circumstance, that "
Dundrum Bay itself is designated Holy
Bay," in a very ancient unpublished map,
belonging to the manuscript library of hills, which traverse it, the light of the
Trinity College, thus, apparently showing, that some peculiar sanctity was attached to
the place.
9' See " De Prassulibus Hibernise Com-
mentarius. "
9^ In his annotations, Harris writes, that
or the Mouth of the River Slaing, is now called the Bay of Dnn- drum, in the county of Down. The River Slaing, or Slain, riseth in the barony of Castle-reagh, and county of Down, and, takingasoutherlycourse,fallsintot—he
north end of the Bay of Dundruvi. "
Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
magh," p. 12, note. here be found.
93 See " The Life of St. Patrick, Apostle
of Ireland," chap, xi. , p. 127, note.
9^ North of the outer bay, a narrow
streight or river runs from the bulls of the
to the town of Dundrum,— it bar, connecting
with the strand, or inner bay a large sheet of water at high tide. The inhabitants of Ballykinlar parish, which is situate to the east side of this strand, point out a nook, in Middle Ballykinlar, as the place of St.
Gospel. The place has its name, Baile- Caindlera, signifying the "town of the candlestick," because it furnished lights for Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
95 Among these may be named Rev. Dr. "
the ' ' Inkber
Slaing,
Ireland," vol. i. , sect, chap, v. ,
ii. ,
n.
16,
"
But, nosxich river can
ing the barony of Ards, states : —"After- wards the said barony of Ards is bounded on thesouthsidebyanarmeofthesea,called Loghcoyn, which (from Newtowne) extends to Portaferry Towne in the Ards, and Strangford Towne in the barony of Lecale, betwixt which two townes the sea, comeing in by a strong current and a narrow passage, makes Lochcoyn aforesaid, and that narrow entry of the sea is called Strangford, because of tiie swift and rapid entry which the sea
is
Archbishops of Ar-
the saint. See
"
Ordnance Survey Town-
Lanigan. See Ecclesiastical History of
pp. 213, 214.
9* The Down survey of 1650, in describ-
there makes. " The
" word, "ford,"
or fiordr," itself Danish, signifying a frith, or streight. This is precisely the character of Strangford River, and the Danish of
"strong" is "streng," thus showing the nametobeofDanishorigin.
544 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
with " Brennasse. " Yet, there is additional proof, which confirms this view.
For, a townland, near Strangford Lough, and now named Ballintougher. w was formerly called Ballybrene, in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas. '°° No reasonable doubt can exist, that the name, Brenasse, is the Latinized form of " brena," entering into the composition of the name Balibren. Nor, can there be a question, that the land of Brena, stated to have been overflowed, and that Balibren, mentioned in the Taxation, were identical. Such forms naturally imparted a name to the " Fretum Brenasse. " On the southern shore of Lough Strangford, a small river—formerly called the Slaney"'— empties itself between Saul's and Gore's Islands ; nor can there be any doubt, owing to its name, and to the fact, that immediately near its exit are the Slaney Rocks,'°^ it was the Slainge, where St. Patrick and his companions disembarked. '°3 It was formerly a tidal river, for upwards of a mile, and nigh to the little village of Raholp. '°* In past times, it had been of importance, as a government port. Latterly, a battery and floodgate have been erected, near its mouth, for the purpose of keeping out the tide, and of reclaiming the broad expanse of land, at the embouchure.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE IRISH apostle's ARRIVAL AT SAUL—SOOTHSAYERS' PREDICTIONS REGARDING HIS COMING—KING LAOGHAIRE'S INSTRUCTIONS—OPPOSITION AND CONVERSION OF DICHUO OR DICHU—ST. PATRICK ERECTS A CHURCH AT SAUL—PUNISH- MENT OF A MAGICIAN—ST. PATRICK VISITS HIS FORMER MASTER, MILCHO, BUT FAILS IN EFFECTING HIS CONVERSION—TERRITORIAL POSITION OF THE CRUITHNI AND DALARADIANS—ST. PATRICK RETURNS TO DICHU—HE RECEIVES ROSS, OR RUS, INTO THE CHURCH—HE INSTRUCTS AND BAPTIZES MOCHOE, AFTERWARDS BISHOP OF ISLAND MAHEE—ST. PATRICK RELEASES THE SONS OF DICHU FROM CAPTIVITY.
As Saint Patrick and his companions approached the shore, they desired some respite from their labours. ' At the end of the Brene Strait, and at the mouth of the Slaney River, their bark^ was concealed, in some creek, when
97 See " An Inquiry into the true Land- ing-place of St. Patrick in Ulster," pub- lisliedatDownpatrick,June,1858,byJ. W. Hanna, pp. 12.
5^ See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 6, 7, and n. (w. ) 99 This is to be seen, in the parish of Saul,
"
on the Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the of Sheet County Down," 31.
two miles to the south. See " Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Down,"Sheet38. Itismoreplainlymarked, on Kennedy's Map of the County Down, pub- lished in 1767, and on Williamson's, pub- lished in 1814, than on the Ordnance Maps. The two former show it, as being then con- siderably broad at the mouth,
'°^ On a is these, diiiUas^, seaweed,
gathered by the neighbouring iniiabitants.
'"^ See W. Hanna's J.
"'°
bren,
with Ballintougher, on the authority of an Inquisition, 3 Edward VI. See Rev. \Villiani Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Antiqui-
ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," p. 40, n. (k. )
'°'
This was related to Mr. Hanna, by all
pp. 7 to 10.
'"^ This is in the parish of Ballyculter, barony of Lower Lecale, and it is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down," Sheet 31.
Chapter viii • See " Vita S. Quarta
Patricii," cap. xxxiii. , p. 39.
^ That vessel, in which the saint had
sailed, was a hooker or wherry, and not a ship. It is recorded, that on reaching land,
thevoyagershidit, nearsomesequestered part of the coast. This could not have been
In A. D. 1306. The old church of Bali-
here has been identified mentioned,
into the
the old near the the residents, place; but,
name had fallen into disuse, in 185S, since the
stream had been previously embanked. The
opening or estuary lies, between the town-
lands of Ballintougher, andRingbane or Rin- ban, " the white Promontory. " The little
River Slaney rises in Loughmoney, about
"Inquiry
true Landing-place of St. Patrick in Ulster,"
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 545
the missionaries travelled a little distance into the country,3 perhaps, to re-
connoitre its position, and to obtain some necessary intelligence, for their holy-
objects. They seem to have travelled westwards, towards Saul, which was
about two miles distant ; and, from it, the high hills of Ballintougher must
have intercepted a view of their vessel, lying in the Slaney River. * Mean-
time, the Magicians, and Soothsayers of that region,s had long before
prophesied, regarding St. Patrick's approach, and in the manner following :
"
There shall come a man, vvith his crown shaved, and in his hand a crooked staff; his table shall be set in the east of his house, and his people shall stand behind him; from his table he shall sing blasphemies, and all his family will answer, Amen, Amen. When this man shall come, he will destroy our Gods, throw down our altars, and temples ; he shall seduce the people and bring them after him ; he shall subdue, or take away our kings, who will resist him. His doctrines, too, shall reign for ever. " Somewhat different in terms, although agreeing in substance, are the magical prophecies, attributed to the Druids, in the Tripartite Life. ^ At this time, the reigning Monarch of Ireland, Laeghaire Mac Neill,7 a fierce and cruel pagan, had many Magi or Haruspices,^ who are said to have predicted what should happen, in the future ; and, among these, the chief ones were Lochra or Lochru, and Lo- chadh Mael or Luchat Calvus. 9 A certain Conn, or Constantine,'° is said, also, to have had this foreknowledge of the Irish Apostle, probably three
done, had it been a ship. It was, therefore,
a sort of large boat, which St. Patrick liad
either purchased or hired. See Rev. Dr. Lani- "
See the Second Life, cap. xxix. , p. 14. * This situation answers well to the de-
scription given, in the Book oi Armagh, re- garding the Slain, which runs at the end of the Brene.
sjocelyn gives it the Irish title Vlagh, and the Latin rendering Vlidia. At first, that province was called by ancient Irish writers, Ulta and Ulaidh, and by Latin writers Ul- tonia, Ulidia, or more correctly, Uladia,
Thus it to all rendered, applied Ulster,
ever, while he makes Theodosius the sixtieth
Emperor after Augustus, the Latin Tripar- tite Life deems Theodosius to have been the
sixty-fifth, while the Irish Tripartite sets him down as the forty- fifth— probably a—n
3
—The Galasius quoted in the Tripartite was unknown to Colgan. He does not seem to have been Pope St. Galacius L. , who died A. D. 496,
nor Galasius, Archbishop of Armagh, who succeeded St. Malachy O'Morgair, and who flourished A. D. 1150, unless some interpo- lator inserted such a chronological addition to the Tripartite text.
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
gan's
vol. i. , chap, v. , sect, iii. , n. 22, p. 217.
excepting the county of Cavan. Besides, it and included Louth. But, when the Dalfiatach,
in the second century of the Christian era, and afterwards the race of CoUa, and the sons of Niall, invaded it, the original rulers and
guish them, as only two distinct persons, Probus, on the contrary, notes them as three, whom he calls Locri, Eglid and Mel. See " Vita S. lib.
were driven into a more confined
people
space, now represented by the County of Down, where the were
Quinta xxvi. , p. 49.
people specially called Ulidiaiis, in the time of Jocelyn. The annals and customs of Uladh are set forth, in Rev. Dr. Reeves' " Ecclesiastical Anti- quities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
thought
him identical, with
Appendix 1. 1. , pp. 352 to 369.
*
See the Seventh Life, lib. i. , cap. xliii. ,
p. 123, and, also Miss Cusack's "Life of
St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 379 to 381, with notes.
7 It was said, by Galasius, that St. Patrick came into Ireland, in the fifth year of his reign, Pope Ceiestine being in the eighth
year of his Popedom, in the eighth year of
the Emperor Theodosius' reign. Colgan the British Museum. This was transcribed
thinks, that the foregoing statement tallies very well with received chronology. How-
VoL. III. —No. 9.
error of transcription.
®
Life calls " **
Jocelyn calls them Arioli. The Second
them, venefici,"' incantatores," nequissimse artis inventores. "
"
9 While most of St. Patrick's Acts distin-
Patricii,"
'° Some have
Conn of the Hundred Battles, who reigned over Ireland, from A. D. 123 to 157. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 102 to 105. Colgan thinks, however, that a different person, among the Druids or Magi of Ireland, is here meant, so far as memory served him, regarding some document he had read.
" There is a Poem, known as the " Baile
Chuinn Ched-Chathaigh," or Ecstasy of Conn of the Hundred Battles, a copy of
which was found by Eugene O'Curry, in
on vellum, about A. D. 1590, by Donnel
O'Davoren, in Burren, County Clare. The 2 M
1849, among the Egerton MSS. , No. 88, of
i. , cap.
546 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
hundredyearsbeforethatperiod. " Nor,needitseemstrange,orincredible, if the Lord inspired, or even permitted, that magicians should thus foretel the
^^
and King Nabuchodnazor, as Jocelyn remarks, plainly prophesied the coming of Christ,'3 and even the devils most reluctantly bore testimony to the Son of God. ^* ThoseMagiciansandtheirprophecieshadmovedLaogaire,tocom- mand his subjects throughout all his dominions, that they should watch all the havens, and ports, in order to drive St. Patrick away, when or whereso- ever he should land. ^s
A reigning chieftain of that district, afterwards called Lecale,'*^ was Dichu,
or Dichuo,^7 the son of Trichim,^^ belonging to the race, of Fiatach Finn, Monarch of Ireland. Regarding his parentage, however, most of St. Patrick's Lives are silent. '^ He is said to have had six other brothers, who are thus named : Laeghaire, of Dun f° Ailill, of Maghbile f Duirthect, of Aen-
arrival and the several acts of St.
Patrick, since, the soothsayer, Balaam,
draim —and bothofCillcleithe 3 and
;" Eoghan Niell, f Ros,^*
or
Rus,=s
ofDun-
daleithglassf^ alltheseplacesbeingwithinthepresentcountyofDown. Dichuo was a pagan, and he had a swineherd there employed. He was the firstwhometthestrangers. ThegreatApostleofIrelanddesiredtomakemen free in that land, where he had formerly been a slave, when a youtli, and where he had served in a like lowly capacity. It is a singular circumstance, that after hiding their ship or ships, at Inber-Slani, the first person met was a swineherd ; thus, practising that same occupation, St. Patrick had himself
composition, professing to have been written of Downpatrick, Saul, as also other religious in the second century, predicts the fortunes establishments. In the Second Life (cap.
and misfortunes of the Irish people, down to the time of a false fratricidal King of Tara —supposed to have been Domnall Brea- ghach O'Maeilsechlainn, who murdered his cousin Diarmaid, the rightful heir, in A. D.
XXX. , p. 14), Dichu is said to have lived in the plain Inish, or as the Irish called it, Mag-Inish, or the " Island plain ;" since, as Colgan thinks, this district, if not in reality an island, was at least a peninsula. See n.
1 179. In his reign, the Saxons were to come 51, p. 19. See its description and historical
into Ireland. Unless these quotations be
regarded as interpolations, they show the Tripartite Life of our saint to have been a
comparatively modem composition. See more on this subject, in " Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish His- tory," lect. xviii. , pp. 385 to 387, and Ap- pendix, No. cxxvii. , pp. 617, 618.
'" See Numbers xxii. , xxiii. , xxiv.
'^ See Daniel ii. , iii. , iv.
"• See " Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap.
xxxi. , p. 71, and n. 31, pp. 109, no.
'5 See
" ibid. , cap. xxxii. , p. 71. And, also,
Septima Vita S. Patricii," lib. i. ,* cap. xliii. , and nn. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, pp. 123, 171, 172. There is an account regarding the time of St. Patrick's mission, differing from
"
notices, in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
Appendix I. , pp. 201 to 205.
^^ He was afterwards venerated, as a
saint ; and, it is thought, his festival was kept at Saul, on the 29th of April.
'"
See the Third Life, cap. xxxi. , p. 23, and the Seventh Life, lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , p.
124.
'' Thus, we may mention the First,
Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Lives.
^ Possibly Downpatrick. "' NowMoville.
^
of April. By Jocelyn, he is said to have the received version of it, in the Book of been "prsedicto Dichu Germanus came
'* Lecan, at fol. 306. a. b. See the Cata-
logue of Manuscripts, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy," compiled by Eugene O'Curry. There is likewise a Poem, by Finn Mac Cumhaill, on St. Patrick's coming into Ireland. It is classed 23, H. I, p. 82, in the Hodges and Smith Collection of Manu- scripts, described at p. 688.
^^ Calle—d in Irish, Leth-Cathail, " Cathal's
portion,"
Rus. "—"Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. xxxiv. , p. 72.
^5 He is called the son of Trichem, in the Second (cap. xxxi. , p. 14), Third (cap. xxxii. , p. 23), and Fourth Lives (cap. xxxvii. , p. 39). He is said to have lived, towards the south of Dichuo's residence. Had the writers of these Acts known, that Dichuo was his son, it appears strange, that they
now co-extens—
have not so
in the same
ive with the
designated him, and,
modern barony of Lecale manner, because it be-
longed to a chief so named, who flourished about A. D. 700. In it were situated the city
with to Rus. regard
Now Island Mahee.
=3 Now Kilclief.
-' His feast is supposed to fall on the 7tk
as
However, the notion, that Dicho and Rus were brothers, has probably had its origin,
they did,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 547
been subjected to, in the country, whither he had now come, in order to
proclaim Christ's Gospeh That swineherd of Dichu, however, thought those strangers, whom he met, were pirates or thieves. ^7 At once, he communi- cated such intelHgence to his master, and brought him to the place, whither they had come. The chieftain, Dichuo, was a man of great strength, of gigantic stature, and of a fierce spirit. In a transport of rage, this chief set his dogs to worry or devour them. ^^ Whereupon, St. Patrick cried out : "NetradasDoniinebestiisanimasconfitentestibi. "^9 Yet,anattackinganimal no sooner saw God's servant, than he became mute, and apparently stiff as a stone. On seeing this, it is said,3° that Dichuo drew out a sword, thinking to kill the saint. But God, opposing the shield of his divine protection, all Dichu's strength failed him. That celebrated miracle, which the Book of Kings relates to have been formerly \vrought on Jeroboam, St. Patrick more profitablyrenewedonthisoccasion. Whenthatkingwassacrificingtoidols, and had stretched out his hand to seize the prophet, who was reproving him, forthwith his arm stiffened. On his repentance, however, the prophet healed him, yet the king did not when healed forsake his error. 3^ Such a paralysis, as we are told, grew over all his body, that Dichuo could neither stir hand nor foot. This punishment, however, led to his conversion. The noble, seeingthisgreatmiraclewroughtuponhimself,becameanotherman; forhe, and all his household, inspired by God and believing in Christ, were baptized. Dichu having obtained health both of soul and body, bestowed upon Saint Patrick the place, where that miracle happened, with all necessary appurte-
nances, for the building of a church. Then the saint imparted to him a
special blessing. 3^ Hence, from accounts, Dichu or Dichuo is generally held tohavebeenthefirstconvert,madeinUlsterj33 but,heseems,eventohave been the first in Ireland, received by St. Patrick into the Church. 34
Contrary to the usual practice of church-building, Dichu's bam ran from north to south. 35 However, this granary was actually converted into a
church ; and, probably, St. Patrick obtained a spot of ground adjoining it, foraplaceofinterment,orforecclesiasticalpurposes. s^ Thisplacegotthe name of Sabul Patric, or Sabhall, now Saul. 37 It was called, Sabhall Padrurc,38 or Saint Patrick's Bam, even to the twelfth century, when Jocelyn wrote his
from such a circumstance. Then, four more brothers, and all belonging to the most noble house of Dalfiatach, are mentioned. See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect. ii. , n. 17, p. 215.
=* Now Downpatrick.
^'^
See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick," p. 382.
No one of his sept or kindred Shall di«, except after a long life. "
—"
Miss Cusack's Life of St. Patrick," p.
382.
33 So Colgan conjectures, as he thinks,
owing to the Tripartite statement, that Sineli had been the first made in Ireland.
See lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , p. 124. In thissup- position, he is followed by Harris, in his edition of Sir James Ware's Works, vol. i.
" of 12. Archbishops Armagh," p.
34 xhe Second Life expresses this most
clearly, "crediidtet baptizatus est, et pri-
mus Scotorum per Patricium confessus est. "
See cap. xxix. , p. 14. The Fourth Life
adds to the account of his belief and baptism,
"
" XXIX. , p. 14.
"/ See
Secunda Vita S. Patricii," cap.
*9 See the Seventh P' 114'
Life,
lib.
i. , cap. xlvii. ,
**
3' See iii. Kings, xiii. 4.
3^
"
By Jocelyn.
It is thus expressed :—
The
Who gave me the Sabhall ;
May he be hereafter, Heavenly, joyous, glorious.
blessing
of God on
Dichu,
— ut
primus Scotorum, fertur, per Patricium
" The blessing of God on Dichu—
confessus est. " Cap. xxxiii. , p. 39. Pro- bus, also, has a like statement. See the Fifth Life, lib. i. , cap. xxviii. , p. 49,
35 See the Third Life, cap. xxxi. , p, 23,
and the Sixth Life, cap. xxxii. , p. 72.
Dichu with full folds
^ See Rev. Dr.
Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical
(flocks) ;
548 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
