*'' In the very early ages of our history, it seems to have constituted a
distinct
principality.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
Lanigan.
9 BothMelandMelchusarerepresentedashavingbeenleft,in
Southern St. and as— over the see of
Teffia, by Patrick, jointly ruling Ardagh. ^°
f their festivals is the same a circumstance rather and The o—
day singular, suspicious being reputed brothers, as co-bishops, likewise, in one and the same see. Without sufficient authority, Ware and Harris" place Melchuo afterMel,intheorderofsuccession. Thesenamesandnoticesareapplied, it is thought, to one and the same person ; the real etymon, which was pro-
bably Melchu, having been contracted, and Latinized into Melus or Mel,
signifying
honey. "
"
^' Hence a false distinction of have arisen. persons may
St. Melchu—it has been asserted—was an assistant to St. Mel, during his
missionary labours and preaching. It is thought, too, that Melchu had been
consecrated bishop, by his reputed uncle, St. Patrick ; and that, he remained
withhisreputedbrotherMel,inthemonastery,atArdagh. Theyaresup- posed to have been emulous of each other, only in sanctity, and that Maelchu,
having thus persevered to the end, deserved to be registered among the saints. '3 it is not probable, that Tirechan would have omitted to mention Melchu, in addition to Mel, had the former name belonged to a brother of Mel, and to a joint-administrator, at Ardagh. '-^ Nor is it likely, the name of Melchu should have been omitted, in our most authentic Irish Martyro- logies and Annals, while particular mention is made of Mel or Melus. 'S Labouring under a mistake, Colgan distinguishes St. Melchuo from St. Mel. He devotes a separate short notice to the former, after having given St. Mel's Acts in full, at the 6th of February. For his various illustrations and proofs, reference is made to these Acts. ^^
Article III. —Reputed Festival of St. Munis, Bishop of Forgney, County of Longford. {Fifth Century. '] At this date, the Martyrology
3 of " See his Life, at the 1st August.
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
*'
of
* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," vi. Februarii. De S. Melchuone, Episcopo, with notes, p. 264.
s See an account of him, at that day.
*
Our native Martyrologists state, that St. Mellanus, with his companions Beonus and Nazadius, claimed Britain as their native place. See ibid.
Ardagh," p. 248.
" In the Tripartite Life of St. Patric—k,
Melus is called, "homo vere melleus. " ""
Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxix. , p. 133.
'3 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
Sancta," part i. , p. 108.
** Jocelin mentions Mel alone.
'S in the old enumerations of St. Patrick's
pretended nephews, with the exception of what Dr. Lanigan considers an interpolated
one, in "Trias Thaumaturga," p. 227, we find only Melus. See " Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vii. , sect, v. , n, 41, p. 339.
'^
Colganappearstorely,mainly, onthis following entry, in the Martyrology of Salis-
7 See
•'
Britannia Sancta," part i. , Feb-
ruary 6th, p. 108. ^"
See Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. ,
February vi,, p. 178.
9 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i. , chap, vii. , sect, v. , n. 41, p. 339. "See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " SeptimaVita,orVitaTripartitaS. Patricii,
lib. ii. , cap. xxvi. , p. 132.
Bishops
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 369
of Salisbury, and the Carthusian Martyrology, mark the festival of the present saint. Colgan has even given the Acts of St. Munis, at this day. ' As, however, the Irish Calendars assign his feast to the 18th of December,* we prefer following their authority, and defer giving his Life, until then, and according to their arrangement
Article IV. —Reputed Festival of St. Rioch, Abbot of Inis- BoFiNDE, Lough Ree, County of Longford. [^lifth Century. "] The only authority, for Colgan placing the Acts of the present holy abbot, at this date,' seems to be the untrustworthy record in the Martyrology of Salisbury. * Preferring to follow the more reliable Irish Calendarists,3 who assign his feast to the I St of August, we reserve his Life for insertion, at that day. -*
Article V. —St. Finian, or Mael-Finnia, of St. Patrick's Island,
near Skerries, County of Dublin. [Mjith Cejittiry. '] Like specks of oases, peering in the Arabian deserts, the Skerries Islands lie out as hermits in the ocean, off the north-east coast of Dublin county. One among these is specially known as St. Patrick's Island. It takes this name, from a popular tradition, that the Apostle of Ireland, when driven to sea by the , pagan inhabitants on the southern side of Dublin Bay, landed there, and blessed it. This small island has some remains of the ancient church,' which is now rarely visited by pilgrims. In former times, it had some celebrity, for it is alluded to in very ancient tracts, and it is noticed in our early annals. We find it mentioned, in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,^ and in an old Life of St. Benignus. 3 It has been confounded, too, with Sodor, or the Isle of Man. Thus, in those Acts of St. Connan, to which Colgan alludes, and which are published by him at the 13th ot January,* St. Patrick's Island has been identified with the present Isle of Man, situated in the Irish Channel, and nearly equi-distant from England, Ireland and Scotland. Marianus O'Gorman should have set him right, however, in re- ference to this matter ;5 and, in point of fact, Colgan acknowledges the dis- tinction, at this date, although he does not wholly appear to have discovered a previous mistake he had committed, owing to a confusion of ideas. ^ The
bury, at the 6th of February, in order to establish the distinction of these persons. "Eodem die in Hibemia festum S. Melis, S. Melchuonis, S. Munis, Episcoporum, et S. Riochi, Abbatis
Acts a historic commentary in four sections, conta ning twenty-eight paragraphs, at the 6th of February. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii vi. , pp. 778 to 782.
Articlev. ' See D'Allons "His- Jolin
tory of the County of Dublin," p. 444.
^ After he lelt an estuary, called Inbher Domnonn, he came to this Inis-Padruic. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Sep-
:
qui quatuor
tratres et
S. Patricii ex sorore Darerca nepotes, viri
plane singulari sanctimonia, et multis mira-
culis clar. "
Article III. —' See "Acta Sanctorum
Hiberniae," vi. Februarii. De S. Mune, tima Vila S. Patricii, lib. i. , cap. xliv. , p.
Episcopo Fornagiensi, pp. 264 to 267 and n. 16.
'
Seeibid. yn. 17,p. 267.
Article iv. —» See "Acta Sanctorum
Hiberniae," vi. Februarii. De S. Riocho
Abbate de Inis-Bofinde. Ex variis, pp.
267, 268.
'
124.
3 In the Third Chapter.
•* See,likewise,ournoticesofhimatthat
date.
s Marianus, at the 13th of January, says, that a St. Connan was Abbot of Inispatrick, which was identical with the island already mentioned in the text.
<> a conclusion must be Colgan remarks,
drawn, that the present island must be dis- tinguished from another church, havmg a similar description, and to be lound in the
See ibid. ,
3 See ibid. ,
< The Bollandists-who treat about the
holy bishops in Ireland Mel, Melcho, Munis and Rioch — consider these to have been
p. 26S and n. 10.
p.
268 and n. ii.
four distinct jiersons. They devote to their Isle of Man. He observes, lurihermore, Vol. iL a b
370 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 6.
BoUandists have a notice regarding this Finian, a supposed Abbot of Melli-
fonte, in three short paragraphs, at the 6th of February. 7 Yet, this appears to have been asserted, alter a mistaken statement, by the author of a Life of
St. Finian, Bishop of Lismore,^ when he alludes to another St. Finianus, Abbot, who was said to have been buried at Mellifonte,^ and whose feast had been assigned to the eighth of the February Ides. But, as the Cistercian monastery at Meliifonte had not been founded before the twelfth century, it is clear, a mistake of locality has been admitted, and the holy man thus de- signated had his connexion with the Island of St. Patrick, off the east shore of that still known as
Fingall
of St. Connan. See Colgan's
Acta Sanc-
torum 268.
Hibernise,"
vi.
n.
" The extent of Midhe I shall
And of the beauteous plain of Brekgh We know that it reaches to the sea, From the Sena of fair fields.
7 See **Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , vi.
Februarii. De S. Finiano Abbate Melii-
" Februarii,
fonte in Hibernia, p. 904.
^ **
The men of Tebtha guard its northern frontier
i. ,
p.
point out, —
^° St. Finian is more called generally
district,
by our hagiologists, Moel-Finian, or Maelfinnia. He is said to have been son to Flannagan. " He was of royal birth, and his ancestors are distin- guished in our Irish Annals. They ruled over the country of the Bregii," andtheirterritorywascalledBreagh. Itextended,itissaid,betweenDublin city and the town of Drogheda,'3 thus constituting it, in an especial manner, the northern part of Dublin county. It had, however, a much greater ex- tent.
*'' In the very early ages of our history, it seems to have constituted a distinct principality. Flannagan, the son of Ceallach,*^ and the father of Maelfinnia, was Prince of the Bregii,*^ and distinguished as one of our old bards,^7 while he was slain at a place called Olbha,'^ by the Norsemen, a. d.
that he had already alluded to the latter, at the 13th of January, in his notes to the Life
And five in fertile Magh-Breagh The sages well remember it.
Venerated at the 1 6th of March, where his Life will be found.
With those of Carbri, of well- won fights—
9 The interesting ruins at Mellifont are shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland MapsfortheCountyofLouth. " Sheet23. The townland itself, so designated, is noted on Sheets 21, 22, 23, 24. It is in the parish of TuUyallen, and barony of Ferard.
Famed for sages and for bards,
The men of Breagh dwell thence to
"
—O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ire- land," book i. , part i;, chap, iii. , sect, i. , pp. 87, 88.
'5 His father was again called Flannagan.
See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , at A. D. 887, pp. 540,
541. "^
Casan, now the Annagassan stream, near Dundalk, in the county of Louth, was the extreme northern boundary of Breagh. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Gioila na Naomh O'Huidhrin," n. ii, p. iii.
" This territory, extending about fifteen miles northward of the city, in Dublin county,
was formerly in possession of the Danes of
Dublin. See Dr. O'Donovan's ** Annals of
the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (h), p. 861.
In race, physique, and cast of features or
complexion, the Fingallians, in several cases, still bear traces of their Northman
origin. Yet, their names and places are
mostlyIrishdenominations.
*'
" See Annals of Donegal.
Mr. D'Alton calls it "a district extend-
ing southward of the Boyne," when refer-
ring to this saint. See "History of Dro- Monarch of Ireland, which occurred at gheda," vol. i. , Introduction, p. cxvii.
'3 See D' Alton's " of Dublin," p. 445.
'7 After the death of Aedh Finnliath, Druim-Inesclainn, or Dromisken, county of
History
County Louth,
November,
A. D.
876,
*< It was a large plain, or level territory, in East Meath, comprising five cantreds,
out of its eighteen. stated :
"
Thus is the matter
There are thirteen cantons in Midhe, Thus all our bards have told us,
of the
on the 20th of
Flannagan composed an Irish elegy, of great poetic merit, and a part of which, with an English translation, will be found in Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters,"
voL i. , pp. 524, 525.
'8
According to Dr. O'Donovan, this place has not been identified ; Ijut, he thinks the name a mistake for Odhbha.
Casan.
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 371
89. 1. ^9 It would appear, that his son Cinaedh immediately succeeded hira,
may
next, and immediately, in the order of succession, to the territorial chieftainry, perhaps, before the close of the year already mentioned. Mael-Finnia's virtues are greatly celebrated in our bardic literature, and what gives greater value to hiseulogy,ithadbeenproclaimedafterhisdeath. OurAnnalsalsorecount his warlike and courageous deeds. He appears to have drawn the sword only in generous and noble self-defence, to protect his people and his country from unjust aggression. Thus, when in 892,'' the Ulidians, under the leadership of Aiddeidh, son of Laighne, made an inroad on Breagh, Mael- finnia met them courageously at Rath-cro,^'^ where he fought and gained the victory. Here were slain Muireadhach, son of Maeleitigh, lord of Dal- Araidhe, and Ainniarraidh, son of Maelmoicheirghe, son of Innreachtach, lord of Leath-Chathail, together with three hundred men. '3 Aiddeadh himself escaped, but he was severely wounded. ^^ During the ninth century, the Danes and Norwegians were a constant source of persecution and annoyance to the Irish, so much divided among themselves. That settlement, which they effected at Dublin, and which seems to have had the protection of fortified walls for defence, retained the advantage, likewise, of a ready com- munication by sea, for the Norsemen ships and mariners. ^s This was the chief hornet's nest, whence armed bands issued, to waste the inland terri- tories and religious establishments of the Irish. Accordingly, towards the close of this century, it would seem, that a confederacy had been entered into by Cearbhall, son of Muirigin, King of Leinster. and by Maelfinnia, lord of Breagh. The forces of both were united, a. d. 897, and the fortress
^"^
of Ath-cliath or Dublin was besieged.
foreigners, after they had sustained a great loss, both in killed and wounded. So many as could escaped across the sea. Yet were they obliged to leave great numbers of their ships behind them. They seem to have fled, in the first instance, to Inis-mac-Nessan, now Ireland's Eye,='7 a little to the north of Howth. '^ Here, again, they were besieged, and probably they were
'9 See Dr. O'Donovan's *« Annals of the They are thus translated into English by Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 546, 547, and Dr. O' Donovan :
n. (d), ibid.
as Tanist of all he died that
at Dun-Brie. '° We
Breagh
but,
fairly suppose, that his brother, and the present pious Prince of Breagh, came
»°This means, "the Port" or "Dun of
Breac,' a man's name, denoting "speckled," or "freckled. "
"The "Annals of Ulster," however,
place the following incidents, undef the
year 896.
**
According to Dr. O'Donovan, this place has not been identified ; yet, in a foregoing note, he states, it is near Slane in the county of Meath. See " Annals of the Four Mas- ters,"vol. i. , n. (g), p. 110 and n. (1), p. 549.
'3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 548 to 551.
** The UUdians, at one hour of the day,
reaped thy food,
On their departure in terror they would
not feel reluctant to purchase it. "
;
very year,
»7 The reader will find an interesting de- scription of this islet in J. Huband Smith's "Day at Howth ; or, Guide to its most
of interest," pp. 19 to 23. '^ On this island are the remains of the Church of the Sons of Nessan, which had fallen into great decay, until of late years, when the Rev. John F. Shearman, C. C. of Howth, aided by the contributions of the -^5 tTA^liiil -odib /N^ eA]\^ch ni|\ bo late and present Earl of Howth, with ladies •ooipb ceAn-oAch fpiu. and gentlemen of taste and culture, effected
»* An Irish
thidh, the son of Flannagan, thus alludes to this conflict, in the following lines :—
poet,
who is called Maelmi-
prominent objects
Utdit) imc]\A6 -oo "Lo T\o 5a'Oaca]\ -oa biu
This was surrendered by the
«s See J. J. A. Worsaae's "Account of the Danes and Norwegians :n England, Scotland and Ireland. " The Norwegians iu Ireland, sect, iii. , pp. 315 to 323.
»* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 554 to 557.
S-72 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 6.
obliged to surrender at discretion. '^ In, consequence of these eventful pro- ceedings, the lord of Breagh, Maelfinnia, who is called a religious, devout
layman, gained great temporal renown. 3° There appears to be no just warrant for the statement of Marianus O'Gorman, that he was abbot over Inis-Paturic, so far as we can jud^e. This spot lies off the present maritime town of Skerries, in the county of Dublin. There, for some centuries, a re- ligious establishment existed ; and, before the English invasion, it is said Sitric, the son of Murchard, re-founded an abbey for Augustinian Canons. 3' It was dedicated to St. Patrick, and it seems to have been thenceforward known, as the monastery of Holmpatrick. Yet, its situation in the island having been found very inconvenient, Pope Innocent III. confirmed its
LoiuipaU
Interior View, bKcirica, v^o. JJublin.
advowson to the see of Dublin in 1216, and about the year 1220, the paro- chial church of Holmpatrick was erected on the mainland, by Henry de Loundres, Archbishop of Dublin 3» Considerable remains ot the ancient Holmpatrick Priory yet exist, and these indicate, that they belong probably
the work of restoration most fittingly and
effectively. In September, 1S28, the late Dr.
Peiric made five different sketches of the
ruins, which were then tolerably perfect.
These have been fol- drawings scrupulously
lowed as authorities, in re-building the fallen
chancel arch, and the west door, which is
thought to have been the work oi the first
builders. Old materials were carelully col- O'Flanagan, and his ally is called Carrol.
lected, as nearly all of them remained, in siiu, where ihey had fallen. It must be
gratifying, to those more miimately engaged in the work of resi oration, to be asbureil, that what his been already dune, with scru- pulous care in the reproducii(jn of the uri- giuai features of the building, has merited
See Rev. James Johnstone's Celto-Normannic«," p. 66. ^
'•
the approbation of some, among the most
distinguished archaeologists.
'-'« 1 he Danish King of Dublin, at this
time seems to have been Silitric bee
" of Ireland. " Lindsay's Coinage
•^ Ihese events, however, are assigned to A. D. 901, in the " Annals of Ulster," where the present saint is called Maol-Kinia
3' See Sir James Wares "De Hibemia et Antiquitaiibus ejus Disquisitiones," cap.
xxvi. , p. 144.
3' See John D'Alton's
" County ot Dublin," pp. 445 to 447.
Antiquitates
Hi. story of the
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 373
to the thirteenth ccntun'. as In the still earlier monastery of the ninth, it may be, that finding hib end approaching, the religious prince Maelfinnia,
resolving to abdicate his earthly dignity and advantages, retired to the lonely island of St. Patrick, where he assumed the habit of a monk. Although it
is mentioned, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3* that Maelfinden, Abbot of Inis-Patraic,35 was venerated on this day, the chief authority, for the state-
ment of this holy man becoming superior over the community there, was Marianus O'Gorman. He, probably, had only conjecture to guide him to such a conclusion, or, at best, some unreliable tradition. Other writers, such as Charles Maguire and the Four Masters, without much reflection,
followed his opinion. Colgan, likewise, adopts it. Richard Whytford, who treats about St. Finianus,36 at the 6th of February, styles him a man great in his family descent, yet still more illustrious for his sanctity. The Carthusian Martyrology, also, records him at this date. 37 It appears more correct, however, to call him Maelfinnia,3S than simply Finian. According to our Annals, he happily departed this life, a. d. 898 ;39 most probably at Inis- Patric*® and on a 6th of February,*' which is the day set apart for his feast. Under the head of Daire Calgaigh, Duald Mac Firbis enters another Maol- finnen,*' a distinguished and learned Bishop of Daire Calgaigh. -o He died A. D. 948 ;44 but, this shows he is clearly distinguishable from the present saint,whodepartedfromthislife,fiftyyearsprevioustohisdeath. Although, many of our Martyrologists treat concerning this saint, as a man of esteemed
sanctity; yet,nofurtherimportantparticularscanbegleanedregardinghim,
thanthosewhichhavebeenalreadygiven. Fromaccounts,intheAnnals0*
the Four and in those of *5 we feel disinclined to Masters, Ulster, believe,
that Finian became an abbot, at the time of his death. ^^ His eulogy has been preserved lor us—at least in part—as some Irish verses were composed to commemorate his fame and his worth. These have been introduced by the Four Masters, when noting down the date for his decease. '>7 Some un-
33 The accompanying illustration has been engraved by Mrs. Millard, from an original drawing by George V. Du Noyer, taken on the spot, and now preserved in the folio volume of his sketches, in the library of the Royal Irish Academy.
3* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
40, 41.
35 In a note Dr. Todd says, at this word,
"
The more recent hand adds, 'pnnen juxta Marian. ' But the text of the Brussels MS. of U'Gorman reads Fin- nian, ^bb riA hinnfe, Abbot ol the Isle ; and the gloss is 'Maeifinnian, Abbot of Inis-
Patraic. "
3° In the Martyrology of Salisbury, printed
at London, A. D. 151O. *'
Martyrology, places the feast of St. Moel- finnian, Abbot of Inis-Paiuric.
*^ See "Memoir of the City and North
Western Liberties of Londonderry. " Parish
of Templemore. Part ii. , sect. 2, p. 28.
Inis-Fatraic,
Four Masters," vol. ii.
Southern St. and as— over the see of
Teffia, by Patrick, jointly ruling Ardagh. ^°
f their festivals is the same a circumstance rather and The o—
day singular, suspicious being reputed brothers, as co-bishops, likewise, in one and the same see. Without sufficient authority, Ware and Harris" place Melchuo afterMel,intheorderofsuccession. Thesenamesandnoticesareapplied, it is thought, to one and the same person ; the real etymon, which was pro-
bably Melchu, having been contracted, and Latinized into Melus or Mel,
signifying
honey. "
"
^' Hence a false distinction of have arisen. persons may
St. Melchu—it has been asserted—was an assistant to St. Mel, during his
missionary labours and preaching. It is thought, too, that Melchu had been
consecrated bishop, by his reputed uncle, St. Patrick ; and that, he remained
withhisreputedbrotherMel,inthemonastery,atArdagh. Theyaresup- posed to have been emulous of each other, only in sanctity, and that Maelchu,
having thus persevered to the end, deserved to be registered among the saints. '3 it is not probable, that Tirechan would have omitted to mention Melchu, in addition to Mel, had the former name belonged to a brother of Mel, and to a joint-administrator, at Ardagh. '-^ Nor is it likely, the name of Melchu should have been omitted, in our most authentic Irish Martyro- logies and Annals, while particular mention is made of Mel or Melus. 'S Labouring under a mistake, Colgan distinguishes St. Melchuo from St. Mel. He devotes a separate short notice to the former, after having given St. Mel's Acts in full, at the 6th of February. For his various illustrations and proofs, reference is made to these Acts. ^^
Article III. —Reputed Festival of St. Munis, Bishop of Forgney, County of Longford. {Fifth Century. '] At this date, the Martyrology
3 of " See his Life, at the 1st August.
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
*'
of
* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," vi. Februarii. De S. Melchuone, Episcopo, with notes, p. 264.
s See an account of him, at that day.
*
Our native Martyrologists state, that St. Mellanus, with his companions Beonus and Nazadius, claimed Britain as their native place. See ibid.
Ardagh," p. 248.
" In the Tripartite Life of St. Patric—k,
Melus is called, "homo vere melleus. " ""
Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga. Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxix. , p. 133.
'3 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
Sancta," part i. , p. 108.
** Jocelin mentions Mel alone.
'S in the old enumerations of St. Patrick's
pretended nephews, with the exception of what Dr. Lanigan considers an interpolated
one, in "Trias Thaumaturga," p. 227, we find only Melus. See " Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, vii. , sect, v. , n, 41, p. 339.
'^
Colganappearstorely,mainly, onthis following entry, in the Martyrology of Salis-
7 See
•'
Britannia Sancta," part i. , Feb-
ruary 6th, p. 108. ^"
See Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. ,
February vi,, p. 178.
9 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i. , chap, vii. , sect, v. , n. 41, p. 339. "See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " SeptimaVita,orVitaTripartitaS. Patricii,
lib. ii. , cap. xxvi. , p. 132.
Bishops
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 369
of Salisbury, and the Carthusian Martyrology, mark the festival of the present saint. Colgan has even given the Acts of St. Munis, at this day. ' As, however, the Irish Calendars assign his feast to the 18th of December,* we prefer following their authority, and defer giving his Life, until then, and according to their arrangement
Article IV. —Reputed Festival of St. Rioch, Abbot of Inis- BoFiNDE, Lough Ree, County of Longford. [^lifth Century. "] The only authority, for Colgan placing the Acts of the present holy abbot, at this date,' seems to be the untrustworthy record in the Martyrology of Salisbury. * Preferring to follow the more reliable Irish Calendarists,3 who assign his feast to the I St of August, we reserve his Life for insertion, at that day. -*
Article V. —St. Finian, or Mael-Finnia, of St. Patrick's Island,
near Skerries, County of Dublin. [Mjith Cejittiry. '] Like specks of oases, peering in the Arabian deserts, the Skerries Islands lie out as hermits in the ocean, off the north-east coast of Dublin county. One among these is specially known as St. Patrick's Island. It takes this name, from a popular tradition, that the Apostle of Ireland, when driven to sea by the , pagan inhabitants on the southern side of Dublin Bay, landed there, and blessed it. This small island has some remains of the ancient church,' which is now rarely visited by pilgrims. In former times, it had some celebrity, for it is alluded to in very ancient tracts, and it is noticed in our early annals. We find it mentioned, in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,^ and in an old Life of St. Benignus. 3 It has been confounded, too, with Sodor, or the Isle of Man. Thus, in those Acts of St. Connan, to which Colgan alludes, and which are published by him at the 13th ot January,* St. Patrick's Island has been identified with the present Isle of Man, situated in the Irish Channel, and nearly equi-distant from England, Ireland and Scotland. Marianus O'Gorman should have set him right, however, in re- ference to this matter ;5 and, in point of fact, Colgan acknowledges the dis- tinction, at this date, although he does not wholly appear to have discovered a previous mistake he had committed, owing to a confusion of ideas. ^ The
bury, at the 6th of February, in order to establish the distinction of these persons. "Eodem die in Hibemia festum S. Melis, S. Melchuonis, S. Munis, Episcoporum, et S. Riochi, Abbatis
Acts a historic commentary in four sections, conta ning twenty-eight paragraphs, at the 6th of February. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Februarii vi. , pp. 778 to 782.
Articlev. ' See D'Allons "His- Jolin
tory of the County of Dublin," p. 444.
^ After he lelt an estuary, called Inbher Domnonn, he came to this Inis-Padruic. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Sep-
:
qui quatuor
tratres et
S. Patricii ex sorore Darerca nepotes, viri
plane singulari sanctimonia, et multis mira-
culis clar. "
Article III. —' See "Acta Sanctorum
Hiberniae," vi. Februarii. De S. Mune, tima Vila S. Patricii, lib. i. , cap. xliv. , p.
Episcopo Fornagiensi, pp. 264 to 267 and n. 16.
'
Seeibid. yn. 17,p. 267.
Article iv. —» See "Acta Sanctorum
Hiberniae," vi. Februarii. De S. Riocho
Abbate de Inis-Bofinde. Ex variis, pp.
267, 268.
'
124.
3 In the Third Chapter.
•* See,likewise,ournoticesofhimatthat
date.
s Marianus, at the 13th of January, says, that a St. Connan was Abbot of Inispatrick, which was identical with the island already mentioned in the text.
<> a conclusion must be Colgan remarks,
drawn, that the present island must be dis- tinguished from another church, havmg a similar description, and to be lound in the
See ibid. ,
3 See ibid. ,
< The Bollandists-who treat about the
holy bishops in Ireland Mel, Melcho, Munis and Rioch — consider these to have been
p. 26S and n. 10.
p.
268 and n. ii.
four distinct jiersons. They devote to their Isle of Man. He observes, lurihermore, Vol. iL a b
370 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 6.
BoUandists have a notice regarding this Finian, a supposed Abbot of Melli-
fonte, in three short paragraphs, at the 6th of February. 7 Yet, this appears to have been asserted, alter a mistaken statement, by the author of a Life of
St. Finian, Bishop of Lismore,^ when he alludes to another St. Finianus, Abbot, who was said to have been buried at Mellifonte,^ and whose feast had been assigned to the eighth of the February Ides. But, as the Cistercian monastery at Meliifonte had not been founded before the twelfth century, it is clear, a mistake of locality has been admitted, and the holy man thus de- signated had his connexion with the Island of St. Patrick, off the east shore of that still known as
Fingall
of St. Connan. See Colgan's
Acta Sanc-
torum 268.
Hibernise,"
vi.
n.
" The extent of Midhe I shall
And of the beauteous plain of Brekgh We know that it reaches to the sea, From the Sena of fair fields.
7 See **Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , vi.
Februarii. De S. Finiano Abbate Melii-
" Februarii,
fonte in Hibernia, p. 904.
^ **
The men of Tebtha guard its northern frontier
i. ,
p.
point out, —
^° St. Finian is more called generally
district,
by our hagiologists, Moel-Finian, or Maelfinnia. He is said to have been son to Flannagan. " He was of royal birth, and his ancestors are distin- guished in our Irish Annals. They ruled over the country of the Bregii," andtheirterritorywascalledBreagh. Itextended,itissaid,betweenDublin city and the town of Drogheda,'3 thus constituting it, in an especial manner, the northern part of Dublin county. It had, however, a much greater ex- tent.
*'' In the very early ages of our history, it seems to have constituted a distinct principality. Flannagan, the son of Ceallach,*^ and the father of Maelfinnia, was Prince of the Bregii,*^ and distinguished as one of our old bards,^7 while he was slain at a place called Olbha,'^ by the Norsemen, a. d.
that he had already alluded to the latter, at the 13th of January, in his notes to the Life
And five in fertile Magh-Breagh The sages well remember it.
Venerated at the 1 6th of March, where his Life will be found.
With those of Carbri, of well- won fights—
9 The interesting ruins at Mellifont are shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland MapsfortheCountyofLouth. " Sheet23. The townland itself, so designated, is noted on Sheets 21, 22, 23, 24. It is in the parish of TuUyallen, and barony of Ferard.
Famed for sages and for bards,
The men of Breagh dwell thence to
"
—O'Mahony's Keating's "History of Ire- land," book i. , part i;, chap, iii. , sect, i. , pp. 87, 88.
'5 His father was again called Flannagan.
See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , at A. D. 887, pp. 540,
541. "^
Casan, now the Annagassan stream, near Dundalk, in the county of Louth, was the extreme northern boundary of Breagh. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Gioila na Naomh O'Huidhrin," n. ii, p. iii.
" This territory, extending about fifteen miles northward of the city, in Dublin county,
was formerly in possession of the Danes of
Dublin. See Dr. O'Donovan's ** Annals of
the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (h), p. 861.
In race, physique, and cast of features or
complexion, the Fingallians, in several cases, still bear traces of their Northman
origin. Yet, their names and places are
mostlyIrishdenominations.
*'
" See Annals of Donegal.
Mr. D'Alton calls it "a district extend-
ing southward of the Boyne," when refer-
ring to this saint. See "History of Dro- Monarch of Ireland, which occurred at gheda," vol. i. , Introduction, p. cxvii.
'3 See D' Alton's " of Dublin," p. 445.
'7 After the death of Aedh Finnliath, Druim-Inesclainn, or Dromisken, county of
History
County Louth,
November,
A. D.
876,
*< It was a large plain, or level territory, in East Meath, comprising five cantreds,
out of its eighteen. stated :
"
Thus is the matter
There are thirteen cantons in Midhe, Thus all our bards have told us,
of the
on the 20th of
Flannagan composed an Irish elegy, of great poetic merit, and a part of which, with an English translation, will be found in Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters,"
voL i. , pp. 524, 525.
'8
According to Dr. O'Donovan, this place has not been identified ; Ijut, he thinks the name a mistake for Odhbha.
Casan.
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 371
89. 1. ^9 It would appear, that his son Cinaedh immediately succeeded hira,
may
next, and immediately, in the order of succession, to the territorial chieftainry, perhaps, before the close of the year already mentioned. Mael-Finnia's virtues are greatly celebrated in our bardic literature, and what gives greater value to hiseulogy,ithadbeenproclaimedafterhisdeath. OurAnnalsalsorecount his warlike and courageous deeds. He appears to have drawn the sword only in generous and noble self-defence, to protect his people and his country from unjust aggression. Thus, when in 892,'' the Ulidians, under the leadership of Aiddeidh, son of Laighne, made an inroad on Breagh, Mael- finnia met them courageously at Rath-cro,^'^ where he fought and gained the victory. Here were slain Muireadhach, son of Maeleitigh, lord of Dal- Araidhe, and Ainniarraidh, son of Maelmoicheirghe, son of Innreachtach, lord of Leath-Chathail, together with three hundred men. '3 Aiddeadh himself escaped, but he was severely wounded. ^^ During the ninth century, the Danes and Norwegians were a constant source of persecution and annoyance to the Irish, so much divided among themselves. That settlement, which they effected at Dublin, and which seems to have had the protection of fortified walls for defence, retained the advantage, likewise, of a ready com- munication by sea, for the Norsemen ships and mariners. ^s This was the chief hornet's nest, whence armed bands issued, to waste the inland terri- tories and religious establishments of the Irish. Accordingly, towards the close of this century, it would seem, that a confederacy had been entered into by Cearbhall, son of Muirigin, King of Leinster. and by Maelfinnia, lord of Breagh. The forces of both were united, a. d. 897, and the fortress
^"^
of Ath-cliath or Dublin was besieged.
foreigners, after they had sustained a great loss, both in killed and wounded. So many as could escaped across the sea. Yet were they obliged to leave great numbers of their ships behind them. They seem to have fled, in the first instance, to Inis-mac-Nessan, now Ireland's Eye,='7 a little to the north of Howth. '^ Here, again, they were besieged, and probably they were
'9 See Dr. O'Donovan's *« Annals of the They are thus translated into English by Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 546, 547, and Dr. O' Donovan :
n. (d), ibid.
as Tanist of all he died that
at Dun-Brie. '° We
Breagh
but,
fairly suppose, that his brother, and the present pious Prince of Breagh, came
»°This means, "the Port" or "Dun of
Breac,' a man's name, denoting "speckled," or "freckled. "
"The "Annals of Ulster," however,
place the following incidents, undef the
year 896.
**
According to Dr. O'Donovan, this place has not been identified ; yet, in a foregoing note, he states, it is near Slane in the county of Meath. See " Annals of the Four Mas- ters,"vol. i. , n. (g), p. 110 and n. (1), p. 549.
'3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 548 to 551.
** The UUdians, at one hour of the day,
reaped thy food,
On their departure in terror they would
not feel reluctant to purchase it. "
;
very year,
»7 The reader will find an interesting de- scription of this islet in J. Huband Smith's "Day at Howth ; or, Guide to its most
of interest," pp. 19 to 23. '^ On this island are the remains of the Church of the Sons of Nessan, which had fallen into great decay, until of late years, when the Rev. John F. Shearman, C. C. of Howth, aided by the contributions of the -^5 tTA^liiil -odib /N^ eA]\^ch ni|\ bo late and present Earl of Howth, with ladies •ooipb ceAn-oAch fpiu. and gentlemen of taste and culture, effected
»* An Irish
thidh, the son of Flannagan, thus alludes to this conflict, in the following lines :—
poet,
who is called Maelmi-
prominent objects
Utdit) imc]\A6 -oo "Lo T\o 5a'Oaca]\ -oa biu
This was surrendered by the
«s See J. J. A. Worsaae's "Account of the Danes and Norwegians :n England, Scotland and Ireland. " The Norwegians iu Ireland, sect, iii. , pp. 315 to 323.
»* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 554 to 557.
S-72 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February 6.
obliged to surrender at discretion. '^ In, consequence of these eventful pro- ceedings, the lord of Breagh, Maelfinnia, who is called a religious, devout
layman, gained great temporal renown. 3° There appears to be no just warrant for the statement of Marianus O'Gorman, that he was abbot over Inis-Paturic, so far as we can jud^e. This spot lies off the present maritime town of Skerries, in the county of Dublin. There, for some centuries, a re- ligious establishment existed ; and, before the English invasion, it is said Sitric, the son of Murchard, re-founded an abbey for Augustinian Canons. 3' It was dedicated to St. Patrick, and it seems to have been thenceforward known, as the monastery of Holmpatrick. Yet, its situation in the island having been found very inconvenient, Pope Innocent III. confirmed its
LoiuipaU
Interior View, bKcirica, v^o. JJublin.
advowson to the see of Dublin in 1216, and about the year 1220, the paro- chial church of Holmpatrick was erected on the mainland, by Henry de Loundres, Archbishop of Dublin 3» Considerable remains ot the ancient Holmpatrick Priory yet exist, and these indicate, that they belong probably
the work of restoration most fittingly and
effectively. In September, 1S28, the late Dr.
Peiric made five different sketches of the
ruins, which were then tolerably perfect.
These have been fol- drawings scrupulously
lowed as authorities, in re-building the fallen
chancel arch, and the west door, which is
thought to have been the work oi the first
builders. Old materials were carelully col- O'Flanagan, and his ally is called Carrol.
lected, as nearly all of them remained, in siiu, where ihey had fallen. It must be
gratifying, to those more miimately engaged in the work of resi oration, to be asbureil, that what his been already dune, with scru- pulous care in the reproducii(jn of the uri- giuai features of the building, has merited
See Rev. James Johnstone's Celto-Normannic«," p. 66. ^
'•
the approbation of some, among the most
distinguished archaeologists.
'-'« 1 he Danish King of Dublin, at this
time seems to have been Silitric bee
" of Ireland. " Lindsay's Coinage
•^ Ihese events, however, are assigned to A. D. 901, in the " Annals of Ulster," where the present saint is called Maol-Kinia
3' See Sir James Wares "De Hibemia et Antiquitaiibus ejus Disquisitiones," cap.
xxvi. , p. 144.
3' See John D'Alton's
" County ot Dublin," pp. 445 to 447.
Antiquitates
Hi. story of the
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 373
to the thirteenth ccntun'. as In the still earlier monastery of the ninth, it may be, that finding hib end approaching, the religious prince Maelfinnia,
resolving to abdicate his earthly dignity and advantages, retired to the lonely island of St. Patrick, where he assumed the habit of a monk. Although it
is mentioned, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3* that Maelfinden, Abbot of Inis-Patraic,35 was venerated on this day, the chief authority, for the state-
ment of this holy man becoming superior over the community there, was Marianus O'Gorman. He, probably, had only conjecture to guide him to such a conclusion, or, at best, some unreliable tradition. Other writers, such as Charles Maguire and the Four Masters, without much reflection,
followed his opinion. Colgan, likewise, adopts it. Richard Whytford, who treats about St. Finianus,36 at the 6th of February, styles him a man great in his family descent, yet still more illustrious for his sanctity. The Carthusian Martyrology, also, records him at this date. 37 It appears more correct, however, to call him Maelfinnia,3S than simply Finian. According to our Annals, he happily departed this life, a. d. 898 ;39 most probably at Inis- Patric*® and on a 6th of February,*' which is the day set apart for his feast. Under the head of Daire Calgaigh, Duald Mac Firbis enters another Maol- finnen,*' a distinguished and learned Bishop of Daire Calgaigh. -o He died A. D. 948 ;44 but, this shows he is clearly distinguishable from the present saint,whodepartedfromthislife,fiftyyearsprevioustohisdeath. Although, many of our Martyrologists treat concerning this saint, as a man of esteemed
sanctity; yet,nofurtherimportantparticularscanbegleanedregardinghim,
thanthosewhichhavebeenalreadygiven. Fromaccounts,intheAnnals0*
the Four and in those of *5 we feel disinclined to Masters, Ulster, believe,
that Finian became an abbot, at the time of his death. ^^ His eulogy has been preserved lor us—at least in part—as some Irish verses were composed to commemorate his fame and his worth. These have been introduced by the Four Masters, when noting down the date for his decease. '>7 Some un-
33 The accompanying illustration has been engraved by Mrs. Millard, from an original drawing by George V. Du Noyer, taken on the spot, and now preserved in the folio volume of his sketches, in the library of the Royal Irish Academy.
3* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
40, 41.
35 In a note Dr. Todd says, at this word,
"
The more recent hand adds, 'pnnen juxta Marian. ' But the text of the Brussels MS. of U'Gorman reads Fin- nian, ^bb riA hinnfe, Abbot ol the Isle ; and the gloss is 'Maeifinnian, Abbot of Inis-
Patraic. "
3° In the Martyrology of Salisbury, printed
at London, A. D. 151O. *'
Martyrology, places the feast of St. Moel- finnian, Abbot of Inis-Paiuric.
*^ See "Memoir of the City and North
Western Liberties of Londonderry. " Parish
of Templemore. Part ii. , sect. 2, p. 28.
Inis-Fatraic,
Four Masters," vol. ii.
