The site of his house, at the present day, is a beautifully verdant hillock, in the
townland
of Listrim, and parisii of Ardfert.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
Patrick F.
Moraa collected and published several Latin Acts of St.
Brendan,^^ in 1872, and among the rest is A.
Jubinal's version, ^^ collated with several other correlative MSS.
^7 Also,noticesofthissaintaregivenbyRev.
JamesRose,^^M.
Le Dr.
Hoefer,^9 Rev.
S.
Baring-Gould,9° in the Bibliographie Universelle, Ancienne et Moderne,?
' in the " Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biogra-
daine's Legende Latine avec nne Trailuction inedite en Prose et en Poesie Romanes," pub- liees par A. Jubinal, A Paris, 1836, 8vo.
*' . See his " Histoire Legendaire de I'lr- lande,"chap. xxiii. Voyage de Saint Bren- dan, Paris, 1856, 8vo.
1° It was first published as a contribution to the " Dubhn University Magazine," in the hey-day of its celebrity as a first-class period- cal, now nearly forty years ago.
7' The latest version of this fine poem, is in the collected "Poems,"by Denis Florence MacCarthy, edited with a Preface by his son John MacCarthy, pp. 83 to 105, Dublin, 1882. cr. 8vo.
7- It is given under six distinct head- ings : —I. The Vocation. II. Ara of the Saints. III. The Voyage, iv. The Buried City. V. The Paradise of Birds, vi. The Promised Land.
73 See "Lives of the Cambro-British Saints," pp. 251 to 254.
''' See ibid. , pp. 575 to 579.
75 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," Sixth Century, chap, i. , pp. 57, 58, Duffy's edition, Dublin, 1864.
76 See " St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," chap, iii. , n. i, pp. 459, 460.
'7 See " La Lcgende Celtique et la Poesie en Irlande, en Cambric, et en Bretagne," sect, v. , pj). liv. to Ixiii. , Paris, 1864, 8vo.
382, and Appendix xli. , p. 533.
^' It is intituled : " Sanct Brandan. Ein
Lateinischer und drei Deutsche Texte herausgegeben von Dr. Carl Schroder," in 8vo, Erlangen, 1871.
^^ To the number of 1930.
^3 In 1165 stanzas.
^^ This is under nineteen chapters, or
headings.
^3 This work is intituled: "Acta Sancti
Brendani : Original Latin Documents, con- nected with the Life of St. Brendan, Patron of Kerry and Clonfert. " Edited by tlie Most Rev. Patrick F. Moran, D. D. , Bishop of Ossory. Published by William Bernard Kelly, 8 Grafton-street, Dublin, 8vo.
^° From the A. Colbert Manuscript 2333, 1 2th cent. , Naiional Library, Paris.
^^Seeibid. ,pp. 85to131. Amongthese, denoted by/ A, is the Vatican Parchment MS. in 4to. Reginre Xtin? e, No. 481, I2ih cent. B. Vatican MS. Palatin, 217, small 4to, 9th cent. C. Biblioth. Sessoriano MS. Rome, veil. fol. No. 114, sujjposed to be of the nth cent. D. National Library, Paris, No. 3784, fol. and E. No. 5572, fob, both of the nth cent. F. the MS. in Marsh's Lib- rary, Dublin, 13th cent. G. British Museum MS. Cott. Vespasian, A. xix. veil. 410, I2lh cent.
^** See " A New General Biographical Dictionary," vol. v. , p. 34, London, 1848,
7^ See " Primer of Church History of Ireland," vol. i. , Book i. , chap, viii. , pp. 8vo.
69, 70.
79 See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp.
284 to 287.
^° See " Lectures on the Manuscript Ma-
terials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xiii. , p. 289, Lect. xvi. , p. 340, Lect. xviii. , p.
^9 See " Nouvelle Biographie Generate, tome vii. , p. 319.
5° See " Lives of the Saints," vol. v. . May 16, pp. 217 to 223.
9' See tome v. , pp. 533, 534. 9= See vol. ii. , p. 741.
"
May i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6.
phy,92in Les Petits Bollandistes,93 andin the "Dictionary of Christian Biogra- phy. "94 Later still has been published, " Les Voyages Merveilleuxde Saint Bran- dan a la Recherche du Paradis Terrestre," Legende en vers du XIP Siecle, publi^ed'aprfes le Manuscrit du Musee Britannique avec Introduction parFran- cisque-Michel. 95 It is the same, as that—to which allusion has been made and which was addressed to Queen Aaliz. A short Introduction, and some observations on the text, accompany this Legend,
While St. Patrick, about the middle of the fifth century, was in view of Luachra, and on the banks of the Shannon, according to the Irish Tripartite Life,^^ he predicted that a star of the Western World should be born,97 in West Munster, and that he should be the great patriarch of monks. 9^ This prophecy is said to have been delivered, in reference to that mountain range,99 which lies near to the present Castle Island,'°° and to the east of Tralee, in the county of Kerry. This prophecy introduced in consequence of Luachra being mentioned—was intended to announce the birth of St. Brendan, or Braen, the Fair, son of Findlug, belong- ing to the family of Hua Alta, of Ciarraige Luachra. '°' A certain great and wealthy man, named Airde,'°^ who lived in the territory of Kyarragi, had hospitably entertained, one night, the celebrated Prophet, St. Becus Mac De, and the host had asked his guest to predict some new and welcome event, which should soon take place. Then, the prophet said: " This very night, between thee and the sea, shall be born one, whom thou and thy posterity shall serve in time to come, and whom, for his sanctity, many shall venerate. " That very night, also, thirty of the rich host's cows brought forth calves. The country where this event took place is described, as lying about the coasts of Ireland, which are opposite to the setting sun. '°3 Its general name was Kyarragi, or as specified, in some accounts, Ciarraighe '°-» Luachra.
396
93 See "Vies des Saints," tome v. , xvic Jour de Mai, p. 557.
9* Edited by William Smith, LL. D. ,
and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. i. , pp. 335,
336.
95 A Paris, 1878, 8vo.
9* See the Irish Tripartite Life of . St.
Patrick, part iii. , edited by Miss M. F. Cusack, p. 472.
9' In some accounts—as in the Irish Tri- partite Life—it is stated, that Brenainn, son of the Ua-Altce was to receive birth one hundred and twenty years after St. Patrick's prophecy.
9** This shows St. Brendan was not a na- tive of Clonfert, as some writers have as- serted.
99 There is a veiy interesting description of them, in the " Battle of Magh-Lena," edited by Eugene O'Curry, p. 24.
'°° . See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. vi. , n. (f), pp. 2078,
2079.
'°' The Scholiast on the copy of the Fci-
lirc of St. /Engus, contained in the Leabhar Breac, has a comment on this saint's family, in which he quotes the following stanza, from an Irish Poem :—
O j;AbAif THAC h. A\Xzm bpenAin-o coLm acIcai <Vchc iTiAf Ve^|A nif mef<MT)c Opn cofe CluAin fei\c<M.
It is thus translated, by Dr. Whitley Stokes:
" Since the son of Hua Alltai took it, Brenann with the multitude of his
flocks,
It is not better, it is not the worse, Clonfcrt, from that to this. "
—"Transactions of the Royal Irish Aca- demy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxwi.
'°- He is also called Mac Fidhaigh, in the Irish Life.
The site of his house, at the present day, is a beautifully verdant hillock, in the townland of Listrim, and parisii of Ardfert. On the top of this is a plateau, and there the site of an ancient Cahir is easily traceable, but not a stone of it now remains in situ. The people yet call it Cahir-Airde, or Cahirard, rendered by the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue, "the fort of Airdc. "
'°^ I'^ Marsh's Library copy, the Acts of St. Brendan thus open: " Natus est beatis- sinuis Brendanus Abb. as inzepharia Mumen- ensi pl. aga, in regione qure dicitur Kyarra;^! , qua; gens est circa oras littoiis IlyberniK
contra solis occasum. "
^°* This denomination is drawn from Ciar,
the son of Fergus Mac Roighc, whose dc- scendants occupied it, and from Raighc, which means a district.
'°' A. Jubinal's version of the " Navigatio
—
Sancti Brendani " has "e stagnile regione Mimensium ortus fuit. "
'°* The " Lectio," or "Legenda Brevis " has " venerabilis Brendanus in provincia stagnile Mummensium natus. " See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," p. 139.
'°7 The townland and town of Tralee, in the parish so named, and in the barony of Trughanacmy, are found, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," sheets 21, 29.
"• This district down to the present day is known by the Irish-speaking inhabitants as Cuil—(or the Corner), and the parish in Irish is called Faroiste na Cuiie—so that the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue considers the form of the name, as given by Duald Mac Ferbuis, to be more correct, than that given in the Irish Life.
"5 Appended to the Pedigrees of St. Brendan, as given in his Book of Genealo- gies, there is a statement, that the saint be- longed to Altraighe-Cuile-beara, or Cin- beara, L. 8, p. 729. Manuscript contained
—"
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
According to one of liis Lives, St. Brendan was born in a marshy region of Munster/°5 Thisdoesnotnecessarilysuppose,thatthesituationwasdamp; but, rather, that is was near that Lough-Uke appearance of the sea,'°^ which is noticeable, at the entrance to Tralee liarbour. '°7 According to a local tradition, Annagh,'°^ which is close to that town, was the place of his nativity. Alltraighe Caille,'°9 situated in Ciarraighe Luachra,"° was the precise dis- trict, according to the Book of Lismore/" and it extended from Slieve- Luachra on the east, to the shore along Tralee Bay, on the west. The de- nomination Altraighe'" has entirely disappeared from Kerry topography for many centuries. Again, there appears to have been a distinction, in this part of the country, between one portion, called Altraighe Cliach,"3 and another, which was known as Altraighe Cuile-beara,"4 or Cinbeara. In the latter, which is stated to have been the portion, extending from the Spa to Fenit Island,St. Brendanisthoughttohavebeenboni. ^s Veryfewtraditionsre- garding the life and times of St. Brendan survive in this district of Ardfert,"^ which was so intimately associated with his history ; and, so far as could be discovered by inquiry, from the old residents, who were likely to know of any such local tradition. "? It seems certain, from the Irish Life of the saint preserved in the Book of Lismore, that he was born,"^ in or near the pre- sent Fenit,"9 now a large townland—about six miles west from Tralee and on the northern shore of Tralee Harbour—consisting of a promontory, lying between that shore and Barrow harbour. It is called Fenit Without, while
May 1 6. ]
397
'°^ The townland and parish of Annagh,
partly in the barony of Corkaguiny, and in the Royal Irish Academy's copy of the
partly in the barony of Truglianacmy, are shown. Ibid. , sheets 28, 29, 37, 38.
'°9 This seems to have been the tract of land, lying between Ardfert, Fenit, and Tralee.
"° Following many old writers, Sir James Ware makes Brendan a native of Kerry. Tradition accords likewise with this asser- tion, and even with greater particularity. See "De Scriptoribus Hibernice," lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 12.
" Fol. 72.
" Book of Lecan.
"* The parish of Ardfert is situated, partly
in the barony of Clanmaurice, and partly in that of Trughanacmy, and it is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Majjs for the County of Kerry," sheets 14, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29. The town and townland proper are on sheets 20, 21.
"' Such is the information, conveyed to the writer, in a communication of the Rev. Denis O'Donoghue, P. P. , of Ardfert to
; whom he feels specially indebted, for much of what precedes and follows, in reference to
"= The Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue has derived
it from Alt, meaning the Ua-Alta, who St. Brendan's birth-place.
possessed that large district—raige or regio. That was the sept from whom . St. Brendan sprung.
"-* This seems to have been near Tralee, as the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue believes ; and, it was the district in which St. Sedna venerated at the 12th of March—son of Ere, and of Mor, the sister of St. David of Mene- via, was born. It is mentioned, in the Feilire of St. iEngus.
"^ As to the precise place of his birth, the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue could find no trace of an ancient tradition, among the people anywhere in Kerry.
"5 The townland and parish, so named, are in the barony of Trughanacmy, and shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Kerry," sheet 28.
"° The accompanying illustration of Fenit
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 1 6. an adjoining island is called Fenit Within. The area of both divisions of
398
Fenit is somewhat less than 700 statute acres
parish in Catholic times, and there were in the Island, at least two ancient churches, the sites of which are marked on the Ordnance Survey Map. At present, there is scarcely any trace remaining, to indicate the site for one of theseoldchurches,althoughitspositioniswellknown. Theruinsbestpre- served of P'enit old church lie a short distance to the west of Fenit Castle;'TM they are destroyed, however, to the very foundations. As appear from these.
Fenit Island and Castle, County of Kerry.
brown stones were used with lime-stone, in the construction. '^' At present, it is not an easy matter to discover, if lime had been used or not, in the building ; for, in a bit of the north wall, w^hich remained several years ago near the east end, no lime was observable, in the mortar. The thickness of the wall was three feet six inches ; the length of the church was thirty-seven feet, six inches; its breadth was fifteen feet. From this description, it is obvious, that the ruins are those of a very ancient church. It was built many centuries ago, and possibly, in or not very long after St. Brendan's time. '" Detachedfromtheseruins—butquitenear—thefoundationsofanotherancient building may be traced ; this was probably a religious establishment, con- nected with the church. All around these ruins, to the distance of five or six perches, there are unmistakable traces of an ancient burial-ground, which has not been used for interments, within the memory of the oldest inhabitants.
Island and its Castle has been drawn on
the wood, by William F. Wakeman, from
a photograph of Mr. Daly, Tralce, procured
through the kindness of Rev. Denis
O'Donoghue, P. P. The engraving is by O'Donoghue, who observes, the ruins,
which he visited, in the beginning of the pre- '" See the communication of Mr. Thomas sent year 1855, are nearly as they had been O'Conor, in " Letters containing Information described, by Mr. Thomas O'Conor, over
Mrs. Millard.
;
yet, they formed a separate
relative to the Antiquities of the County of Kerry, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 15^41. "
"' Such is the opinion of Rev. Denis
May 1 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
399
The account from St. Brendan's Irisli Life clearly implies, that the house of his nativity was in Fenit, or in its immediate vicinity. Another indication of the precise locality for the saint's birth-place may be gathered from that Irish Life, when it mentions the visit of St. Bee Mac De, "the chief prophet of Ireland," to the house of Airde Mac Fitlaigh, the Brugaid, or large farmer, on the advent of Brendan's birth ; where, at the request of his wealthy host, St. Bee Mac De prophesied the birth of St. Brendan, on that very night, between him and the sea. Between the Cahir or Fort of Airde "3 and the sea lies Fenit Island to the west, and about three English miles distant. This suits admirably well the further statement,"'* that the house of Finlogh, the father of St. Brendan, was at a distance from that of Airde; while, there is no locality between Cahir-Airde and the sea, in any other direction, which fits in with that description so completely. An extraordinary illumination was over the house, and Angels hovered there, on i^he night when St. Brendan
was born; and, we are told, that the whole of Altraighe-Caille appeared to be in a blaze of light. This was seen by a holy Bishop, named St. Earc, or Ere, "5 from his residence, which must have commanded a view of that dis- trict, where Brendan was born. This statement should point, likewise, to Fenit, as the place thus seen by St. Ere. Of this saint's connexion with Kerry, there is scarcely any historical trace, except what is given in the Lives of his foster-child, St. Brendan ; but, fortunately, there remains an indelible trace of his connexion with this district, in the name of a very ancient church or sanctuary dedicated to his memory, and probably founded and occupied by himself. This is called Tarmuin-Eirc,'^^ or the sanctuary of Ere, the grass- grown ruins of which are to be seen at Lerrig,"? about three miles to the north of Ardfert. From the swelling slope—on which those venerable ruins lie—Fenit is distant about seven miles to the south-west. It can easily be seen from that spot, as there is no high ground intervening. We may, therefore, well credit that sitatement of the writer, who tells us, that the holy Bishop St. Ere, from his ancient Termon or Sanctuary at Lerrig, looking across
the plains about Ardfert, saw that wondrous light, which "filled all Fenit" on the night of this heavenly-gifted birth.
The celebrated Navigator, St. Brendan, is said to have been the son of Finlogue, or Finnlog. '^^ The wife of Finlog lived a holy life with her husband. Both parents appear to have selected Bishop Ere, as
forty years previous.
'^3 This local denomination is not found on
the Ordnance Survey Maps.
'=* In the Irish Life.
'^5 In the Irish Calendars, there are festi-
County of Kerry," sheets 20, 21. The town- land is divided into north and south.
'^^ In the lower margin of that copy of the Feilire of St. ^ngus, contained in the " Leabhar Breac ;" there is a pedigree thus drawn out by the Commentator : Brenann, son of Findlug, son of Olchu, son of Ogaman,
vals to different saints, bearing this name,
viz. : St. Earc, Priest, at July 13th; St.
Earc, bishop of Domhnach-mor of Magh- son of Findchure, son of Delbna, son of Danihairne, at September 17th; St. Earc, John, son of Usalec, son of Estamon, son of bishop, at October 2nd ; St. Earc, bishop of Mugh Toeth, who is called Ciar, son of Fer- Domhnach-mor, at October 27th ; and St. gus, son of Rossa. Or Brenaind, son of
Earc, bishop of Slane, at November 2nd. It is remarkable, also, that a female saint is
Findlug, son of Olchu, son of Findchath, son of Gossa (? ), son of Gaible, son of Ecne, son of Altae. See "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxxvii.
'-' Thus we read : " cujus pater Findluag nomine erat fidelis, qui cum uxore sua in legitimo matrimonio sub confessione Erci Episcopi vivebat. " Prima Vita S. Brendani,
named Earc, daughter of Sinell of Miliuc her feast is at the 24th of October.
;
'^* This denomination is not to be found, on the '' Ordnance Survey Townland Maps," relating to the district.
'^7 This is a town and townland, in the
parish of Kilmoyly, and barony of Clan-
maurice. They are noted, on the " Ord- cap. i. , p. i. Most Rev. Patrick F. Moran's nance Survey Townland Maps for the " Acta Sancti Brendani. "
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6.
their confessor or siiiriiual director. '^9 According to St. Brendan's Irish Life,'3° he had a brother, wlio was a bishop, named Domanigen, and whose feast has been assigned to the 29th of April;'3i while, he had a sister, called Briga, or Brigh,'32 said to have been of Enach-duin. '^s Thus, St. Brendan was descended from the race of Ciar, son to Ferghus, son of Ros, son to Rudhraighe. Several years after the death of St. Patrick, his nativity took place, and probably towards the close of the fifth century. '34
Aswehavestated,Brendansprungfromregalancestors. Beforethebirth, his mother had a vision, in which a miraculous brilliancy surrounded her, and raysofgreatsplendour—seemingasfinestgold—issuedfromherbreasts. This circumstance she related to Bishop Ere, wlio thus interpreted it, by exclaiming : " O happy woman, a man of admirable blessedness, and full of the Holy Spirit, shall in due course be born to thee. " Not long afterwards, that predic- tion was fulfilled, in the birth of St. Brendan. '35 The period to which his birth has been referred was one fruitful of great glory for the Church in Ire- land. Through every quarter of the land, churches and monasteries might be seen rising ; then began those schools and colleges, which, down to the Middle Ages, continued to attract to their halls the youth of Continental na- tions. Both sexes participated in the glory of this renaissance ; and, we are told, in the neighbourhood of holy anchorets lived anchoretesses no less holy. Companies of virgins followed their spiritual mothers, as troops of disciples journeyedwiththeirmasters. Thesistersbecamethepossessorsofthehouses, which monks built ; the convents were open equally to the brethren and sisters; and, in this way, those pious relations among the members of both sexes sprungup,andwhichproducedsuchhappyfruit. Thesistersbecamenurses of the young ; and their pupils frequently became Bishops and Abbots, as we find exemplified in the case of our present saint. The Fourth Life of St.
Patrick, as also the Tripartite, state St. Brendan to have been born one hun- dred and twenty years, after the great Irish Aposde's death. '36 However, this is generally understood to be a mistake of statement and of calculation. '37 According to one supposition, '38 St. Patrick died a. d. 465 ; and, the birth of St. Brendan followed, about twenty years later, viz. , a. d. 484. The wealthy Airde having been shown by St. Bee Mac De '39 the house, in which the infant was to receive birth, that host arose in the morning, and went to the place, where prostrate on his knees, he venerated the newly-born child. Raising the infant to his bosom, Airde cried out, before all who were pre- sent: "O son, I acknowledge thee to be my foster-child, and receive me as thy fosterer.
daine's Legende Latine avec nne Trailuction inedite en Prose et en Poesie Romanes," pub- liees par A. Jubinal, A Paris, 1836, 8vo.
*' . See his " Histoire Legendaire de I'lr- lande,"chap. xxiii. Voyage de Saint Bren- dan, Paris, 1856, 8vo.
1° It was first published as a contribution to the " Dubhn University Magazine," in the hey-day of its celebrity as a first-class period- cal, now nearly forty years ago.
7' The latest version of this fine poem, is in the collected "Poems,"by Denis Florence MacCarthy, edited with a Preface by his son John MacCarthy, pp. 83 to 105, Dublin, 1882. cr. 8vo.
7- It is given under six distinct head- ings : —I. The Vocation. II. Ara of the Saints. III. The Voyage, iv. The Buried City. V. The Paradise of Birds, vi. The Promised Land.
73 See "Lives of the Cambro-British Saints," pp. 251 to 254.
''' See ibid. , pp. 575 to 579.
75 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," Sixth Century, chap, i. , pp. 57, 58, Duffy's edition, Dublin, 1864.
76 See " St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," chap, iii. , n. i, pp. 459, 460.
'7 See " La Lcgende Celtique et la Poesie en Irlande, en Cambric, et en Bretagne," sect, v. , pj). liv. to Ixiii. , Paris, 1864, 8vo.
382, and Appendix xli. , p. 533.
^' It is intituled : " Sanct Brandan. Ein
Lateinischer und drei Deutsche Texte herausgegeben von Dr. Carl Schroder," in 8vo, Erlangen, 1871.
^^ To the number of 1930.
^3 In 1165 stanzas.
^^ This is under nineteen chapters, or
headings.
^3 This work is intituled: "Acta Sancti
Brendani : Original Latin Documents, con- nected with the Life of St. Brendan, Patron of Kerry and Clonfert. " Edited by tlie Most Rev. Patrick F. Moran, D. D. , Bishop of Ossory. Published by William Bernard Kelly, 8 Grafton-street, Dublin, 8vo.
^° From the A. Colbert Manuscript 2333, 1 2th cent. , Naiional Library, Paris.
^^Seeibid. ,pp. 85to131. Amongthese, denoted by/ A, is the Vatican Parchment MS. in 4to. Reginre Xtin? e, No. 481, I2ih cent. B. Vatican MS. Palatin, 217, small 4to, 9th cent. C. Biblioth. Sessoriano MS. Rome, veil. fol. No. 114, sujjposed to be of the nth cent. D. National Library, Paris, No. 3784, fol. and E. No. 5572, fob, both of the nth cent. F. the MS. in Marsh's Lib- rary, Dublin, 13th cent. G. British Museum MS. Cott. Vespasian, A. xix. veil. 410, I2lh cent.
^** See " A New General Biographical Dictionary," vol. v. , p. 34, London, 1848,
7^ See " Primer of Church History of Ireland," vol. i. , Book i. , chap, viii. , pp. 8vo.
69, 70.
79 See " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp.
284 to 287.
^° See " Lectures on the Manuscript Ma-
terials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xiii. , p. 289, Lect. xvi. , p. 340, Lect. xviii. , p.
^9 See " Nouvelle Biographie Generate, tome vii. , p. 319.
5° See " Lives of the Saints," vol. v. . May 16, pp. 217 to 223.
9' See tome v. , pp. 533, 534. 9= See vol. ii. , p. 741.
"
May i6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6.
phy,92in Les Petits Bollandistes,93 andin the "Dictionary of Christian Biogra- phy. "94 Later still has been published, " Les Voyages Merveilleuxde Saint Bran- dan a la Recherche du Paradis Terrestre," Legende en vers du XIP Siecle, publi^ed'aprfes le Manuscrit du Musee Britannique avec Introduction parFran- cisque-Michel. 95 It is the same, as that—to which allusion has been made and which was addressed to Queen Aaliz. A short Introduction, and some observations on the text, accompany this Legend,
While St. Patrick, about the middle of the fifth century, was in view of Luachra, and on the banks of the Shannon, according to the Irish Tripartite Life,^^ he predicted that a star of the Western World should be born,97 in West Munster, and that he should be the great patriarch of monks. 9^ This prophecy is said to have been delivered, in reference to that mountain range,99 which lies near to the present Castle Island,'°° and to the east of Tralee, in the county of Kerry. This prophecy introduced in consequence of Luachra being mentioned—was intended to announce the birth of St. Brendan, or Braen, the Fair, son of Findlug, belong- ing to the family of Hua Alta, of Ciarraige Luachra. '°' A certain great and wealthy man, named Airde,'°^ who lived in the territory of Kyarragi, had hospitably entertained, one night, the celebrated Prophet, St. Becus Mac De, and the host had asked his guest to predict some new and welcome event, which should soon take place. Then, the prophet said: " This very night, between thee and the sea, shall be born one, whom thou and thy posterity shall serve in time to come, and whom, for his sanctity, many shall venerate. " That very night, also, thirty of the rich host's cows brought forth calves. The country where this event took place is described, as lying about the coasts of Ireland, which are opposite to the setting sun. '°3 Its general name was Kyarragi, or as specified, in some accounts, Ciarraighe '°-» Luachra.
396
93 See "Vies des Saints," tome v. , xvic Jour de Mai, p. 557.
9* Edited by William Smith, LL. D. ,
and Henry Wace, M. A. , vol. i. , pp. 335,
336.
95 A Paris, 1878, 8vo.
9* See the Irish Tripartite Life of . St.
Patrick, part iii. , edited by Miss M. F. Cusack, p. 472.
9' In some accounts—as in the Irish Tri- partite Life—it is stated, that Brenainn, son of the Ua-Altce was to receive birth one hundred and twenty years after St. Patrick's prophecy.
9** This shows St. Brendan was not a na- tive of Clonfert, as some writers have as- serted.
99 There is a veiy interesting description of them, in the " Battle of Magh-Lena," edited by Eugene O'Curry, p. 24.
'°° . See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. vi. , n. (f), pp. 2078,
2079.
'°' The Scholiast on the copy of the Fci-
lirc of St. /Engus, contained in the Leabhar Breac, has a comment on this saint's family, in which he quotes the following stanza, from an Irish Poem :—
O j;AbAif THAC h. A\Xzm bpenAin-o coLm acIcai <Vchc iTiAf Ve^|A nif mef<MT)c Opn cofe CluAin fei\c<M.
It is thus translated, by Dr. Whitley Stokes:
" Since the son of Hua Alltai took it, Brenann with the multitude of his
flocks,
It is not better, it is not the worse, Clonfcrt, from that to this. "
—"Transactions of the Royal Irish Aca- demy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxwi.
'°- He is also called Mac Fidhaigh, in the Irish Life.
The site of his house, at the present day, is a beautifully verdant hillock, in the townland of Listrim, and parisii of Ardfert. On the top of this is a plateau, and there the site of an ancient Cahir is easily traceable, but not a stone of it now remains in situ. The people yet call it Cahir-Airde, or Cahirard, rendered by the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue, "the fort of Airdc. "
'°^ I'^ Marsh's Library copy, the Acts of St. Brendan thus open: " Natus est beatis- sinuis Brendanus Abb. as inzepharia Mumen- ensi pl. aga, in regione qure dicitur Kyarra;^! , qua; gens est circa oras littoiis IlyberniK
contra solis occasum. "
^°* This denomination is drawn from Ciar,
the son of Fergus Mac Roighc, whose dc- scendants occupied it, and from Raighc, which means a district.
'°' A. Jubinal's version of the " Navigatio
—
Sancti Brendani " has "e stagnile regione Mimensium ortus fuit. "
'°* The " Lectio," or "Legenda Brevis " has " venerabilis Brendanus in provincia stagnile Mummensium natus. " See Most Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's "Acta Sancti Brendani," p. 139.
'°7 The townland and town of Tralee, in the parish so named, and in the barony of Trughanacmy, are found, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," sheets 21, 29.
"• This district down to the present day is known by the Irish-speaking inhabitants as Cuil—(or the Corner), and the parish in Irish is called Faroiste na Cuiie—so that the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue considers the form of the name, as given by Duald Mac Ferbuis, to be more correct, than that given in the Irish Life.
"5 Appended to the Pedigrees of St. Brendan, as given in his Book of Genealo- gies, there is a statement, that the saint be- longed to Altraighe-Cuile-beara, or Cin- beara, L. 8, p. 729. Manuscript contained
—"
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
According to one of liis Lives, St. Brendan was born in a marshy region of Munster/°5 Thisdoesnotnecessarilysuppose,thatthesituationwasdamp; but, rather, that is was near that Lough-Uke appearance of the sea,'°^ which is noticeable, at the entrance to Tralee liarbour. '°7 According to a local tradition, Annagh,'°^ which is close to that town, was the place of his nativity. Alltraighe Caille,'°9 situated in Ciarraighe Luachra,"° was the precise dis- trict, according to the Book of Lismore/" and it extended from Slieve- Luachra on the east, to the shore along Tralee Bay, on the west. The de- nomination Altraighe'" has entirely disappeared from Kerry topography for many centuries. Again, there appears to have been a distinction, in this part of the country, between one portion, called Altraighe Cliach,"3 and another, which was known as Altraighe Cuile-beara,"4 or Cinbeara. In the latter, which is stated to have been the portion, extending from the Spa to Fenit Island,St. Brendanisthoughttohavebeenboni. ^s Veryfewtraditionsre- garding the life and times of St. Brendan survive in this district of Ardfert,"^ which was so intimately associated with his history ; and, so far as could be discovered by inquiry, from the old residents, who were likely to know of any such local tradition. "? It seems certain, from the Irish Life of the saint preserved in the Book of Lismore, that he was born,"^ in or near the pre- sent Fenit,"9 now a large townland—about six miles west from Tralee and on the northern shore of Tralee Harbour—consisting of a promontory, lying between that shore and Barrow harbour. It is called Fenit Without, while
May 1 6. ]
397
'°^ The townland and parish of Annagh,
partly in the barony of Corkaguiny, and in the Royal Irish Academy's copy of the
partly in the barony of Truglianacmy, are shown. Ibid. , sheets 28, 29, 37, 38.
'°9 This seems to have been the tract of land, lying between Ardfert, Fenit, and Tralee.
"° Following many old writers, Sir James Ware makes Brendan a native of Kerry. Tradition accords likewise with this asser- tion, and even with greater particularity. See "De Scriptoribus Hibernice," lib. i. , cap. ii. , p. 12.
" Fol. 72.
" Book of Lecan.
"* The parish of Ardfert is situated, partly
in the barony of Clanmaurice, and partly in that of Trughanacmy, and it is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Majjs for the County of Kerry," sheets 14, 19, 20, 21, 28, 29. The town and townland proper are on sheets 20, 21.
"' Such is the information, conveyed to the writer, in a communication of the Rev. Denis O'Donoghue, P. P. , of Ardfert to
; whom he feels specially indebted, for much of what precedes and follows, in reference to
"= The Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue has derived
it from Alt, meaning the Ua-Alta, who St. Brendan's birth-place.
possessed that large district—raige or regio. That was the sept from whom . St. Brendan sprung.
"-* This seems to have been near Tralee, as the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue believes ; and, it was the district in which St. Sedna venerated at the 12th of March—son of Ere, and of Mor, the sister of St. David of Mene- via, was born. It is mentioned, in the Feilire of St. iEngus.
"^ As to the precise place of his birth, the Rev. Mr. O'Donoghue could find no trace of an ancient tradition, among the people anywhere in Kerry.
"5 The townland and parish, so named, are in the barony of Trughanacmy, and shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Kerry," sheet 28.
"° The accompanying illustration of Fenit
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 1 6. an adjoining island is called Fenit Within. The area of both divisions of
398
Fenit is somewhat less than 700 statute acres
parish in Catholic times, and there were in the Island, at least two ancient churches, the sites of which are marked on the Ordnance Survey Map. At present, there is scarcely any trace remaining, to indicate the site for one of theseoldchurches,althoughitspositioniswellknown. Theruinsbestpre- served of P'enit old church lie a short distance to the west of Fenit Castle;'TM they are destroyed, however, to the very foundations. As appear from these.
Fenit Island and Castle, County of Kerry.
brown stones were used with lime-stone, in the construction. '^' At present, it is not an easy matter to discover, if lime had been used or not, in the building ; for, in a bit of the north wall, w^hich remained several years ago near the east end, no lime was observable, in the mortar. The thickness of the wall was three feet six inches ; the length of the church was thirty-seven feet, six inches; its breadth was fifteen feet. From this description, it is obvious, that the ruins are those of a very ancient church. It was built many centuries ago, and possibly, in or not very long after St. Brendan's time. '" Detachedfromtheseruins—butquitenear—thefoundationsofanotherancient building may be traced ; this was probably a religious establishment, con- nected with the church. All around these ruins, to the distance of five or six perches, there are unmistakable traces of an ancient burial-ground, which has not been used for interments, within the memory of the oldest inhabitants.
Island and its Castle has been drawn on
the wood, by William F. Wakeman, from
a photograph of Mr. Daly, Tralce, procured
through the kindness of Rev. Denis
O'Donoghue, P. P. The engraving is by O'Donoghue, who observes, the ruins,
which he visited, in the beginning of the pre- '" See the communication of Mr. Thomas sent year 1855, are nearly as they had been O'Conor, in " Letters containing Information described, by Mr. Thomas O'Conor, over
Mrs. Millard.
;
yet, they formed a separate
relative to the Antiquities of the County of Kerry, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 15^41. "
"' Such is the opinion of Rev. Denis
May 1 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
399
The account from St. Brendan's Irisli Life clearly implies, that the house of his nativity was in Fenit, or in its immediate vicinity. Another indication of the precise locality for the saint's birth-place may be gathered from that Irish Life, when it mentions the visit of St. Bee Mac De, "the chief prophet of Ireland," to the house of Airde Mac Fitlaigh, the Brugaid, or large farmer, on the advent of Brendan's birth ; where, at the request of his wealthy host, St. Bee Mac De prophesied the birth of St. Brendan, on that very night, between him and the sea. Between the Cahir or Fort of Airde "3 and the sea lies Fenit Island to the west, and about three English miles distant. This suits admirably well the further statement,"'* that the house of Finlogh, the father of St. Brendan, was at a distance from that of Airde; while, there is no locality between Cahir-Airde and the sea, in any other direction, which fits in with that description so completely. An extraordinary illumination was over the house, and Angels hovered there, on i^he night when St. Brendan
was born; and, we are told, that the whole of Altraighe-Caille appeared to be in a blaze of light. This was seen by a holy Bishop, named St. Earc, or Ere, "5 from his residence, which must have commanded a view of that dis- trict, where Brendan was born. This statement should point, likewise, to Fenit, as the place thus seen by St. Ere. Of this saint's connexion with Kerry, there is scarcely any historical trace, except what is given in the Lives of his foster-child, St. Brendan ; but, fortunately, there remains an indelible trace of his connexion with this district, in the name of a very ancient church or sanctuary dedicated to his memory, and probably founded and occupied by himself. This is called Tarmuin-Eirc,'^^ or the sanctuary of Ere, the grass- grown ruins of which are to be seen at Lerrig,"? about three miles to the north of Ardfert. From the swelling slope—on which those venerable ruins lie—Fenit is distant about seven miles to the south-west. It can easily be seen from that spot, as there is no high ground intervening. We may, therefore, well credit that sitatement of the writer, who tells us, that the holy Bishop St. Ere, from his ancient Termon or Sanctuary at Lerrig, looking across
the plains about Ardfert, saw that wondrous light, which "filled all Fenit" on the night of this heavenly-gifted birth.
The celebrated Navigator, St. Brendan, is said to have been the son of Finlogue, or Finnlog. '^^ The wife of Finlog lived a holy life with her husband. Both parents appear to have selected Bishop Ere, as
forty years previous.
'^3 This local denomination is not found on
the Ordnance Survey Maps.
'=* In the Irish Life.
'^5 In the Irish Calendars, there are festi-
County of Kerry," sheets 20, 21. The town- land is divided into north and south.
'^^ In the lower margin of that copy of the Feilire of St. ^ngus, contained in the " Leabhar Breac ;" there is a pedigree thus drawn out by the Commentator : Brenann, son of Findlug, son of Olchu, son of Ogaman,
vals to different saints, bearing this name,
viz. : St. Earc, Priest, at July 13th; St.
Earc, bishop of Domhnach-mor of Magh- son of Findchure, son of Delbna, son of Danihairne, at September 17th; St. Earc, John, son of Usalec, son of Estamon, son of bishop, at October 2nd ; St. Earc, bishop of Mugh Toeth, who is called Ciar, son of Fer- Domhnach-mor, at October 27th ; and St. gus, son of Rossa. Or Brenaind, son of
Earc, bishop of Slane, at November 2nd. It is remarkable, also, that a female saint is
Findlug, son of Olchu, son of Findchath, son of Gossa (? ), son of Gaible, son of Ecne, son of Altae. See "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxxvii.
'-' Thus we read : " cujus pater Findluag nomine erat fidelis, qui cum uxore sua in legitimo matrimonio sub confessione Erci Episcopi vivebat. " Prima Vita S. Brendani,
named Earc, daughter of Sinell of Miliuc her feast is at the 24th of October.
;
'^* This denomination is not to be found, on the '' Ordnance Survey Townland Maps," relating to the district.
'^7 This is a town and townland, in the
parish of Kilmoyly, and barony of Clan-
maurice. They are noted, on the " Ord- cap. i. , p. i. Most Rev. Patrick F. Moran's nance Survey Townland Maps for the " Acta Sancti Brendani. "
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i6.
their confessor or siiiriiual director. '^9 According to St. Brendan's Irish Life,'3° he had a brother, wlio was a bishop, named Domanigen, and whose feast has been assigned to the 29th of April;'3i while, he had a sister, called Briga, or Brigh,'32 said to have been of Enach-duin. '^s Thus, St. Brendan was descended from the race of Ciar, son to Ferghus, son of Ros, son to Rudhraighe. Several years after the death of St. Patrick, his nativity took place, and probably towards the close of the fifth century. '34
Aswehavestated,Brendansprungfromregalancestors. Beforethebirth, his mother had a vision, in which a miraculous brilliancy surrounded her, and raysofgreatsplendour—seemingasfinestgold—issuedfromherbreasts. This circumstance she related to Bishop Ere, wlio thus interpreted it, by exclaiming : " O happy woman, a man of admirable blessedness, and full of the Holy Spirit, shall in due course be born to thee. " Not long afterwards, that predic- tion was fulfilled, in the birth of St. Brendan. '35 The period to which his birth has been referred was one fruitful of great glory for the Church in Ire- land. Through every quarter of the land, churches and monasteries might be seen rising ; then began those schools and colleges, which, down to the Middle Ages, continued to attract to their halls the youth of Continental na- tions. Both sexes participated in the glory of this renaissance ; and, we are told, in the neighbourhood of holy anchorets lived anchoretesses no less holy. Companies of virgins followed their spiritual mothers, as troops of disciples journeyedwiththeirmasters. Thesistersbecamethepossessorsofthehouses, which monks built ; the convents were open equally to the brethren and sisters; and, in this way, those pious relations among the members of both sexes sprungup,andwhichproducedsuchhappyfruit. Thesistersbecamenurses of the young ; and their pupils frequently became Bishops and Abbots, as we find exemplified in the case of our present saint. The Fourth Life of St.
Patrick, as also the Tripartite, state St. Brendan to have been born one hun- dred and twenty years, after the great Irish Aposde's death. '36 However, this is generally understood to be a mistake of statement and of calculation. '37 According to one supposition, '38 St. Patrick died a. d. 465 ; and, the birth of St. Brendan followed, about twenty years later, viz. , a. d. 484. The wealthy Airde having been shown by St. Bee Mac De '39 the house, in which the infant was to receive birth, that host arose in the morning, and went to the place, where prostrate on his knees, he venerated the newly-born child. Raising the infant to his bosom, Airde cried out, before all who were pre- sent: "O son, I acknowledge thee to be my foster-child, and receive me as thy fosterer.
