That unenclosed graveyard was much
frequented
for interments.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
The commentator on the "Leabhar Braec" copy calls him the Comorba,2 or successor to Moedoc of Ferns.
3 At this date, also, a festival is entered in the Martyrology of Tallagh,* in honour of Mochua Luachra idem, ocus Cronan a Ferna.
In this passage, St.
Mochua and Cronan seem to be distinct persons.
However, as already established in a former part of this work, the terms Cronan and Mochua are synony- mous, and represent only a single saint.
He seems to have been known, likewise,asSt.
DachuandDucuaLuachra.
ThereisaLuachair-moritarda Inbher, denoting a large rushy land between two streams or estuaries, situated inthebaronyofUpperDuleek,andcountyofMeath.
s Therewasalsoa Luachair-Deadhach—now known as Slieve Loughra—near Castleisland,
6 It seems that St. Cronan or altogether very probable,
of
Mochua had been connected with this district and territory. ? The
county
Kerry.
present holy
man
appears
to have succeeded St. 8
Moedoc, Bishop
of Ferns ; and, he is said to have presided over the monastery which
was there, in the beginning of the seventh century. 9 —The Annals of
—he Four Masters 10 the death of St. Uachu Luachra as he is called
t
Abbot of Fearna or Ferns, to a. d. 652, while those of Ulster have a. d.
assign
In the of 12 andatthe 22nd of is written, Martyrology Donegal, June,
653. "
Cronan, that is, Mochua of Luachair, Abbot of Fearna. How long the pre-
sent holy man occupied that position has not been ascertained ; but, his
174, 175. — English, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
Article iv. *• In his
Scotorum. " InDempster's"HistoriaEc- clesiastica Gentis Scotorum," there is no notice taken of him.
2 Thus : "In Scotia, Senilis S. Colum-
bani praeceptoris. " See Bishop Forbes* ""
Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 203.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. ,
Junii xxi. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 66.
Ferns. "
"
Transactions of the Royal Irish
Irish Series, vol. i. , Manuscript
Article v— Greven and Canisius.
*
As from MS. Florarius,
Academy,"
parti. On the Calendar of Oengus. By
2 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. xcv. a
"Menologium
xxi. Among —the pretermitted feasts, p. 66. See ibid. , p. cvii.
Lah1acobnAtpeu
TJanochc . c. deifSe-Loai £eil pr* naccar* conplen Cponan poj\C]\ert permai.
With James, son of Alpheus, twice eight hundreds, a fair train, the feast of a man who
loved n—ot bodily ease, mighty Cronan of
""3
i. In the Leabhar Breac See his Life, in the First Volume of this
*
Article
copy is the following rami, translated into work, at the 31st ofJanuary—the day for his
June 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
765
name first occurs in the list of Abbots there, after the resignation of St. Moling,13 whose death has been assigned usually to a. d. 696 or d^. ^ Ferns is the well known See of a Bishop, and situated in the county of Wexford. In this county, also, there is a Tober mac lura, in the barony of Ballaghkeen and parishofMaelnagh. 'S Here,therehadbeenaholywellandapatron. The latter was held on the 22nd of June. 16 Whether or not the present saint
attainedtheepiscopaldignitymaybequestioned; but,theearlysuperiorsin
Ferns seem to have been styled indiscriminately Archbishops of Leinster, as also Bishops and Abbots of Ferns. '7
ArticleII. —St. Crunnmael,SonofRonan,ofBerrech. Accord- 1
ing to the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 22nd ot June, there was a festival forCrunmaeilmicRonain. TheCalendaroftheO'Clerysstates,likewise,
that he was of Berrech. There is a called parish,
2 in the of barony
Kilberry,
Narragh and Rheban West, in the county of Kildare. It borders along the River Barrow, lying about two and a-halt miles northwards from the town of Athy. A burial-ground now enclosed, within which interments yet take placeisthere,ontheeastbankoftheRiverBarrow. Thefoundationsofa very old church are in it, but scarcely traceable; for, they are overgrown with
sloe-thorns, hawthorn bushes, briers, and old trees. The reed-grown course of the River Barrow passes by, and its bank formerly had been the western boundary ot the graveyard,3 before it was enclosed by a rather modern stone wall. Near the old cemetery, there is a celebrated well, called Tobbera, or Toberara. *
feast, Art. i.
4 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvii.
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (m), p. 176.
6
See ibid. , n. (jf), p. 45.
7 In a letter, lately received from Very
Rev. Denis O'Donoghue, P. P. , and dated St. Brendan's, Ardfert, February 28th, 1889,
" found in a Map of the Desmond Survey, A. D. 1587, and published in the Kilkenny
pp. 264, 265.
"Thus: " Ducdua Locre Abbas Fer-
is the following interesting information :
I
174. 175-
13 See his Life, at the 17th of this month,
in the present volume, Art. i.
14 See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti
Ecclesise Hibernicae," vol. ii. , p. 330.
15 This is shown on the "Ord- parish
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Wexford," sheets 21, 27.
16 See "Letters Information containing
relative to the of the of Antiquities County
Wexford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey," vol. ii.
vol. Fourth Series, a place in Ballymacelligot
Archaeological Society's Journal,
v. ,
parish called Kilaspuigroin, or the Church of
— — The name is Bishop Cron or Cronanus.
remains and
is now called Kilquane (parish of Ballyma- celligott), or the Church of Cuan, Cuanus, or Mochua. It should be hard to say to which of the many Cror. ans,«/zoj Mochuas,this church had been dedicated ; but, he was certainly a Bishop, and he was probably the sam—e saint to whom Derricoe, near Rathoo— Derrimochua, as is written in the Felire was sacred. It is curious, that we have so many very archaic churches in this d—iocese, and called after a saint of this name either
lost hodie but the old church
of which we have five, or Kilcuah, or Kilcow, or Derricoe, of which there are also five. There are several Kilquanes, moreover, in Cork and Limerick, while we have some Kilcoes or Kilcuahs. "
8 See his Life, in the First Volume of this
work, at the 31st of January, Art. i.
» See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia? ," Januariixxxi. AppendixadActaS. Maidoci,
cap. v. , p. 223.
10 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
Kilquane,
nanu quievit. "—Rev. Dr. O'Conor's Annales Ultonienses, p. 52.
" rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv.
"
17 See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's Fasti Ecclesia? Hibernicse," vol. ii. , p.
12
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
328.
Article ii.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
2
on the Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Kil- dare,"sheets30,31,34,35. Thetownland
It is described,
is on sheets
—
"
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
30, 31, 34.
3 The foregoing and subsequent observa-
tions and information had been obtained, during the course of a visit to this locality, in the month of July, 1870.
4 His visit was repeated to this locality, in the month of July, 1888, when the writer sketched the well and its surroundings. This drawing was transferred by William F. Wakeman, to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard, and here produced as an illustra- tion.
proper
Re-
766
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 22.
This beautiful and clear stream rushes with great force from beneath the roots of a very ancient ash tree, where it forms a broad yet shallow pool. Thence it issues, in a devious but short and rapid course, until it Renters the Barrow. On the verge of this river, and on a bank somewhat elevated, Toberara finds its source. It is incorrectly stated, to have been dedicated to St. John. s The writer was informed, by an old inhabitant, living in the vicinity, that a patron had been formerly held there, and always on the 22nd of June; but,
'
Toberara, in Kilberry Cemetery.
this practice has been discontinued, since the year 1840. 6 It should be a curious subj ect for enquiry to ascertain if this Kilberry could have been a com-
paratively modern denomination, derived from Berrech and Kill "church," as connected with St. Crunnmael. The circumstances of the local patron hav- ing been formerly held, on the 22nd of June, at least lends some degree of credibility to such a supposition. In Mrs. St. John's Poem "Ellauna,"? allusion is made to a pretty little island, named Teigh Berara,8 midway between Reban and Athy. 9 We are told, there was a well sacred to St. John, at that place ; and in the early part of this century, the ferryman on the River
7 The authoress was conversant with quite
the locality. The following lines refer to it :—
5 See Lewis' "
Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 52.
6 This well, to the great amazement of the
neighbouring inhabitants, went suddenly dry one summer. As the earth between it and ihe
" Though yearly penance I performed, Around the Baptists' fount. "
A
T-Zsusm y! ? ^3jW^53BSK"
Barrow is of a sandy or gravelly nature, it is
probable, the waters worked an under- —
current into the river. The people, how-
ever, attributed its drying up to preter-
natural causes, and it is said to have been the ruins of an old church, dedicated to St. produced, owing to some previous desecra- Barbara. See n. 61, p. 122.
Here we are told, but incorrectly, were tion. 9 It was opposite to the Castle of Bert.
Canto iv. , p. 64.
8
June 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
767
Barrow is stated to have had many pilgrims going across to perform pilgrim- ages there, on each Midsummer Day, June 24th. In Kilberry, the ruins of
thatsideoftheRiverBarrow. InthesameparishofKilberry,thereisalso
anothergraveyard; butapparently,lessancientthantheformer,althoughno doubt of very considerable antiquity.
That unenclosed graveyard was much frequented for interments. 11 The extensive ruins of an old church, with very thick well built walls, and mantled over with large clusters of ivy, may be seen within a large meadow-field, and near a high road, not very far from the River Barrow. A tall and square tower rises near the old church, and adjoin- ing the east gable. Both the—eastern and western gables ofthe church are
—ry perfect. The graves as observable in many ancient Irish church- yet ve
yards mostly lie on the south side of the burial-ground. The walls of the
old building are now greatly delapidated. There are various fragments, appa- rently of old monastic buildings, and those also of considerable apparent
two 10 which castles,
to have been
times, yet remain ; and those were intended to guard the English pale, on
appear
remarkably strong
in
mediaeval
and not far removed from the An old castle' 2 importance, graveyard.
solidity
rises on the other side of the road. 13 Very fertile and improved land is near
this site. Towards the north and west, the Killone and Stradbally hills, in
the Queen's County, appear to great advantage, from a scenic point of view.
to the of 1 * veneration was at the 22nd According Martyrology Donegal, given,
ofJune,toCrunnmael,sonofRonan. UndertheheadofTamlacht,Duald Mac Firbis j s enters a Cronmael, abbot of Beg-Eri, as also bishop and lector of Tamlacht. He was drowned a. d. 964, at Tochar Eachdhach. 16 It seems probable, however, that he was not identical with the present saint.
Article III. —St. Suibhne, Abbot of Iona, Scotland. On the
22ndof the of 1 mentionsafestival,inhonourof June, Martyrology Tallagh,
Suibhne. This St. Suibhne is classed among the disciples of the great archi- mandrite, St. Columkille. 2 He is there called the second ofthe name, and at theyear767,heisplaced. Itissaid,thatSuibhnewasAbbotoflaColuimCille; but, when to place him there seems to be a difficulty. There is a Suibhne, who was abbot of Iona, and who died on the nth of January, 3 a. d. 657 f besides another, bearing the same name, and who died on the 2nd of March,s a. d. 772^ Unless the saint introduced into our Calendars, at the present date,beoneorotheroftheforegoing,andhaveadoublefestival;7 nothing
n. (u). The place of his death has not been identified.
Article III. — « Edited by Rev. Dr.
10 See " Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire- land," vol. ii. , p. 365.
" When seen by the writer, in 1870.
" In Mrs. St. John's Poem of " Ellauna," "2"
Canto i. , p. 13, the Boiselles' lofty turrets," are applied—I know not on what authority —to Castle Kilberry, a little below Rheban.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columba:,
He
is said to have been a Norman Knight.
3 at that m the See account of him, date,
See n. 12, p. 87.
«These remarkable ruins are to be seen,
pear the very beautiful residence and de- mesne of Lord Dowries.
l* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 174 175
part i. , pp. 128, 129.
16 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
First Volume of this work, Art. ii.
4 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
(O), p. 375.
s See the Third Volume of this work, at
that date, Art. viii.
6 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
(O), p. 386. ;„«. * i t 7 See also Bishop Forbes "Kalendars of
'5 See "
of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
Proceedings
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 686, 687, and Scottish Saints," p. 448.
cap. iii. , sect, v. , p. 502.
768 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 22.
can be 8 a third Abbot of this name, gleaned, regarding
ruled over the
having
community at Iona. At the 22nd of June, in the Martyrology of Donegal,9
the feast of St. Suibhne simply is entered.
Article IV. —St. Sicilde, Virgin, in the Province of Cenoman- nia, Gaul. There is a St. Sicilde, Virgin, treated in the Bollandists' Acts of
the
1
at the 22nd of The notice is in seven
graphs.
Very
regarding her,
Saints, 2
comprised,
June.
little seems to be known
a people of Celtic Gallia. Their country is now called Maine, and their chief citywascalledCenoma,nowleMans. ThePetitsBollandistes5 haveano-
tice of this holy virgin, whom they call Sainte Aclythenis or Sicildis, at this day, vulgarly called Sainte Seraute or Ce'rotte. She is said to have flourished, in the second half of the seventh century. A conjecture has been offered, that this holy virgin may be identical with the pious nun called Aleiacensis or Siccidis—converted into Sicildis or Sichildis—and that her parents were
and or 6 About two from the monas- Adalsquarius Aneglia Ognies. leagues,
tery of Anisola, stood the church ? of this holy virgin ; but, its name had been corrupted to Sainte Serolde,8 and it was regarded as one of the most beauti- ful in France. ^ Over the high altar was a picture, representing St. Sicilde in
a religious habit. In an ancient Manuscript Martyrology of Usuard, the
feast of St. Sicilde was at the 22nd of 10 There was an ancient entered, June.
officeofSt. SicildecontainingthreeLessons; and,thepeopleofthattown,in which her church was situated, were accustomed to observe her feast-day, as one of solemnity. Moreover, they kept it as a holyday, on which all work was suspended.
Article V. —St. Guaire Beg or Bic, also called Guairius. We find the name, Guaire Bic or Beg, mentioned, at the 22nd of June, in the
of 1 Allusion is made to this St. Guairius or Martyrology Tallagh.
para- save that tradition holds her to have been the servant maid of St. Osmanna,3 who is classed among our Irish Saints,* and who from Great Britain went into Gaul. Thither, it is thought, Sicilde accompanied her to the Province of the Cenomanni,
Guairenus, likewise, by Father John Colgan, as having had veneration paid to him, on
8 At least, from that erudite and very com-
plete Chronicle of the Island, which has
been compiled by the Rev. William Reeves,
and which is appended to his edition of St. Omer.
•'
Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. "
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
260.
'It is supposed to have been erected, through the offerings of the faithful to honour their Patroness. Perhaps, also, the Counts of Sintrailles—local magnates—contributed largely to erect this building,
*74> 1 75- — Article iv.
' See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii xxii. De S. Sicilde Virgine, in Cenomannia Gallise Provincia, pp. 259,
8
Such is the account, furnished by Claude
3
Daniel
3 This holy Virgin and Martyr has no less
than three festivals in the Calendars : one feast is at the 1st of April, where we have already alluded to her in the Fourth Volume of this work, in Art. ix. ; another is at the 9th of September, while a third is at the 22nd of November.
4 She is traditionally believed to have been
the daughter of an Irish king.
s See " Vks des Saints," tome vii. ,
Castellan, Canon of Paris, to Father Daniel
Papebroke.
9 It was situated near Saint-Calais, in the Diocese of Mans, and it bore the name of Sainte-Cerotte or Sarthe.
,0 Thus : "Item Sanctre Sicildis Virginis. " This, however, had been destroyed in 1684, as we learn from Claude Castellan, Canon of Paris. —
These have been compiled by Father
Papebroke, S. J.
2
xxiie Jour de Juin, p. 207.
6
entombed in the Monastery of St. Bertin, at
Their remains are thought to have been
Article v.
See Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xxiii. Februarii, n. 3, p. 391.
p. xxvii. 2"
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
June 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
769
this day, in the Irish Calendars. Little knowledge of his period or locality has been obtained. In the Martyrology of Donegal,3 the record of Guaire Beg, as having been venerated at the 22nd ofJune, is to be found.
Article VI. —Feast of James, the Son of Alphjeus, Apostle in
Persia. In the early Irish Church, as found in the " Feilire"1 ofSt.
taken from the Martyrology of St. Jerome, and from other ancient authorities, there was a festival for St. James, the son of Alphseus, at this date. How- ever, his chief feast is assigned to the istof May. The Bollandists3 also com- memorate him at that day, although they record him, likewise, at the 22nd of June.
Article VII. —Festival of St. Kilian and his Companions, Martyrs.
At the 22nd day of June, a feast for St. Kilian and his martyred companions
is noted, in a Manuscript belonging to the church of St. Maximinus, at
Treves. The 1 whohavethis deferfurther forthe Bollandists, entry, notice,
day of their chief festival, at the 8th of July.
Cfoentp4&tr& JBap of Suite*
ARTICLE I. —ST. MOCHAOI OR MOCHAY, ABBOT AND PATRON OF NENDRUM, COUNTY OF DOWN.
[FIFTH CENTURY. }
HOW agreeably do we not pass from the recollection of one national
saint to the veneration of another. Beloved the sons of among God,
we take refuge under the shadow of his protection. Sweet are the fruits of
his virtuous life ; although we may not be able to set in order all the for-
gotten particulars of his career. TheLifeofthepresentholymanisthoughttobeyetextant TheActs
of St. Cailan were specially written, and they are cited by Archbishop
to make some which cannot be recon- statements,
Ussher x these ; but,
appear
ciled with chronology, as Dr. Lanigan well remarks. . Among the Bur-
3 Edited Drs. Todd and by
Reeves, pp.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii xxii. Amongthe pretermitted feasts. p. 136.
174,175. Article vi.
—
«
See "Transactions of
Article VII. —* See" Acta Sanctorum," Series, vol. i. , p. i. On the Calendar of tomus iv. , Junii xxii. Among the preter-
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Oengus.
6 It seems that St. Cronan or altogether very probable,
of
Mochua had been connected with this district and territory. ? The
county
Kerry.
present holy
man
appears
to have succeeded St. 8
Moedoc, Bishop
of Ferns ; and, he is said to have presided over the monastery which
was there, in the beginning of the seventh century. 9 —The Annals of
—he Four Masters 10 the death of St. Uachu Luachra as he is called
t
Abbot of Fearna or Ferns, to a. d. 652, while those of Ulster have a. d.
assign
In the of 12 andatthe 22nd of is written, Martyrology Donegal, June,
653. "
Cronan, that is, Mochua of Luachair, Abbot of Fearna. How long the pre-
sent holy man occupied that position has not been ascertained ; but, his
174, 175. — English, by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
Article iv. *• In his
Scotorum. " InDempster's"HistoriaEc- clesiastica Gentis Scotorum," there is no notice taken of him.
2 Thus : "In Scotia, Senilis S. Colum-
bani praeceptoris. " See Bishop Forbes* ""
Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 203.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. ,
Junii xxi. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 66.
Ferns. "
"
Transactions of the Royal Irish
Irish Series, vol. i. , Manuscript
Article v— Greven and Canisius.
*
As from MS. Florarius,
Academy,"
parti. On the Calendar of Oengus. By
2 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. xcv. a
"Menologium
xxi. Among —the pretermitted feasts, p. 66. See ibid. , p. cvii.
Lah1acobnAtpeu
TJanochc . c. deifSe-Loai £eil pr* naccar* conplen Cponan poj\C]\ert permai.
With James, son of Alpheus, twice eight hundreds, a fair train, the feast of a man who
loved n—ot bodily ease, mighty Cronan of
""3
i. In the Leabhar Breac See his Life, in the First Volume of this
*
Article
copy is the following rami, translated into work, at the 31st ofJanuary—the day for his
June 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
765
name first occurs in the list of Abbots there, after the resignation of St. Moling,13 whose death has been assigned usually to a. d. 696 or d^. ^ Ferns is the well known See of a Bishop, and situated in the county of Wexford. In this county, also, there is a Tober mac lura, in the barony of Ballaghkeen and parishofMaelnagh. 'S Here,therehadbeenaholywellandapatron. The latter was held on the 22nd of June. 16 Whether or not the present saint
attainedtheepiscopaldignitymaybequestioned; but,theearlysuperiorsin
Ferns seem to have been styled indiscriminately Archbishops of Leinster, as also Bishops and Abbots of Ferns. '7
ArticleII. —St. Crunnmael,SonofRonan,ofBerrech. Accord- 1
ing to the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 22nd ot June, there was a festival forCrunmaeilmicRonain. TheCalendaroftheO'Clerysstates,likewise,
that he was of Berrech. There is a called parish,
2 in the of barony
Kilberry,
Narragh and Rheban West, in the county of Kildare. It borders along the River Barrow, lying about two and a-halt miles northwards from the town of Athy. A burial-ground now enclosed, within which interments yet take placeisthere,ontheeastbankoftheRiverBarrow. Thefoundationsofa very old church are in it, but scarcely traceable; for, they are overgrown with
sloe-thorns, hawthorn bushes, briers, and old trees. The reed-grown course of the River Barrow passes by, and its bank formerly had been the western boundary ot the graveyard,3 before it was enclosed by a rather modern stone wall. Near the old cemetery, there is a celebrated well, called Tobbera, or Toberara. *
feast, Art. i.
4 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxvii.
5 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (m), p. 176.
6
See ibid. , n. (jf), p. 45.
7 In a letter, lately received from Very
Rev. Denis O'Donoghue, P. P. , and dated St. Brendan's, Ardfert, February 28th, 1889,
" found in a Map of the Desmond Survey, A. D. 1587, and published in the Kilkenny
pp. 264, 265.
"Thus: " Ducdua Locre Abbas Fer-
is the following interesting information :
I
174. 175-
13 See his Life, at the 17th of this month,
in the present volume, Art. i.
14 See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's " Fasti
Ecclesise Hibernicae," vol. ii. , p. 330.
15 This is shown on the "Ord- parish
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Wexford," sheets 21, 27.
16 See "Letters Information containing
relative to the of the of Antiquities County
Wexford, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey," vol. ii.
vol. Fourth Series, a place in Ballymacelligot
Archaeological Society's Journal,
v. ,
parish called Kilaspuigroin, or the Church of
— — The name is Bishop Cron or Cronanus.
remains and
is now called Kilquane (parish of Ballyma- celligott), or the Church of Cuan, Cuanus, or Mochua. It should be hard to say to which of the many Cror. ans,«/zoj Mochuas,this church had been dedicated ; but, he was certainly a Bishop, and he was probably the sam—e saint to whom Derricoe, near Rathoo— Derrimochua, as is written in the Felire was sacred. It is curious, that we have so many very archaic churches in this d—iocese, and called after a saint of this name either
lost hodie but the old church
of which we have five, or Kilcuah, or Kilcow, or Derricoe, of which there are also five. There are several Kilquanes, moreover, in Cork and Limerick, while we have some Kilcoes or Kilcuahs. "
8 See his Life, in the First Volume of this
work, at the 31st of January, Art. i.
» See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia? ," Januariixxxi. AppendixadActaS. Maidoci,
cap. v. , p. 223.
10 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
Kilquane,
nanu quievit. "—Rev. Dr. O'Conor's Annales Ultonienses, p. 52.
" rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv.
"
17 See Archdeacon Henry Cotton's Fasti Ecclesia? Hibernicse," vol. ii. , p.
12
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
328.
Article ii.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
2
on the Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Kil- dare,"sheets30,31,34,35. Thetownland
It is described,
is on sheets
—
"
'
Edited by Rev. Dr.
30, 31, 34.
3 The foregoing and subsequent observa-
tions and information had been obtained, during the course of a visit to this locality, in the month of July, 1870.
4 His visit was repeated to this locality, in the month of July, 1888, when the writer sketched the well and its surroundings. This drawing was transferred by William F. Wakeman, to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard, and here produced as an illustra- tion.
proper
Re-
766
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 22.
This beautiful and clear stream rushes with great force from beneath the roots of a very ancient ash tree, where it forms a broad yet shallow pool. Thence it issues, in a devious but short and rapid course, until it Renters the Barrow. On the verge of this river, and on a bank somewhat elevated, Toberara finds its source. It is incorrectly stated, to have been dedicated to St. John. s The writer was informed, by an old inhabitant, living in the vicinity, that a patron had been formerly held there, and always on the 22nd of June; but,
'
Toberara, in Kilberry Cemetery.
this practice has been discontinued, since the year 1840. 6 It should be a curious subj ect for enquiry to ascertain if this Kilberry could have been a com-
paratively modern denomination, derived from Berrech and Kill "church," as connected with St. Crunnmael. The circumstances of the local patron hav- ing been formerly held, on the 22nd of June, at least lends some degree of credibility to such a supposition. In Mrs. St. John's Poem "Ellauna,"? allusion is made to a pretty little island, named Teigh Berara,8 midway between Reban and Athy. 9 We are told, there was a well sacred to St. John, at that place ; and in the early part of this century, the ferryman on the River
7 The authoress was conversant with quite
the locality. The following lines refer to it :—
5 See Lewis' "
Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 52.
6 This well, to the great amazement of the
neighbouring inhabitants, went suddenly dry one summer. As the earth between it and ihe
" Though yearly penance I performed, Around the Baptists' fount. "
A
T-Zsusm y! ? ^3jW^53BSK"
Barrow is of a sandy or gravelly nature, it is
probable, the waters worked an under- —
current into the river. The people, how-
ever, attributed its drying up to preter-
natural causes, and it is said to have been the ruins of an old church, dedicated to St. produced, owing to some previous desecra- Barbara. See n. 61, p. 122.
Here we are told, but incorrectly, were tion. 9 It was opposite to the Castle of Bert.
Canto iv. , p. 64.
8
June 22. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
767
Barrow is stated to have had many pilgrims going across to perform pilgrim- ages there, on each Midsummer Day, June 24th. In Kilberry, the ruins of
thatsideoftheRiverBarrow. InthesameparishofKilberry,thereisalso
anothergraveyard; butapparently,lessancientthantheformer,althoughno doubt of very considerable antiquity.
That unenclosed graveyard was much frequented for interments. 11 The extensive ruins of an old church, with very thick well built walls, and mantled over with large clusters of ivy, may be seen within a large meadow-field, and near a high road, not very far from the River Barrow. A tall and square tower rises near the old church, and adjoin- ing the east gable. Both the—eastern and western gables ofthe church are
—ry perfect. The graves as observable in many ancient Irish church- yet ve
yards mostly lie on the south side of the burial-ground. The walls of the
old building are now greatly delapidated. There are various fragments, appa- rently of old monastic buildings, and those also of considerable apparent
two 10 which castles,
to have been
times, yet remain ; and those were intended to guard the English pale, on
appear
remarkably strong
in
mediaeval
and not far removed from the An old castle' 2 importance, graveyard.
solidity
rises on the other side of the road. 13 Very fertile and improved land is near
this site. Towards the north and west, the Killone and Stradbally hills, in
the Queen's County, appear to great advantage, from a scenic point of view.
to the of 1 * veneration was at the 22nd According Martyrology Donegal, given,
ofJune,toCrunnmael,sonofRonan. UndertheheadofTamlacht,Duald Mac Firbis j s enters a Cronmael, abbot of Beg-Eri, as also bishop and lector of Tamlacht. He was drowned a. d. 964, at Tochar Eachdhach. 16 It seems probable, however, that he was not identical with the present saint.
Article III. —St. Suibhne, Abbot of Iona, Scotland. On the
22ndof the of 1 mentionsafestival,inhonourof June, Martyrology Tallagh,
Suibhne. This St. Suibhne is classed among the disciples of the great archi- mandrite, St. Columkille. 2 He is there called the second ofthe name, and at theyear767,heisplaced. Itissaid,thatSuibhnewasAbbotoflaColuimCille; but, when to place him there seems to be a difficulty. There is a Suibhne, who was abbot of Iona, and who died on the nth of January, 3 a. d. 657 f besides another, bearing the same name, and who died on the 2nd of March,s a. d. 772^ Unless the saint introduced into our Calendars, at the present date,beoneorotheroftheforegoing,andhaveadoublefestival;7 nothing
n. (u). The place of his death has not been identified.
Article III. — « Edited by Rev. Dr.
10 See " Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire- land," vol. ii. , p. 365.
" When seen by the writer, in 1870.
" In Mrs. St. John's Poem of " Ellauna," "2"
Canto i. , p. 13, the Boiselles' lofty turrets," are applied—I know not on what authority —to Castle Kilberry, a little below Rheban.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columba:,
He
is said to have been a Norman Knight.
3 at that m the See account of him, date,
See n. 12, p. 87.
«These remarkable ruins are to be seen,
pear the very beautiful residence and de- mesne of Lord Dowries.
l* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 174 175
part i. , pp. 128, 129.
16 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
First Volume of this work, Art. ii.
4 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
(O), p. 375.
s See the Third Volume of this work, at
that date, Art. viii.
6 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
(O), p. 386. ;„«. * i t 7 See also Bishop Forbes "Kalendars of
'5 See "
of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
Proceedings
Four Masters," vol. ii. , pp. 686, 687, and Scottish Saints," p. 448.
cap. iii. , sect, v. , p. 502.
768 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 22.
can be 8 a third Abbot of this name, gleaned, regarding
ruled over the
having
community at Iona. At the 22nd of June, in the Martyrology of Donegal,9
the feast of St. Suibhne simply is entered.
Article IV. —St. Sicilde, Virgin, in the Province of Cenoman- nia, Gaul. There is a St. Sicilde, Virgin, treated in the Bollandists' Acts of
the
1
at the 22nd of The notice is in seven
graphs.
Very
regarding her,
Saints, 2
comprised,
June.
little seems to be known
a people of Celtic Gallia. Their country is now called Maine, and their chief citywascalledCenoma,nowleMans. ThePetitsBollandistes5 haveano-
tice of this holy virgin, whom they call Sainte Aclythenis or Sicildis, at this day, vulgarly called Sainte Seraute or Ce'rotte. She is said to have flourished, in the second half of the seventh century. A conjecture has been offered, that this holy virgin may be identical with the pious nun called Aleiacensis or Siccidis—converted into Sicildis or Sichildis—and that her parents were
and or 6 About two from the monas- Adalsquarius Aneglia Ognies. leagues,
tery of Anisola, stood the church ? of this holy virgin ; but, its name had been corrupted to Sainte Serolde,8 and it was regarded as one of the most beauti- ful in France. ^ Over the high altar was a picture, representing St. Sicilde in
a religious habit. In an ancient Manuscript Martyrology of Usuard, the
feast of St. Sicilde was at the 22nd of 10 There was an ancient entered, June.
officeofSt. SicildecontainingthreeLessons; and,thepeopleofthattown,in which her church was situated, were accustomed to observe her feast-day, as one of solemnity. Moreover, they kept it as a holyday, on which all work was suspended.
Article V. —St. Guaire Beg or Bic, also called Guairius. We find the name, Guaire Bic or Beg, mentioned, at the 22nd of June, in the
of 1 Allusion is made to this St. Guairius or Martyrology Tallagh.
para- save that tradition holds her to have been the servant maid of St. Osmanna,3 who is classed among our Irish Saints,* and who from Great Britain went into Gaul. Thither, it is thought, Sicilde accompanied her to the Province of the Cenomanni,
Guairenus, likewise, by Father John Colgan, as having had veneration paid to him, on
8 At least, from that erudite and very com-
plete Chronicle of the Island, which has
been compiled by the Rev. William Reeves,
and which is appended to his edition of St. Omer.
•'
Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. "
' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
260.
'It is supposed to have been erected, through the offerings of the faithful to honour their Patroness. Perhaps, also, the Counts of Sintrailles—local magnates—contributed largely to erect this building,
*74> 1 75- — Article iv.
' See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii xxii. De S. Sicilde Virgine, in Cenomannia Gallise Provincia, pp. 259,
8
Such is the account, furnished by Claude
3
Daniel
3 This holy Virgin and Martyr has no less
than three festivals in the Calendars : one feast is at the 1st of April, where we have already alluded to her in the Fourth Volume of this work, in Art. ix. ; another is at the 9th of September, while a third is at the 22nd of November.
4 She is traditionally believed to have been
the daughter of an Irish king.
s See " Vks des Saints," tome vii. ,
Castellan, Canon of Paris, to Father Daniel
Papebroke.
9 It was situated near Saint-Calais, in the Diocese of Mans, and it bore the name of Sainte-Cerotte or Sarthe.
,0 Thus : "Item Sanctre Sicildis Virginis. " This, however, had been destroyed in 1684, as we learn from Claude Castellan, Canon of Paris. —
These have been compiled by Father
Papebroke, S. J.
2
xxiie Jour de Juin, p. 207.
6
entombed in the Monastery of St. Bertin, at
Their remains are thought to have been
Article v.
See Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xxiii. Februarii, n. 3, p. 391.
p. xxvii. 2"
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
June 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
769
this day, in the Irish Calendars. Little knowledge of his period or locality has been obtained. In the Martyrology of Donegal,3 the record of Guaire Beg, as having been venerated at the 22nd ofJune, is to be found.
Article VI. —Feast of James, the Son of Alphjeus, Apostle in
Persia. In the early Irish Church, as found in the " Feilire"1 ofSt.
taken from the Martyrology of St. Jerome, and from other ancient authorities, there was a festival for St. James, the son of Alphseus, at this date. How- ever, his chief feast is assigned to the istof May. The Bollandists3 also com- memorate him at that day, although they record him, likewise, at the 22nd of June.
Article VII. —Festival of St. Kilian and his Companions, Martyrs.
At the 22nd day of June, a feast for St. Kilian and his martyred companions
is noted, in a Manuscript belonging to the church of St. Maximinus, at
Treves. The 1 whohavethis deferfurther forthe Bollandists, entry, notice,
day of their chief festival, at the 8th of July.
Cfoentp4&tr& JBap of Suite*
ARTICLE I. —ST. MOCHAOI OR MOCHAY, ABBOT AND PATRON OF NENDRUM, COUNTY OF DOWN.
[FIFTH CENTURY. }
HOW agreeably do we not pass from the recollection of one national
saint to the veneration of another. Beloved the sons of among God,
we take refuge under the shadow of his protection. Sweet are the fruits of
his virtuous life ; although we may not be able to set in order all the for-
gotten particulars of his career. TheLifeofthepresentholymanisthoughttobeyetextant TheActs
of St. Cailan were specially written, and they are cited by Archbishop
to make some which cannot be recon- statements,
Ussher x these ; but,
appear
ciled with chronology, as Dr. Lanigan well remarks. . Among the Bur-
3 Edited Drs. Todd and by
Reeves, pp.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii xxii. Amongthe pretermitted feasts. p. 136.
174,175. Article vi.
—
«
See "Transactions of
Article VII. —* See" Acta Sanctorum," Series, vol. i. , p. i. On the Calendar of tomus iv. , Junii xxii. Among the preter-
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Oengus.
