The walls
remaining
average two feet ten inches in thickness.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
Noeman, p— Coemnech,
'
fair-laced, wise Dagan. Whitley Stokes'
"
Amatus the pure ones.
F? liie Hui Gormain," pp. 176, 177.
rudent
:
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 317
conversing with its Abbot. They beheld this holy man with his brethren, who were at work in a field near the monastery. On asking for St. Pnlcherius, the visitors were directed to him, where he was found at work
uponhisknees,andwithdueadmirationtheyac—costedhim. St. Pulcherius "
prophesied to them, in these following terms Brethren, think of the remedy for your souls, for death threatens you, and in a short time all of you shall die, excepting this little boy who is with you. " Not doubting the ful- filment of this prophecy, they did penance, and died after a few days. We
are told, that these monks were five in number, and that the boy who accom-
'
2 panied them was kept by St. Pulcherius, who diligently instructed him, *
together with another youth, who received lessons from the same master. On another day, it is related, that this holy father Pulcherius said to St.
:
Dagan u My son, if you read well, you shall receive from my hand, before
your death, the Communion of Christ's body and blood. " A few days after- wards,theboycamebyhisdeath,inthefollowingmanner. Thepeopleof
Ossory spoiled the country of Eile, whilst Dagan and his companions were tending calves belonging to the monastery. Then, too, other monks were engaged in various occupations. The Ossorian chieftain's followers, having surprised the pious herdsmen, beheaded St. Dagan. His companion con- trivedtoescapewithlife. St. Canice26wasstoppinginL—iathmoremonastery, at the time of—this accident. A herd who had escaped most probably with some wounds ran to St. Pulcherius, St. Canice and the other monks. He was restored, it was said, by God's grace manifested through the saints
already named. But the decapitated trunk of St. Dagan's body, together with the head, had been brought to the monastery. Then St. Pulcherius
:
said to St. Canice " Holy father, I have promised to give Communio—n to
this youth before his death, but as yet I have not fulfilled my promise let the power of God be shown in him through us. Wherefore, father, join his head to his body, or entreat the Lord, that he may be restored to life. " St.
:
Canice said " In the name of Christ, I will join his head to his body, but
do you beseech the Lord, that life will revive in him. " The holy Canice placed the head in its proper position, and it became once more firmly united
We are told, however, that before our Saint became an Abbot, he was under the care of a wise and holy senior, named Petrocus,28 for some years.
2 ? but, to the day of Dagan's subsequent
to the body, and life was restored
death, a circular mark was to be seen around his neck, to indicate that line of junction. On the instant, Dagan gave thanks to God for his miraculous recovery, and afterwards he received Holy Communion, at the hands of St. Pulcherius. Thus was the prediction accomplished ; and after this event, St. Dagan lived for a long time in lnverdaoile, as superior over a great number of monks.
This Patrocus was a Cambrian29 and of
royal
birth. On the death of his
25 The Life of Pulcherius adds
:
was under an impression, that our Saint had been buried at lnverdaoile.
26 His Life is given, at the nth of October, in the Tenth Volume of this work, Art. i.
Patrem Pulcherium legebat. " Colgan's according " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xii. Martii.
Vita S. Dagani, cap. ii. , pp. 584, 585, and ibid. , xiii. Martii- Vita S. Mochoemoi, cap. xxviii. , p. 594. It would seem from this statement, the writer of St. Pulcherius' Acts
to the Acts of St. Pulcherius.
a8 He is venerated on the 4th of June, where notices of him are to be found in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art. ii.
29 " Petrocus genere Camber. "—Ex Vita Petroci. " The Itinerary of John Ltland
;
" Et postea in sanctum virum, quern sanctum Daganum Abbatem vocavit, qui jam suo Monasterio nomine InbherDaile in Oriente Hiberniae
plaga in regione Lageniensium, scilicet in
plebe Dalmascorb posito juxta mare hands, St. Pulcherius prayed, and Dagan
et alius cum S, — was restored to life, and to his former jacet, puer Dagano, apud state,
2? While St. Canice held the youth in his
3i8 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September13,
father, the chiefs and people of the principality sought to elevate him to a vacant throne. But Petrocus, who disregarded the pomp of royalty, with
sixty of his companions entered a monastery, and assumed the religious habit. 3° After some considerable time, he went to Ireland, where he spent
twenty years, in the study of the Scriptures, and acquiring other courses of learning. He was animated with such a love of study, that he even excelled the celebrated masters who taught him 31 and having hoarded treasures of
;
science with laborious application, he transferred these riches obtained in Ireland to Corinia or Cornwall in England. 32 Harris has . also copied Colgan'sstatementthatourSaintstudiedunderPetrocus. 33 TherethisAbbot founded a monastery, near the Sabrinian Sea,34 and had for disciples, Credanus,35 Medanus,36 and Dacanus,37 who were celebrated for their learn- ing and sanctity. Colgan, who makes Dacan identical with St. Dagan, says the latter was subject to Petrocus' discipline for some years. From his mode of relation, it would seem, that these years of discipline and inst—ruction had
been spent in Ireland. 38 It would appear —if different persons
that
were Irishmen, from the circumstance of St. Petrocus having been twenty years before in Ireland,39 as also, because their festivals had been observed and commemorated in Ireland, and not in Britain. However, Dr. Lanigan states, that Colgan errs, in confounding our Saint with the other, named Dacan, that studied in Cornwall under the British Petrocus. 4° The same writer supposed it probable, that Petrocus was dead before the birth of our Saint, as it can hardly be allowed that he lived to the time of Dagan's man- hood, that is until near the end of the sixth century. 41 However, some mis- apprehension has prevailed, that Dagan had been a student at Bangor, which a Scotch story has placed in Scotland, and hence the Rev. Dr. Lingard alludes to him as a Caledonian Bishop. 42 Another opinion has been hazarded, that Dagan belonged to Bangor^ in Ireland. But these assump-
tions are all incorrect. 44
the Antiquary," vol. viii. , p, 52. Second rated, on the 17th of February. See in the
edition. 30 See
Second Volume of this work, at that date, Art. xx. Another St. Medan, son to Moil, was venerated on the 16th of September.
37 Leland, however, does not name the country of their birth, in his account of St. Petrocus.
" Nova Legenda
31 According to Leland, "S. Petrocus
monasticam professus vitam sub Regula D.
Benedicti — Bodminam tunc temporis apud
vocatum. " Joannis Lelandi Antiquarii. " De Rebus Britannicis Collectanea, vol. i. , p- 75- Thomas Hearn's Editio altera.
John Capgrave's Anglise. "
32
thesaurus cura, tandem inventus est
jam ne deliteret, inventor Hibernicas gazas in Coriniam—transtulit, et videndas omnibus exhibuit. " Commentarii de Scrip- toribus Britannicis," auctore Joanne Lelando, Londinate, tomus i. , cap. xxxv. , p. 61.
39 " Petrocus 20 annis studuit in
"Quaesitus
33 Harris' Ware, vol. ii.
Ireland," book i. , p. 24.
qui
Writers of
—
Hibernia. " Ex. Vita Petroci. See
hac laboriosa scientise
34 Leland " In ccenobio vero Apos- :
a child.
41 "
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
"
Ireland, and he had been master to Dagan's uncle, St. Kevin, or Coemgen, when the latter was
:
38 See
"
Acta Sanctorum
Colgan's
Hibernise," xii. Martii. Vita S. Dagani,
cap. iii. , iv. , p. 585.
"
Itinerary of John Leland the Antiquary," vol. viii. , p. 52, second edition.
40 For he lived in many years,
vol. ii chap, xiv. , sect, xvi. , n. 229 p. 366. says , ,
tolici oidinis, quod in Cornubia aliquot passuum millibus a Sabrino littore
cedificabat, discipulos habuit, Credanum, Medanum et Dacanum, viros doctrina et vitse sanctitate illustres. "
3s Thus, Cridan is venerated in Leinster at Achadh —Einnich Church—probably Agha- vannagh onthenthdayofMay. Seeat that date, the Fifth Volume of this work, Art. i.
36 St. Medan, son to Fechina, is commemo-
42 "
See the Antiquities of the Anglo-
SaxonChurch,"chap,i. , p. 39.
43 Smith, the editor of Bede, says, that
Dagan had been* deputed from the Monastery of Bangor in Ireland, to confer
with Laurence on the points then in dispute. See note in loco citato. This is also an incorrect statement.
44 That Dagan was an Irish bishop is evident from a well-known letter of the
these
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 3i9
After spending a long novitiate under the direction of his holy instructor,
at Liathmore, Dagan left this place, and sought a spot, whereon to erect a
house. He selected Inverdaoile,4^ near the sea-coast, in the south- eastern part of Wicklow County. The signification of Inverdaoile means the Mouth of a River called Daoile. 46 In was situated in the territory of Hy-Kenselach. InverdaoileisnowknownasEnnereilly,atownlandinthe parish so named,47 and containing the ruins of an old church, situated close to Mizen Head, in the barony of Arklow, and County of Wicklow. It is about four miles and a quarter, north-north-east from the town of Arklow. The river Dall or Deel is now called the Pennycomequick River. 48 In the Down Survey, Ennereilly is written Newville, In the year i839,49 two
religious
Ennereilly, County of Wicklow.
portions of the side walls belonging to the old church were still standing in
the old burying ground of Ennereilly. It is near the sea-shore, on a bleak and an exposed elevation, topping the North bank of what is usually called by the peasantry Redcross River. Some fine land and sea-views may thence
Roman prelates. It was written to the
clergy of Ireland, and in it, Bishop Dagan is spoken of as one of them. Then it re-
47 It is bounded on the north-east by Dunganstown parish, on the north-west by Red Cross parish, on the south-west by Kilbride parish, and on the east by the Irish Sea.
presents Dagan as
"
coming into this
Island "
inhancinsulamvenientem. " Accordingly,
we may conclude, that he did not come ber, Inbher-Doeli is described as in the from Caledonia or any part of Britain.
(Britain)
;
"
Daganum episcopum
45 to the " Genea- According Sanctilogium
territory of Dal-Mescorb, in Leinster, and
logicum" and other Irish authorities, Harris was wrong in calling the place Inverdagain. For this, he had no authority, except an error of the in "Acta Sanctorum
as " nomen in the East of Doel, amnis,"
Leinster. Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of
the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (d), p. 256. 49 See a Letter of Mr. O'Connor, dated
"
Letters con- taining Information relative to the County of Wicklow collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839," vol. i. , pp.
408, 409.
Press, Hibernise," at p. 586, where this name occurs instead of Inverdaoile.
Arklow, January 31st, 1839,
46 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , n. 232, p. 367.
48IntheFeilireAenguis,at13thSeptem-
320 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September13.
be obtained. The ruins of the old church are in the middle of what was untiloflateanunenclosedgrave-yard,havingnoancientmonuments. s° The church plan is still discoverable, as having consisted of a nave and chancel
—; the former 30 feet in length, by 20 in width interiorly the latter is 13 feet
in length, by 12 feet in breadth.
The walls remaining average two feet ten inches in thickness. Only small portions of the nave-walls stand, and with- out any feature of a door or window visible. The choir is level with the foundations. The field around is very green and fertile. The grave-yard is still much used for interments. Apparently the church is of g*eat antiquity. It is built of very rude materials. At a more recent period, a clumsy buttress appears to have been built at the south-west angle of the nave, as if to prop the walls, which have fallen round their bases, at various points. A hollowed holy water font lay outside the cemetery in a field adjoining. A well of pure water flows below the grave-yard into the river. No patron was there re- membered51 at the time when first visited by the writer. The cemetery was then unenclosed. At present, it has a wall surrounding it, 52 and built witli the rough flag-stones, found in a quarry adjoining, and set on edge, out- side a hawthorn hedge, which crowns the whole fence. " Few fragments of the side-walls now remain in the church-ruins, and only portions of the gables
are to be seen.
It is supposed, that the name Inverdaoile, afterwards had been changed to
that of Achadh-Dagan, /. <? . , the Field of Dagan ; or that a part of this tract,
so called, was subsequently distinguished by the name of Achadh-Dagan, as a consequence of its being the place chosen for our Saint's religious founda-
tion. There, having erected a monastery, he soon collected a community of monks, and he was regarded as Abbot over his own . foundation. For their government, he seems to have adopted the Rule of St. Molua. s* St. Dagan was promoted to the Episcopacy of Achadh-Dagain, sometime before the death of St. Molua,ss which took place in or shortly before the year 609. With the latter saint he was on terms of great intimacy ; and, he was visited by Molua immediately previous to his own death, that Dagan might direct the Abbot of CIonfert-Molua in the appointment of a successor for his monastery. St. Dagan named Lactan,s6 as a suitable person to succeed ; and St. Molua was highly pleased with this choice, which in every respect accorded with his own wishes and judgment. Then, St. Dagan besought the blessing of his venerable visitor, both for himself, and for that See, with the government of which he was charged. St. Molua replied, " Thy benediction will always come from on high. " After mutual prayers and blessings, both separated, and having given the kiss of peace, Molua badefarewelltohisfriendandtoAchad-Dagain. 57 TheAbbotofInverdaoile and the Bishop of Achadh-Dagan bore a similar name, while no distinct evidence has been adduced for their having been different persons. If such
s° the river," 54 See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesi- Crossing "fish-abounding
near the old church, is Pennycomequick arum Antiquitates," cap. xvii , p. 476.
bridge.
51 Such are the descriptive particulars and
information, collected at the spot, by the writer, in April, 1871.
''
Erected by the Poor-Law Guard ians*^of that Union.
5) On the occasion of a second visit to this spot, in July, 1897, the writer took a sketch of the ruins and enclosure as here presented. This drawing was transferred to the wood and engraved by Gregor Grey.
in the — seen, Eighth
ssHisLifeis tobe
Volume of this work, at the 4th of August the day for his feast, Art. i.
s6 Probably identical with Laidgen or Laidcend of Clonfert Molua, and whose festival is set at the 12th of January. See at that date, some account of him, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," xii. Martii. Vita S. Dagani, cap. vii. ,
57 See Colgan's p. 585.
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 321
werethecase,bothpersonageswerecertainlycontemporaneous. St. Dagan is named the Traveller,*8 because of the different journeys he made to the neighbouringIslandofBritain,andlikewiseonetoRome. Thislatter,how- ever, might have been only a continuation of the former journey. This circum- stance of our saint being called Dagan the Traveller, in the calendars, seems to indicate, that he visited distant countries, and amongst other places the capital of the Christian world. 5? His visit to Rome has been referred to a. d.
599.
60 He is said to have had an interview in Rome with
Pope Gregory
the Great, to whom he presented that rule which St. Molua had drawn up
for his monks. This Rule being read by the Pope, it received his warmest
approval, and elicited from him the highest public encomiums upon its
61
to Rome,62 but he adduces no reason to sustain his opinion. That he had
author.
Dr. Lanigan, however, seems disposed to doubt St. Dagan's visit
appears Bishops Laurentius,
6*
65 and
66 OurSaintwasan
from the letter written to the Irish
in 63 Clergy, 6oq,
been in Britain
the
his opinions and position on that subject. Laurence Archbishop of Canter- bury is said to have had pastoral charge, not only over the English Church, but even over the Britons or inhabitants of Wales, and over the Scots or Irish, who inhabited the neighbouring Island. This Laurence was chiefly desirous of bringing over the Irish and Britons to the English and Roman Easter observance. Besides he wished to render them amenable, in some
68
by
ardent supporter of the Irish practices regarding the Paschal computation,6? and it would seem that he had an interview with them, which did not change
Mellitus,
Justus.
other respects to canonical decrees.
Mellitus and Justus, these servants of the servants of God united in addressing a joint letter to thei—r most dear brethren the lords, bishops and abbo—ts
throughout all Scotia which at that time had reference solely to Ireland
58 Our Saint appears to have been called Itinerator, on account of his journeys to Britain and to Rome; most probably the latter journey was taken on the question of
the Paschal controversy.
59 Britain's neighbouring island was
within easy reach of Ireland, and intercourse
between both countries was so frequent
and uninterrupted, in the time of Dagan, Canterbury. He was the first bishop «f
that his visits merely across the Irish Rochester. Both he and Mellitus were
Channel could hardly have obtained for
our Saint his distinguishing appellation, had he not also passed over to the Continent.
afterwards obliged to fly into France, when
the southern Saxons had relapsed into
Paganism.
6? See Rev. Dr. " Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , sect, xvi. , p. 365.
68 In continuation of his account, Bede describes the Irish mode of celebrating Easter and this letter addressed to them by
60 at the Archbishop Ussher,
year dxcix. , says : Daganus abbas Regulam monasticam a Lugido sive Molua conditam ad Gregorium . 1. Roraam detulit : qui ea coram omnibus summopere 'laudata, salutem authori per internuncium ilium retulit. "—" Britanni-
carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. " Index the English bishops, in these terms " Sed, :
Chronologicus, p. 535. ut supra docuimus, a decima quarta luna, 61 "
See. Colgan's Acta Sanctorum usque ad vigessimam Dominicae Resurrec-
Hiberniae," xii. Martii. Vita S. Dagani, cap. tionis diem observandum esse putarent,
vi. , p. 585. scripsit cum coepiscopis suis exhortatoriam
fe
See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- ad eos Epistolam, obsecrans eos et
land," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, vii. , n. 94. , p. 209.
contestans unitatem pacis et Catholicae observationis cum ea, quae toto orbe diffusa
—"
able Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum. " lib. ii. ,
63 This letter may be seen, in the Vener- "
est Christi Ecclesia tenere. "
Historia
Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. 4.
64 This bishop succeeded St. Augustine,
cap. 4.
*» No doubt, also, it applied to the Scots,
Vol. IX. —No. 6.
x
Accordingly, in conjunction, with
6?
the first Archbishop of Canterbury, who died on the 26th of May, A. D. 605.
6s He was Bishop of London, and in the year 610, he went to Rome during the reign of Pope Boniface IV. to confer with him on the affairs of the English Church.
66
Justus was consecrated bishop and set over Kent by St. Augustine Archbishop of
322 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September13.
and the terms of which were to the following effect : —According to its custom
throughout the world, the Apostolic See had sent us to those western parts
to evangelize the Pagans, it has occurred, and also, into this island called
Britain, without a previous knowledge of it. We believed that the people
acted according to the custom of the Universal Church ; having great respect
for their sanctity, we have reverenced them, whether Britons or Scots. But
on knowing the Britons, we thought the Scots had been better. However,
through Dagan the Bishop 7° coming into this island we have named, and
throughColumbanus,? 1 theAbbotinGaul,wehavelearned,thattheScots
differ not in conversation from the Britons. For on Bishop Dagan coming to
us, not only was he unwilling to eat with us, but even he would not dwell in the
same house in which we were entertained. That Dagan had gone to Britain,
for the purpose of conferring with Laurence, is very probable, and it seems
to be hinted at in the letter, where he is said to have come to the Roman
2 prelates. ?
A phrase in their letter conveys the idea of his having paid the Roman
Bishops a visit, whether to do so was his chief object in passing over to
Britain, or, that happening to be there, he thought it right to call upon them. Nevertheless, his interview with them had not been productive of inter- changing harmonious opinions, so much to be des-ired at the meeting of Christian Prelates. The subject of their conference regarded the proper time for celebrating Easter ; and Dagan, who was attached to the Irish practice, refused to eat,? 3 not alone in company, but even to live under the same roof with those British Bishops, who favoured a different discipline. After conferring or disputing with the Roman Bishops, whether Dagan became determined, besides shunning their society, not to communicate with them in divinis, is not sufficiently clear. If so, he went further than he ought to have done ; as whatever difference occurred between the parties regarded neither faith nor any essential article of ecclesiastical discipline. 74 Wherefore, it is an absurdity on the part of certain writers 75 to represent this matter as tantamount to a real excommunication, and an irreconcilable differencebetweentheChurchofIrelandandofRome. Eveninthesupposi- tion that Dagan proceeded so far as a separation in divinis, this is to be understood, not as if he considered them excommunicated in the full sense
an Irish colony, then settled in the Southern parts of the present Scotland.
70 Sir James Ware says, it is possible, that the Bishop Dagan to whom Laurence addressed his epistle, was identical with Dagan, the contemporary of St. Fintan Munna, who died in 634 or 635. See "-De Scriptoribus Hibernise," lib. i. , cap. hi. , p.
17.
71 His festival occurs on the 2ist of
November.
? ' In the letter we read " Danganus
:
episcopus ad nos veniens," &c.
73 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan observes :" It
will be asked, how could he have induced himself to visit persons, with whom he would not condescend to take food. To this I answer, that, if, as in all appearance was the case, he did really visit those bishops, his refusing to eat or even stay in the same house with them could not have been in consequence of any pr . 'determination to that effect, but of something that occurred
after his paying the visit. The best manner to account for the matter is to admit, that in their conversation concerning the dis- puted points, some hot words were uttered and that Uagan felt himself so hurt, that he refused to partake of their hospitality. To suppose that he was previously resolved to keep up no sort of communion with them is directly opposite to the fact of his visit, and would indicate a line of conduct very unbecomingabishop. Surelyhewouldnot have prejudged them before he had heard their proposals—and what they had to say in
74 i n a similar case, St. Columbanus, firm as he was on those points, did not cease to hold communion with the Gallican clergy, notwithstanding his being constantly teased by them.
"Ecclesiastical of History
their defence. "
Ireland," vol. ii, chap, xiv. , sect, xvi. , n. 223 , pp. 367 to 369.
"
7S See the remarks of Dr. Ledwich, in his Antiquities of Ireland," p. 369.
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 323
of the word, that is, as quite out of the Church ; but it may indicate that sort of partial separation, of which we have innumerable instances in Ecclesi-
astical History, and according to which some particular bishops or churches declined communicating together, while at the same time both parties were in communion with the great body of the Catholic Church. ? 6 It is said, our Saint wrote a book to defend the Irish mode of celebrating Easter ;77 but, if so written,thisbookisnotknowntobeextant,atthepresentday. Thiswork
had for its reputed title
:
" Ad Britanorum Ecclesias," lib. i. ? 8 It has been
79 stated, that
our Saint
subsequently
embraced the Roman
rite,
8° which he
had so
difficulty he was induced to make the change.
81 with
earnestly opposed
in debates. previous
According
to
Lesley,
An opinion has been offered, that our Saint was not raised to the episcopacy, until he had visited the Eternal City, or after his return from Rome. Although no account has come down to us of our Saint having visited Rome in the time of Pope Gregory the Great, on this subject regard-
82
ing the Pashal controversy; yet, such an idea has been suggested by Colgan. It is by no means improbable, if Dagan was in Rome, that the principal object he had in view was to obtain correct information on this point, at the centre of Catholic Unity. It is stated, moreover, that he was present at the
Synod of the White Field, where he strenuously supported St. Fintan Munnu83 in a controversy, regarding the time most appropriate for celebrat- ing Easter. 8« The particulars relating to this remarkable convention are more fully set forth in the Life of St. Laserian, Bishop of Leighlin, at the 18th
of
8*
April.
'
fair-laced, wise Dagan. Whitley Stokes'
"
Amatus the pure ones.
F? liie Hui Gormain," pp. 176, 177.
rudent
:
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 317
conversing with its Abbot. They beheld this holy man with his brethren, who were at work in a field near the monastery. On asking for St. Pnlcherius, the visitors were directed to him, where he was found at work
uponhisknees,andwithdueadmirationtheyac—costedhim. St. Pulcherius "
prophesied to them, in these following terms Brethren, think of the remedy for your souls, for death threatens you, and in a short time all of you shall die, excepting this little boy who is with you. " Not doubting the ful- filment of this prophecy, they did penance, and died after a few days. We
are told, that these monks were five in number, and that the boy who accom-
'
2 panied them was kept by St. Pulcherius, who diligently instructed him, *
together with another youth, who received lessons from the same master. On another day, it is related, that this holy father Pulcherius said to St.
:
Dagan u My son, if you read well, you shall receive from my hand, before
your death, the Communion of Christ's body and blood. " A few days after- wards,theboycamebyhisdeath,inthefollowingmanner. Thepeopleof
Ossory spoiled the country of Eile, whilst Dagan and his companions were tending calves belonging to the monastery. Then, too, other monks were engaged in various occupations. The Ossorian chieftain's followers, having surprised the pious herdsmen, beheaded St. Dagan. His companion con- trivedtoescapewithlife. St. Canice26wasstoppinginL—iathmoremonastery, at the time of—this accident. A herd who had escaped most probably with some wounds ran to St. Pulcherius, St. Canice and the other monks. He was restored, it was said, by God's grace manifested through the saints
already named. But the decapitated trunk of St. Dagan's body, together with the head, had been brought to the monastery. Then St. Pulcherius
:
said to St. Canice " Holy father, I have promised to give Communio—n to
this youth before his death, but as yet I have not fulfilled my promise let the power of God be shown in him through us. Wherefore, father, join his head to his body, or entreat the Lord, that he may be restored to life. " St.
:
Canice said " In the name of Christ, I will join his head to his body, but
do you beseech the Lord, that life will revive in him. " The holy Canice placed the head in its proper position, and it became once more firmly united
We are told, however, that before our Saint became an Abbot, he was under the care of a wise and holy senior, named Petrocus,28 for some years.
2 ? but, to the day of Dagan's subsequent
to the body, and life was restored
death, a circular mark was to be seen around his neck, to indicate that line of junction. On the instant, Dagan gave thanks to God for his miraculous recovery, and afterwards he received Holy Communion, at the hands of St. Pulcherius. Thus was the prediction accomplished ; and after this event, St. Dagan lived for a long time in lnverdaoile, as superior over a great number of monks.
This Patrocus was a Cambrian29 and of
royal
birth. On the death of his
25 The Life of Pulcherius adds
:
was under an impression, that our Saint had been buried at lnverdaoile.
26 His Life is given, at the nth of October, in the Tenth Volume of this work, Art. i.
Patrem Pulcherium legebat. " Colgan's according " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xii. Martii.
Vita S. Dagani, cap. ii. , pp. 584, 585, and ibid. , xiii. Martii- Vita S. Mochoemoi, cap. xxviii. , p. 594. It would seem from this statement, the writer of St. Pulcherius' Acts
to the Acts of St. Pulcherius.
a8 He is venerated on the 4th of June, where notices of him are to be found in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art. ii.
29 " Petrocus genere Camber. "—Ex Vita Petroci. " The Itinerary of John Ltland
;
" Et postea in sanctum virum, quern sanctum Daganum Abbatem vocavit, qui jam suo Monasterio nomine InbherDaile in Oriente Hiberniae
plaga in regione Lageniensium, scilicet in
plebe Dalmascorb posito juxta mare hands, St. Pulcherius prayed, and Dagan
et alius cum S, — was restored to life, and to his former jacet, puer Dagano, apud state,
2? While St. Canice held the youth in his
3i8 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September13,
father, the chiefs and people of the principality sought to elevate him to a vacant throne. But Petrocus, who disregarded the pomp of royalty, with
sixty of his companions entered a monastery, and assumed the religious habit. 3° After some considerable time, he went to Ireland, where he spent
twenty years, in the study of the Scriptures, and acquiring other courses of learning. He was animated with such a love of study, that he even excelled the celebrated masters who taught him 31 and having hoarded treasures of
;
science with laborious application, he transferred these riches obtained in Ireland to Corinia or Cornwall in England. 32 Harris has . also copied Colgan'sstatementthatourSaintstudiedunderPetrocus. 33 TherethisAbbot founded a monastery, near the Sabrinian Sea,34 and had for disciples, Credanus,35 Medanus,36 and Dacanus,37 who were celebrated for their learn- ing and sanctity. Colgan, who makes Dacan identical with St. Dagan, says the latter was subject to Petrocus' discipline for some years. From his mode of relation, it would seem, that these years of discipline and inst—ruction had
been spent in Ireland. 38 It would appear —if different persons
that
were Irishmen, from the circumstance of St. Petrocus having been twenty years before in Ireland,39 as also, because their festivals had been observed and commemorated in Ireland, and not in Britain. However, Dr. Lanigan states, that Colgan errs, in confounding our Saint with the other, named Dacan, that studied in Cornwall under the British Petrocus. 4° The same writer supposed it probable, that Petrocus was dead before the birth of our Saint, as it can hardly be allowed that he lived to the time of Dagan's man- hood, that is until near the end of the sixth century. 41 However, some mis- apprehension has prevailed, that Dagan had been a student at Bangor, which a Scotch story has placed in Scotland, and hence the Rev. Dr. Lingard alludes to him as a Caledonian Bishop. 42 Another opinion has been hazarded, that Dagan belonged to Bangor^ in Ireland. But these assump-
tions are all incorrect. 44
the Antiquary," vol. viii. , p, 52. Second rated, on the 17th of February. See in the
edition. 30 See
Second Volume of this work, at that date, Art. xx. Another St. Medan, son to Moil, was venerated on the 16th of September.
37 Leland, however, does not name the country of their birth, in his account of St. Petrocus.
" Nova Legenda
31 According to Leland, "S. Petrocus
monasticam professus vitam sub Regula D.
Benedicti — Bodminam tunc temporis apud
vocatum. " Joannis Lelandi Antiquarii. " De Rebus Britannicis Collectanea, vol. i. , p- 75- Thomas Hearn's Editio altera.
John Capgrave's Anglise. "
32
thesaurus cura, tandem inventus est
jam ne deliteret, inventor Hibernicas gazas in Coriniam—transtulit, et videndas omnibus exhibuit. " Commentarii de Scrip- toribus Britannicis," auctore Joanne Lelando, Londinate, tomus i. , cap. xxxv. , p. 61.
39 " Petrocus 20 annis studuit in
"Quaesitus
33 Harris' Ware, vol. ii.
Ireland," book i. , p. 24.
qui
Writers of
—
Hibernia. " Ex. Vita Petroci. See
hac laboriosa scientise
34 Leland " In ccenobio vero Apos- :
a child.
41 "
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
"
Ireland, and he had been master to Dagan's uncle, St. Kevin, or Coemgen, when the latter was
:
38 See
"
Acta Sanctorum
Colgan's
Hibernise," xii. Martii. Vita S. Dagani,
cap. iii. , iv. , p. 585.
"
Itinerary of John Leland the Antiquary," vol. viii. , p. 52, second edition.
40 For he lived in many years,
vol. ii chap, xiv. , sect, xvi. , n. 229 p. 366. says , ,
tolici oidinis, quod in Cornubia aliquot passuum millibus a Sabrino littore
cedificabat, discipulos habuit, Credanum, Medanum et Dacanum, viros doctrina et vitse sanctitate illustres. "
3s Thus, Cridan is venerated in Leinster at Achadh —Einnich Church—probably Agha- vannagh onthenthdayofMay. Seeat that date, the Fifth Volume of this work, Art. i.
36 St. Medan, son to Fechina, is commemo-
42 "
See the Antiquities of the Anglo-
SaxonChurch,"chap,i. , p. 39.
43 Smith, the editor of Bede, says, that
Dagan had been* deputed from the Monastery of Bangor in Ireland, to confer
with Laurence on the points then in dispute. See note in loco citato. This is also an incorrect statement.
44 That Dagan was an Irish bishop is evident from a well-known letter of the
these
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 3i9
After spending a long novitiate under the direction of his holy instructor,
at Liathmore, Dagan left this place, and sought a spot, whereon to erect a
house. He selected Inverdaoile,4^ near the sea-coast, in the south- eastern part of Wicklow County. The signification of Inverdaoile means the Mouth of a River called Daoile. 46 In was situated in the territory of Hy-Kenselach. InverdaoileisnowknownasEnnereilly,atownlandinthe parish so named,47 and containing the ruins of an old church, situated close to Mizen Head, in the barony of Arklow, and County of Wicklow. It is about four miles and a quarter, north-north-east from the town of Arklow. The river Dall or Deel is now called the Pennycomequick River. 48 In the Down Survey, Ennereilly is written Newville, In the year i839,49 two
religious
Ennereilly, County of Wicklow.
portions of the side walls belonging to the old church were still standing in
the old burying ground of Ennereilly. It is near the sea-shore, on a bleak and an exposed elevation, topping the North bank of what is usually called by the peasantry Redcross River. Some fine land and sea-views may thence
Roman prelates. It was written to the
clergy of Ireland, and in it, Bishop Dagan is spoken of as one of them. Then it re-
47 It is bounded on the north-east by Dunganstown parish, on the north-west by Red Cross parish, on the south-west by Kilbride parish, and on the east by the Irish Sea.
presents Dagan as
"
coming into this
Island "
inhancinsulamvenientem. " Accordingly,
we may conclude, that he did not come ber, Inbher-Doeli is described as in the from Caledonia or any part of Britain.
(Britain)
;
"
Daganum episcopum
45 to the " Genea- According Sanctilogium
territory of Dal-Mescorb, in Leinster, and
logicum" and other Irish authorities, Harris was wrong in calling the place Inverdagain. For this, he had no authority, except an error of the in "Acta Sanctorum
as " nomen in the East of Doel, amnis,"
Leinster. Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of
the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (d), p. 256. 49 See a Letter of Mr. O'Connor, dated
"
Letters con- taining Information relative to the County of Wicklow collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839," vol. i. , pp.
408, 409.
Press, Hibernise," at p. 586, where this name occurs instead of Inverdaoile.
Arklow, January 31st, 1839,
46 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , n. 232, p. 367.
48IntheFeilireAenguis,at13thSeptem-
320 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September13.
be obtained. The ruins of the old church are in the middle of what was untiloflateanunenclosedgrave-yard,havingnoancientmonuments. s° The church plan is still discoverable, as having consisted of a nave and chancel
—; the former 30 feet in length, by 20 in width interiorly the latter is 13 feet
in length, by 12 feet in breadth.
The walls remaining average two feet ten inches in thickness. Only small portions of the nave-walls stand, and with- out any feature of a door or window visible. The choir is level with the foundations. The field around is very green and fertile. The grave-yard is still much used for interments. Apparently the church is of g*eat antiquity. It is built of very rude materials. At a more recent period, a clumsy buttress appears to have been built at the south-west angle of the nave, as if to prop the walls, which have fallen round their bases, at various points. A hollowed holy water font lay outside the cemetery in a field adjoining. A well of pure water flows below the grave-yard into the river. No patron was there re- membered51 at the time when first visited by the writer. The cemetery was then unenclosed. At present, it has a wall surrounding it, 52 and built witli the rough flag-stones, found in a quarry adjoining, and set on edge, out- side a hawthorn hedge, which crowns the whole fence. " Few fragments of the side-walls now remain in the church-ruins, and only portions of the gables
are to be seen.
It is supposed, that the name Inverdaoile, afterwards had been changed to
that of Achadh-Dagan, /. <? . , the Field of Dagan ; or that a part of this tract,
so called, was subsequently distinguished by the name of Achadh-Dagan, as a consequence of its being the place chosen for our Saint's religious founda-
tion. There, having erected a monastery, he soon collected a community of monks, and he was regarded as Abbot over his own . foundation. For their government, he seems to have adopted the Rule of St. Molua. s* St. Dagan was promoted to the Episcopacy of Achadh-Dagain, sometime before the death of St. Molua,ss which took place in or shortly before the year 609. With the latter saint he was on terms of great intimacy ; and, he was visited by Molua immediately previous to his own death, that Dagan might direct the Abbot of CIonfert-Molua in the appointment of a successor for his monastery. St. Dagan named Lactan,s6 as a suitable person to succeed ; and St. Molua was highly pleased with this choice, which in every respect accorded with his own wishes and judgment. Then, St. Dagan besought the blessing of his venerable visitor, both for himself, and for that See, with the government of which he was charged. St. Molua replied, " Thy benediction will always come from on high. " After mutual prayers and blessings, both separated, and having given the kiss of peace, Molua badefarewelltohisfriendandtoAchad-Dagain. 57 TheAbbotofInverdaoile and the Bishop of Achadh-Dagan bore a similar name, while no distinct evidence has been adduced for their having been different persons. If such
s° the river," 54 See Ussher's " Britannicarum Ecclesi- Crossing "fish-abounding
near the old church, is Pennycomequick arum Antiquitates," cap. xvii , p. 476.
bridge.
51 Such are the descriptive particulars and
information, collected at the spot, by the writer, in April, 1871.
''
Erected by the Poor-Law Guard ians*^of that Union.
5) On the occasion of a second visit to this spot, in July, 1897, the writer took a sketch of the ruins and enclosure as here presented. This drawing was transferred to the wood and engraved by Gregor Grey.
in the — seen, Eighth
ssHisLifeis tobe
Volume of this work, at the 4th of August the day for his feast, Art. i.
s6 Probably identical with Laidgen or Laidcend of Clonfert Molua, and whose festival is set at the 12th of January. See at that date, some account of him, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," xii. Martii. Vita S. Dagani, cap. vii. ,
57 See Colgan's p. 585.
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 321
werethecase,bothpersonageswerecertainlycontemporaneous. St. Dagan is named the Traveller,*8 because of the different journeys he made to the neighbouringIslandofBritain,andlikewiseonetoRome. Thislatter,how- ever, might have been only a continuation of the former journey. This circum- stance of our saint being called Dagan the Traveller, in the calendars, seems to indicate, that he visited distant countries, and amongst other places the capital of the Christian world. 5? His visit to Rome has been referred to a. d.
599.
60 He is said to have had an interview in Rome with
Pope Gregory
the Great, to whom he presented that rule which St. Molua had drawn up
for his monks. This Rule being read by the Pope, it received his warmest
approval, and elicited from him the highest public encomiums upon its
61
to Rome,62 but he adduces no reason to sustain his opinion. That he had
author.
Dr. Lanigan, however, seems disposed to doubt St. Dagan's visit
appears Bishops Laurentius,
6*
65 and
66 OurSaintwasan
from the letter written to the Irish
in 63 Clergy, 6oq,
been in Britain
the
his opinions and position on that subject. Laurence Archbishop of Canter- bury is said to have had pastoral charge, not only over the English Church, but even over the Britons or inhabitants of Wales, and over the Scots or Irish, who inhabited the neighbouring Island. This Laurence was chiefly desirous of bringing over the Irish and Britons to the English and Roman Easter observance. Besides he wished to render them amenable, in some
68
by
ardent supporter of the Irish practices regarding the Paschal computation,6? and it would seem that he had an interview with them, which did not change
Mellitus,
Justus.
other respects to canonical decrees.
Mellitus and Justus, these servants of the servants of God united in addressing a joint letter to thei—r most dear brethren the lords, bishops and abbo—ts
throughout all Scotia which at that time had reference solely to Ireland
58 Our Saint appears to have been called Itinerator, on account of his journeys to Britain and to Rome; most probably the latter journey was taken on the question of
the Paschal controversy.
59 Britain's neighbouring island was
within easy reach of Ireland, and intercourse
between both countries was so frequent
and uninterrupted, in the time of Dagan, Canterbury. He was the first bishop «f
that his visits merely across the Irish Rochester. Both he and Mellitus were
Channel could hardly have obtained for
our Saint his distinguishing appellation, had he not also passed over to the Continent.
afterwards obliged to fly into France, when
the southern Saxons had relapsed into
Paganism.
6? See Rev. Dr. " Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xiv. , sect, xvi. , p. 365.
68 In continuation of his account, Bede describes the Irish mode of celebrating Easter and this letter addressed to them by
60 at the Archbishop Ussher,
year dxcix. , says : Daganus abbas Regulam monasticam a Lugido sive Molua conditam ad Gregorium . 1. Roraam detulit : qui ea coram omnibus summopere 'laudata, salutem authori per internuncium ilium retulit. "—" Britanni-
carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. " Index the English bishops, in these terms " Sed, :
Chronologicus, p. 535. ut supra docuimus, a decima quarta luna, 61 "
See. Colgan's Acta Sanctorum usque ad vigessimam Dominicae Resurrec-
Hiberniae," xii. Martii. Vita S. Dagani, cap. tionis diem observandum esse putarent,
vi. , p. 585. scripsit cum coepiscopis suis exhortatoriam
fe
See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- ad eos Epistolam, obsecrans eos et
land," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, vii. , n. 94. , p. 209.
contestans unitatem pacis et Catholicae observationis cum ea, quae toto orbe diffusa
—"
able Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum. " lib. ii. ,
63 This letter may be seen, in the Vener- "
est Christi Ecclesia tenere. "
Historia
Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. 4.
64 This bishop succeeded St. Augustine,
cap. 4.
*» No doubt, also, it applied to the Scots,
Vol. IX. —No. 6.
x
Accordingly, in conjunction, with
6?
the first Archbishop of Canterbury, who died on the 26th of May, A. D. 605.
6s He was Bishop of London, and in the year 610, he went to Rome during the reign of Pope Boniface IV. to confer with him on the affairs of the English Church.
66
Justus was consecrated bishop and set over Kent by St. Augustine Archbishop of
322 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September13.
and the terms of which were to the following effect : —According to its custom
throughout the world, the Apostolic See had sent us to those western parts
to evangelize the Pagans, it has occurred, and also, into this island called
Britain, without a previous knowledge of it. We believed that the people
acted according to the custom of the Universal Church ; having great respect
for their sanctity, we have reverenced them, whether Britons or Scots. But
on knowing the Britons, we thought the Scots had been better. However,
through Dagan the Bishop 7° coming into this island we have named, and
throughColumbanus,? 1 theAbbotinGaul,wehavelearned,thattheScots
differ not in conversation from the Britons. For on Bishop Dagan coming to
us, not only was he unwilling to eat with us, but even he would not dwell in the
same house in which we were entertained. That Dagan had gone to Britain,
for the purpose of conferring with Laurence, is very probable, and it seems
to be hinted at in the letter, where he is said to have come to the Roman
2 prelates. ?
A phrase in their letter conveys the idea of his having paid the Roman
Bishops a visit, whether to do so was his chief object in passing over to
Britain, or, that happening to be there, he thought it right to call upon them. Nevertheless, his interview with them had not been productive of inter- changing harmonious opinions, so much to be des-ired at the meeting of Christian Prelates. The subject of their conference regarded the proper time for celebrating Easter ; and Dagan, who was attached to the Irish practice, refused to eat,? 3 not alone in company, but even to live under the same roof with those British Bishops, who favoured a different discipline. After conferring or disputing with the Roman Bishops, whether Dagan became determined, besides shunning their society, not to communicate with them in divinis, is not sufficiently clear. If so, he went further than he ought to have done ; as whatever difference occurred between the parties regarded neither faith nor any essential article of ecclesiastical discipline. 74 Wherefore, it is an absurdity on the part of certain writers 75 to represent this matter as tantamount to a real excommunication, and an irreconcilable differencebetweentheChurchofIrelandandofRome. Eveninthesupposi- tion that Dagan proceeded so far as a separation in divinis, this is to be understood, not as if he considered them excommunicated in the full sense
an Irish colony, then settled in the Southern parts of the present Scotland.
70 Sir James Ware says, it is possible, that the Bishop Dagan to whom Laurence addressed his epistle, was identical with Dagan, the contemporary of St. Fintan Munna, who died in 634 or 635. See "-De Scriptoribus Hibernise," lib. i. , cap. hi. , p.
17.
71 His festival occurs on the 2ist of
November.
? ' In the letter we read " Danganus
:
episcopus ad nos veniens," &c.
73 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan observes :" It
will be asked, how could he have induced himself to visit persons, with whom he would not condescend to take food. To this I answer, that, if, as in all appearance was the case, he did really visit those bishops, his refusing to eat or even stay in the same house with them could not have been in consequence of any pr . 'determination to that effect, but of something that occurred
after his paying the visit. The best manner to account for the matter is to admit, that in their conversation concerning the dis- puted points, some hot words were uttered and that Uagan felt himself so hurt, that he refused to partake of their hospitality. To suppose that he was previously resolved to keep up no sort of communion with them is directly opposite to the fact of his visit, and would indicate a line of conduct very unbecomingabishop. Surelyhewouldnot have prejudged them before he had heard their proposals—and what they had to say in
74 i n a similar case, St. Columbanus, firm as he was on those points, did not cease to hold communion with the Gallican clergy, notwithstanding his being constantly teased by them.
"Ecclesiastical of History
their defence. "
Ireland," vol. ii, chap, xiv. , sect, xvi. , n. 223 , pp. 367 to 369.
"
7S See the remarks of Dr. Ledwich, in his Antiquities of Ireland," p. 369.
September 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 323
of the word, that is, as quite out of the Church ; but it may indicate that sort of partial separation, of which we have innumerable instances in Ecclesi-
astical History, and according to which some particular bishops or churches declined communicating together, while at the same time both parties were in communion with the great body of the Catholic Church. ? 6 It is said, our Saint wrote a book to defend the Irish mode of celebrating Easter ;77 but, if so written,thisbookisnotknowntobeextant,atthepresentday. Thiswork
had for its reputed title
:
" Ad Britanorum Ecclesias," lib. i. ? 8 It has been
79 stated, that
our Saint
subsequently
embraced the Roman
rite,
8° which he
had so
difficulty he was induced to make the change.
81 with
earnestly opposed
in debates. previous
According
to
Lesley,
An opinion has been offered, that our Saint was not raised to the episcopacy, until he had visited the Eternal City, or after his return from Rome. Although no account has come down to us of our Saint having visited Rome in the time of Pope Gregory the Great, on this subject regard-
82
ing the Pashal controversy; yet, such an idea has been suggested by Colgan. It is by no means improbable, if Dagan was in Rome, that the principal object he had in view was to obtain correct information on this point, at the centre of Catholic Unity. It is stated, moreover, that he was present at the
Synod of the White Field, where he strenuously supported St. Fintan Munnu83 in a controversy, regarding the time most appropriate for celebrat- ing Easter. 8« The particulars relating to this remarkable convention are more fully set forth in the Life of St. Laserian, Bishop of Leighlin, at the 18th
of
8*
April.
