The
illustrious
bishop, Ciaran, is revered, as principal patron of Ossory diocese, where his festival is celebrated on the 5 th of March, as a double of
the first class.
the first class.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
9.
'* See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," Martii v. Appendix ad Acta S. Kie-
rani, cap. i. , pp. 470 to 472.
'9 See Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilken-
'^ See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
remarks: " The author^ of that Life, well
March 5-] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 141
tending at the school of Clonard ', and, he is simply mentioned, as one of
the ordinary pupils. ^^
This great saint, from his youth to the very day of death, denied himself
the use of fine garments, flesh meat, and intoxicating drink. What an admi- rable example is here set, by a man, whose passions were always under con-
trol ! From it we may infer, that total abstinence is almost the only remedy
for those, who cannot control their passion for drink, once they have taken
any ; but, to impose such restriction indiscriminately upon all, old and
young, temperate and intemperate, taking people as they are, is likely to be
violated, in many cases, and, once broken, the proclivity to further indul- genceistoofrequentlyincreased. Religioushabitsandsacramentalaidsare
required, to secure the entire victory. St. Kieran slept little, and he despised all carnal delights. He converted the Ossorians and many others, from the errors of paganism to Gospel truths and morality ; he consecrated and ordained a great number of bishops, priests and minor clergy. He had frequent angelic visions ; while miracles were wrought, through God's celes- tial messengers. Amongst other things recorded, having asked for the pro- duction of a fountain, in a certain place, shown him by an Angel, his prayer was soon granted ; and many sick persons were afterwards healed, by the waterofthisspring,whichwascalled"theWellofKieran. " Mostlikely
it is not the one in only
Our saint's office informs us, that he was a faithful practitioner of virtuous
acts of humility, prudence, bounty, chastity, faith, hope and charity. He
lived in poverty, during his term of life, but he was rich in grace. He is
called, a balance of the law, an ark of justice, a doctor of youth, the guide of
old persons, and the incomparable tower of all. In the language of an
ancient Irish he was a true " whose heart was chaste and writer, priest,
shining, and his mind like the foam of the wave, or thd colour of the swan in
the sunshine ; that is, without any particle of sin, great or small, resting in his heart. " A very ancient vellum old book, which has been mentioned in the
Life of St. Brighit, at the ist of February, states, that Ciaran of Saighir was, in his manners and life, like unto Pope Clement. ^3
A short time before our saint's death, whilst engaged at prayer, the Angel of God appeared to him. At this time, the holy bishop, bowed down with extreme old age, asked these following three favours, from the Almighty, though the celestial messenger '? '^ First, that all who were buried in the
this refers to the " at holy well,"
Saigher ;" although, Ossory, and probably elsewhere, dedicated to him.
xiv. , n. 124, p. 33. Among other wonders, we are told, that St. Kiaran of Saigir made fish, honey, and oil, from a small morsel of meat, during the time of a fast, when Bre- nainn of Birr and Ciaran of Cluain came on a visit to him,
*=
In his sermon, the Rev. N. Murphy says : "And as to the efficacy of the inter- cession of our glorious patron, and the heal- ing powers of the holy well of Saigher, can we not ourselves bear testimony ? and ex-
*3 See Rev. Drs. Todd's and Reeves'
Martyrology of Donegal," pp. 64, 65.
^^ At the account of those favours, received
in the first place, that the promises or privi- leges, which are said to be graciously given by God to his saints, are not proposed to us as articles of faith, which we must indubi-
tably receive, but only as subjects worthy of pious belief and of veneration, M-hen they contain nothing contrary to faith or good morals, nor savour of vanity and supersti- tion, but rather excite to a love of piety and virtue. Secondly, the narrative, given in this Life of St. Kieran, seems to be of a character
sought, through a lawful medium ; pious and virtuous ends were proposed, such as the
Almighty's worship, through his servants, when desiring to be buried in a church or
cemetery, dedicated to a patron saint, when invoking or honouring the memory of God's
claim with the
half has not been told to us of those things which we have seen with our own eyes. "
"
Queen
of Saba
in the latter of the category; for,
by our saint, Colgan has a long note, in which he replies to possible objections, that
may be urged by captious critics, or against controvertists of little faith. He remarks,
:
comprised
three requests made by the saint, we know, that pious and useful objects had been in- tended; advantagestosoulandbodywere
"
— Even the
142 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
cemetery, near this Cathedral, should be released from punishments in the next world, after the day of judgment ; Secondly, that whoever should cele- brate the festival day of his death,^5 might be prosperous in this life, and happyinthenext; and,Thirdly,thatthepeopleofOssoryterritory,ofwhich he was patron, should always be victorious over invading enemies, provided the assistance of their patron were invoked, and that the inhabitants of this region did not invade people, belonging to another territory. These three petitions, our saint is said to have obtained from God. ^^
In one of this saint's five Lives, in Colgan's possession, we are told, that when the hour of Blessed Kieran's death approached, he called his monks together and said to them " The Lord now summons me to himself, and I
:
am solicitous about you ; wherefore, I commend you to the care of God, and to my son, Carthage. " ^"7 In the published Life, it is said, he called his people
to him, and on blessing them, he expounded the divine precepts. Having received the sacraments of Holy Church, he happily expired, on the 5th of
March,*^ according to all our most ancient Martyrologies.
There can hardly be a doubt, that our saint departed this life, at Saigir ;
both, from the circumstance of St. Patrick's recorded prediction, which declared it should be the place of his resurrection,'? and likewise from the context of the narrative, as found in both his published Lives. 3" Yet, some English writers and Martyrologists, who mention the festival of our saint, whom they call indifferently, Kieran and Piran, relate, that he ended his days at Padstow, or near it, in the county of Cornwall. Colgan, also, seems to coincide in this opinion, owing to the place of our saint's departure not being named, in any of the Lives, which were in his possession. 3^ There is no mention made of his dying at Saigir, or in any other part of Ireland ; with the single exception of a statement, found in an Irish Life, which is supposed to be of doubtful authenticity. Besides, none of our domestic chronologists mention the year of his death, 3* as they were accustomed to do, when treat- ing of actions concerning Irish saints, even less renowned than he had been. We are told, in the Life of Saint Kieran, that no less than thirty holy bishops,
faithful worshipper, &c. Thirdly, Various
instances are cited of privileges, which have
been granted to particular orders and confra-
ternities in the Church, particularly those re-
ferring to the Cistercian and Franciscan lect. xii. , p. 469. Ibid. orders, in which we find similar special
favours, sanctioned by Bulls, issued by the
=' See Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilken- niensi, cap. y. , p. 458. Ibid.
Sovereign Pontiffs. Colgan then proceeds,
in a lengthy note, to prove this latter part of
his case, by quoting authorities, and by n. 30, p. 9.
"' See
Colgan's
sect. 8. 2, p.
nise," v. Martii, n. 6, p. 475.
"'
See Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilken- niensi, cap. xl. , p. 463. Also, Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, Officium,
^° See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect. 2,
which infidels or 3' A writer mentions this
solving objections,
might urge. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nice," Martii v. , nn. 38, 39, 40, pp. 465, 466.
*5 St. Kiaran's Day (March 5th), appears
to have been kept as a special holyday of the early Irish Church. In an old Anti-
the
phonarium, kept amongst
MSS. , Dublin, and which formerly be- longed to the ancient church of Clondalkin, there is a calendar, in which it is noted, that no servile work should be performed on the Feast Day of our saint. It is classed, B.
I. 3' '°
See the First Life of St. Kieran, taken from Codex Kilkenniensis, cap. xxxviii. , in Colgan's work.
lady
with that of St. Kieran having been identical
"
with St. Piran,
church of Piranzabuloe or Piran-in-the- Sands, has been covered and so preserved for centuries by the sands, which ha—ve gained on that part of the English coast. "
Sirs. M. C. " of the Irish Ferguson's Story
before the Conquest," chap, v. , p. 165.
32<«It is rather singular that, notwith-
standing all that is said in the tracts, called
his Lives, in praise of Kieran, he is not
much spoken of in the accounts of our saints,
who were his contemporaries, and that none
of our annalists or hagiologists have marked
the year of his death. "—Dr. Lanigan's
sceptics
supposition,
Trinity College
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. ,
"
chap, x. ,
an Irish saint, whose little
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 143
whom he had ordained, departed to the mansions of bhss with him, on the very day of his own decease. This occurrence is said to have taken place, in accordance with a manifestation of his desires, which were approved by the AhTiighty. 33
According to his ancient biographers, Kieran's hfe was prolonged to the extraordinary term of almost three hundred years. 34 This extraordinary age was even exceeded, according to an account we find in the Martyrology of Donegal,3s as follows : Sixty years and three hundred was his age, when he
yielded his spirit. However, rather doubtful narratives, regarding our saint's recorded miracles and Acts, have given rise to much controversy among
writers, who endeavour to reconcile them with chronological probability. While he furnishes instances of many long-lived persons, from Scriptural, as also from ancient and mediseval history, proving the possibility of such an age as three hundred years being attained,3^ Colgan nevertheless holds an opinion, that our saint had not even reached two hundred years of age, at the time of his death. The conclusion at which he arrives is, that our Kieran lived in part of the fourth century, during the whole of the fifth, aijd that he probably died in the sixth, before a. d. 540. 37 So that, instead of Kieran's
old biographers being understood, as meaning his life had been prolonged, foi* almost three hundred years, which would appear from their text ; it is
thought, they had only read of his having lived, during three different ages or
centuries. 3^ But, this explanation is not very satisfactory ; especially, when we take into account, the apparent fact, that he who wrote the first Life had been a contemporary with our saint, and must have survived him. Those saints, who are mentioned as Kieran's contemporaries, in his Life, might in- deed be found existing, within the time specified by Colgan \ and, their intervention in matters pertaining to our saint might also be included in his Acts, with the single exception of St. Ruadhan, of Lothra, who is described as abbot of that place, before the death of Kieran. Now, it is thought, the Abbey of Lothra had been founded, about the year 550, and from the first Life of our saint, we may infer with Dr. Lanigan, that Kieran must have died, after the middle of the sixth century. In his account of the Bishops of Ossory, it is incorrectly stated, 39 that Ware confounds our saint with his name-
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
33 See
ni£e," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilkenniensi, cap. xl. , p. 463. St. ^ngus,
the more for in that remarkable,
Colgan's
Catalogue are to be found many other names, inferior to his, both with respect to age and to cele-
however, only mentions fifteen saints, who ""
brity. This will appear, by referring to the departed with St. Kieran. Qtiindecim list, in Ussher's Primordia Ecclesiarum
cum S. Kierano
per Jesum Christitm invoco in auxilium
"
qui
meiim," lib. 5, Opuscula, c. 65. Colgan
and
pages, where this author fully treats about
:
reperio
from the Cannech, Colman-Elo, Mo- chudda, Fintan of Clonenagh, Ruadan and others, who, from A. D. 540, flourished in adjoining monasteries, and when no mention of our saint occurs, whereas certain names of the principal saints, who lived, not alone in the surrounding country, but even saints of greatest renown, in more distant parts of
Ireland, are there distinctly noted.
38 This can be collected, as Colgan thinks, not only from five different Lives of this saint, but also from the Acts of other Irish saints. From such accounts, it may be in- ferred, that he did not live to be quite two
hundred years of age.
" Non
Sagirensi migravet'tcnt
p. 914,
following
adds
die ab ullo Martyrologio celebrari. " Ibid. , n. 44, p. 467.
tamen tot nata—les hac
matter is rendered more
^•^ Vita S. Kierani, ex Codic Kilkenniensi, cap. xl. , p. 463. Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, Officium, lect. 12, p. 469.
35 Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 64, 65.
3* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii v. , n. 42, p. 466.
37 That he did not live after A. D. 540, would seem to be indicated, from the circum- stance, of his name not being found, in the very ancient Catalogue of the principal saiuts of the second order, who flourished in Ireland, from a. d. 540 to A. D. 598. This is
Britannicarum,
those saints therein mentioned. Again, this
Lives of Saints
probable,
144 L2VBS OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
sakeofClonmacnois',^° and,evenelsewhere,heconjectures,asDr. Lanigan asserts,^' that our saint might have been living, in the time of Pope Gregory
the Great. 42 Dempster absurdly places his death in 665, on the authority of the Breviary of Dunblane ; while, he is made to suffer death by martyrdom, having been murdered by robbers/s It is stated, too, that his memory was
visits of pilgrims. 44
St. Ciaran was buried, it is said, near the relics of St. Martin, distin-
guished as the Elder, a remarkable Patrician missionary, left to evangelize the Ossorians. t5 It is supposed, he lived a recluse, on Tory Island, which was called " Tor inis Martain. "^^ A relic, which was denominated the Socela Martain, and which had been preserved in Derry down to the thirteenth century,'*7 is said to have had relation to this ancient saint.
The illustrious bishop, Ciaran, is revered, as principal patron of Ossory diocese, where his festival is celebrated on the 5 th of March, as a double of
the first class. On that day, or on the Sunday immediately following, per- mission is granted to the priests and people to reverence St. Kieran, with suitable devotion at these places, where he has been regarded as special
"
Kyran's Cell," and that it was remarkable for miracles performed, and for the
famous in Kyntyre, where was the lake, called Lochkilkeran, or
the lake of
In the Cathedral Church ; in Kill-Kieran, belonging to St. John's parish ; in Rathkieran ;48 in Clashacrow j'tg in Stamcarty ; in Glashecron ; in
Fartagh ;So in Knocksciragh ; in Johnstown ^si in Kilmacow ;52 in Moon- coin ;S3 in Errill ;54 in Kilkieran ;55 in Tullaherin ;56 but, it must be re-
marked, that where those numerous deep ditches and high ramparts, encom- passing nearly ten acres,57 are to be found at Seir-Kieran,s^ the site of his
The itself is parish
patron.
39 See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect. 2, n. 28, p. 9.
4° He is said to have died A. D. 548. Sir
James Ware expressly distinguishes them. See " De Prsesulibus Lagenias," p. 68.
4' See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
Sheet
defined on Sheets 39, 40, 42, 43.
Lanigan's
Kilkenny,"
42,
vol.
the Antiquities of Ireland, which is incor- rect, as the twenty-eighth is the last. Else- where, I must confess myself unable to verily such a statement.
4* He sat in the chair of St. Peter, from A. D. 590 to A. D. 604. See Sir Harris
s' In the Galmoy.
of
See Sheet 8, ibtd.
and ot barony
sect,
33. He quotes the twenty-ninth chapter of
land,"
i. , chap, i. ,
xiv. ,
124, p.
parish
Fertagh,
Nicolas' " of Chronology
54 In the parish of Rathdowney and
History," p. 209. 43 See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
of See "Oixlnance barony Clandonagh.
Scotorum," tomus ii. , No. 774, p. 420.
44 For this, Dempster cites Gilbert. Brun.
Histor. , pag. xxcix.
45 His churches or places there are said to
be Temple Martin, Dysert Martin, and Kyledelig.
4* His feast is assigned to the nth of November, the same day as that on which St. Martin, Bishop —of Tours—with whom he isoftenconfounded wasvenerated.
47 For the previous particulars, the writer is indebted to the Rev. John Francis Shear- man, who permits reference to his "Loca Patriciana," part xii.
48 In the parish of Rathkieran, and barony of Iverk. It is noted on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of
Survey Townland Maps of the Queen's County," Sheet 27.
55 There is a place so called in the parish
of Inistioge. See " Ordnance Survey Town-
land Maps for the County of Kilkenny," Sheet 29. There is another, in a parish of the same name. See Sheets 14, 15. Both
are in the barony of Galmoy.
5* In the parish so called and barony of
Galmoy. See Sheet 24, ibid. The parish is on Sheets 24, 28.
" Ecclesiastical His-
n.
49 In the parish of Clashacrow, and barony of Crannagli. See ibid. . Sheet 13.
5° This parish, in the baronies of Cran- nagh and Galmoy, is shown on Sheets 8, 9, 12, 13. Ibid.
5^ In the parish so named, in the barony of Iverk. See Sheet 43, ibid. The parish itself is on Sheets 40, 42, 43, 46.
53 In the parish of Pollrone and barony of Iverk. See Sheet 42, ibiti.
57 See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "Early History of the Town of Birr," &c. , chap, x. , p. 167.
58 See the " Statuta Dioecesis Ossorien- sis," edita Kilkenni. ie, in Synodo Dioece- sana, die 3 Junii, 1 873. Monita, sect. 8, pp. 22 to 29,
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 145
celebrated monastery,S9 that the memory of om* samt v/as most revered. ^° Knockseera,^^ said to be dedicated to St. Kyran, of Seir Kyran, and founded
by him, according to tradition, is an ancient burial place, on the very summit of a rounded, rocky, and elevated site, unrivalled for the picturesque views it commands, "on every side. The foundations of an old church, here, are levelled with the ground. The church appears to have consisted formerly of a nave and chancel. The nave was about 30 feet in length, by 20 in width. The chancel was about 9 feet, in addition to the nave. The present notes were taken on the spot, August, 1872, and about 70 years previously, the people there stated, the old church was almost perfect, two gables standing and a vestry attached. The cross wall was broken down, however, but a round arched-doorway entered it. A small end window was in one gable, while the side walls were then somewhat broken and defaced. Westwards extended this chancel, preserving the aforesaid width, following the side- walls. On the north side, there appear to have been few interments, but as the subsoil is limestone, much of the surface on this direction has been ex- cavated for material, probably used in building the ancient church, or for moremodernhouses,abouttheneighbourhood. Thereareseveraltombs
and headstones, yet none presenting a very antique appearance, on the south and east of the old building. Formerly, there were no defined boundaries around the graveyard ; but, of late years, it has been enclosed with a stone- wall. A solitary hawthorn bush crowned the eminence, and served with some upright headstones, to mark the spot, from a very considerable distance. Knockseera lies one mile south-east from Borris-in-Ossory. '-"' From its top extends a magnificent landscape range of vision, bounded by the SUeve Bloom mountains, tlie hills of Dysart, the SHevenamon and northern Kilkenny heights, the distant haze-covered Galtees and the nearer Keeper mountains, in Tipperary. Popular tradition, regarding the old church founder, seems all but lost; nor is the patron's name remembered, by people of the present generation. Still, some hallowed remembrances are connected with the place ; and, deceased persons are brought by their friends from remote distances to be interred, on this lonely eminence. There can be no doubt whatever, regarding the extreme antiquity of Knockseera church, for a visit to the site will impress the initiated in Irish antiquarian lore, with evidences sufficiently convincing, that long ages must have rolled over, since the very primitive structure had been first built, on its present scarcely traceable foundations. Immediately near, and in the hollow of an adjoining field, St. Kieran's well may be seen, issuing from beneath a venerable hawthorn tree. ^3 Formerly the spring was frequented by devout pilgrims, on the 5th of March. Besides this, a St. Kieran's well may be seen, near the ruined churches of Gill
S9 See, also, Rt. Rev. Patrick Francis County Letters, of the Ordnance Survey, "
Moran's Spicilegium Ossoriense : being a vol. ii. , p. 98. Mr. O'Donovan's letter,
Collection of Original Letters and Papers dated Birr, Pebruaiy 3rd, 1838. In this
illustrative of the Histoiy of the Irish Church
from the Reformation to the year 1800. "
First Series, sect, ii. , pp. 6 to 10.
'°
Mi\ O'Donovan, in writing from this neighbourhood, remarks, that the present wall is exceedingly ancient, and that there are two round towers, on a small scale, standing in the churchyards of Seirkieran and of Killyon ; the establishments of St. Kieran and his mother Liedania. They seem to have been attached to other build- ings, and to have been used as Sacristies or Deartheachs. They are about 17 feet high, and rather of rude masonry. See the King's
letter, Mr. O'Donovau also gives a rough map tracing, in which Sierkieran occupies a central position. The names of ancient places and territories are marked thereon, according to their supposed former relative positions. Ibid. , p. 95.
^'
This townland, in the parish of Agha- boe, and barony of Clandonagh, is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the Queen's County," Sheet 22.
^^
This town, in the parish of Aghaboe, and barony of Clandonagh, is shown on the
"
Queen's County," Sheets 21, 22.
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the K
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
Ossory and Stonecarthy, not far from an old road of some historic impor- tance. ^4 There is a'townland, called Saint Kieran's, in the parish of Tintern, andbaronyofShelburne,countyofWexford. ^s IntheKing'sCounty,there is a Kilkeeran,^^ in the parish of Cloneyhurk, and barony of Upper PhiUps- town. In the Island
of Cape Clear^7 and on the mainland
coasts adjoining, his name is, also, held in veneration, by people living there, even to the present day. Kilkieran, an ancient church, and a part of the coast, called Kieran's
Strand, are even yet mementoes of his ^^
celebrity.
This saint's festi-
val is commemo-
rated, throughout Ireland, as a double, and, in the diocese
of Ossory, as a double of the First
Class. Formerly it was celebrated, with an Office, contain- ing Nine Lessons. ^^ Abstinence from ser- vile works was en- joined, in the olden times, when his feast
_ ^ : :, . --r^;eH3=:^. . jj^-^^^^gjEfk^
^3 The accompanying sketch, by the writer, was taken on the spot, in August, 1872. It was transferred to the wood, by William F.
Wakeman, and engraved, by George A. Hanlon.
•^^ See the "Journal of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological So-
Kieran, i. e. " St. Kieran's Strand," on
which is a pillar stone, with a cross rudely cut towards the top, that, they say, was the workmanship of St. Kieran ; and near it stand the walls of a ruined church, dedicated to the same saint. This stone they hold in great veneration, and assemble round it
of March, on which — every 5th day, they
celebrate the festival of their patron. "
ciety," 385.
vol, iii.
New Series,
part ii. , p.
"5 It is
on the " Ordnance marked, Survey
"
of the
of
vol.
Well of St. Kieran, under Knockseera, Queen's County
occurred, as we learn
from the Antiphonary, supposed to have belonged to Clondalkin Church. 7° In the diocese of Ossory, it is thought, that St. Ciaran's feast formerly ranked
Cork," Townland Maps for the County of Wex- book ii. , chap, iv. , p. 279. After describing
ford," Sheet 45.
^ See it defined, on the " Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the King's County," Sheet 33.
^
western point, we are told by Smith, that
this island. Smith enters these following re-
marks " to Clear, between : Adjoining Cape
it and the mainland, is the island of Inishir-
can, which I take to be Iniskieran, or the
— former. " island of St. Kieran, rather than the
On this
island,
towards
the
north-
the ruins of a called castle,
Ibid. , p. 281.
<* See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "
Dunanore, Ang- lice, the "Golden fort," stand on a rock, which extends into the sea. "Alittle to the east of the castle, is ? crvc cnlled Tra-
Early History of the Town of Birr," &c. , chap, x. ,
History
County
i. ,
p. 167.
''The Trinity College, Dublin, MSS.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
as high as St. Patrick's day, or as a festival equally remarkable. In fact, the learned bishop of the diocese, Thomas De Burgo,? ' in 1 761, directs the Easter duty there to commence on St. Ciaran's day, and to end on Ascension day. 7^ The same direction is to be found, in a Pastoral of his successor, MostRev. Dr. Troy,anddateda. d. 1778. 73 Theformermemorialsofthe saint, throughout ancient Ossory, before the dark Penal Days, have been largely increased since, by the erection of St. Ciaran's College, the fine new Cathedral,aslikewiseotherchurches,chapelsandreligiousinstitutions. 74 It is remarkable, also, that to about the year 1838, the people kept the feast of St. Kieran, on the 5th of March, as a local holiday, and long afterwards, no works were there carried on. Wc rejoice to learn, that the old celebration has been lately revived, with great religious solemnity, and we trust, it shall never more fall into disuse. 75 St. ^ngus the Culdee?
'* See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," Martii v. Appendix ad Acta S. Kie-
rani, cap. i. , pp. 470 to 472.
'9 See Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilken-
'^ See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
remarks: " The author^ of that Life, well
March 5-] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 141
tending at the school of Clonard ', and, he is simply mentioned, as one of
the ordinary pupils. ^^
This great saint, from his youth to the very day of death, denied himself
the use of fine garments, flesh meat, and intoxicating drink. What an admi- rable example is here set, by a man, whose passions were always under con-
trol ! From it we may infer, that total abstinence is almost the only remedy
for those, who cannot control their passion for drink, once they have taken
any ; but, to impose such restriction indiscriminately upon all, old and
young, temperate and intemperate, taking people as they are, is likely to be
violated, in many cases, and, once broken, the proclivity to further indul- genceistoofrequentlyincreased. Religioushabitsandsacramentalaidsare
required, to secure the entire victory. St. Kieran slept little, and he despised all carnal delights. He converted the Ossorians and many others, from the errors of paganism to Gospel truths and morality ; he consecrated and ordained a great number of bishops, priests and minor clergy. He had frequent angelic visions ; while miracles were wrought, through God's celes- tial messengers. Amongst other things recorded, having asked for the pro- duction of a fountain, in a certain place, shown him by an Angel, his prayer was soon granted ; and many sick persons were afterwards healed, by the waterofthisspring,whichwascalled"theWellofKieran. " Mostlikely
it is not the one in only
Our saint's office informs us, that he was a faithful practitioner of virtuous
acts of humility, prudence, bounty, chastity, faith, hope and charity. He
lived in poverty, during his term of life, but he was rich in grace. He is
called, a balance of the law, an ark of justice, a doctor of youth, the guide of
old persons, and the incomparable tower of all. In the language of an
ancient Irish he was a true " whose heart was chaste and writer, priest,
shining, and his mind like the foam of the wave, or thd colour of the swan in
the sunshine ; that is, without any particle of sin, great or small, resting in his heart. " A very ancient vellum old book, which has been mentioned in the
Life of St. Brighit, at the ist of February, states, that Ciaran of Saighir was, in his manners and life, like unto Pope Clement. ^3
A short time before our saint's death, whilst engaged at prayer, the Angel of God appeared to him. At this time, the holy bishop, bowed down with extreme old age, asked these following three favours, from the Almighty, though the celestial messenger '? '^ First, that all who were buried in the
this refers to the " at holy well,"
Saigher ;" although, Ossory, and probably elsewhere, dedicated to him.
xiv. , n. 124, p. 33. Among other wonders, we are told, that St. Kiaran of Saigir made fish, honey, and oil, from a small morsel of meat, during the time of a fast, when Bre- nainn of Birr and Ciaran of Cluain came on a visit to him,
*=
In his sermon, the Rev. N. Murphy says : "And as to the efficacy of the inter- cession of our glorious patron, and the heal- ing powers of the holy well of Saigher, can we not ourselves bear testimony ? and ex-
*3 See Rev. Drs. Todd's and Reeves'
Martyrology of Donegal," pp. 64, 65.
^^ At the account of those favours, received
in the first place, that the promises or privi- leges, which are said to be graciously given by God to his saints, are not proposed to us as articles of faith, which we must indubi-
tably receive, but only as subjects worthy of pious belief and of veneration, M-hen they contain nothing contrary to faith or good morals, nor savour of vanity and supersti- tion, but rather excite to a love of piety and virtue. Secondly, the narrative, given in this Life of St. Kieran, seems to be of a character
sought, through a lawful medium ; pious and virtuous ends were proposed, such as the
Almighty's worship, through his servants, when desiring to be buried in a church or
cemetery, dedicated to a patron saint, when invoking or honouring the memory of God's
claim with the
half has not been told to us of those things which we have seen with our own eyes. "
"
Queen
of Saba
in the latter of the category; for,
by our saint, Colgan has a long note, in which he replies to possible objections, that
may be urged by captious critics, or against controvertists of little faith. He remarks,
:
comprised
three requests made by the saint, we know, that pious and useful objects had been in- tended; advantagestosoulandbodywere
"
— Even the
142 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
cemetery, near this Cathedral, should be released from punishments in the next world, after the day of judgment ; Secondly, that whoever should cele- brate the festival day of his death,^5 might be prosperous in this life, and happyinthenext; and,Thirdly,thatthepeopleofOssoryterritory,ofwhich he was patron, should always be victorious over invading enemies, provided the assistance of their patron were invoked, and that the inhabitants of this region did not invade people, belonging to another territory. These three petitions, our saint is said to have obtained from God. ^^
In one of this saint's five Lives, in Colgan's possession, we are told, that when the hour of Blessed Kieran's death approached, he called his monks together and said to them " The Lord now summons me to himself, and I
:
am solicitous about you ; wherefore, I commend you to the care of God, and to my son, Carthage. " ^"7 In the published Life, it is said, he called his people
to him, and on blessing them, he expounded the divine precepts. Having received the sacraments of Holy Church, he happily expired, on the 5th of
March,*^ according to all our most ancient Martyrologies.
There can hardly be a doubt, that our saint departed this life, at Saigir ;
both, from the circumstance of St. Patrick's recorded prediction, which declared it should be the place of his resurrection,'? and likewise from the context of the narrative, as found in both his published Lives. 3" Yet, some English writers and Martyrologists, who mention the festival of our saint, whom they call indifferently, Kieran and Piran, relate, that he ended his days at Padstow, or near it, in the county of Cornwall. Colgan, also, seems to coincide in this opinion, owing to the place of our saint's departure not being named, in any of the Lives, which were in his possession. 3^ There is no mention made of his dying at Saigir, or in any other part of Ireland ; with the single exception of a statement, found in an Irish Life, which is supposed to be of doubtful authenticity. Besides, none of our domestic chronologists mention the year of his death, 3* as they were accustomed to do, when treat- ing of actions concerning Irish saints, even less renowned than he had been. We are told, in the Life of Saint Kieran, that no less than thirty holy bishops,
faithful worshipper, &c. Thirdly, Various
instances are cited of privileges, which have
been granted to particular orders and confra-
ternities in the Church, particularly those re-
ferring to the Cistercian and Franciscan lect. xii. , p. 469. Ibid. orders, in which we find similar special
favours, sanctioned by Bulls, issued by the
=' See Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilken- niensi, cap. y. , p. 458. Ibid.
Sovereign Pontiffs. Colgan then proceeds,
in a lengthy note, to prove this latter part of
his case, by quoting authorities, and by n. 30, p. 9.
"' See
Colgan's
sect. 8. 2, p.
nise," v. Martii, n. 6, p. 475.
"'
See Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilken- niensi, cap. xl. , p. 463. Also, Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, Officium,
^° See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect. 2,
which infidels or 3' A writer mentions this
solving objections,
might urge. See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nice," Martii v. , nn. 38, 39, 40, pp. 465, 466.
*5 St. Kiaran's Day (March 5th), appears
to have been kept as a special holyday of the early Irish Church. In an old Anti-
the
phonarium, kept amongst
MSS. , Dublin, and which formerly be- longed to the ancient church of Clondalkin, there is a calendar, in which it is noted, that no servile work should be performed on the Feast Day of our saint. It is classed, B.
I. 3' '°
See the First Life of St. Kieran, taken from Codex Kilkenniensis, cap. xxxviii. , in Colgan's work.
lady
with that of St. Kieran having been identical
"
with St. Piran,
church of Piranzabuloe or Piran-in-the- Sands, has been covered and so preserved for centuries by the sands, which ha—ve gained on that part of the English coast. "
Sirs. M. C. " of the Irish Ferguson's Story
before the Conquest," chap, v. , p. 165.
32<«It is rather singular that, notwith-
standing all that is said in the tracts, called
his Lives, in praise of Kieran, he is not
much spoken of in the accounts of our saints,
who were his contemporaries, and that none
of our annalists or hagiologists have marked
the year of his death. "—Dr. Lanigan's
sceptics
supposition,
Trinity College
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. ,
"
chap, x. ,
an Irish saint, whose little
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 143
whom he had ordained, departed to the mansions of bhss with him, on the very day of his own decease. This occurrence is said to have taken place, in accordance with a manifestation of his desires, which were approved by the AhTiighty. 33
According to his ancient biographers, Kieran's hfe was prolonged to the extraordinary term of almost three hundred years. 34 This extraordinary age was even exceeded, according to an account we find in the Martyrology of Donegal,3s as follows : Sixty years and three hundred was his age, when he
yielded his spirit. However, rather doubtful narratives, regarding our saint's recorded miracles and Acts, have given rise to much controversy among
writers, who endeavour to reconcile them with chronological probability. While he furnishes instances of many long-lived persons, from Scriptural, as also from ancient and mediseval history, proving the possibility of such an age as three hundred years being attained,3^ Colgan nevertheless holds an opinion, that our saint had not even reached two hundred years of age, at the time of his death. The conclusion at which he arrives is, that our Kieran lived in part of the fourth century, during the whole of the fifth, aijd that he probably died in the sixth, before a. d. 540. 37 So that, instead of Kieran's
old biographers being understood, as meaning his life had been prolonged, foi* almost three hundred years, which would appear from their text ; it is
thought, they had only read of his having lived, during three different ages or
centuries. 3^ But, this explanation is not very satisfactory ; especially, when we take into account, the apparent fact, that he who wrote the first Life had been a contemporary with our saint, and must have survived him. Those saints, who are mentioned as Kieran's contemporaries, in his Life, might in- deed be found existing, within the time specified by Colgan \ and, their intervention in matters pertaining to our saint might also be included in his Acts, with the single exception of St. Ruadhan, of Lothra, who is described as abbot of that place, before the death of Kieran. Now, it is thought, the Abbey of Lothra had been founded, about the year 550, and from the first Life of our saint, we may infer with Dr. Lanigan, that Kieran must have died, after the middle of the sixth century. In his account of the Bishops of Ossory, it is incorrectly stated, 39 that Ware confounds our saint with his name-
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
33 See
ni£e," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilkenniensi, cap. xl. , p. 463. St. ^ngus,
the more for in that remarkable,
Colgan's
Catalogue are to be found many other names, inferior to his, both with respect to age and to cele-
however, only mentions fifteen saints, who ""
brity. This will appear, by referring to the departed with St. Kieran. Qtiindecim list, in Ussher's Primordia Ecclesiarum
cum S. Kierano
per Jesum Christitm invoco in auxilium
"
qui
meiim," lib. 5, Opuscula, c. 65. Colgan
and
pages, where this author fully treats about
:
reperio
from the Cannech, Colman-Elo, Mo- chudda, Fintan of Clonenagh, Ruadan and others, who, from A. D. 540, flourished in adjoining monasteries, and when no mention of our saint occurs, whereas certain names of the principal saints, who lived, not alone in the surrounding country, but even saints of greatest renown, in more distant parts of
Ireland, are there distinctly noted.
38 This can be collected, as Colgan thinks, not only from five different Lives of this saint, but also from the Acts of other Irish saints. From such accounts, it may be in- ferred, that he did not live to be quite two
hundred years of age.
" Non
Sagirensi migravet'tcnt
p. 914,
following
adds
die ab ullo Martyrologio celebrari. " Ibid. , n. 44, p. 467.
tamen tot nata—les hac
matter is rendered more
^•^ Vita S. Kierani, ex Codic Kilkenniensi, cap. xl. , p. 463. Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, Officium, lect. 12, p. 469.
35 Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 64, 65.
3* See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii v. , n. 42, p. 466.
37 That he did not live after A. D. 540, would seem to be indicated, from the circum- stance, of his name not being found, in the very ancient Catalogue of the principal saiuts of the second order, who flourished in Ireland, from a. d. 540 to A. D. 598. This is
Britannicarum,
those saints therein mentioned. Again, this
Lives of Saints
probable,
144 L2VBS OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
sakeofClonmacnois',^° and,evenelsewhere,heconjectures,asDr. Lanigan asserts,^' that our saint might have been living, in the time of Pope Gregory
the Great. 42 Dempster absurdly places his death in 665, on the authority of the Breviary of Dunblane ; while, he is made to suffer death by martyrdom, having been murdered by robbers/s It is stated, too, that his memory was
visits of pilgrims. 44
St. Ciaran was buried, it is said, near the relics of St. Martin, distin-
guished as the Elder, a remarkable Patrician missionary, left to evangelize the Ossorians. t5 It is supposed, he lived a recluse, on Tory Island, which was called " Tor inis Martain. "^^ A relic, which was denominated the Socela Martain, and which had been preserved in Derry down to the thirteenth century,'*7 is said to have had relation to this ancient saint.
The illustrious bishop, Ciaran, is revered, as principal patron of Ossory diocese, where his festival is celebrated on the 5 th of March, as a double of
the first class. On that day, or on the Sunday immediately following, per- mission is granted to the priests and people to reverence St. Kieran, with suitable devotion at these places, where he has been regarded as special
"
Kyran's Cell," and that it was remarkable for miracles performed, and for the
famous in Kyntyre, where was the lake, called Lochkilkeran, or
the lake of
In the Cathedral Church ; in Kill-Kieran, belonging to St. John's parish ; in Rathkieran ;48 in Clashacrow j'tg in Stamcarty ; in Glashecron ; in
Fartagh ;So in Knocksciragh ; in Johnstown ^si in Kilmacow ;52 in Moon- coin ;S3 in Errill ;54 in Kilkieran ;55 in Tullaherin ;56 but, it must be re-
marked, that where those numerous deep ditches and high ramparts, encom- passing nearly ten acres,57 are to be found at Seir-Kieran,s^ the site of his
The itself is parish
patron.
39 See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect. 2, n. 28, p. 9.
4° He is said to have died A. D. 548. Sir
James Ware expressly distinguishes them. See " De Prsesulibus Lagenias," p. 68.
4' See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
Sheet
defined on Sheets 39, 40, 42, 43.
Lanigan's
Kilkenny,"
42,
vol.
the Antiquities of Ireland, which is incor- rect, as the twenty-eighth is the last. Else- where, I must confess myself unable to verily such a statement.
4* He sat in the chair of St. Peter, from A. D. 590 to A. D. 604. See Sir Harris
s' In the Galmoy.
of
See Sheet 8, ibtd.
and ot barony
sect,
33. He quotes the twenty-ninth chapter of
land,"
i. , chap, i. ,
xiv. ,
124, p.
parish
Fertagh,
Nicolas' " of Chronology
54 In the parish of Rathdowney and
History," p. 209. 43 See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
of See "Oixlnance barony Clandonagh.
Scotorum," tomus ii. , No. 774, p. 420.
44 For this, Dempster cites Gilbert. Brun.
Histor. , pag. xxcix.
45 His churches or places there are said to
be Temple Martin, Dysert Martin, and Kyledelig.
4* His feast is assigned to the nth of November, the same day as that on which St. Martin, Bishop —of Tours—with whom he isoftenconfounded wasvenerated.
47 For the previous particulars, the writer is indebted to the Rev. John Francis Shear- man, who permits reference to his "Loca Patriciana," part xii.
48 In the parish of Rathkieran, and barony of Iverk. It is noted on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of
Survey Townland Maps of the Queen's County," Sheet 27.
55 There is a place so called in the parish
of Inistioge. See " Ordnance Survey Town-
land Maps for the County of Kilkenny," Sheet 29. There is another, in a parish of the same name. See Sheets 14, 15. Both
are in the barony of Galmoy.
5* In the parish so called and barony of
Galmoy. See Sheet 24, ibid. The parish is on Sheets 24, 28.
" Ecclesiastical His-
n.
49 In the parish of Clashacrow, and barony of Crannagli. See ibid. . Sheet 13.
5° This parish, in the baronies of Cran- nagh and Galmoy, is shown on Sheets 8, 9, 12, 13. Ibid.
5^ In the parish so named, in the barony of Iverk. See Sheet 43, ibid. The parish itself is on Sheets 40, 42, 43, 46.
53 In the parish of Pollrone and barony of Iverk. See Sheet 42, ibiti.
57 See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "Early History of the Town of Birr," &c. , chap, x. , p. 167.
58 See the " Statuta Dioecesis Ossorien- sis," edita Kilkenni. ie, in Synodo Dioece- sana, die 3 Junii, 1 873. Monita, sect. 8, pp. 22 to 29,
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 145
celebrated monastery,S9 that the memory of om* samt v/as most revered. ^° Knockseera,^^ said to be dedicated to St. Kyran, of Seir Kyran, and founded
by him, according to tradition, is an ancient burial place, on the very summit of a rounded, rocky, and elevated site, unrivalled for the picturesque views it commands, "on every side. The foundations of an old church, here, are levelled with the ground. The church appears to have consisted formerly of a nave and chancel. The nave was about 30 feet in length, by 20 in width. The chancel was about 9 feet, in addition to the nave. The present notes were taken on the spot, August, 1872, and about 70 years previously, the people there stated, the old church was almost perfect, two gables standing and a vestry attached. The cross wall was broken down, however, but a round arched-doorway entered it. A small end window was in one gable, while the side walls were then somewhat broken and defaced. Westwards extended this chancel, preserving the aforesaid width, following the side- walls. On the north side, there appear to have been few interments, but as the subsoil is limestone, much of the surface on this direction has been ex- cavated for material, probably used in building the ancient church, or for moremodernhouses,abouttheneighbourhood. Thereareseveraltombs
and headstones, yet none presenting a very antique appearance, on the south and east of the old building. Formerly, there were no defined boundaries around the graveyard ; but, of late years, it has been enclosed with a stone- wall. A solitary hawthorn bush crowned the eminence, and served with some upright headstones, to mark the spot, from a very considerable distance. Knockseera lies one mile south-east from Borris-in-Ossory. '-"' From its top extends a magnificent landscape range of vision, bounded by the SUeve Bloom mountains, tlie hills of Dysart, the SHevenamon and northern Kilkenny heights, the distant haze-covered Galtees and the nearer Keeper mountains, in Tipperary. Popular tradition, regarding the old church founder, seems all but lost; nor is the patron's name remembered, by people of the present generation. Still, some hallowed remembrances are connected with the place ; and, deceased persons are brought by their friends from remote distances to be interred, on this lonely eminence. There can be no doubt whatever, regarding the extreme antiquity of Knockseera church, for a visit to the site will impress the initiated in Irish antiquarian lore, with evidences sufficiently convincing, that long ages must have rolled over, since the very primitive structure had been first built, on its present scarcely traceable foundations. Immediately near, and in the hollow of an adjoining field, St. Kieran's well may be seen, issuing from beneath a venerable hawthorn tree. ^3 Formerly the spring was frequented by devout pilgrims, on the 5th of March. Besides this, a St. Kieran's well may be seen, near the ruined churches of Gill
S9 See, also, Rt. Rev. Patrick Francis County Letters, of the Ordnance Survey, "
Moran's Spicilegium Ossoriense : being a vol. ii. , p. 98. Mr. O'Donovan's letter,
Collection of Original Letters and Papers dated Birr, Pebruaiy 3rd, 1838. In this
illustrative of the Histoiy of the Irish Church
from the Reformation to the year 1800. "
First Series, sect, ii. , pp. 6 to 10.
'°
Mi\ O'Donovan, in writing from this neighbourhood, remarks, that the present wall is exceedingly ancient, and that there are two round towers, on a small scale, standing in the churchyards of Seirkieran and of Killyon ; the establishments of St. Kieran and his mother Liedania. They seem to have been attached to other build- ings, and to have been used as Sacristies or Deartheachs. They are about 17 feet high, and rather of rude masonry. See the King's
letter, Mr. O'Donovau also gives a rough map tracing, in which Sierkieran occupies a central position. The names of ancient places and territories are marked thereon, according to their supposed former relative positions. Ibid. , p. 95.
^'
This townland, in the parish of Agha- boe, and barony of Clandonagh, is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the Queen's County," Sheet 22.
^^
This town, in the parish of Aghaboe, and barony of Clandonagh, is shown on the
"
Queen's County," Sheets 21, 22.
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the K
146 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
Ossory and Stonecarthy, not far from an old road of some historic impor- tance. ^4 There is a'townland, called Saint Kieran's, in the parish of Tintern, andbaronyofShelburne,countyofWexford. ^s IntheKing'sCounty,there is a Kilkeeran,^^ in the parish of Cloneyhurk, and barony of Upper PhiUps- town. In the Island
of Cape Clear^7 and on the mainland
coasts adjoining, his name is, also, held in veneration, by people living there, even to the present day. Kilkieran, an ancient church, and a part of the coast, called Kieran's
Strand, are even yet mementoes of his ^^
celebrity.
This saint's festi-
val is commemo-
rated, throughout Ireland, as a double, and, in the diocese
of Ossory, as a double of the First
Class. Formerly it was celebrated, with an Office, contain- ing Nine Lessons. ^^ Abstinence from ser- vile works was en- joined, in the olden times, when his feast
_ ^ : :, . --r^;eH3=:^. . jj^-^^^^gjEfk^
^3 The accompanying sketch, by the writer, was taken on the spot, in August, 1872. It was transferred to the wood, by William F.
Wakeman, and engraved, by George A. Hanlon.
•^^ See the "Journal of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological So-
Kieran, i. e. " St. Kieran's Strand," on
which is a pillar stone, with a cross rudely cut towards the top, that, they say, was the workmanship of St. Kieran ; and near it stand the walls of a ruined church, dedicated to the same saint. This stone they hold in great veneration, and assemble round it
of March, on which — every 5th day, they
celebrate the festival of their patron. "
ciety," 385.
vol, iii.
New Series,
part ii. , p.
"5 It is
on the " Ordnance marked, Survey
"
of the
of
vol.
Well of St. Kieran, under Knockseera, Queen's County
occurred, as we learn
from the Antiphonary, supposed to have belonged to Clondalkin Church. 7° In the diocese of Ossory, it is thought, that St. Ciaran's feast formerly ranked
Cork," Townland Maps for the County of Wex- book ii. , chap, iv. , p. 279. After describing
ford," Sheet 45.
^ See it defined, on the " Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the King's County," Sheet 33.
^
western point, we are told by Smith, that
this island. Smith enters these following re-
marks " to Clear, between : Adjoining Cape
it and the mainland, is the island of Inishir-
can, which I take to be Iniskieran, or the
— former. " island of St. Kieran, rather than the
On this
island,
towards
the
north-
the ruins of a called castle,
Ibid. , p. 281.
<* See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "
Dunanore, Ang- lice, the "Golden fort," stand on a rock, which extends into the sea. "Alittle to the east of the castle, is ? crvc cnlled Tra-
Early History of the Town of Birr," &c. , chap, x. ,
History
County
i. ,
p. 167.
''The Trinity College, Dublin, MSS.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 147
as high as St. Patrick's day, or as a festival equally remarkable. In fact, the learned bishop of the diocese, Thomas De Burgo,? ' in 1 761, directs the Easter duty there to commence on St. Ciaran's day, and to end on Ascension day. 7^ The same direction is to be found, in a Pastoral of his successor, MostRev. Dr. Troy,anddateda. d. 1778. 73 Theformermemorialsofthe saint, throughout ancient Ossory, before the dark Penal Days, have been largely increased since, by the erection of St. Ciaran's College, the fine new Cathedral,aslikewiseotherchurches,chapelsandreligiousinstitutions. 74 It is remarkable, also, that to about the year 1838, the people kept the feast of St. Kieran, on the 5th of March, as a local holiday, and long afterwards, no works were there carried on. Wc rejoice to learn, that the old celebration has been lately revived, with great religious solemnity, and we trust, it shall never more fall into disuse. 75 St. ^ngus the Culdee?
