No More Learning

Article III. —Feast of Saints Brigid and Maura, Sisters, Virgins
AND Martyrs. Already, at the 4th of this month, a brief notice of the
festival which commemorates both these holy sisters has been inserted. At
the 14th of January, Ferrarius, in his Calendar, has an account regarding
them j but, failing to discover with certitude the date when their relics were
first this must have been the — for found, Colgan conjectures anniversary day
that event. ' We much — for the of the most prefer reserving 13th July
probable day of their natalis a consecutive narrative relating to their acts, passion, and subsequent culttts.
Article IV. —St. Flann Fionn Cuillinn, of a place near Cork. Hereafter it may be possible for local investigators to discover the sites of holy places, the names alone being on record. The Irish MS. Calendar' of the O'Clerys, which is kept in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, mentions a saint, named Flann Fionn Cuillinn," at this day. He is said to havebeenfromorofaplacenearCork. Wemaysupposetheplace,called Guillen or CuUen, must have been convenient to this southern city. A festival in honour of Fiann fion i Cuillin i Fail Corcaighe, occurs in the
Martyrology of Tallagh,3 on the 14th of January. Besides the foregoing
Art. II. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, were afterwards manifested to theirrecovered
xii. relics.
p. —
'' In the Franciscan copy, after the entry Art. iv.
Also the MS. Calendar of of seventeen foreign saints at this day, the Professor Eugene O'Curry contains the name first record of Irish saints' names commences of this saint, at the same day. The words
with Sci tugei Aju]" bAecAni in 1ni|'inoi]\.
Flann Fionn, however, are omitted.
* In the " Extracts Information Containing
relative to the Antiquities of the County of
the of the Cork, collected during progress
3 Edited
14, 15. Art. III.
by
Drs. Todd and
Reeves, pp.
—
'See "Acta Sanctorum Hi-
bemise," xiv. Januarii. SS. VV. et MM. Ordnance Survey in 1839-40," vol. i. , we "
Maurse et Brigida; Inventio, n. i. , p. 63, find, among extracts from the Irish Ca- and p. 64. There Colgan has introduced lendar," this entry: "14th Jan. ," VlAnii certain lessons, with notes, referring to their ponti 6 Cuillinn AbfAil Coi\cuige, p. 1 70. lives, sufferings, and those honours which 3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In
January 14. ] LIVES 01 THE IRISH SAINTS. 199
entries, we find set down in the Martyrology of Donegal,-^ on this day, Flann Finn of CuiUinn, in the vicinity of Corcach. This holy man must have flourished during or before the eighth century, since his festival, at this date, has been inscribed by St. yEngus ihe Culdee, in his Irish ^Metrical Calendar. s
Article V. —Saints Itharxaise and Latharxaisc, ix Achadh-fearta. In practical works of beneficence ihese saints devoted themselves to religion ; while exalted philantrophy was combined \\\\\\ Christian piety, in their every aspiration, and in their sacrifice of self. Idiarnaise and Latharnaisc, of Achadh-ferta, occur in the ]\Iartyrology of Donegab on this day. Again, a festival in honour of Itharnaise solely, in Achadh-fearta, is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ on the 14th of January. Another lotharnaisc, venerated at Clane, in the county of Kildare,^ and at Lanthrisk or Lathrisk, in Fife,'^ under the name of Ethernasc, creates some suspicion of identity with the present saint, and perhaps some confusion of entry at this present date.
Article VI. —St. Diblexi, or Diblixi. Although we cannot unveil
the curtain which intercepts our view, when we seek to gain a feeble gleam
of holy persons whose course on earth has run, yet can we surmise this
saint had always strong and abiding faith in the Divine promises, passing to his grave with bright visions of the future. Dibleni, is recorded in the
Martyrology of Donegab on this day. Diblini, an almost similar entry, is found in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,^ on the 14th of January.
In the unpublished MS. of the Franciscans, we learn furthermore, this saint had attained to the episcopal grade. ^ It was truly compatible with the holiness of his life.
Article VII. —Feast of the Blessed Alexander, a Cistercian MoxK, OF FoGXi, IX Fraxce. \Tiiirtccnth Century? ^ According to the Men- ology of Hugh Menard, it is stated, that the Blessed Alexander, a Scottish pr nee and a Cistercian monk, fell asleep in the Lord, on the 14th day of January. At this date, likewise, Colgan has collected his acts, chiefly from Thomas Cantipratensis. ' Some notices of tliis holy man have been already given, when treating about his saintly sister, St. Mathilde, at the ist day of January. But, as many martyrologists refer the festival of Blessed Alexander to the 6th of August,^ more fully do we hope to record his great \irtues and merits at that date.
the Franciscan copy we read, at this date, VIai-i-o -pint) 1 CriLlint) yAiL Co^NCAi^i.
^Edited by Drs. Todd and I-leeves, pp. 14, 15.
5 Professor O'Looney has furnislicd the Irish "rann" from—the Feilere, with the
English translation
5. XIX. kl. pAiy bucoiM ooocliAin
Reeves, pp. 14, 15.
:
See notices ot him at the 22nd of De-
X)-\&\\ pAUcMc bA pe|\CAch S]Micli nobde noeb poclilAcli pelic i:Laii-o piix) ]:cclicnAch
'
Ediieel by Kc\-. Dr. Kelly, p. xii.
' In the Franciscan copy we find Dibbnn
^ See " Acta Sanctorum Hibev- Colgan's
g. xix. kl. " The passion of Luceri thedeacon To our Lortl he was loving,
Gp. — ART. VII.
The learned divine of Nolae, an illustrious saint,
'In his work, "De Miraculis," lib. , ii. , cap. x.
The
— Find. "
Fland
Art. V. 'Edited by Drs. Todd and ponding notes.
happy riglrteous
=
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In
the Franciscan copy -we read LacIiaimii]^
•<^5^'r 1chAi\iiAip 111 ^vdiut) JTe-pcA.
^ See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scot-
tish Saints,'' p. 334. '^
ceniber. — Art. vr.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. I4, 15.
-
niae," xiv. Januarii, pp. 64, 65, and corres-
200 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
jfifUentfi I3ap cf Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. ITA OR MIDA, ABBESS, PATRONESS OF KILLADY, OR KILLEEDY PARISH, COUNTY OF LIMERICK.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ']
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ACTS OF ST. ITA—HER RACE AND PARENTAGE—HER EARLY VIRTUOUS INCLINATIONS—MIRACLES ATTEST THE VIRGIN'S GREAT SANCTITY DURING HER YOUTH.
Church, in all its festivals of her numerous saints, shows the means
concerning the vigils of the recluse, the ardent zeal and wonderful success of the Apostles, as also those fierce conflicts and glorious triumphs of the mar- tyrs. Such like traits of our departed great ones are called to memory, and proposed for the imitation of all Catholics, by our Holy Mother the Church. It is no wonder, then, that the anniversary festival of glorious Ita, in the the south of Ireland, is yet celebrated ^vith all that solemnity prescribed in the sublime ritual of our ancient faith. No wonder that a profound feeling of devotion pervades the vast multitudes who assemble to commemorate the merits of their patroness. So early as the sixth century, she abandoned the vanities and perishable follies of her royal father's house, to take up the Cross of Him, who, more than eighteen centuries ago, became poor and lowly for the sins of men.
Long before the invention of the printing art, several manuscript copies of this holy woman's acts appear to have been preserved. ^ The chief and most ancient of these seems to have been published by Colgan," and by the Bollandists. 3 The Rev. Alban Butler has some brief notices regarding her
atthe15thdayofJanuary. * Thechiefparticularsregardingoursaintcome down to us from an ancient life, extracted from the Codex Kilkenniensis.
To this, three chapters have been added, in the shape of an appendix, s The writer of this life is thought by Colgan to have been a trustworthy person,
THE which our
by predecessors
in the faith worked out their
that we may draw from such solemnities lessons of wisdom, to guide us safely towards another and a better world. We are from time to time reminded
Art. I. —Chap. i. —' Among these, one is preserved in a vellum folio of the four- teenth century, in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford. It is " Vita S. Vir-
in six chapters. See "Acta Sanctorum Hi-
bemiK," tomus i. , xv. Januarii. Vita S. Idse vel Itse, pp. 1062 to 1068.
intituled, Itse, ginis," and classed, Rawl. B, 505, pp. 164-
Martyrs,
170. Another copy is in the kenniensis," fol. no to 113.
'
"
Codex Kil-
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," xv. Januarii. Vita S. Itx, sive Midae, Virginis et Abbatissae, pp. 66 to 74. Three chapters of an Appendix and notes are included.
3 The Bollandists have published the Acts
of this saint, with preliminary notices, at the 15th of January. The Life is comprised
See "Lives of the Fathers,
and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , January xv.
s in Colgan's work, the first chapter treats about the parents and country of St. Ita or Mida ; the second chapter regards saints belonging to St. Ita's family, and of the Nan Desii race ; while the third includes eulogies and references to this holy woman, taken from various sources and authorities,
salvation,
in order
January 15. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 201
and to have flourished about a. d. 640. The Hfe is also l&. id to be reliable
and authentic, although there are occasional grammatical errors in it. ^ Colgan had another life of holy Ita, which was taken from a manuscript of the Island
ofAllSaints,inLoughRee,countyofLongford. Thesedifferentcopieswere substantially the same, and they only differed in style ; the latter was distin-
guished by greater conciseness in narrative, and written in purer Latin, being also of more recent composition. 7
St. Ita is variously named Ida, Ite, Ide, Idea, Mida, Mide, and Midea, asalsoYtha. ^ Sufficientreasonhasbeenassignedforthisapparentchange
ofname. Amongtheancients,itwascustomarytojoinandprefixtoproper names of our saints, the syllable mo, which signifies my or our. This was done in order to manifest special love and veneration towards a particular saint. 9 Thus, from two distinct words, in course of time, a fusion into one proper name was effected, including this idea, that the person or saint bearing such name should be held in great veneration among the people. Moreover, not alone variations are found in the mode of writing proper names, but even changes are met with in the names themselves. '" On account of these dif- ferences, it has often happened, that a similar name is found variously written, andthesamesaintisdifferentlycalled. " TheillustriousSt. Ita'^wasdaughter ofKennfoelad,sonofCorbmac. Bythefather'sside,intheeighthgenera- tion, she descended from Fedhlimidh Reachtmhuir, Anglicized Felim the Lawgiver, King of Ireland. '3 He was celebrated in Irish history, on account
where ancient writers often, if not most fre- quently, wrote t, c, oe, and oa. So while the
modems write Ide, Moadhog, Buadan, &c. , the ancients wrote Ite, Moedhoc, Baotan, &c. 9 Examples of this are found in the proper names Mochaomoc, Molua, Mocholmoc, &c. But, when a simple proper name commenced with a vowel, m only, instead of mo, was pre- fixed to the name, the being elided for sake of euphony ; hence, in place of Aodhoc,
Ide, &c. , we find Maodhoc, Mide, &c.
^° The Irish had a habit of using diminu- tives to characterize the names of persons. These ordinarily ended in a four-fold manner, in the syllables an, en, in and oc.
The ancients most frequently employed an. We have examples in the words Colman, Ceallachan, Cassan, Ernan, Baoithin, Cassin, Emin, Colmoc, Mocholmoc, Mochelloc, Emoc,
Memoc, &c.
" Thus we read, Aiden, Aidan, Maidoc,
Aodhan, Maodhoc, Momaodhoc, &c. , ap- plied to one person. So the same individual
at one time is called Colman, again Colmoc, or perhaps Mocholmoc. The same person is called Cassin, Cassan, or Mochaissin. Another is called Caomhan, Caomhoc, orMo- chaomog ; another, Lua, Molua, or Moluoc ; another Lasren, Molasren, or Molasse, &c.
" " She was of the race of Fiacha Sui- ghdhe, son of Feidhlimidh Reachtmhar, son of Tuathal Teachtmhar. " See "Martyro- logy of Donegal," edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 17.
^3 He had three sons, Fiacha, Conn, and Eochaich. ThiskingreignedfromA. D. Ill to 119, according to O'Donovan's "Annals of the Foxir Masters," vol. i. , pp. I02, 103.
*
the nominative case for an ablative absolute.
One of the principal mistakes is, placing
7 The simplicity and antiquity of the former, however, as evinced in style, induced Colgan
to consider it more worthy of publication
;
besides, from some passages, he inferred,
that the author iriust have lived a short
time after St. Ita's departure. In the fif-
teenth chapter of St. Ita's Life, we read,
'*
qui vocatur Pulcherius et ipse est sanctissi- mus Abbas in cujus honore ci vitas Liath adi- ficata est. " St. Pulcherius died in a. d.
"
655, according to the
Masters. " From this foregoing passage, Colgan would seem to infer, that St. Pul- cherius must have been living at a time when the author of St. Ita's Life wrote. However doubtful this opinion may be, the city of Liath or Liathmore was in existence at the time. Dr. Lanigan is of opinion, that St. Pulcherius founded his monastery
there, probably about, or not long after, A. D.
"
Alio tempore quidam vir, nomine Feargus, cujus filius adhuc vivit, adductus est ad S. Itam in maximo dolore occulorum et cor-
580. See
land," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sec. v. , p. 24. Some time we must allow to have elapsed, after the monastic foundation, before a city had been formed around it. In the twenty- fifth chapter of St. Ita's Life, we read : "
poris. "
This seems to be a most con-
Annals of the Four
Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
vincing proof for the establishment of Col-
gan's position, in referring the composition
of St. Ita's Life to a period not long subse- quenttothedeathofthisholyabbess.
^ Thus the modem writers of Irish are accustomed to write d, g, ao, or aoi, and ua,
signifies
thirst," in the English language.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January 15.
of the strict severity of his laws, which were based on a principle of retalia-
tion. Feidhlim the Lawgiver had a second son, who succeeded him on the
throne. He was the celebrated Conn of the Hundred Battles, who began
to reign a. d. 122 or 123, and who was slain a. d. 157,'"^ having occupied the
throne of Ireland about 36 years, 's Fiacha died before his patrimonial in-
heritance could have been secured ; however, he left three sons, who are re-
spectively called Rossius, yEngussius, and Eugenius. ^^ Indeed it must be
stated, our genealogists differ in accounts regarding her father's line. '7 Ac-
cording to St. -^ngus the Culdee,'^ her mother's name was Necta. 's She is
also called Neacht. ^° The birth of our saint is referred to about the year
480. Sinceitissupposed^^thatoursainthadunderhercharge,St. Brendan,
Abbot of Clonfert, before she became an abbess. ^^ By the father's side, she
was descended from the Nan Desii family,^3 She was bom probably in some
part of the present Waterford county. ^^ Our saint's parents appear to have
been Christians, from the circumstance of her having been baptized when
an infant. The first name by which she had been called was Derthrea,
Deirdre,^5 or Dorothea, according to many of our old Martyrologists. ^^ On
account of an extraordinary thirst for Divine love she experienced, it is said
her name was afterwards changed to Ita. With its various readings, this word
"
'* This warrior-monarch is said to have told : St. Ita or Mida was daughter of Kenn-
fallen on the plain of Cobha. Colgan tells us, that in the copy of St. Ita's Life, which he
foelad, son of Conchorb, son of Comorbur, son to Conall, son of ^ngus, son to Art- corb, son of Fiach Suigde, son to Felim the Lawgiver. See Colgan's "Acta Sanc- torum Hibemise," xv. Januarii. Appendix ad Acta S. Itae, cap. i. , iii. , pp. 72, 73.
used for publication, Cotha was erroneously
put for Cobha, as found in the Codex Insu-
lensisandelsewhere. Hetellsus,thatthiswas
a celebrated plain of Ulster, commonly called
Mag Cobha. But the " Annals of the Four
Masters" state, that Conn of the Hundred
Battles was killed not at Cobha, but by Ti-
braite Tireach, son to Mai, son to Roch-
raidhe, King of Ulster, at Tuath-Amrois. of Kennfoelad. See Colgan's Acta Sanc-
Ibid,, vol. i. , pp. 104, 105. Mr. O'Donovan was not able to identify Tuath-Amrois, but
torum Hiberniae," xv. Januarii. Vita S.
Itae. Appendix, cap. i. , p. 72.
*° See "The of Martyrology Donegal,"
says,
" It must have been the name of a
he
district very near the Hill of Tara, as King Conn was murdered while making prepara- tions for the Feis Teamracti, according to
"
'5 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. L, pp. 102 to 105, and notes.
'* As may be seen in the first and third chapters of St. Declan's Life, according to the "'Menologic Genealogy," chap, xvi. , they were Rossius, Eugenius, and Artcorbius.
"
The time ol her birth is not recorded ; but it must have been some years prior to A. D. 484, if it be true that she had for some time under her care Brendan of Clonfert, when an infant. " Dr. Lanigan's "Eccle- siastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sec. i. , p. 81. And at note 4, p. 83, on this passage. Dr. Lanigan remarks : "Bren- dan is spoken of several times, in St. Ita's Life, without any allusion to this part of his history, which is to be found only in what is called his own Life, a document much less respectable than the other. "
the older authorities.
Note (s), ibid.
Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," XV. Januarii. Vita S. It£e, cap. i. , p. 66, and nn. I, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, p. 71. O'Flaherty seems to follow the latter statement, in refer- ence to the names of Fiach's sons. See
See Colgan's
-^ The Irish word Nandesi has a like fication with the Latin "Desiorum. " For ''Thus the "Menologic Genealogy," at that time, and even to-day, the coimtry
"Ogygia," Pars iii. , cap. Ixix. , p. 339.
chap, xvi. , draws her pedigree : Ita was and people belong to the Decies.
daughter to Kennfoelad, son of Corbmac, son to Conchebar, son of Conall, son of
" King-
son to Arthurb, son of Fiach Sui-
Miss M. F. Cusack's " of the History
^ngus,
gdhe, son of King Feidlimid.
Selbach, in
dom of Kerry," chap, iii. , p. 45.
accordswiththis
the ancient writer of St. Ita's Acts, pub- lished by Colgan. Yet the Calendar of Cashel has a slight difference. There we are
*s to the " According
"
chap. XV. ,
account,
asdoes
Martyrology
of
'* In his tract on the " Mothers of the
Saints of Ireland," lib. iv. , cap. 42.
'9 St. ^ngus the Culdee, writes that Necta was mother to St. Mida, the daughter
edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. ib, 17. *'
^ By Dr. Lanigan.
''
signi-
^^ " St. Ita was a member of the Desii or
Uandesi family, now located in Waterford.
Donegal.
^ Notably the " Calendar of Cashel," a
very ancient document.
"
January 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 203
Scarcely had this very distinguished virgin attained the dawning percep-
tions of childhood, when she seemed possessed with a plenitude of the Holy
Spirit ; and the grace of baptismal innocence appeared to sustain her, through all future actions and incidents of her life. From the moment she was
able to speak and walk, her innate modesty betrayed itself in every word, look, and gesture. Her discourse was full of prudence, and her manners
were truly characterized by a winning grace and gentleness. She always cul- tivated the spirit of continency, and no expression ever fell from her lips but suchasbecameavirgindedicatedtoGod. Himshebothlovedandfeared, with all the earnestness and constancy of a soul uncontaminated by the follies and imperfections of many children about her own age. Her resolutions were remarkable for their fidelity to the pious purposes she evoked, during years of infancy ; and, with a tender solicitude, she always feared the most remote stain of crime. She laboured to attain each day the acquisition or increase of some virtue. Her actions and manners were the admiration of all, while to her great suavity of disposition, she joined most sincere humility. Even on fasting days of precept, the abstinence of this pious child was re- markable ; so that, in fine, while living under the roof of her parents, she was regarded as a model of dove-like innocence and sanctity. She was deemed a vessel of election, in reference to her future career, as connected with the Irish Church.
During her infancy many miracles attested Ita's sanctity. It is related, that on a particular occasion, while this youthful maiden slept alone in her chamber, the whole apartment appeared to be in a blaze ; and when certain persons rushed thither to extinguish this fire, the child was found uninjured, as also the room in which she slumbered. It was miraculously revealed to them, that God's grace already burned in this infant's soul, of which those external flames were only an image. Being aroused from her sleep, the child
assumed an angehc form of exquisite and supernatural beauty, so that her nearest familiars could not recognise her identity ; and, after presenting this appearance for a short time, she resumed natural shape and features. As the author of her life remarks, these were remarkable for grace and comeliness. At another time, during her slumbers, the angel of God appeared, and pre- sented her with three jewels of great value. He assured her that the Blessed Spirits and Three Persons of the Most Adorable Trinity, represented by the jewels given, should often be present with her while sleeping and waking. ^? Such miracles as these gave promise of future sanctity and exalted favours, for which she was destined.
CHAPTER 11.
ST. ITA DECLINES AN OFFER FOR MARRIAGE—SHE GAINS THE CONSENT OF HER PARENTS TO LEAD A SINGLE LIFE—SHE ASSUMES THE VEIL OF VIRGINITY—OPPOSITION OF THE DEMONS—GUIDED BY AN ANGEL TO HER PLACE IN HY-CONAILL—SEVERA—L HOLY VIRGINS PLACE THEMSELVES UNDER HER DIRECTION AT CLUAIN-CREDHUIL DESCRIPTION OF ANTIQUITIES THERE—GREAT VENERATION OF THE CHIEF AND PEOPLE OF HY-CONAILL FOR ST. ITA—HER AUSTERITIES AND MIRACLES—HER SPIRI- TUAL GIFTS.
When the maiden grew up, a certain young noble sought her in marriage. With this object in view, he had already gained the consent of her father, without consulting her own incHnations. But the holy virgin had centered her affections on a Heavenly Spouse ;
=7 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibar- niae," xv. Januarii. Vita S. Ita, cap. ii. , iii.