Sunnifa and Alban are
regarded
as the proto-martyrs of Norway.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
, and the Second
Volume, at February 27th, Art. i.
10 The accompanying sketch by the author,
and drawn on the spot, September, 1889, was taken from an opposite point of view to that presented in a previous illustration, given at the 27th of January. The present sketch represents the large moat in the fore- ground, and beyond the travelled road, the east gable of Killeshin old church in the dis- tance. This sketch has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
bright
pedigree
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 165
place of considerable ecclesiastical importance. A city or town appears to have grown around the church ; but, it is difficult now to determine the
monks' quarter, which, however, according to a prevailing Irish usage, was quite convenient to the church. Again, as in so many other instances we have found throughout Ireland, the large circular moat was in close proximity with
10
the religious establishment ;
yet, whether erected for purposes of defence,
or to serve a different end, we have not been able to determine, and an
examination of such an antiquarian problem must continue to exercise the
research and ingenuity of ecclesiastical and secular historical investigators.
It seems very probable, that the St. Diarmaid, commemorated in our Calendars
at this date, had been the original founder of a church and monastery
11
and that he presided over both as the first Abbot. " His period, how- ever, has eluded inquiry ; nor are the incidents of his incumbency known.
here,
Some writers think this saint flourish—ed as
as the sixth — and early century,
that he preceded St. Comgan^ who died before 570 in the
government of Gleann-Ussein monastery. ^ This is also the opinion of
Sirinus, as communicated to the Bollandists, who have notices ofDiermetiiis
of at the 8th of 16 the for St. Diarmaid's
Gleann-Ussein, July. Although day
feast has been assigned to the 8th of July, yet the year when it occurred does
not appear to have transpired. The present saint can hardly be identical
with that Diarmaid, Abbot of Gleann-Uissean, whose death is'recorded, at
the year 874 ;•» unless, indeed, we could imagine some interpolations in the
MartyrologyofTallagh,orintheFeilireofSt. ^Engus. Itisevident,more-
over, that the last-named Diarmaid had not been the first Abbot over Kille-
shin. The fullest and most exact account of this locality and of its history
is that given in the very learned and valuable work of the Most Rev Michael
18
Comerford, at present Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Kildare and
1 ^ The earliest annalistic account of this we is at a. d. Leighlin. place, find,
843, when Aedhan of Gleann-Uisean died. * The existing ruins denote that class of structure, known as Irish Romanesque, with incised mouldings on
31
the west door,
vious oratory having been broken down in 1041 by Mac Moylnerao, when
14 See
417, 418.
l
ibid.
Portions of these are set forth in beauti-
Colgan's
(y), 2I
and these date probably to the eleventh century ; the pre-
11
Of late, the ruins have been repaired but hardly well restored, by the Irish Board of Public Works.
and he adds, that this saint must be distin- guished from Diermit of Inisclothran. See
12 We have
dition assigned the foundation of Killeshin to
M'Dermott-r-very significantly referring to Diarmaid.
13 The festival of this holy Abbot is refer- red to the 27th of February, at which date are some observations regarding him, in the Second Volume of this, work, Art. i. Think- ing him to have lived later than a Diarmaid, Abbot of Gleann-Uissean, whose death is set down in Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," at A. D. 874, vol. i. , pp. 520, 521 ; we have deemed that Comgan to have been his successor at no particular date, but possibly in the ninth century. Now, as both the Diarmaid and Comgan of our early Calendars, and mentioned in them, must have flourished before they had been written, both should be assigned to a still earlier date.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- ? Dr. Lanigan follows such a statement,
sect, and n.
xiv. , p. 76, 244, p. 78,
already
seen, that a local tra-
chap, x. , ibid.
niae," Februarii xxvii. Vita S. Comgani, pp.
"
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. ,
l6 "
These writers add : Utcumque fuerit,
certus est Comgani cultus, ut vide xxvn. Februarii,nonitahujusDiermitii: nisiidem sit cum eo, qui in nostris Sanctorum Hiber- n—orum Catalogis refertur II, et in. Augusti. "
"Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 533.
1? See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 520, 521.
l8
See "Collections relating to the Dio- ceses of Kildare and Leighlin. '' Third Series, Diocese of Leighlin, pp. 241 to 248. '
I9 Consecrated, New Year's Day, 1889, by Most Rev. Archbishop of Dublin, William J. Walsh, D. D. , in the cathedral of Carlow.
20
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 464, 465, and n.
ful engravings, in Miss Stokes' "Early Christian Art in Ireland," y. 187.
14
166 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
he seems to have burnt the town in revenge of Fernamor. Afterwards, Gleann-
Uisean, with its yews, was burned, a. d. 1077, Dut the monastery appears to
have survived the many vicissitudes of those years. In the beginning of the
last about 40 feet of the eastern aa had been converted into a century, part
3
modern little church for Protestant services. 3 Under the head of Glenn
Uissen, Duald Mac Firbis enters Diarmuid, bishop of Glenn Uissen, at July
8th, as the date for his festival. 24
Article IV. —St. Summiva, Sunnifa, Sumniva, or Sunneva, an Irish Virgin, Patroness of Bergen, in Norway, and her Companions, Martyrs. Some proofs of Irish Christian influences on the northern coun- tries in Europe are shown from the account, that Summiva or Sunneva, who was born in Ireland, must have visited Norway at a later period. She was probably connected with the Norwegians by descent, or by alliance. In the
Norwegian Calendars, she is variedly called Sunnifa, Summiva, Sumniva,
SunivaandSunneva. ThemonkOddrrecordsher
3
been first published, and at this date. Molanus, Canisius,3 Ferrarius, and
the more recent Martyrologists, borrowed their notices of her, from the fore-
going accounts. Claude Castellan has her name in the General Index * to
his work, the Universal Martyrology. Her history is little known ; but, if we
are to credit the statement of Rev. S. Baring-Gould, there is not the smallest
foundation for this story, it being only a Scandinavian version of the Legend
of St. Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins. s At the 8th of July, the
6
His name occurs, also, in the Martyrology
There he is
of Gleann Uissein, in Ui-Bairrche. If these entries be correct, he would seem
of 2* at the same date. Donegal,
as
Diarmaid, Bishop, to have united in his person the episcopal and abbatial functions.
legend.
Greven's additions to the Martyrology of Usuard, her name seems to have
Bollandists
have a few brief notices of this holy virgin and of her com-
panions. Thesewritersfound,onconsultingcertainnorthernmuniments,? that under the name of Suniva, herself and her companions had been formerly
8
of St. Sumniva, has " Sociorum," and not '' ''
Sociarum.
4 There he implies a want of certainty, for the introduction of Summiva among his
Martyrs.
5 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. vii. , July
8th, pp. 195 to 197.
6
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. De S. Summiva Virg. et Martyre, cum Sociis vel Sociabus, in Norvegia, p. 649.
7 There is a Latin fragment of the Church
Office and Lections regarding these Virgins
and in " RerumDanica- Martyrs, Scriptores
rum," tomus vi. , pp. 3, 4, and 14 to 22.
8
It is distinguished as Missale Votivale. This was printed towards the close of the fifteenth or beginning of the sixteenth cen- tury.
» Some extracts from it are furnished, by
the Hollandists.
honoured in Sweden, with an ecclesiastical office. In an old Swedish
there is a Calendar prefixed, in which the name of St. Suniva occurs, at the 8th of July, and in it there is a Mass for her, with this title, De Sancta Suniva Officium. 9 Nor is it to be supposed, that Greven derived his state-
23 This portion is shown in the accompany-
ing engraving.
23 See "Collections relating to the Dio-
cese of Kildare and Leighlin," Third Series. Diocese of Leighlin. By the Rev. M. Comer-
ford, M. R. I. A. , p. 244. Annexed is a beau- tiful drawing of the west door of Killeshin
old church, by Rev. E. O'Leary, litho- graphed by Morison & Co. , Dublin.
2+ See " Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 112, 113.
:ted by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
i£8, 189. — Article IV.
' of
In the Saga King
Olaf, the younger Olafs Saga Tryggvasonar, chap. 106-8. and 149. The writer flourished
in the twelfth century.
2" Thus :
Sumnivse virginis et sociorum
ejus martyrum : qui de Hibernia egressi, in Norbegia coronas martyrii assecuti sunt. "
J ,0 " Canisius, in alluding to the companions See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's Lives of
entered,
1 InHermann
Missal,
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 167
ment solely from this authority. The age and acts of St. Summiva and of her
companions do not appear to be known, with anything which approaches to certainty. However, a sort of tradition records, that she was a beautiful Scottish
virgin, and the daughter of a king who lived in Ireland, in the days of Earl Hako. With seven other pious virgins, she had been captured by the tyranni- cal and pagan Northmen, who invaded Ireland. By these pirates, they were taken as captives, and brought into Norway. According to the Legend, Sunnifa was endowed with wealth, beauty and great Christian piety ; but, a northern viking hearing of her charms and accomplishments became enamoured, resolving to go in quest of her. That viking landed on the coasts of Ireland, and he sought the king, who hesitated to accept his suit for the hand of Sunnifa. The tyrant thereupon harried the whole country, and he setflamestoeveryhouse. Atlast,tosavehernativeislandfromdevastation by the cruel suitor, the princess expressed her determination to leave Ireland. The Saga has it, that her brother Alban(? ) and a multitude of virgins joined. All sailed away eastwards, and trusting to the guidance of Divine Providence. TheycameashoreontheIslandofSelja,inNorway,andfindingit uninhabited, they settled in the caves, and lived upon fishes. However, the islet served as a pasture for cattle in summer. When the farmers on the mainland saw those people on that island, they appealed to Earl Hako to protect their cattle. Gathering some armed men, Earl Hako rowed to the island. The Christian maidensfledintothecavesonhisapproach. TheyprayedGodtopreserve them. Accordingly, the rock closed upon them, and they came forth no more alive. 10 In Norway, according to another account, St. Sunnifa and her companions were greatly distinguished for their innocence of life, for their love ofchastity, and, it is even said, for their miracles. It is related, likewise, that through their good example and holy conversation, some Norwegians
11
had been converted to Christ.
of Olaf Tryggvason, a farmer found a human head on the Island of Selja, and it was surrounded by a phosphoric light. This emitted an agreeable odour. He at once took it to the king, who submitted it to Bishop Sigurd. Both recognised the evidences of sanctity, and then they went together to the island. There, they discovered the cave filled with the bones I2 of the saintly refugees. How they found out, that those were Irish, that their leader was named Sunnifa, and her brother Alban, we are not informed. Two churches were then erected in Selja ; one of these was dedicated to St. Sun- nifa,andtheothertoSt. Alban. Variousmiraclesafterwardsconfirmedthe popularbelief,thattheywereglorioussaints. TheirdeathoccurredinNorway, where it is said they suffered martyrdom, but under what circumstances seems not to be known. However, St.
Sunnifa and Alban are regarded as the proto-martyrs of Norway. In the first edition of Father Henry Fitzsimon's
the Saints," vol. vii. , July 8, pp. 195, 196.
to the
conveyed Bollandists through Father Stephen White, as found among the Manuscript collections
of the Irish Franciscans at Louvain.
"
of some shipwrecked foreign rovers, massa- cred in Earl Hako's reign. And the legend that grew up around them is—a distant echo
"
of the legend of St. Ursula. " Lives of the
Saints," vol. vii. , July 8, p. 197.
13 He cites Canisius as an authority, but
neither he nor Greven specifies the exact
number of companions.
I4 Acurious was that in Legend current,
the extreme parts of the north of Europe, and
among the Scritefings, seven men lay sleeping in a certain cave beside the ocean. Opinions
differed regarding them, some holding, these sleepers should awake and preach to that people before the end of the world. But, others said they were some of the eleven thousand virgins whose company separated,
11 Such was a statement
12
The bones discovered were probably those
The Rev. S. Baring-Gould remarks :
Their Legend states, that during the reign
had
rock. There, too, miracles were wrought.
See Pertz's " Monumenta Germanise Histo- rica," tomusix. , p. 302.
and some of these
been wrecked on that
1 68 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
11
Catalogus aliquorum
Sanctorum Hiberniae," there is no mention of these
holy virgins and martyrs ; but, in the second edition enlarged, he notes at the 8th of July St. Summiva with seven companions in Norway. *3 We are told, that in 1170, the relics of St. Sunnifa were brought from Selja to Ber-
1*
Dempster falsely cites Canisius, for the seven female companions of St. Summiva, virgin. The body of St. Sunnifa is alleged to have been deposited in a large and hand- some shrine, over the high altar of Christ Church, in Bergen. On the 8th of July—probably the day of St. Summiva's demise—the Norwegians
annually celebrated Mass in her honour. 1'
Article V. ^-St. Trega, Virgin and Patroness or Ardtrea Parish, County of Londonderry. {Fifth Century'. ] St. Tiega had a feast on this day, in the place and parish called after her Ardtrea, partly in the barony of Dungannon, County Tyrone, but chiefly in the barony of Loughinsholin, and
gen, by the Bishop Paul, chaplain to King Eysteinn.
of 1 The county Londonderry.
parish 2
of which she was lies on the patroness
north-west border of Lough Neagh, the largest inland lake of Ireland. It seems to have been Colgan's intention to treat about her,3 on two different days consecrated to her memory, viz. : on the 8th of July, and on the 3rd of August. The Bollandists have a notice, at the present date, regarding St. TreaofArd-Trea. 4 St. Trega,TrehaorTrechawasdaughtertoCarthennus, the minor dynast of that country, called Hy-Tuirtre,5 near Slieve Gallion, and on the borders of Lough Neagh. This prince was son to Ere, son to Eochad, son to Colla Huaish,6 the monarch of Ireland, in the year of Christ 326. 7 ThemotherofthissaintwasnamedMugania,descendedfromFear- gus the Great, prince of Dalaradia. Her father and mother, with their house-
embraced the faith of Christ.
when he passed Toome ford, and entered the country of Hy-Tuirtre. Car- thennus was named the Minor, to distinguish him from an elder brother, bearingasimilarname,calledCarthennusMajor. Thislatterwouldnotem-
hold,
They
were
baptized by
A. Worsaae's "Account of the
's See
Danes and Norwegians, in England, Scot-
*
122 to
7 Duald Mac Firbis thus traces the origin
t>a iiiac
ccAi-umec CappcAinn locA|:eAbuilpAcr\A
Cope fro SbiAb a n-'oeAf o ccait> in
Cuir\c r\e ti, acur- Acur* Acup pp. pn Luij\c,
Wales, Scotland, and Ireland," printed cor\c§AbAil ConAille mui|\ceinne (cope
a. d. 1497. 'ono Ainm no gAbAil) &c. " The following
J. J.
125.
land and — sect, Ireland,"
—" CoUIa
v. , p. 333.
Article v. Adescription ofit may be found in the "Parliamentary Gazetteer of
family
:
UAip cjva SLiad
Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 66, 67.
a A curious of its is to be legend origin
is a translation of the Irish: Colla Uaishad two goodly sons, viz. , Earc on the North of the Mountain, from whom descend the Mac Cartains of Loch Feabhail and
It was by him [Fiachra] that Conail—le
Muirthemne [Louth] was first appropriated Tort being a name for seizure," &c. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiqui- ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," Ap-
pendix BB, pp. 292, 293.
8 See an account of this incident, in the
Third Volume of this work, at the 17th of
March, Art. i. Life of St. Patrick, chap. xv.
found, in Caxton's "History of England, ""
3 See Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita
S. Patricii, n. 97, p. 113.
4 They add : "de qua ait Sirinus, viden-
dum diem in. —
Augusti lendariis prsetcrita est. "
rum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. termitted saints, p. 533.
[Foyle], Fiachra Tort on the South of the Mountain, from whom descend the Hy-Tuirtre, and the Fir-Li, and the Fir-Luirc, and Hy-Mac Uais.
5 The descendants of Fiachra Tort, son to
Colla Huaish, were called U1 Cuir\Cj\e.
From him the territory which they occupied received its name.
6
feated the Ultonians at the battle of Cain- Eacha-lethderg, A. D. 331. He assumed the
sovereignty of Ireland in the year 323, and he held it until 326. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp.
:
This monarch with his two brothers de-
sed et hrec aliis Ka-
"
Acta Sancto- Among the pre-
of this
rhAice. bAif . 1. eAj\c yjma
U1 tTlAC Uai|\ Ay Ler-itie ceAtmA t>eA|MiAt>
St. 8 Patrick,
a cuai-6 o
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 169
brace the Gospel, but rather he treated St. Patrick with insult and reproach, driving him forth from the country in which he ruled. This joined the terri-
tory of his younger brother. Hereupon, St. Patrick predicted, that the youngerCarthennusshouldonedayenjoythetyrant'sinheritance. Hehad
unjustly expelled the prince from his dominions, lest this junior might succeed to any portion of his paternal possessions. The journey of our Irish Apostle to
this part of the country is thus minutely described in theTripartiteLife; from the territory of Dalaradia his travels lay through Fersait-Tuama,* in the district of Hi-Tuirtre, and for forty days he remained in a place called Finnabhuir,10 wishing at that beautiful site " to establish his cathedral See. " It is described as having been near the mountain Callann towards the east and Lough Neagh towards the west. This seems, however, to have been an accidental reversal of the proper order. St. Trega was born at the time when St. Patrick baptizedherfather'shousehold. 1* Shereceivedhernameandthesacrament of regeneration, likewise, through the instrumentality of that great Apostle. He predicted, at the same time, the future sanctity of the child, and the con- secration of her virginity to God, at a subsequent period. The people of Hy- Tuirtre region, moved by the example of their dynast, and enlightened by Divine grace, received the faith of Christ at the same time, from our Irish
Apostle. By pious exhortations and labours, he endeavoured to strengthen the foundations thus laid, and to nurture germs of salvation, already planted in the minds of his neophytes. The father of St. Trega was distinguished for piety and devotedness to all his Christian engagements, and for the munifi- cencewithwhichhebuiltandendowedchurches. Sevenmoftheseareparti- cularly noted, as having been commenced by St. Patrick. • Some of these churcheshavebeenidentified. 16 Thus,theDomnach-Fainreisknowntobethe
1
present Donaghenry, ? a parish in the county of Tyrone, near Lough Neagh.
18
Domnach-Riascaigh is the present Donaghrisk,
a townland in the parish of
9 This denomination signifies "the cross- have existed besides those of Clonmacnoise, ing of Tuaim. " It is identical with Toome Glendalough, Clonenagh, &c, There were Bridge over the River Bann, in the parish seven churches founded by St. Patrick in of Duneane. By the Irish Annalists, it is Keenaght, of which Boith- Domnach, now called Uuaim, and it gives name to a barony. Bandony, was one. See Colgan's "Trias This passage of the Bann is at the issue of
the river, where it leaves Lough Neagh.
10 It is rendered " albus compus," in
Latin. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciv. , p. 87.
11
Thaumaturga," Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. cxix. , p. 145.
There were several places bearing this
name of Fionnabhair in Ireland. One of Righdhuinn, Domnach-Brain, Domnach-
these was near the Abbey of Mellifont. See
moelain, et Domnach-libeir. " See ibid. , cap. cxxxviii. to cxl. , p. 148.
l6
By Rev. Dr. Reeves in his invaluable historical and topographical work, intituled " Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix BB, p. 294, n. (b).
Ijr It was formerly within Domnaghfenre and Dompnachfionnray, in the ancient regis- ters of Armagh.
,8 In the Taxation of Armagh diocese A. D.
1291, Donagheresca occurs as the name of an independent church. In the ancient Registra of the diocese, it is called the rec-
of and
tory Domnaghreasca Downaghryeske.
The Dungannon Inquisition of 1609 repre- sents Donaghreiske as a chapel, with two balliboes of Erenagh land thereto belonging,
Its ancient cemetery was the burying-place
O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the Four Masters,"
vol. ii. , p. 1043, and n- ( e) 5 also PP- II24» 1 125, n. (m). There is also one near Clogher, which is thus described by Colgan : "Collis Finn-abhuir in Lemania, quae est regio cam- pestris Tironiae, dicecesis Clocharensis, vulgo
—"Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii,
Maglemna aliis clossach, dicta. " cap. iv. , p. 149 and 184, n. II.
"
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix BB, p. 293, n. (x).
13 See " Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga," Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. cxl. ,
p. 148.
14 There are other instances in Ireland,
where we hnd groups of seven churches to
** " Unde in regione ilia septem basilica- rum jecit fundamenta : quarum prisca voca- bula erant Domnach Fainre, Domnach- Riascaigh, Domnach-Fothairbe, Domnach-
iyo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
Desertcreat, which joins the former parish on the west. Donnabaran, in the deanery of Tullaghoge, washerenach land, and it resembles the name Dom- nach-Brain. T9 TheRev. Dr. Reeveswasunabletoidentifythemodernnames
20
of the remaining churches.
ridge of mountain at the south-west of Loughinsholin barony, in the county ofDerry;whilstEthachisidenticalwiththepresentLoughNeagh. When her father had been restored to his territory, St. Trega received the veil from St.
Volume, at February 27th, Art. i.
10 The accompanying sketch by the author,
and drawn on the spot, September, 1889, was taken from an opposite point of view to that presented in a previous illustration, given at the 27th of January. The present sketch represents the large moat in the fore- ground, and beyond the travelled road, the east gable of Killeshin old church in the dis- tance. This sketch has been transferred by William F. Wakeman to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
bright
pedigree
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 165
place of considerable ecclesiastical importance. A city or town appears to have grown around the church ; but, it is difficult now to determine the
monks' quarter, which, however, according to a prevailing Irish usage, was quite convenient to the church. Again, as in so many other instances we have found throughout Ireland, the large circular moat was in close proximity with
10
the religious establishment ;
yet, whether erected for purposes of defence,
or to serve a different end, we have not been able to determine, and an
examination of such an antiquarian problem must continue to exercise the
research and ingenuity of ecclesiastical and secular historical investigators.
It seems very probable, that the St. Diarmaid, commemorated in our Calendars
at this date, had been the original founder of a church and monastery
11
and that he presided over both as the first Abbot. " His period, how- ever, has eluded inquiry ; nor are the incidents of his incumbency known.
here,
Some writers think this saint flourish—ed as
as the sixth — and early century,
that he preceded St. Comgan^ who died before 570 in the
government of Gleann-Ussein monastery. ^ This is also the opinion of
Sirinus, as communicated to the Bollandists, who have notices ofDiermetiiis
of at the 8th of 16 the for St. Diarmaid's
Gleann-Ussein, July. Although day
feast has been assigned to the 8th of July, yet the year when it occurred does
not appear to have transpired. The present saint can hardly be identical
with that Diarmaid, Abbot of Gleann-Uissean, whose death is'recorded, at
the year 874 ;•» unless, indeed, we could imagine some interpolations in the
MartyrologyofTallagh,orintheFeilireofSt. ^Engus. Itisevident,more-
over, that the last-named Diarmaid had not been the first Abbot over Kille-
shin. The fullest and most exact account of this locality and of its history
is that given in the very learned and valuable work of the Most Rev Michael
18
Comerford, at present Coadjutor Bishop of the diocese of Kildare and
1 ^ The earliest annalistic account of this we is at a. d. Leighlin. place, find,
843, when Aedhan of Gleann-Uisean died. * The existing ruins denote that class of structure, known as Irish Romanesque, with incised mouldings on
31
the west door,
vious oratory having been broken down in 1041 by Mac Moylnerao, when
14 See
417, 418.
l
ibid.
Portions of these are set forth in beauti-
Colgan's
(y), 2I
and these date probably to the eleventh century ; the pre-
11
Of late, the ruins have been repaired but hardly well restored, by the Irish Board of Public Works.
and he adds, that this saint must be distin- guished from Diermit of Inisclothran. See
12 We have
dition assigned the foundation of Killeshin to
M'Dermott-r-very significantly referring to Diarmaid.
13 The festival of this holy Abbot is refer- red to the 27th of February, at which date are some observations regarding him, in the Second Volume of this, work, Art. i. Think- ing him to have lived later than a Diarmaid, Abbot of Gleann-Uissean, whose death is set down in Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," at A. D. 874, vol. i. , pp. 520, 521 ; we have deemed that Comgan to have been his successor at no particular date, but possibly in the ninth century. Now, as both the Diarmaid and Comgan of our early Calendars, and mentioned in them, must have flourished before they had been written, both should be assigned to a still earlier date.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- ? Dr. Lanigan follows such a statement,
sect, and n.
xiv. , p. 76, 244, p. 78,
already
seen, that a local tra-
chap, x. , ibid.
niae," Februarii xxvii. Vita S. Comgani, pp.
"
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. ,
l6 "
These writers add : Utcumque fuerit,
certus est Comgani cultus, ut vide xxvn. Februarii,nonitahujusDiermitii: nisiidem sit cum eo, qui in nostris Sanctorum Hiber- n—orum Catalogis refertur II, et in. Augusti. "
"Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 533.
1? See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 520, 521.
l8
See "Collections relating to the Dio- ceses of Kildare and Leighlin. '' Third Series, Diocese of Leighlin, pp. 241 to 248. '
I9 Consecrated, New Year's Day, 1889, by Most Rev. Archbishop of Dublin, William J. Walsh, D. D. , in the cathedral of Carlow.
20
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 464, 465, and n.
ful engravings, in Miss Stokes' "Early Christian Art in Ireland," y. 187.
14
166 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
he seems to have burnt the town in revenge of Fernamor. Afterwards, Gleann-
Uisean, with its yews, was burned, a. d. 1077, Dut the monastery appears to
have survived the many vicissitudes of those years. In the beginning of the
last about 40 feet of the eastern aa had been converted into a century, part
3
modern little church for Protestant services. 3 Under the head of Glenn
Uissen, Duald Mac Firbis enters Diarmuid, bishop of Glenn Uissen, at July
8th, as the date for his festival. 24
Article IV. —St. Summiva, Sunnifa, Sumniva, or Sunneva, an Irish Virgin, Patroness of Bergen, in Norway, and her Companions, Martyrs. Some proofs of Irish Christian influences on the northern coun- tries in Europe are shown from the account, that Summiva or Sunneva, who was born in Ireland, must have visited Norway at a later period. She was probably connected with the Norwegians by descent, or by alliance. In the
Norwegian Calendars, she is variedly called Sunnifa, Summiva, Sumniva,
SunivaandSunneva. ThemonkOddrrecordsher
3
been first published, and at this date. Molanus, Canisius,3 Ferrarius, and
the more recent Martyrologists, borrowed their notices of her, from the fore-
going accounts. Claude Castellan has her name in the General Index * to
his work, the Universal Martyrology. Her history is little known ; but, if we
are to credit the statement of Rev. S. Baring-Gould, there is not the smallest
foundation for this story, it being only a Scandinavian version of the Legend
of St. Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins. s At the 8th of July, the
6
His name occurs, also, in the Martyrology
There he is
of Gleann Uissein, in Ui-Bairrche. If these entries be correct, he would seem
of 2* at the same date. Donegal,
as
Diarmaid, Bishop, to have united in his person the episcopal and abbatial functions.
legend.
Greven's additions to the Martyrology of Usuard, her name seems to have
Bollandists
have a few brief notices of this holy virgin and of her com-
panions. Thesewritersfound,onconsultingcertainnorthernmuniments,? that under the name of Suniva, herself and her companions had been formerly
8
of St. Sumniva, has " Sociorum," and not '' ''
Sociarum.
4 There he implies a want of certainty, for the introduction of Summiva among his
Martyrs.
5 See "Lives of the Saints," vol. vii. , July
8th, pp. 195 to 197.
6
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. De S. Summiva Virg. et Martyre, cum Sociis vel Sociabus, in Norvegia, p. 649.
7 There is a Latin fragment of the Church
Office and Lections regarding these Virgins
and in " RerumDanica- Martyrs, Scriptores
rum," tomus vi. , pp. 3, 4, and 14 to 22.
8
It is distinguished as Missale Votivale. This was printed towards the close of the fifteenth or beginning of the sixteenth cen- tury.
» Some extracts from it are furnished, by
the Hollandists.
honoured in Sweden, with an ecclesiastical office. In an old Swedish
there is a Calendar prefixed, in which the name of St. Suniva occurs, at the 8th of July, and in it there is a Mass for her, with this title, De Sancta Suniva Officium. 9 Nor is it to be supposed, that Greven derived his state-
23 This portion is shown in the accompany-
ing engraving.
23 See "Collections relating to the Dio-
cese of Kildare and Leighlin," Third Series. Diocese of Leighlin. By the Rev. M. Comer-
ford, M. R. I. A. , p. 244. Annexed is a beau- tiful drawing of the west door of Killeshin
old church, by Rev. E. O'Leary, litho- graphed by Morison & Co. , Dublin.
2+ See " Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 112, 113.
:ted by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
i£8, 189. — Article IV.
' of
In the Saga King
Olaf, the younger Olafs Saga Tryggvasonar, chap. 106-8. and 149. The writer flourished
in the twelfth century.
2" Thus :
Sumnivse virginis et sociorum
ejus martyrum : qui de Hibernia egressi, in Norbegia coronas martyrii assecuti sunt. "
J ,0 " Canisius, in alluding to the companions See Rev. S. Baring-Gould's Lives of
entered,
1 InHermann
Missal,
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 167
ment solely from this authority. The age and acts of St. Summiva and of her
companions do not appear to be known, with anything which approaches to certainty. However, a sort of tradition records, that she was a beautiful Scottish
virgin, and the daughter of a king who lived in Ireland, in the days of Earl Hako. With seven other pious virgins, she had been captured by the tyranni- cal and pagan Northmen, who invaded Ireland. By these pirates, they were taken as captives, and brought into Norway. According to the Legend, Sunnifa was endowed with wealth, beauty and great Christian piety ; but, a northern viking hearing of her charms and accomplishments became enamoured, resolving to go in quest of her. That viking landed on the coasts of Ireland, and he sought the king, who hesitated to accept his suit for the hand of Sunnifa. The tyrant thereupon harried the whole country, and he setflamestoeveryhouse. Atlast,tosavehernativeislandfromdevastation by the cruel suitor, the princess expressed her determination to leave Ireland. The Saga has it, that her brother Alban(? ) and a multitude of virgins joined. All sailed away eastwards, and trusting to the guidance of Divine Providence. TheycameashoreontheIslandofSelja,inNorway,andfindingit uninhabited, they settled in the caves, and lived upon fishes. However, the islet served as a pasture for cattle in summer. When the farmers on the mainland saw those people on that island, they appealed to Earl Hako to protect their cattle. Gathering some armed men, Earl Hako rowed to the island. The Christian maidensfledintothecavesonhisapproach. TheyprayedGodtopreserve them. Accordingly, the rock closed upon them, and they came forth no more alive. 10 In Norway, according to another account, St. Sunnifa and her companions were greatly distinguished for their innocence of life, for their love ofchastity, and, it is even said, for their miracles. It is related, likewise, that through their good example and holy conversation, some Norwegians
11
had been converted to Christ.
of Olaf Tryggvason, a farmer found a human head on the Island of Selja, and it was surrounded by a phosphoric light. This emitted an agreeable odour. He at once took it to the king, who submitted it to Bishop Sigurd. Both recognised the evidences of sanctity, and then they went together to the island. There, they discovered the cave filled with the bones I2 of the saintly refugees. How they found out, that those were Irish, that their leader was named Sunnifa, and her brother Alban, we are not informed. Two churches were then erected in Selja ; one of these was dedicated to St. Sun- nifa,andtheothertoSt. Alban. Variousmiraclesafterwardsconfirmedthe popularbelief,thattheywereglorioussaints. TheirdeathoccurredinNorway, where it is said they suffered martyrdom, but under what circumstances seems not to be known. However, St.
Sunnifa and Alban are regarded as the proto-martyrs of Norway. In the first edition of Father Henry Fitzsimon's
the Saints," vol. vii. , July 8, pp. 195, 196.
to the
conveyed Bollandists through Father Stephen White, as found among the Manuscript collections
of the Irish Franciscans at Louvain.
"
of some shipwrecked foreign rovers, massa- cred in Earl Hako's reign. And the legend that grew up around them is—a distant echo
"
of the legend of St. Ursula. " Lives of the
Saints," vol. vii. , July 8, p. 197.
13 He cites Canisius as an authority, but
neither he nor Greven specifies the exact
number of companions.
I4 Acurious was that in Legend current,
the extreme parts of the north of Europe, and
among the Scritefings, seven men lay sleeping in a certain cave beside the ocean. Opinions
differed regarding them, some holding, these sleepers should awake and preach to that people before the end of the world. But, others said they were some of the eleven thousand virgins whose company separated,
11 Such was a statement
12
The bones discovered were probably those
The Rev. S. Baring-Gould remarks :
Their Legend states, that during the reign
had
rock. There, too, miracles were wrought.
See Pertz's " Monumenta Germanise Histo- rica," tomusix. , p. 302.
and some of these
been wrecked on that
1 68 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
11
Catalogus aliquorum
Sanctorum Hiberniae," there is no mention of these
holy virgins and martyrs ; but, in the second edition enlarged, he notes at the 8th of July St. Summiva with seven companions in Norway. *3 We are told, that in 1170, the relics of St. Sunnifa were brought from Selja to Ber-
1*
Dempster falsely cites Canisius, for the seven female companions of St. Summiva, virgin. The body of St. Sunnifa is alleged to have been deposited in a large and hand- some shrine, over the high altar of Christ Church, in Bergen. On the 8th of July—probably the day of St. Summiva's demise—the Norwegians
annually celebrated Mass in her honour. 1'
Article V. ^-St. Trega, Virgin and Patroness or Ardtrea Parish, County of Londonderry. {Fifth Century'. ] St. Tiega had a feast on this day, in the place and parish called after her Ardtrea, partly in the barony of Dungannon, County Tyrone, but chiefly in the barony of Loughinsholin, and
gen, by the Bishop Paul, chaplain to King Eysteinn.
of 1 The county Londonderry.
parish 2
of which she was lies on the patroness
north-west border of Lough Neagh, the largest inland lake of Ireland. It seems to have been Colgan's intention to treat about her,3 on two different days consecrated to her memory, viz. : on the 8th of July, and on the 3rd of August. The Bollandists have a notice, at the present date, regarding St. TreaofArd-Trea. 4 St. Trega,TrehaorTrechawasdaughtertoCarthennus, the minor dynast of that country, called Hy-Tuirtre,5 near Slieve Gallion, and on the borders of Lough Neagh. This prince was son to Ere, son to Eochad, son to Colla Huaish,6 the monarch of Ireland, in the year of Christ 326. 7 ThemotherofthissaintwasnamedMugania,descendedfromFear- gus the Great, prince of Dalaradia. Her father and mother, with their house-
embraced the faith of Christ.
when he passed Toome ford, and entered the country of Hy-Tuirtre. Car- thennus was named the Minor, to distinguish him from an elder brother, bearingasimilarname,calledCarthennusMajor. Thislatterwouldnotem-
hold,
They
were
baptized by
A. Worsaae's "Account of the
's See
Danes and Norwegians, in England, Scot-
*
122 to
7 Duald Mac Firbis thus traces the origin
t>a iiiac
ccAi-umec CappcAinn locA|:eAbuilpAcr\A
Cope fro SbiAb a n-'oeAf o ccait> in
Cuir\c r\e ti, acur- Acur* Acup pp. pn Luij\c,
Wales, Scotland, and Ireland," printed cor\c§AbAil ConAille mui|\ceinne (cope
a. d. 1497. 'ono Ainm no gAbAil) &c. " The following
J. J.
125.
land and — sect, Ireland,"
—" CoUIa
v. , p. 333.
Article v. Adescription ofit may be found in the "Parliamentary Gazetteer of
family
:
UAip cjva SLiad
Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 66, 67.
a A curious of its is to be legend origin
is a translation of the Irish: Colla Uaishad two goodly sons, viz. , Earc on the North of the Mountain, from whom descend the Mac Cartains of Loch Feabhail and
It was by him [Fiachra] that Conail—le
Muirthemne [Louth] was first appropriated Tort being a name for seizure," &c. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiqui- ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," Ap-
pendix BB, pp. 292, 293.
8 See an account of this incident, in the
Third Volume of this work, at the 17th of
March, Art. i. Life of St. Patrick, chap. xv.
found, in Caxton's "History of England, ""
3 See Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita
S. Patricii, n. 97, p. 113.
4 They add : "de qua ait Sirinus, viden-
dum diem in. —
Augusti lendariis prsetcrita est. "
rum," tomus ii. , Julii viii. termitted saints, p. 533.
[Foyle], Fiachra Tort on the South of the Mountain, from whom descend the Hy-Tuirtre, and the Fir-Li, and the Fir-Luirc, and Hy-Mac Uais.
5 The descendants of Fiachra Tort, son to
Colla Huaish, were called U1 Cuir\Cj\e.
From him the territory which they occupied received its name.
6
feated the Ultonians at the battle of Cain- Eacha-lethderg, A. D. 331. He assumed the
sovereignty of Ireland in the year 323, and he held it until 326. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp.
:
This monarch with his two brothers de-
sed et hrec aliis Ka-
"
Acta Sancto- Among the pre-
of this
rhAice. bAif . 1. eAj\c yjma
U1 tTlAC Uai|\ Ay Ler-itie ceAtmA t>eA|MiAt>
St. 8 Patrick,
a cuai-6 o
July 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 169
brace the Gospel, but rather he treated St. Patrick with insult and reproach, driving him forth from the country in which he ruled. This joined the terri-
tory of his younger brother. Hereupon, St. Patrick predicted, that the youngerCarthennusshouldonedayenjoythetyrant'sinheritance. Hehad
unjustly expelled the prince from his dominions, lest this junior might succeed to any portion of his paternal possessions. The journey of our Irish Apostle to
this part of the country is thus minutely described in theTripartiteLife; from the territory of Dalaradia his travels lay through Fersait-Tuama,* in the district of Hi-Tuirtre, and for forty days he remained in a place called Finnabhuir,10 wishing at that beautiful site " to establish his cathedral See. " It is described as having been near the mountain Callann towards the east and Lough Neagh towards the west. This seems, however, to have been an accidental reversal of the proper order. St. Trega was born at the time when St. Patrick baptizedherfather'shousehold. 1* Shereceivedhernameandthesacrament of regeneration, likewise, through the instrumentality of that great Apostle. He predicted, at the same time, the future sanctity of the child, and the con- secration of her virginity to God, at a subsequent period. The people of Hy- Tuirtre region, moved by the example of their dynast, and enlightened by Divine grace, received the faith of Christ at the same time, from our Irish
Apostle. By pious exhortations and labours, he endeavoured to strengthen the foundations thus laid, and to nurture germs of salvation, already planted in the minds of his neophytes. The father of St. Trega was distinguished for piety and devotedness to all his Christian engagements, and for the munifi- cencewithwhichhebuiltandendowedchurches. Sevenmoftheseareparti- cularly noted, as having been commenced by St. Patrick. • Some of these churcheshavebeenidentified. 16 Thus,theDomnach-Fainreisknowntobethe
1
present Donaghenry, ? a parish in the county of Tyrone, near Lough Neagh.
18
Domnach-Riascaigh is the present Donaghrisk,
a townland in the parish of
9 This denomination signifies "the cross- have existed besides those of Clonmacnoise, ing of Tuaim. " It is identical with Toome Glendalough, Clonenagh, &c, There were Bridge over the River Bann, in the parish seven churches founded by St. Patrick in of Duneane. By the Irish Annalists, it is Keenaght, of which Boith- Domnach, now called Uuaim, and it gives name to a barony. Bandony, was one. See Colgan's "Trias This passage of the Bann is at the issue of
the river, where it leaves Lough Neagh.
10 It is rendered " albus compus," in
Latin. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciv. , p. 87.
11
Thaumaturga," Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. cxix. , p. 145.
There were several places bearing this
name of Fionnabhair in Ireland. One of Righdhuinn, Domnach-Brain, Domnach-
these was near the Abbey of Mellifont. See
moelain, et Domnach-libeir. " See ibid. , cap. cxxxviii. to cxl. , p. 148.
l6
By Rev. Dr. Reeves in his invaluable historical and topographical work, intituled " Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix BB, p. 294, n. (b).
Ijr It was formerly within Domnaghfenre and Dompnachfionnray, in the ancient regis- ters of Armagh.
,8 In the Taxation of Armagh diocese A. D.
1291, Donagheresca occurs as the name of an independent church. In the ancient Registra of the diocese, it is called the rec-
of and
tory Domnaghreasca Downaghryeske.
The Dungannon Inquisition of 1609 repre- sents Donaghreiske as a chapel, with two balliboes of Erenagh land thereto belonging,
Its ancient cemetery was the burying-place
O'Donovan's
"
Annals of the Four Masters,"
vol. ii. , p. 1043, and n- ( e) 5 also PP- II24» 1 125, n. (m). There is also one near Clogher, which is thus described by Colgan : "Collis Finn-abhuir in Lemania, quae est regio cam- pestris Tironiae, dicecesis Clocharensis, vulgo
—"Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii,
Maglemna aliis clossach, dicta. " cap. iv. , p. 149 and 184, n. II.
"
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix BB, p. 293, n. (x).
13 See " Trias Colgan's
Thaumaturga," Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. cxl. ,
p. 148.
14 There are other instances in Ireland,
where we hnd groups of seven churches to
** " Unde in regione ilia septem basilica- rum jecit fundamenta : quarum prisca voca- bula erant Domnach Fainre, Domnach- Riascaigh, Domnach-Fothairbe, Domnach-
iyo LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 8.
Desertcreat, which joins the former parish on the west. Donnabaran, in the deanery of Tullaghoge, washerenach land, and it resembles the name Dom- nach-Brain. T9 TheRev. Dr. Reeveswasunabletoidentifythemodernnames
20
of the remaining churches.
ridge of mountain at the south-west of Loughinsholin barony, in the county ofDerry;whilstEthachisidenticalwiththepresentLoughNeagh. When her father had been restored to his territory, St. Trega received the veil from St.
