The young gentleman, wondering how the saint came to penetrate the very secret of his soul, then
received
baptism, which was administered by the
Apostle.
Apostle.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
90, 91, and nn.
68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, pp. Ill, 112 ; Sep-
tima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. , cap. xiv. , Life. We are told, that the name Brig XV. , xvi. , xvii. , xviii. , pp. 151, 152, and nn. differs from Brigid. We find, that the
23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, pp. mother to St. Comgall of Bangor, bora "
184, 185. See, also. Miss Cusack's Life in Magheramorne, near Larne, County
of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 457 to 461, with the corresponding notes.
Chapter xviii. —' It embraced at this
Antrim, was named Brig, and the Calendar of the O'Clerys mentions four holy persons
named
time the
® The Irish thus Tripartite
of the -''
greater part
present Queen's
dramatically " For God's sake,"
"Drive on, then, for God's sake, your
horses,"
9 Never having rest from persecution or
complaints, as the Irish Life adds. 2X
County.
The plotters had intended, as we are told,
to draw them into bogs, there to kill them.
pits, '•
relates this occurrence
said the little boys, drive on, your horses,"
3 The Irish
calls them water- According to the Tripartite Life.
cried Patrick,
Tripartite
s As Jocelyn says.
®
daughter to Fergna, son of Cobtach. Her
She is supposed to have been Briga,
feast is thought to be, at the 7th of Ja- nuary.
^ So is she called, in the Irish Tripartite
Brigh.
:
690 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
blessed Briga, and all her family, who belonged to the Hy-Erchon tribe, and he declared, that brave chiefs and estimable cleries should always abound
among them. " Thus, St. Patrick and his companions providentially escaped from those dangers. In our Apostle's time, that place was known as Laigis micfinn ;" and when the writer of his Tripartite Life flourished, it was a marshy
spot, called Moin-Choluim. The Irish Tripartite Life apparently states,
that here the saint pronounced a malediction, not on the territory Laighis, but on a Laighis, son to Find. '3 It is said, Moin Choluim^4 is now the old
church of Moone,'5 giving name to a parish and to a barony, near Timolin,'^ in the south of the present county of Kildare. Then, Patrick alighted, from his horse, while on the hillock, which was then called Bile-Mac-Cruaich,'7 After-
itwascalledForrach-Patrick. '^ He thatthereshouldnever said,
wards, however,
be a foreign king or steward over the people there, and that when the King of Leinster should be distributing the animals for food, in his royal house, the Satrap, or Steward, of Hy-Ercon,'9 should be entitled to one-fourth of the cattle and heifers slain, for the king's kitchen. ^° It was declared, moreover, that they should have Patrick's respect, and their place was V^inc\. '? ,forrach, or " seat. "''' They were destined to have, likewise, the dignity of laics and clerics, as also to have wealth and renown. ^^ or down to
Eight princes, justiciaries^^ they had,
the reign of Conchobar,^^ son of Donnchadh,^5 son to Domhnall,^^ monarch at Tara ; and, this succession was held to confirm the predictions of St. Patrick, inreferencetothem. "7 Traditionsappeartoabound,inthispartofthecountry,
which show it was blessed, by the presence of our great Irish Apostle. ^^
in the barony of Kilkea and Moone, Nar- ragh and Reban East and West, in the county of Kildare. Its extent is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kildare," Sheets 31, 32, 35, 36. The townland proper is shown, on Sheets 32, 36.
'3 These are said to have been derivetl,
from Ercan, eighth in descent, from Eoch- aidh-Finn-Fothart, founder of the Fotharts'
tribe, in this part of the country.
*° So states the Latin Tripartite Life.
According to the Irish Life, it is said, the Ui-Ercain steward should have one shin (of beef ), and the King of Leinster the other.
*' It was also called, "Forum Patricii,"
and Norragh Patrick, in Archbishop Alan's
" Viride. " In his it had Repertorium time,
many neighbouring churches succursal to it.
Narraghmore, or the "great Forrach," was used to denote its site.
" Several memorials of St. Patrick exist,
'°
the south part of the county of Kildare.
This tribe seems to have been seated, in
" See Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. cxx. , p. 92.
" The Irish Tripartite Life states, that Laighs was the tribe-name of the youths, who committed the misdeed, against St. Patrick and his companions.
'^ It is not, however, inconsistent with the former statement.
'* It is said to have been formerly called, 11lAein, and niAein ChoUntn-clnLte, be- cause the church had been erected, by the great Abbot of lona, and because a frag- ment of St. Colum-Cille's Cross was there shown. Eventually, it became a Franciscan
house. See Dr. O'Donovan's
"
Annals of
the Four
and Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes G, p. 280.
'S This parish extends, through the baro- nies of East Olfaly, Kilkea and Moone,
Masters,"
vol.
ii. ,
n.
(c), p. 781,
Narragh and Reban East, and it is defined,
in that part of the country.
on the " Ordnance Townland Survey Maps
^3 The Latin Life " octo Tripartite has,
for the County of Kildare," Sheets 22, 31, 35) 36) 38. The townland proper is on Sheets 36, 38.
'* The townland, town and parish of Ti- molin, in the barony of Narragh and Reban East, are shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland for the of
supremi diaecetes sive Justiciarii," appa- rently having jurisdiction, in their own locality.
^* Conchobhar ascended the throne A. D. 818, and he died in 831.
'^ He reigned, from A. D. '766 to 792.
"* He from A. D. to See reigned, 739 758.
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , for the particulars of these
foregoingeventfulreigns.
^'J This indicates a period of composition,
anterior to the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.
Maps County Kildare,"
Sheet 36.
'7 Said to mean, " the tree of the son of
Cruaich,"supposedtohavebeenoftheHy Lugair tribe.
'**
Identified, by William M. Hennessy, with the chiirch of Narraghmore, a parish
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 691
This glorious leader of men had now approached the bounds of Southern Leinster—known as Hy-Kinnselach'^^—and there dwelt3° that Arch-Poet Dubtach, also called Dubhtach Mac Ui-Lugair,3^ who had formerly received him with such marks of honour, when many years before the glad tidings of RedemptionhadbeenpreachedatTemoria. s^ Accordingtosomeautho- rities,Christianityhadbeenalreadyintroducedtothisterritory. 33Thatdis- tinguished bard lived at a place, which is called Magh-Criathar,34 and it was in the territory of Ui-Cinnselaigh. ss This famous tribe received its appellation, from Eanna Ceinnsealach,36 who was the fourth in descent from Cathaoir Mor,37 a renowned Monarch of Ireland. He was the King of Leinster, about a. d. 358,3^ At a place, called Domnach-Fiec,39 or Domnach-Mor,'»° and said to have been also called Sleibhte, now Sleaty, or Sletty, within the modern barony of Slievemarigue, or Slievemargy, and in the present Queen's County, both those friends now met each other. Patrick requested from Dubhtach a handsome youth, who should not be of a lowly family, and a man of one wife,'^^ for whom but one son was born. At this time, Fiach^^ was a young gentleman of excellent education, and learning, remarkable as well for his eloquence, as for his personal attractions. He had married a wife, only a few years, before St. Patrick's visit. Within a short time, however, she died,
and left behind her an only son, who was named Fiachra.
of St. Patrick had been " said
expressed, Hem," Dubhtach,
When the desire
" that is
the son of Ere—I am afraid—the man of those qualities, who went from me
to the territory of Connacht, with poems for the kings. " At these words,
Fiacc came towards him. "What are you considering? " asked Fiacc. "Dubhtachforthecrozier,"saidPatrick. "Thatwillbeablemishtomany, indeed," said Fiacc " why should not I be taken, in place of him ? " " You
;
will be received, indeed," replied Patrick. This great saint, by an internal
" Behold a man of one wife, who ac- cording to the Apostle may be worthily advanced to the sacred order of
illumination of the Holy Ghost, said
:
^'^ See Rev, John Francis Shearman's
" Loca Patriciana," No. vii. , pp. 122 to 127, and notes.
^3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, n. 7, p. 565.
3° Dr. Lanigan remarks, that his habita- tion was in some part of the present county ofCarlow. See"EcclesiasticalHistoryof Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, v. , p. 273.
s' Regarding this remarkable personage, much interesting information will be found, in Rev. John Francis Shearman's " Loca Patriciana," No. i,, ii. , iii. , iv. , v. , vi. , pp. I to 104.
3= The poetic name for Tara.
33 It has been supposed, by St. Isseminus, or Bishop Fith, as the Book of Armagh calls him.
3* According to the Book of Armagh, it is also called, Domnach-Mar-Criathar ; -but,
the counties of Wexford, Carlow, and
to it, we are told, the county of Kilkenny. This Seward has done, but he has inaccura- tely included Wicklovv. See Rev. Dr. Lani- gan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, v. , n, 45, pp. 276, 277.
3^ This warlike but cruel King of Leinster flourished, about the middle of the fourth century, and under the Irish monarch, Eo- chaidh Moighmeodhin. Some notices re- garding him occur, in Rev. Jeoffry Keating's " General History of Ireland," part i.
37 He reigned, from a. d. 173, until A. D. 177, when he was slain, by Con-Ced Cath- ach, at Magh Agha. He was buried at Enach Aiibhe.
38 xhe date of his death is not recorded, but it must have been much later. See
"
Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (g), pp. 208, 209.
39 According to the Irish Tripartite Life, '•° It is said to have been, within the terri-
tory of Ui-Cinnseallach, called in Arch- bishop Ussher's work, the larger and more powerful part of Leinster. See "Primor- dia," cap. xvii. , p. 863.
*' See i Tim. iii. 2.
"*- HeiscalledthesonofEre.
ts Colgan has much, regarding this holy bishop, in " Prima Vita S. Patricii," Scholia and nn. I to 9, pp. 4, 7> 8.
locality
seems to be uncertain.
its exact
35 This district comprehended a part of
Queen's County, according to one account. See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. , "Writers of Ire- land," at Fiach. However, in his account of ancient
Harris confines it to a great part of Wexford County. See /iJzrtf. "An- tiquities of Ireland," chap. vii. Now, instead of thus confining it, he should have added
territories,
John O'Donovan's
Fiacc,43
692 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 16.
priesthood, and even to the episcopal dignity. " Then, Patrick began to in- struct him, in the tenets of Divine Faith, and admonished him to be baptized.
The young gentleman, wondering how the saint came to penetrate the very secret of his soul, then received baptism, which was administered by the
Apostle. At first, Dubtach was unwilling to part with his disciple ; but, at last, he consigned this young poet to the care of St. Patrick. With the holy
Apostle's blessing, Fiach made great progress in learning, after St Patrick had given him an alphabet,'t4 written with his own hand, so that in one day, he learned the whole Psalter,45 and, in a short time, he attained a sufficient under- standingoftheSacredScriptures. Successivelywasheinvestedwiththedifferent Holy Orders, and, in fine, he was made a bishop, over the church of Sclepten, or Sletty. While in this episcopal See, he governed a flourishing convent of monks. Hereceivedangelicteaching,andtherewashecelebrated,forthe sanctityofhislife,forhislearning,andforhisconspicuousmiracles. '*^ This distinguished prelate is said to have been the first bishop, who was ordained, in Leinster ; and, we are told, that the Archbishopric of Leinster was given to him,bySt. Patrick. Besides,Fiach'sonlyson^Fiachra,^? wasalsoordained. ''^ Afterwards, the holy Patrick gave Fiacc a case, containing a bell, a reliquary, a crozier, and a book-satchel. In addition, the Apostle is said to have left seven of his people, with him. These are named, IMochatoc^s of Inisfail, Augustin5° of Inis-beg, Tegan or Tecan,si also Diarmait,52 and Nainnid,53 Paul,54 and Fedilmidh. ss We are told, that, afterwards, Fiach resided in Dom- nach-Feic,5^ and that he was there, until three score of his people died with him. Then,anangelappearedtohimanddeclared,thathisplaceofresur- rection should be in Cuilmaighe,^? which was west of the River Barrow. It was told him, that there he should meet a boar, and that there, too, his com- panionsshouldbuildtheirrefectory; and,also,thatwheretheyshouldmeet
44 Although Fiech, as a scholar of Dub-
tach, must have known how to write, yet in
the very same chapter of the Tripartite Life,
the saint is stated to have given him an
alphabet, written with his own hand. This
was presented, for the purpose of his learn-
ing it. Yet, it ought solely to be regarded, as
the Roman alphabet, which he must have
learned, to enable him to master the Latin
language, in the opinion of Rev. Dr. Lanigan.
Here, even, we have a proof, that the art
of writing was known and practised, in Ire-
land, before the arrival of St. Patrick. See
*'
5= His feast has been assigned, to the loth
of January.
53 One, bearing this name, is said to have
given Holy Viaticum, to St. Brigid, the great Abbess of Kildare ; but, Colgan sup- poses, he must be distinguished from the present holy man.
54 He is said, to have lived in a desert island, probably in the East Island of Aran, where the people have wonderful traditions
regarding him. There, he was visited, by the great navigator St. Brendan.
55 He is related, to have been the patron of Kilmore, where his festival is celebrated, on the 9th of August. See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," chap, ii. , pp. 46, 47.
5* According to the Rev. Mr. Shearman, this place was east of the River Slaney, and
in a plain, then called Magh-da-Con, " the plain of the two dogs. " See " Loca Patri- ciana," No. ix. , p. 186.
57 This
4^ He was venerated, on the 12th of the "corner of the plain," and, it might
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
chap, vi. , sect, v. , n. 47, p. 277.
45 The writer of the Irish Tripartite Life,
relating this wonderful exercise of memory, adds, as has been related to me.
46 See "Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. cxv. , p. 91.
47 The O'CIerys' Calendar states, he was of the same church, viz. , Sleibhte, that his
father
October, the same day as his father.
49 He
Cadoc, honoured as an Apostle, in Wales
and Britanny, on the 24th of January.
5° He is said, to have been one of the first companions of St. Paliadius.
5' Colgan thinks, he had been commemo- rated, on the 9th of September.
either the or "wood,"
governed.
signifies,
is said, to have been the same as
now be called Culmoy, or Coolmoy. On the same Ordnance Survey Townland Sheet,
prefix of Cool, namely, Coolanagh, Cool* henry, and Coolrain.
5^ If he were King of Hy-kinsellagh, at the time when St. Patrick was there, pro-
—
there are several townlands, having the
ith Sleatty, w—
the
present
name of Sleibhte,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 693
a hind, there they ought to place the church. Fiacc thereupon said to the angel, that he would not go, until Patrick came to mark out the boundary for his place, and to consecrate it, so that he might get the property from him. The holy man went then to Fiacc, and marked out his place for him, and fixed its site. Crimthans^ had been baptized a short time before, by St. Patrick; yet,asthekinghadaquarrelwiththetribeandfamilyofFiach,he gave that patrimonial inheritance, not to him, but to the Irish Apostle. 59 For, the Ui-Ercan were then persecuted, by the reigning King of Leinster, Crimthann, son to Enna Ceinnselach, so that St. Fiach's brothers went into exile. Certain manachs, or monks, in Hy-Crimthann,^° and the manachs in Ulster, and of Cend Enna,^' in Munster, are said to have belonged to this tribe. Of this family, too, was St. Fiacc. We are told, that Fiacc, ^ngus,^^ or /Engussius Magnus,^^ Ailill ]\Iar,^4 or Alild,^5 Conall,^^ or Conald,^7 and Etirscell,^^ or Etherschel^9 were five brothers. 7°
It is said, that St. Patrick found a faithful friend in Crimthan, who is re- puted to have been a pious man, although so hostile to his own immediate relatives. The Rev. Dr. Lanigan finds it difficult, to reconcile both those statements; liowever,historicexperienceproves,howthedictatesofstate-craft often denaturalize the closest family and tribal relationships. It is stated, that King Crimthan founded and endowed with lands, no less than seventy churches? '—at first thirty and afterwards forty? ^—within his own territory of Hy-Kinnselach,73 Among these are mentioned, the church of Domnach- Criathar,74 and of Inisfail,75 in which he left St. IMochonoc? ^ and Mochadoc,
*3 According to the Latin Tripartite Life. This Aengus in question, called Eochaidh
Guinneach, of the Ui-Bairrche, afterwards killed King Crimthann, son of Enna Ceinn-
Brigidae, n. 8, p. 565. Colgan, however, Carlow. Eochaidh Avas alive in 489, for
bably about A. D. 444, he must have retained
his bodily powers, for a very long time. Our annals have a record of his fighting
battles, in the year 483. See Ussher's
"
ing to the Four Masters. See Colgan's
"Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Ai-a-Cliach, a place in Idrone, county of
Index Chronologicus," or in 471, accord-
selach, to avenge his exile, in 479. Then, Eochaidh was assisted, i)y the people of
quotes the same Four Masters, as stating, that Crimthan was killed in the year 465.
See ibid. Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. 45, p. 185. Roderick O'Flaherty, in his Manu-
script notes, to Colgan's "Trias Thauma- turga," at pp. 565 and 155, maintains, in opposition to Colgan, that this is the true accountregardingCrimthan. SeeRev. Dr.
during that year, he assisted IMuircheartach Mac Earca, at the battle of Cill-Osnadha. There, Aengus, King of Munstei", was slain.
* According to the Irish Tripartite I jfe.
" Ecclesiastical of Ire- History
^ to the Latin Life. According Tripartite
7° Their father is said to have been the son
Lanigan's
land," vol. i,, chap, vi. , sect, v. , n. 57, p. 279.
of Ere. From an entry, in the
"
Annals of
59 It is said, that the King of Leinster, Crimthann, gave the fifth part of his father's
possessions to Fiach, in lands, and thei-eon he built Sliebhte.
^ This territory was distinct, from that of
the same name, said to have been in Meath.
That of the text was a part of Laeighis. 'and
it was included, in the present barony of
Maryborough East, in the Queen's County.
See John O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-
Ccart, or Book of Rights," n. (q), p. 216.
<"'
There was Cinel-Enna, in the barony of Raphoe, county of Donegal. There was another sept, bearing the same name, near the Hill of Uisnech, in Westmeath ; but, no one, so called, is mentioned, as having been
in Munster, except in the Tripartite Lives.
the Four Masters," at A. D. 465, it appears, Mac Ere had been married to a daughter of
King Crimthann, and, consequently, the latter must have been grandfather to St. Fiacc.
T- See the "Vita Tripartita S. Patricii," lib. , iii. , cap. xxv. , p. 157.
7^ In thirties and forties are the churches, which he gave to St. Patrick, the Irish Tri- partite Life states.
73 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan wall not admit, that St. Patrick erected so many as seventy churches, while he dwelt in that part of the
country.
^* So is it called, in the Latin Tripartite ;
in the Irish version, it is named Domnach-
mor of Magh-Criatar.
75 Now said to be Begery, otherwise
called Beg-Erin, a small island, which lies
^^
According to the Irish Tripartite Life.
^5 According to the Latin Tripartite Life.
^ According to the Irish Tripartite Life.
^7 According to the Latin Tripartite Life.
^^
According to the Irish Tripartite Life.
694 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17-
or Mochatoc. He built another church at Inisbeg,77 the Lesser or Little Island,72 ji-j ^vhich he left Erdit^s or Eruditus, and Augustine,^° who are thought to have been the companions of St. Palladius. ^* We are told, like- wise, that St. Patrick next visited Magh-Reta, also called Magh-Reicheat. ^^ He happened to be there, on a Sunday, when the people were then engaged, building a royal fort in that district, and they had just laid its foundations. ThisfortwasknownasRath-Bacain. ^3 Patricksentamessagetopreventtheir
"
work, but no notice was taken of his remonstrances. Therefore he said,
Its
building shall be troublesome, unless offering be done there every day. " He also said, that the fort should not be inhabited, until the wind, called "gaeth," in Irish, should come from the lower part of hell. This seems to have been a play upon words, and it was intended to mean Gaithin,^4 son of Cinaed, who rebuilt Rathbacain,25 in the time of Fedhlimidh,^^ and of Con- chobhar,^7 at Tara. ^^ In Rath-Bacain, it is said, the church of Domnach-
or the " was afterwards erected. ' The late Dr. O'Donovan, great church,"
mor,^9
who well knew the locality of Morett,9° considers this townland,? ' with a vast
plain extending around it,9^ comprehending the Great Heathss of Mary. close to Wexford Haven. See Professor county of Wexford. He adds, likewise,
O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Ap-
pendix, No. ii. , n. 22, p. 480.
7^ The Tripartite Life makes St. Patrick
appoint as pastors, St, Conoc and St. Cadoc, over Inisfail ; but, Conoc, or Mo-
chonoc, and Cadoc, who was his nephew,
flourished elsewhere. Nor did they live, as
well-known persons, until the sixth century.
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
at the lith of February, where he treats
about St. Conoc, and also, Rev. Dr. Lani-
gan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," the Four Masters, vol. i. , n. (d), pp. 36,
vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, v. , n. 58, p. 279. "See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
nn. so, 51, 52, p. 186.
7^ Both places are said to have been, in
the diocese of Ferns. See Archdall's
"
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 747, for un- satisfactory notices of them, under the county of Wexford.
37.
68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, pp. Ill, 112 ; Sep-
tima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. , cap. xiv. , Life. We are told, that the name Brig XV. , xvi. , xvii. , xviii. , pp. 151, 152, and nn. differs from Brigid. We find, that the
23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, pp. mother to St. Comgall of Bangor, bora "
184, 185. See, also. Miss Cusack's Life in Magheramorne, near Larne, County
of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 457 to 461, with the corresponding notes.
Chapter xviii. —' It embraced at this
Antrim, was named Brig, and the Calendar of the O'Clerys mentions four holy persons
named
time the
® The Irish thus Tripartite
of the -''
greater part
present Queen's
dramatically " For God's sake,"
"Drive on, then, for God's sake, your
horses,"
9 Never having rest from persecution or
complaints, as the Irish Life adds. 2X
County.
The plotters had intended, as we are told,
to draw them into bogs, there to kill them.
pits, '•
relates this occurrence
said the little boys, drive on, your horses,"
3 The Irish
calls them water- According to the Tripartite Life.
cried Patrick,
Tripartite
s As Jocelyn says.
®
daughter to Fergna, son of Cobtach. Her
She is supposed to have been Briga,
feast is thought to be, at the 7th of Ja- nuary.
^ So is she called, in the Irish Tripartite
Brigh.
:
690 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
blessed Briga, and all her family, who belonged to the Hy-Erchon tribe, and he declared, that brave chiefs and estimable cleries should always abound
among them. " Thus, St. Patrick and his companions providentially escaped from those dangers. In our Apostle's time, that place was known as Laigis micfinn ;" and when the writer of his Tripartite Life flourished, it was a marshy
spot, called Moin-Choluim. The Irish Tripartite Life apparently states,
that here the saint pronounced a malediction, not on the territory Laighis, but on a Laighis, son to Find. '3 It is said, Moin Choluim^4 is now the old
church of Moone,'5 giving name to a parish and to a barony, near Timolin,'^ in the south of the present county of Kildare. Then, Patrick alighted, from his horse, while on the hillock, which was then called Bile-Mac-Cruaich,'7 After-
itwascalledForrach-Patrick. '^ He thatthereshouldnever said,
wards, however,
be a foreign king or steward over the people there, and that when the King of Leinster should be distributing the animals for food, in his royal house, the Satrap, or Steward, of Hy-Ercon,'9 should be entitled to one-fourth of the cattle and heifers slain, for the king's kitchen. ^° It was declared, moreover, that they should have Patrick's respect, and their place was V^inc\. '? ,forrach, or " seat. "''' They were destined to have, likewise, the dignity of laics and clerics, as also to have wealth and renown. ^^ or down to
Eight princes, justiciaries^^ they had,
the reign of Conchobar,^^ son of Donnchadh,^5 son to Domhnall,^^ monarch at Tara ; and, this succession was held to confirm the predictions of St. Patrick, inreferencetothem. "7 Traditionsappeartoabound,inthispartofthecountry,
which show it was blessed, by the presence of our great Irish Apostle. ^^
in the barony of Kilkea and Moone, Nar- ragh and Reban East and West, in the county of Kildare. Its extent is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kildare," Sheets 31, 32, 35, 36. The townland proper is shown, on Sheets 32, 36.
'3 These are said to have been derivetl,
from Ercan, eighth in descent, from Eoch- aidh-Finn-Fothart, founder of the Fotharts'
tribe, in this part of the country.
*° So states the Latin Tripartite Life.
According to the Irish Life, it is said, the Ui-Ercain steward should have one shin (of beef ), and the King of Leinster the other.
*' It was also called, "Forum Patricii,"
and Norragh Patrick, in Archbishop Alan's
" Viride. " In his it had Repertorium time,
many neighbouring churches succursal to it.
Narraghmore, or the "great Forrach," was used to denote its site.
" Several memorials of St. Patrick exist,
'°
the south part of the county of Kildare.
This tribe seems to have been seated, in
" See Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. cxx. , p. 92.
" The Irish Tripartite Life states, that Laighs was the tribe-name of the youths, who committed the misdeed, against St. Patrick and his companions.
'^ It is not, however, inconsistent with the former statement.
'* It is said to have been formerly called, 11lAein, and niAein ChoUntn-clnLte, be- cause the church had been erected, by the great Abbot of lona, and because a frag- ment of St. Colum-Cille's Cross was there shown. Eventually, it became a Franciscan
house. See Dr. O'Donovan's
"
Annals of
the Four
and Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes G, p. 280.
'S This parish extends, through the baro- nies of East Olfaly, Kilkea and Moone,
Masters,"
vol.
ii. ,
n.
(c), p. 781,
Narragh and Reban East, and it is defined,
in that part of the country.
on the " Ordnance Townland Survey Maps
^3 The Latin Life " octo Tripartite has,
for the County of Kildare," Sheets 22, 31, 35) 36) 38. The townland proper is on Sheets 36, 38.
'* The townland, town and parish of Ti- molin, in the barony of Narragh and Reban East, are shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland for the of
supremi diaecetes sive Justiciarii," appa- rently having jurisdiction, in their own locality.
^* Conchobhar ascended the throne A. D. 818, and he died in 831.
'^ He reigned, from A. D. '766 to 792.
"* He from A. D. to See reigned, 739 758.
Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , for the particulars of these
foregoingeventfulreigns.
^'J This indicates a period of composition,
anterior to the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.
Maps County Kildare,"
Sheet 36.
'7 Said to mean, " the tree of the son of
Cruaich,"supposedtohavebeenoftheHy Lugair tribe.
'**
Identified, by William M. Hennessy, with the chiirch of Narraghmore, a parish
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 691
This glorious leader of men had now approached the bounds of Southern Leinster—known as Hy-Kinnselach'^^—and there dwelt3° that Arch-Poet Dubtach, also called Dubhtach Mac Ui-Lugair,3^ who had formerly received him with such marks of honour, when many years before the glad tidings of RedemptionhadbeenpreachedatTemoria. s^ Accordingtosomeautho- rities,Christianityhadbeenalreadyintroducedtothisterritory. 33Thatdis- tinguished bard lived at a place, which is called Magh-Criathar,34 and it was in the territory of Ui-Cinnselaigh. ss This famous tribe received its appellation, from Eanna Ceinnsealach,36 who was the fourth in descent from Cathaoir Mor,37 a renowned Monarch of Ireland. He was the King of Leinster, about a. d. 358,3^ At a place, called Domnach-Fiec,39 or Domnach-Mor,'»° and said to have been also called Sleibhte, now Sleaty, or Sletty, within the modern barony of Slievemarigue, or Slievemargy, and in the present Queen's County, both those friends now met each other. Patrick requested from Dubhtach a handsome youth, who should not be of a lowly family, and a man of one wife,'^^ for whom but one son was born. At this time, Fiach^^ was a young gentleman of excellent education, and learning, remarkable as well for his eloquence, as for his personal attractions. He had married a wife, only a few years, before St. Patrick's visit. Within a short time, however, she died,
and left behind her an only son, who was named Fiachra.
of St. Patrick had been " said
expressed, Hem," Dubhtach,
When the desire
" that is
the son of Ere—I am afraid—the man of those qualities, who went from me
to the territory of Connacht, with poems for the kings. " At these words,
Fiacc came towards him. "What are you considering? " asked Fiacc. "Dubhtachforthecrozier,"saidPatrick. "Thatwillbeablemishtomany, indeed," said Fiacc " why should not I be taken, in place of him ? " " You
;
will be received, indeed," replied Patrick. This great saint, by an internal
" Behold a man of one wife, who ac- cording to the Apostle may be worthily advanced to the sacred order of
illumination of the Holy Ghost, said
:
^'^ See Rev, John Francis Shearman's
" Loca Patriciana," No. vii. , pp. 122 to 127, and notes.
^3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, n. 7, p. 565.
3° Dr. Lanigan remarks, that his habita- tion was in some part of the present county ofCarlow. See"EcclesiasticalHistoryof Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, v. , p. 273.
s' Regarding this remarkable personage, much interesting information will be found, in Rev. John Francis Shearman's " Loca Patriciana," No. i,, ii. , iii. , iv. , v. , vi. , pp. I to 104.
3= The poetic name for Tara.
33 It has been supposed, by St. Isseminus, or Bishop Fith, as the Book of Armagh calls him.
3* According to the Book of Armagh, it is also called, Domnach-Mar-Criathar ; -but,
the counties of Wexford, Carlow, and
to it, we are told, the county of Kilkenny. This Seward has done, but he has inaccura- tely included Wicklovv. See Rev. Dr. Lani- gan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, v. , n, 45, pp. 276, 277.
3^ This warlike but cruel King of Leinster flourished, about the middle of the fourth century, and under the Irish monarch, Eo- chaidh Moighmeodhin. Some notices re- garding him occur, in Rev. Jeoffry Keating's " General History of Ireland," part i.
37 He reigned, from a. d. 173, until A. D. 177, when he was slain, by Con-Ced Cath- ach, at Magh Agha. He was buried at Enach Aiibhe.
38 xhe date of his death is not recorded, but it must have been much later. See
"
Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (g), pp. 208, 209.
39 According to the Irish Tripartite Life, '•° It is said to have been, within the terri-
tory of Ui-Cinnseallach, called in Arch- bishop Ussher's work, the larger and more powerful part of Leinster. See "Primor- dia," cap. xvii. , p. 863.
*' See i Tim. iii. 2.
"*- HeiscalledthesonofEre.
ts Colgan has much, regarding this holy bishop, in " Prima Vita S. Patricii," Scholia and nn. I to 9, pp. 4, 7> 8.
locality
seems to be uncertain.
its exact
35 This district comprehended a part of
Queen's County, according to one account. See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. , "Writers of Ire- land," at Fiach. However, in his account of ancient
Harris confines it to a great part of Wexford County. See /iJzrtf. "An- tiquities of Ireland," chap. vii. Now, instead of thus confining it, he should have added
territories,
John O'Donovan's
Fiacc,43
692 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 16.
priesthood, and even to the episcopal dignity. " Then, Patrick began to in- struct him, in the tenets of Divine Faith, and admonished him to be baptized.
The young gentleman, wondering how the saint came to penetrate the very secret of his soul, then received baptism, which was administered by the
Apostle. At first, Dubtach was unwilling to part with his disciple ; but, at last, he consigned this young poet to the care of St. Patrick. With the holy
Apostle's blessing, Fiach made great progress in learning, after St Patrick had given him an alphabet,'t4 written with his own hand, so that in one day, he learned the whole Psalter,45 and, in a short time, he attained a sufficient under- standingoftheSacredScriptures. Successivelywasheinvestedwiththedifferent Holy Orders, and, in fine, he was made a bishop, over the church of Sclepten, or Sletty. While in this episcopal See, he governed a flourishing convent of monks. Hereceivedangelicteaching,andtherewashecelebrated,forthe sanctityofhislife,forhislearning,andforhisconspicuousmiracles. '*^ This distinguished prelate is said to have been the first bishop, who was ordained, in Leinster ; and, we are told, that the Archbishopric of Leinster was given to him,bySt. Patrick. Besides,Fiach'sonlyson^Fiachra,^? wasalsoordained. ''^ Afterwards, the holy Patrick gave Fiacc a case, containing a bell, a reliquary, a crozier, and a book-satchel. In addition, the Apostle is said to have left seven of his people, with him. These are named, IMochatoc^s of Inisfail, Augustin5° of Inis-beg, Tegan or Tecan,si also Diarmait,52 and Nainnid,53 Paul,54 and Fedilmidh. ss We are told, that, afterwards, Fiach resided in Dom- nach-Feic,5^ and that he was there, until three score of his people died with him. Then,anangelappearedtohimanddeclared,thathisplaceofresur- rection should be in Cuilmaighe,^? which was west of the River Barrow. It was told him, that there he should meet a boar, and that there, too, his com- panionsshouldbuildtheirrefectory; and,also,thatwheretheyshouldmeet
44 Although Fiech, as a scholar of Dub-
tach, must have known how to write, yet in
the very same chapter of the Tripartite Life,
the saint is stated to have given him an
alphabet, written with his own hand. This
was presented, for the purpose of his learn-
ing it. Yet, it ought solely to be regarded, as
the Roman alphabet, which he must have
learned, to enable him to master the Latin
language, in the opinion of Rev. Dr. Lanigan.
Here, even, we have a proof, that the art
of writing was known and practised, in Ire-
land, before the arrival of St. Patrick. See
*'
5= His feast has been assigned, to the loth
of January.
53 One, bearing this name, is said to have
given Holy Viaticum, to St. Brigid, the great Abbess of Kildare ; but, Colgan sup- poses, he must be distinguished from the present holy man.
54 He is said, to have lived in a desert island, probably in the East Island of Aran, where the people have wonderful traditions
regarding him. There, he was visited, by the great navigator St. Brendan.
55 He is related, to have been the patron of Kilmore, where his festival is celebrated, on the 9th of August. See Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," chap, ii. , pp. 46, 47.
5* According to the Rev. Mr. Shearman, this place was east of the River Slaney, and
in a plain, then called Magh-da-Con, " the plain of the two dogs. " See " Loca Patri- ciana," No. ix. , p. 186.
57 This
4^ He was venerated, on the 12th of the "corner of the plain," and, it might
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
chap, vi. , sect, v. , n. 47, p. 277.
45 The writer of the Irish Tripartite Life,
relating this wonderful exercise of memory, adds, as has been related to me.
46 See "Sexta Vita S. Patricii," cap. cxv. , p. 91.
47 The O'CIerys' Calendar states, he was of the same church, viz. , Sleibhte, that his
father
October, the same day as his father.
49 He
Cadoc, honoured as an Apostle, in Wales
and Britanny, on the 24th of January.
5° He is said, to have been one of the first companions of St. Paliadius.
5' Colgan thinks, he had been commemo- rated, on the 9th of September.
either the or "wood,"
governed.
signifies,
is said, to have been the same as
now be called Culmoy, or Coolmoy. On the same Ordnance Survey Townland Sheet,
prefix of Cool, namely, Coolanagh, Cool* henry, and Coolrain.
5^ If he were King of Hy-kinsellagh, at the time when St. Patrick was there, pro-
—
there are several townlands, having the
ith Sleatty, w—
the
present
name of Sleibhte,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 693
a hind, there they ought to place the church. Fiacc thereupon said to the angel, that he would not go, until Patrick came to mark out the boundary for his place, and to consecrate it, so that he might get the property from him. The holy man went then to Fiacc, and marked out his place for him, and fixed its site. Crimthans^ had been baptized a short time before, by St. Patrick; yet,asthekinghadaquarrelwiththetribeandfamilyofFiach,he gave that patrimonial inheritance, not to him, but to the Irish Apostle. 59 For, the Ui-Ercan were then persecuted, by the reigning King of Leinster, Crimthann, son to Enna Ceinnselach, so that St. Fiach's brothers went into exile. Certain manachs, or monks, in Hy-Crimthann,^° and the manachs in Ulster, and of Cend Enna,^' in Munster, are said to have belonged to this tribe. Of this family, too, was St. Fiacc. We are told, that Fiacc, ^ngus,^^ or /Engussius Magnus,^^ Ailill ]\Iar,^4 or Alild,^5 Conall,^^ or Conald,^7 and Etirscell,^^ or Etherschel^9 were five brothers. 7°
It is said, that St. Patrick found a faithful friend in Crimthan, who is re- puted to have been a pious man, although so hostile to his own immediate relatives. The Rev. Dr. Lanigan finds it difficult, to reconcile both those statements; liowever,historicexperienceproves,howthedictatesofstate-craft often denaturalize the closest family and tribal relationships. It is stated, that King Crimthan founded and endowed with lands, no less than seventy churches? '—at first thirty and afterwards forty? ^—within his own territory of Hy-Kinnselach,73 Among these are mentioned, the church of Domnach- Criathar,74 and of Inisfail,75 in which he left St. IMochonoc? ^ and Mochadoc,
*3 According to the Latin Tripartite Life. This Aengus in question, called Eochaidh
Guinneach, of the Ui-Bairrche, afterwards killed King Crimthann, son of Enna Ceinn-
Brigidae, n. 8, p. 565. Colgan, however, Carlow. Eochaidh Avas alive in 489, for
bably about A. D. 444, he must have retained
his bodily powers, for a very long time. Our annals have a record of his fighting
battles, in the year 483. See Ussher's
"
ing to the Four Masters. See Colgan's
"Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta Vita S. Ai-a-Cliach, a place in Idrone, county of
Index Chronologicus," or in 471, accord-
selach, to avenge his exile, in 479. Then, Eochaidh was assisted, i)y the people of
quotes the same Four Masters, as stating, that Crimthan was killed in the year 465.
See ibid. Septima Vita S. Patricii, n. 45, p. 185. Roderick O'Flaherty, in his Manu-
script notes, to Colgan's "Trias Thauma- turga," at pp. 565 and 155, maintains, in opposition to Colgan, that this is the true accountregardingCrimthan. SeeRev. Dr.
during that year, he assisted IMuircheartach Mac Earca, at the battle of Cill-Osnadha. There, Aengus, King of Munstei", was slain.
* According to the Irish Tripartite I jfe.
" Ecclesiastical of Ire- History
^ to the Latin Life. According Tripartite
7° Their father is said to have been the son
Lanigan's
land," vol. i,, chap, vi. , sect, v. , n. 57, p. 279.
of Ere. From an entry, in the
"
Annals of
59 It is said, that the King of Leinster, Crimthann, gave the fifth part of his father's
possessions to Fiach, in lands, and thei-eon he built Sliebhte.
^ This territory was distinct, from that of
the same name, said to have been in Meath.
That of the text was a part of Laeighis. 'and
it was included, in the present barony of
Maryborough East, in the Queen's County.
See John O'Donovan's " Leabhar na g-
Ccart, or Book of Rights," n. (q), p. 216.
<"'
There was Cinel-Enna, in the barony of Raphoe, county of Donegal. There was another sept, bearing the same name, near the Hill of Uisnech, in Westmeath ; but, no one, so called, is mentioned, as having been
in Munster, except in the Tripartite Lives.
the Four Masters," at A. D. 465, it appears, Mac Ere had been married to a daughter of
King Crimthann, and, consequently, the latter must have been grandfather to St. Fiacc.
T- See the "Vita Tripartita S. Patricii," lib. , iii. , cap. xxv. , p. 157.
7^ In thirties and forties are the churches, which he gave to St. Patrick, the Irish Tri- partite Life states.
73 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan wall not admit, that St. Patrick erected so many as seventy churches, while he dwelt in that part of the
country.
^* So is it called, in the Latin Tripartite ;
in the Irish version, it is named Domnach-
mor of Magh-Criatar.
75 Now said to be Begery, otherwise
called Beg-Erin, a small island, which lies
^^
According to the Irish Tripartite Life.
^5 According to the Latin Tripartite Life.
^ According to the Irish Tripartite Life.
^7 According to the Latin Tripartite Life.
^^
According to the Irish Tripartite Life.
694 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17-
or Mochatoc. He built another church at Inisbeg,77 the Lesser or Little Island,72 ji-j ^vhich he left Erdit^s or Eruditus, and Augustine,^° who are thought to have been the companions of St. Palladius. ^* We are told, like- wise, that St. Patrick next visited Magh-Reta, also called Magh-Reicheat. ^^ He happened to be there, on a Sunday, when the people were then engaged, building a royal fort in that district, and they had just laid its foundations. ThisfortwasknownasRath-Bacain. ^3 Patricksentamessagetopreventtheir
"
work, but no notice was taken of his remonstrances. Therefore he said,
Its
building shall be troublesome, unless offering be done there every day. " He also said, that the fort should not be inhabited, until the wind, called "gaeth," in Irish, should come from the lower part of hell. This seems to have been a play upon words, and it was intended to mean Gaithin,^4 son of Cinaed, who rebuilt Rathbacain,25 in the time of Fedhlimidh,^^ and of Con- chobhar,^7 at Tara. ^^ In Rath-Bacain, it is said, the church of Domnach-
or the " was afterwards erected. ' The late Dr. O'Donovan, great church,"
mor,^9
who well knew the locality of Morett,9° considers this townland,? ' with a vast
plain extending around it,9^ comprehending the Great Heathss of Mary. close to Wexford Haven. See Professor county of Wexford. He adds, likewise,
O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Ap-
pendix, No. ii. , n. 22, p. 480.
7^ The Tripartite Life makes St. Patrick
appoint as pastors, St, Conoc and St. Cadoc, over Inisfail ; but, Conoc, or Mo-
chonoc, and Cadoc, who was his nephew,
flourished elsewhere. Nor did they live, as
well-known persons, until the sixth century.
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
at the lith of February, where he treats
about St. Conoc, and also, Rev. Dr. Lani-
gan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," the Four Masters, vol. i. , n. (d), pp. 36,
vol. i. , chap, vi. , sect, v. , n. 58, p. 279. "See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
nn. so, 51, 52, p. 186.
7^ Both places are said to have been, in
the diocese of Ferns. See Archdall's
"
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 747, for un- satisfactory notices of them, under the county of Wexford.
37.
