"*' It is shown, tliat Conon,
according
to an
**
s See Rice Rees' Lives of the Welsh to be identical with Fiuishinaugh, in the
it is said, as contemporaries with St.
**
s See Rice Rees' Lives of the Welsh to be identical with Fiuishinaugh, in the
it is said, as contemporaries with St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
loi ; '^t is he that is called Etianus in Latin, qxi\ Echenus in the Life
says,
"The
474 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS [Februaryir.
ference between them ; yet, they were always dearly distinguishable, by the respective rites and forms of prayer, used in administering orders. ^^ The situation of Clonfad affords an additional argument against O'Donnell's state- ment; viz. : that Columba was ordained a priest, before he founded the
monasteryofDerry. Accordingtohim,thesaintwasinhisowncountry, when it was thought advisable to direct him to St. Etchen for ordination.
It does not appear probable, he went, for this purpose, from Tyrconnell, to the south of Meath. There were bishops enough in the adjacent parts of Ulster, who might have ordained him. No other reason appears, when applying to Etchen, for that purpose, than the circumstance, that he lived not far from Columba's residence at Durrow ; and, in fact, the distance between this place and Clonfad is not very great. We may therefore infer, that his ordination, by Etchen, did not take place until, at the earliest, that time when Columkille founded — it was an universal and a
Dairmagh. '*7 Although very ancient rule, that seve—ral bishops or at least three, as established by the greatCouncilofNice shouldj^epresentattheconsecrationorordination of a bishop ; yet, here we find an instance of a person, who was to be conse- crated by one alone, and without any apparent necessity for such an urgent motive, as would at any time render it allowable. Whether the anecdote be true or not, it seems to indicate, that it was not unusual in Irelard to have persons consecrated by one bishop. Yet, it is certain, that the Irish clergy were well acquainted with the decrees of the Council of Nice, and with others, on this subject. To explain such a seeming paradox. Dr. Lanigan
observes, that the order of chorepiscopi was very general throughout Ireland. Very many of the chorepiscopi were invested with episcopal powers, although being subordinate to the regular bishop, in whose diocese they wee stationed, they were not allowed to exercise some parts of them without his permission. Now these chorepiscopi used to be ordained or consecrated b}' the bishop,
properly so called, or the ordinary of a diocese, without his beiig bound to apply for the assistance of other bishops. '^ In the case of St. Columba, it seems very natural to suppose, that the intention was to make iim simply a chorepiscopus, so as to entrust him with the care of that rura district, ad- joining Dairmagh. Accordingly, it was not necessary to appV for his con- secration to more than one bishop. As the Irish had but aie name for bishops and chorepiscopi, it is often difficult to know, whetherpersons men- tioned in our Church history were ordinaries of dioceses or wlrther they be- longedtothesubordinateclass. Ifwereadofpersonshavingbeenconsecrated, by only one bishop, we may justly conclude, that they were onl* chorepiscopi. Or, if we find them—as is often the case—moving from one ountry or pro- vincetoanother,asuitableinferencemaybedrawn. Thus,:hecanonsdid not allow, except on some extraordinary occasions, ordinarie; to quit those sees,towhichtheyhadbeenoriginallyappointed. ''? St. Etcbnissaid,also, to have ordained St. Ecrach,5° Abbot of Cluain-Chairpre in Connaught.
With this holy man and St. Coemgin,s^ Etchen is said to have been on
4* This may be seen in llabert's ** Archi- ^^ See the lotli Cana of the Council of "
craticon," p. 312, and seq. Bingham's Antioch. Also Binghar, Origines Eccle-
"Origines," &c. , book ii. , chap, xi. , sect. 8, 9, compared with chap, xix. , sect. 17. The distinction is still observed by the an-
sias," book ii. , chap, xiv, sect. 5. He adds, that the city bishops orordinaries were ac- countable lor the ordintion of the country- bishops or Chorepisc9i, to a provincial synod.
'»» See Dr. Lanigan'? * 'Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. . , chap, xi,, sect, ix. , nn. 99, 104, pp. 126 i 129.
5° . vjee his Life, at te 15th of February.
"
Per- petuite de la Foy sur les Sacrements," liv.
cient Oriental sects. See Renaudot, v. , chap. 8, 10,
^^
Prince O'Donnell himself lays it down,
that the establisliment of Durrow was later than that of Derry.
February n. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 475
terms of close friendship. 5= He wrought great miracles and lived a model of great piety, until it pleased his Maker to bestow on him an eternal reward. St. Etchen, Bishop of Cluainfoda Baetain Abha died, on the nth of Feb- ruary, a. d. 577, according to the "Annals of the Four Masters. " 53 His festival, on that day, was kept with great solemnity, at Clonfad, in the southern partofancientMeath. TheforeignMartyrologists,UsuardenlargedorHer- mann Greuen, Canisius, Ferrarius and others, note this celebration. s4 Our native calendarists, likewise, mention this saint, with distinctive praise. The simple record Etchan, bishoj), occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,s5 at the nth of February. The Calendar of Cashel, Marianus O'Gorman, Maguire, and the Scholiast on St. /Engus, specially note him, as the minister of St. Columba's ordination. s^ In the ancient Martyrology, belonging to the Cathedral Church of the tloly Trinity, Dublin, this saint is entered as a bishop at the iii. Ides of February, corresponding with the present day. 57 It seems strange, however, that his name has been omitted from the calendar, which is prefixed. This is probably the Etianus. set down for this day, in the anonymous catalogue of national saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare. s^ Under the head of Cluain fota, Duald Mac Firbis enters Bishop Etchen, from Cluain-fota, son of Maine, the poet, of the race of Conchobar Abrat- ruadh. 59 AtthenthofFebruary,theMartyrologyofDonegalnotesthe
^^^
feast of St. Etchen, Bishop of Cluain-foda, in Fir-Bile, in Meath.
likewise, naturally held the present holy man, in great veneration, because he was the ordaining minister of its great national Apostle. In Ireland, at the
nth of February,^^ the holy bishop and confessor, Etchen, is said to have departed to Christ,^^ according to the Kalendar of Drummond. In the
opinion of the Rev. Anthony Cogan, the monastery of Clonfad seems to
have been totally destroyed, during the Danish incursions and plunderings. ^3 Like many other Irish places of former celebrity, it is now seldom visited, except by the casual traveller.
Article III. —St. Canoc or Mochonoc, Pilgrim, and Abbot of Gallen, King's County, and of Killmuccraisse. [Fifth or Sixth Century. ^ The Acts of this saint have been given by Colgan,^ at this date, whiletheBoUandistsonlyenteraverybriefnoticeofhim. ^ St. Canocwas the eldest of twelve holy sons. 3 He is, also, called Kaunauc, Canuc, and Mochonoc, according to the endearing Irish form of expletive. "* In the Welshlanguage,heiscalledCynowgorCynog. 5 Hisname,too,isLatinized,
5* See his Life, at the 3rd of June.
52 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchcenio Epis-
copo Cluainfodensi, cap. x. , p. 306.
53 See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. ,
pp. 208, 209.
S9 See " Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i,, pp. 100, loi.
^° Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 44, 45.
'* Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
^^ See Forbes' " Kalendars of Bishop
Scottish Saints," p. 5.
^^3 gge "Diocese of Meath, Ancient and
vol. —
Modei-n," iii. , chap. Ixxiv,, p. 554.
54 See
nife," xi. P'ebruarii. De S. Etchsenio, Episcopo Cluainfodensi, nn. 2, 17, p. 306.
55 Edited
Colgan's
the Rev. Dr.
5^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
by
Kelly, p.
xv.
'See "Acta Sanctorum nios," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchasnio Epis- HiberniiB," xi. Februarii. De S. Canoco,
copo Cluainfodensi, n. 17, p. 304. Abbate et Confessore, pp. 311 to 314.
57 See John Clarke Crosthwaite's and Dr. '^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , xi. Todd's edition. Introduction, pp. liii. to Februarii, . He is entered among the prK-
Iv. , and p. 87,
5^ See " Historise Catholicoe IberniiB
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv,, cap, xi. , p. 49-
termitted saints, p. 507.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xi.
Februarii. De S. Canoco, cap. v. , p. 312. '' See ibid. , n. 10, p. 313.
61
jj^g ijj_
Article hi.
Scotland,
476 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryii.
Canociis,Canaucus,^Canucii? ;,andMochonocus. 7 AlbertleGrandwrotea Life of St. Canoc. ^ His father was Brecan, and his mother, Din, was a daughter to one of the Saxon kings. This family connexion is more fully treated, at the Life of St. Dabeoc, which occurs, on the ist of January. This saint and his brothers seem to have been born in Wales, and to have beenunclestotheholyArchbishopofMenevia,St. David. 9 Theyflourished,
'°
If such be the case, they must all have been very young men, at the period of his death. According to one account, their father Brecan died, about the year 450. " In this case, we cannot easily beHeve, that he had a grandson, Brochmael, who fought a battle, about a. d. 603, when he utterly routed and killed Ethelfred, King of Northumbria. ^^* The holy children of Bracan appear to have had a great desire to visit Ireland, where religion then com- menced to flourish. St. Canoe, specially devoted to a religious profession, thought his pilgrimage thither must be attended with great spiritual advan- tage's Itissupposed,hehadbeenacompanionofSt. Patrickforatime, and that he may be identified with a priest, named Conan,^4 about whom a narrative occurs, in our great Apostle's Acts. '5 it is thus recorded. While travelling towards a place, denominated Magh-foim-scan,*^ St. Patrick met a different reception from two brothers. One of these, named Derglamn, was hostile to him, and even designed to offer resistance ; while, the other, Lucta, embraced the Christian faith, and received the holy missionary, with reve- rence. St. Patrick denounced the former ; while, he blessed the latter, and predicted, that many holy priests and bishops should be numbered among his posterity. '7 When departing from the place, to make a retreat at Tobar
Stingle,'^ or Stringle,'^ he left a priest Conon to supply the spiritual wants of that district. ^° It lies within the present parish of Ballintober, in the barony
of Carra, and county of Mayo.
"*' It is shown, tliat Conon, according to an
**
s See Rice Rees' Lives of the Welsh to be identical with Fiuishinaugh, in the
it is said, as contemporaries with St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland.
Saints," p. 138.
^ See Giraldus Cambrensis' " Itinerarium
Cambriae," lib. i. , cap. ii.
7 The Irish Calendarists chiefly style him,
by this form of name.
"^ See "De Sanctis Britannice et Armo- pars ii,, cap. Ixi. , and n. 117, pp. 137, 178.
ricfle. "
9 See his Life, at tlie ist of March.
'° See his Life, at the 17th of March.
" According to a manuscript, quoted by
Sir R. C. Hoare, in his notes to the " Itin- Mayo. " Sheets 89, 99. The parish of
this name is situated, partly in the barony of liurrishoole, and partly, but chiefly, in that of Carra. It is described, on Sheets
77, 88, 89, 90, 98, 99, 100, 108.
'^ Said to be identical with Ballintober
'•* It is said Canoe, Mocanoc and Conan or the town of the buah. " The name is are synonymous, as in the names Catoc, still retained, in a disguised form, in the ad- MacatocandCatan. SeeColgan's"Acta joiningtownlandofCreevagh,"thebushy
crarium Canibriic," lib. i. , cap. 2.
'^ See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect. XV. , and nn. 193, 195, pp. 424, 425, 426.
'^ In the Life of his sister, St. Keyne, Robert Buckland alludes to St. Canoe.
townland, anciently called b^iLo ii<x C]\Aibi, "
Sanctorum Hibernise," xi. Febriurii. De
S. Canoco Abbate et Confessore, cap. v. ,
p. 312.
land. " See Dr. O'Donovan's "
Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach," &c. , n. (1), pp. 190, 191.
'5
however, as it appears unchronological. See Patrick, Apostle of Ireland. " The Tripar-
Dr. Lanigan will not admit this account,
" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol.
i. , chap, viii. , sect, xv. , n, 197, p. 426.
'^ In Miss M. F. Cusack':; " Life of St.
Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," the name is
rendered into Magh-Foimsen, which is said lounded a magnificent abbey, in 12 16.
present parish of Cong, barony of Kihnaine and county of JNIayo. It belonged to the ancient district of Partry. See n. 2, p. 413.
'^ See this account in Colgan's "Trias
^^
It is otherwise called liaile Tobair Phadruig, or "the townland of St. Patrick's Well. " It is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for tlie County of
Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii,
-" See Miss M. F. Cusack's " Life of St.
tite Life, translated by William M, Hcn-
nessy, p. 413.
"' At this Ballintober, Cathal Croibh-
dhearg O'Conor, King of Connaught,
Genealogies,
February ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 477
Irish form of inflection, may readily be resolved into Canoe, or Mochonoc. ^' However, this facility of transfer may not cause our saint's name to be dis- guised under that of Conon, who was immediately a subject of the renowned Irish Apostle. One of the guest-masters of St, Patrick is named Ocanotus, a priest, who is thought, by Colgan, to have been the same as our St. Canoc. ^3 But,thesupposition,inthiscase,is,thatthenamehasbeenmisspelled. If Colgan's conjecture be admitted, as a correct one, our saint, no doubt, should be regarded as a disciple of St. Patrick,^'^ and he must have been a priest, before the Irish Apostle's death. However, we feel inclined to question its accuracy. It is thought, after his arrival in Ireland, St. Conoc founded a monastic establishment at Galinne, in the territory of Dealbhna Ethra,^5 in the western parts of Leinster. ==^ It is said, furthermore, if he did not found, at least, he governed, a monastery of Kill-Mucrois. A place, bearing this
name, was known, both in Britain^? and in Ireland ;^^ so that it seems difficult to determine exactly its location. However, in Galinne, the feast of St. Canoe was chiefly celebrated. At Killros, too, his festival was held. In various parts of Ireland^^ and of Britain, 3° he was venerated, as a patron saint. Especially, in the western parts of Cambria, the people preserved a relic, called the torque of St. Canoe, in the twelfth century. Those, who swore on such a sacred object, were afraid to perjure themselves, lest some great judgmentmightbefallthem. s^ Thisobjectwasgold,inappearance,whileits weight and consistence proved it to be such, in reality. It was artificially carved on the top, with indentations formed in an orb shape, or around the
edges ; while, the head of a dog, with grim-looking teeth, occupied the middlecompartment. Onitssurfaceappearedthemarkofahammer; and, it was said, that some avaricious person, who wishe—d to test the quality of the metal—probably through a fraudulent purpose had given the stroke. But, his impiety was instantly punished by the loss of sight, in both eyes, andthisprivationcontinuedsolongashelived. s^ Fewpersons,havingany pretension to historical and critical acumen, could be found to maintain, that St. Cannice, the Patron of Kilkenny, was identical with the present St. Canoe. Such, however, is the absurd opinion of Rev. Edward Ledwich. 33
The ruins are still in a good state of preser- dialect, "the place of the swine. " See
"
vation. Ussher's
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An-
^^
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- tiquitates," cap. xiii. , p. 239. It was situ-
niDe," xi. ^Februarii. De S. Canoco, &c. , cap. v. , p. 312, and n. 25, p. 314.
"
=^3 See "Trias Thaumaturga.
Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xcviii. , and nn. 125, 126, pp. 167, 188.
^'^ See ibid. Quinta Appendix ad Acta S.
Patricii, cap, xxiii. , p. 268.
=5 Afterwards, it was called Delbhna Mac-
ated, on the banks of the River Guy, and
Coghlan.
^° An institute of
There is a small island, called Kill- Mucrois, in Lough Swilly, county of Done- gal.
=9 In Ireland, our Calendarists refer this saint's feast to the i8th of November, where further notices regarding him will be found.
Canons was there to the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury ; although, according to our Annals, it
3° There his feast seems to have been
Regular
held, Martyrolo- gium Anglicanum," eodem die, and Ferra-
hacl frequently suffered devastation, from rius.
the tenth, to the sixteenth, century,
^7 In Wales, there is a place, called Muc- ros. It is not far from Brechinia. There St. Dubricius founded a celebrated monas-
3' This reliquary is minutely described, by Giraldus Cambrensis, in his "Itinerarium
Kambria;," lib. L, cap. ii. Edited by James
"
Septima
Opera. " 3= For the foregoing account, we are in- John of Teignmouth, he was warned in a debted to Giraldus Cambrensis. See pp.
tery. According to his Life, written by"
dream to build an oratory and a house, 25, 26, ibid.
"
Antiquities of Ireland," at p. pigs lying. Hence, the spot was named 329, Dr. Ledwich inserts the following . Mucros, which signifies in the old British manuscript note: "Our St. Cannice or
wliere he should find a sow and her litter of 33 In his
it was founded about A. D. 490. See dex Chronologicus," p. 523, ibid.
^'^
"
In-
on the nth of
February.
See "
F. Uimock, M. A. , in vol. vi. of
47§ LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryii.
The Rev. John Francis Shearman has suggested to the ^vriter, that the
probable place, where St. Canoe founded his Irish church was at Kilma-
canoge, near Eray, in the county of Wicklow ;34 and, indeed, we may well believe, his residence or cultus there, afterwards gave name to that place.
Article IV. —St. Ducan, Priest and Pilgrim, at Rath Dubhain, OR RiNN Dubhain, now Hook, County of Wexford. {Fifth or Sixth Century. ^ A few very meagre notices are all that Colgan could collect re- gardingtheConfessor'St. Duban,atthepresentdate. ^ TheBoUandistshave onlyamereallusiontohim. ^ ThesimpleentryofDubanSac. —forpriest— occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 at the 1 1 th of February. Marianus O'Gorman and Maguire also style him a priest. ^ According to the Martyr- ology of Donegal,5 on this day was venerated, Dubhan, a priest and a pil- grim. He came over to Ireland from Cambria, and, he lived at Rinn Dub-
hain. A king of Brechenoc, in Wales, was his father, called Brachin, son of Braca or Bracmoec, who originally came from Ireland. Din, daughter to a kingofSaxonland,washismother. ^ Thisisfoundrecorded,inanancient old vellum book. The family connexions of this saint have been already detailed. 7 Holily educated in his youth, this saint in more mature age de- sired to leave Britain, and to settle in Ireland, where he designed leading a life of perfect solitude. At Rinn Dubhan Ailithir, so called in after time, from its having been the site of his religious establishment, he founded a house, and there probably he died. Colgan is unable to decide with accuracy, thesituationofthatplace. ^ Yet,hetriesvariousconjectures. 9 But,itwould
" the
the ancient name for the church at Hook. Rinn Dubhain is said to have
been on the east side of the River Bearbha, or Barrow, some distance below Teach Moling, now St. Mullin's, in the county of Carlow.
says,
"The
474 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS [Februaryir.
ference between them ; yet, they were always dearly distinguishable, by the respective rites and forms of prayer, used in administering orders. ^^ The situation of Clonfad affords an additional argument against O'Donnell's state- ment; viz. : that Columba was ordained a priest, before he founded the
monasteryofDerry. Accordingtohim,thesaintwasinhisowncountry, when it was thought advisable to direct him to St. Etchen for ordination.
It does not appear probable, he went, for this purpose, from Tyrconnell, to the south of Meath. There were bishops enough in the adjacent parts of Ulster, who might have ordained him. No other reason appears, when applying to Etchen, for that purpose, than the circumstance, that he lived not far from Columba's residence at Durrow ; and, in fact, the distance between this place and Clonfad is not very great. We may therefore infer, that his ordination, by Etchen, did not take place until, at the earliest, that time when Columkille founded — it was an universal and a
Dairmagh. '*7 Although very ancient rule, that seve—ral bishops or at least three, as established by the greatCouncilofNice shouldj^epresentattheconsecrationorordination of a bishop ; yet, here we find an instance of a person, who was to be conse- crated by one alone, and without any apparent necessity for such an urgent motive, as would at any time render it allowable. Whether the anecdote be true or not, it seems to indicate, that it was not unusual in Irelard to have persons consecrated by one bishop. Yet, it is certain, that the Irish clergy were well acquainted with the decrees of the Council of Nice, and with others, on this subject. To explain such a seeming paradox. Dr. Lanigan
observes, that the order of chorepiscopi was very general throughout Ireland. Very many of the chorepiscopi were invested with episcopal powers, although being subordinate to the regular bishop, in whose diocese they wee stationed, they were not allowed to exercise some parts of them without his permission. Now these chorepiscopi used to be ordained or consecrated b}' the bishop,
properly so called, or the ordinary of a diocese, without his beiig bound to apply for the assistance of other bishops. '^ In the case of St. Columba, it seems very natural to suppose, that the intention was to make iim simply a chorepiscopus, so as to entrust him with the care of that rura district, ad- joining Dairmagh. Accordingly, it was not necessary to appV for his con- secration to more than one bishop. As the Irish had but aie name for bishops and chorepiscopi, it is often difficult to know, whetherpersons men- tioned in our Church history were ordinaries of dioceses or wlrther they be- longedtothesubordinateclass. Ifwereadofpersonshavingbeenconsecrated, by only one bishop, we may justly conclude, that they were onl* chorepiscopi. Or, if we find them—as is often the case—moving from one ountry or pro- vincetoanother,asuitableinferencemaybedrawn. Thus,:hecanonsdid not allow, except on some extraordinary occasions, ordinarie; to quit those sees,towhichtheyhadbeenoriginallyappointed. ''? St. Etcbnissaid,also, to have ordained St. Ecrach,5° Abbot of Cluain-Chairpre in Connaught.
With this holy man and St. Coemgin,s^ Etchen is said to have been on
4* This may be seen in llabert's ** Archi- ^^ See the lotli Cana of the Council of "
craticon," p. 312, and seq. Bingham's Antioch. Also Binghar, Origines Eccle-
"Origines," &c. , book ii. , chap, xi. , sect. 8, 9, compared with chap, xix. , sect. 17. The distinction is still observed by the an-
sias," book ii. , chap, xiv, sect. 5. He adds, that the city bishops orordinaries were ac- countable lor the ordintion of the country- bishops or Chorepisc9i, to a provincial synod.
'»» See Dr. Lanigan'? * 'Ecclesiastical His- tory of Ireland," vol. . , chap, xi,, sect, ix. , nn. 99, 104, pp. 126 i 129.
5° . vjee his Life, at te 15th of February.
"
Per- petuite de la Foy sur les Sacrements," liv.
cient Oriental sects. See Renaudot, v. , chap. 8, 10,
^^
Prince O'Donnell himself lays it down,
that the establisliment of Durrow was later than that of Derry.
February n. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 475
terms of close friendship. 5= He wrought great miracles and lived a model of great piety, until it pleased his Maker to bestow on him an eternal reward. St. Etchen, Bishop of Cluainfoda Baetain Abha died, on the nth of Feb- ruary, a. d. 577, according to the "Annals of the Four Masters. " 53 His festival, on that day, was kept with great solemnity, at Clonfad, in the southern partofancientMeath. TheforeignMartyrologists,UsuardenlargedorHer- mann Greuen, Canisius, Ferrarius and others, note this celebration. s4 Our native calendarists, likewise, mention this saint, with distinctive praise. The simple record Etchan, bishoj), occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,s5 at the nth of February. The Calendar of Cashel, Marianus O'Gorman, Maguire, and the Scholiast on St. /Engus, specially note him, as the minister of St. Columba's ordination. s^ In the ancient Martyrology, belonging to the Cathedral Church of the tloly Trinity, Dublin, this saint is entered as a bishop at the iii. Ides of February, corresponding with the present day. 57 It seems strange, however, that his name has been omitted from the calendar, which is prefixed. This is probably the Etianus. set down for this day, in the anonymous catalogue of national saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare. s^ Under the head of Cluain fota, Duald Mac Firbis enters Bishop Etchen, from Cluain-fota, son of Maine, the poet, of the race of Conchobar Abrat- ruadh. 59 AtthenthofFebruary,theMartyrologyofDonegalnotesthe
^^^
feast of St. Etchen, Bishop of Cluain-foda, in Fir-Bile, in Meath.
likewise, naturally held the present holy man, in great veneration, because he was the ordaining minister of its great national Apostle. In Ireland, at the
nth of February,^^ the holy bishop and confessor, Etchen, is said to have departed to Christ,^^ according to the Kalendar of Drummond. In the
opinion of the Rev. Anthony Cogan, the monastery of Clonfad seems to
have been totally destroyed, during the Danish incursions and plunderings. ^3 Like many other Irish places of former celebrity, it is now seldom visited, except by the casual traveller.
Article III. —St. Canoc or Mochonoc, Pilgrim, and Abbot of Gallen, King's County, and of Killmuccraisse. [Fifth or Sixth Century. ^ The Acts of this saint have been given by Colgan,^ at this date, whiletheBoUandistsonlyenteraverybriefnoticeofhim. ^ St. Canocwas the eldest of twelve holy sons. 3 He is, also, called Kaunauc, Canuc, and Mochonoc, according to the endearing Irish form of expletive. "* In the Welshlanguage,heiscalledCynowgorCynog. 5 Hisname,too,isLatinized,
5* See his Life, at the 3rd of June.
52 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchcenio Epis-
copo Cluainfodensi, cap. x. , p. 306.
53 See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. ,
pp. 208, 209.
S9 See " Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i,, pp. 100, loi.
^° Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 44, 45.
'* Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
^^ See Forbes' " Kalendars of Bishop
Scottish Saints," p. 5.
^^3 gge "Diocese of Meath, Ancient and
vol. —
Modei-n," iii. , chap. Ixxiv,, p. 554.
54 See
nife," xi. P'ebruarii. De S. Etchsenio, Episcopo Cluainfodensi, nn. 2, 17, p. 306.
55 Edited
Colgan's
the Rev. Dr.
5^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
by
Kelly, p.
xv.
'See "Acta Sanctorum nios," xi. Februarii. De S. Etchasnio Epis- HiberniiB," xi. Februarii. De S. Canoco,
copo Cluainfodensi, n. 17, p. 304. Abbate et Confessore, pp. 311 to 314.
57 See John Clarke Crosthwaite's and Dr. '^ See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , xi. Todd's edition. Introduction, pp. liii. to Februarii, . He is entered among the prK-
Iv. , and p. 87,
5^ See " Historise Catholicoe IberniiB
Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv,, cap, xi. , p. 49-
termitted saints, p. 507.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xi.
Februarii. De S. Canoco, cap. v. , p. 312. '' See ibid. , n. 10, p. 313.
61
jj^g ijj_
Article hi.
Scotland,
476 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryii.
Canociis,Canaucus,^Canucii? ;,andMochonocus. 7 AlbertleGrandwrotea Life of St. Canoc. ^ His father was Brecan, and his mother, Din, was a daughter to one of the Saxon kings. This family connexion is more fully treated, at the Life of St. Dabeoc, which occurs, on the ist of January. This saint and his brothers seem to have been born in Wales, and to have beenunclestotheholyArchbishopofMenevia,St. David. 9 Theyflourished,
'°
If such be the case, they must all have been very young men, at the period of his death. According to one account, their father Brecan died, about the year 450. " In this case, we cannot easily beHeve, that he had a grandson, Brochmael, who fought a battle, about a. d. 603, when he utterly routed and killed Ethelfred, King of Northumbria. ^^* The holy children of Bracan appear to have had a great desire to visit Ireland, where religion then com- menced to flourish. St. Canoe, specially devoted to a religious profession, thought his pilgrimage thither must be attended with great spiritual advan- tage's Itissupposed,hehadbeenacompanionofSt. Patrickforatime, and that he may be identified with a priest, named Conan,^4 about whom a narrative occurs, in our great Apostle's Acts. '5 it is thus recorded. While travelling towards a place, denominated Magh-foim-scan,*^ St. Patrick met a different reception from two brothers. One of these, named Derglamn, was hostile to him, and even designed to offer resistance ; while, the other, Lucta, embraced the Christian faith, and received the holy missionary, with reve- rence. St. Patrick denounced the former ; while, he blessed the latter, and predicted, that many holy priests and bishops should be numbered among his posterity. '7 When departing from the place, to make a retreat at Tobar
Stingle,'^ or Stringle,'^ he left a priest Conon to supply the spiritual wants of that district. ^° It lies within the present parish of Ballintober, in the barony
of Carra, and county of Mayo.
"*' It is shown, tliat Conon, according to an
**
s See Rice Rees' Lives of the Welsh to be identical with Fiuishinaugh, in the
it is said, as contemporaries with St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland.
Saints," p. 138.
^ See Giraldus Cambrensis' " Itinerarium
Cambriae," lib. i. , cap. ii.
7 The Irish Calendarists chiefly style him,
by this form of name.
"^ See "De Sanctis Britannice et Armo- pars ii,, cap. Ixi. , and n. 117, pp. 137, 178.
ricfle. "
9 See his Life, at tlie ist of March.
'° See his Life, at the 17th of March.
" According to a manuscript, quoted by
Sir R. C. Hoare, in his notes to the " Itin- Mayo. " Sheets 89, 99. The parish of
this name is situated, partly in the barony of liurrishoole, and partly, but chiefly, in that of Carra. It is described, on Sheets
77, 88, 89, 90, 98, 99, 100, 108.
'^ Said to be identical with Ballintober
'•* It is said Canoe, Mocanoc and Conan or the town of the buah. " The name is are synonymous, as in the names Catoc, still retained, in a disguised form, in the ad- MacatocandCatan. SeeColgan's"Acta joiningtownlandofCreevagh,"thebushy
crarium Canibriic," lib. i. , cap. 2.
'^ See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect. XV. , and nn. 193, 195, pp. 424, 425, 426.
'^ In the Life of his sister, St. Keyne, Robert Buckland alludes to St. Canoe.
townland, anciently called b^iLo ii<x C]\Aibi, "
Sanctorum Hibernise," xi. Febriurii. De
S. Canoco Abbate et Confessore, cap. v. ,
p. 312.
land. " See Dr. O'Donovan's "
Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach," &c. , n. (1), pp. 190, 191.
'5
however, as it appears unchronological. See Patrick, Apostle of Ireland. " The Tripar-
Dr. Lanigan will not admit this account,
" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol.
i. , chap, viii. , sect, xv. , n, 197, p. 426.
'^ In Miss M. F. Cusack':; " Life of St.
Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," the name is
rendered into Magh-Foimsen, which is said lounded a magnificent abbey, in 12 16.
present parish of Cong, barony of Kihnaine and county of JNIayo. It belonged to the ancient district of Partry. See n. 2, p. 413.
'^ See this account in Colgan's "Trias
^^
It is otherwise called liaile Tobair Phadruig, or "the townland of St. Patrick's Well. " It is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for tlie County of
Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii,
-" See Miss M. F. Cusack's " Life of St.
tite Life, translated by William M, Hcn-
nessy, p. 413.
"' At this Ballintober, Cathal Croibh-
dhearg O'Conor, King of Connaught,
Genealogies,
February ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 477
Irish form of inflection, may readily be resolved into Canoe, or Mochonoc. ^' However, this facility of transfer may not cause our saint's name to be dis- guised under that of Conon, who was immediately a subject of the renowned Irish Apostle. One of the guest-masters of St, Patrick is named Ocanotus, a priest, who is thought, by Colgan, to have been the same as our St. Canoc. ^3 But,thesupposition,inthiscase,is,thatthenamehasbeenmisspelled. If Colgan's conjecture be admitted, as a correct one, our saint, no doubt, should be regarded as a disciple of St. Patrick,^'^ and he must have been a priest, before the Irish Apostle's death. However, we feel inclined to question its accuracy. It is thought, after his arrival in Ireland, St. Conoc founded a monastic establishment at Galinne, in the territory of Dealbhna Ethra,^5 in the western parts of Leinster. ==^ It is said, furthermore, if he did not found, at least, he governed, a monastery of Kill-Mucrois. A place, bearing this
name, was known, both in Britain^? and in Ireland ;^^ so that it seems difficult to determine exactly its location. However, in Galinne, the feast of St. Canoe was chiefly celebrated. At Killros, too, his festival was held. In various parts of Ireland^^ and of Britain, 3° he was venerated, as a patron saint. Especially, in the western parts of Cambria, the people preserved a relic, called the torque of St. Canoe, in the twelfth century. Those, who swore on such a sacred object, were afraid to perjure themselves, lest some great judgmentmightbefallthem. s^ Thisobjectwasgold,inappearance,whileits weight and consistence proved it to be such, in reality. It was artificially carved on the top, with indentations formed in an orb shape, or around the
edges ; while, the head of a dog, with grim-looking teeth, occupied the middlecompartment. Onitssurfaceappearedthemarkofahammer; and, it was said, that some avaricious person, who wishe—d to test the quality of the metal—probably through a fraudulent purpose had given the stroke. But, his impiety was instantly punished by the loss of sight, in both eyes, andthisprivationcontinuedsolongashelived. s^ Fewpersons,havingany pretension to historical and critical acumen, could be found to maintain, that St. Cannice, the Patron of Kilkenny, was identical with the present St. Canoe. Such, however, is the absurd opinion of Rev. Edward Ledwich. 33
The ruins are still in a good state of preser- dialect, "the place of the swine. " See
"
vation. Ussher's
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An-
^^
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- tiquitates," cap. xiii. , p. 239. It was situ-
niDe," xi. ^Februarii. De S. Canoco, &c. , cap. v. , p. 312, and n. 25, p. 314.
"
=^3 See "Trias Thaumaturga.
Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xcviii. , and nn. 125, 126, pp. 167, 188.
^'^ See ibid. Quinta Appendix ad Acta S.
Patricii, cap, xxiii. , p. 268.
=5 Afterwards, it was called Delbhna Mac-
ated, on the banks of the River Guy, and
Coghlan.
^° An institute of
There is a small island, called Kill- Mucrois, in Lough Swilly, county of Done- gal.
=9 In Ireland, our Calendarists refer this saint's feast to the i8th of November, where further notices regarding him will be found.
Canons was there to the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury ; although, according to our Annals, it
3° There his feast seems to have been
Regular
held, Martyrolo- gium Anglicanum," eodem die, and Ferra-
hacl frequently suffered devastation, from rius.
the tenth, to the sixteenth, century,
^7 In Wales, there is a place, called Muc- ros. It is not far from Brechinia. There St. Dubricius founded a celebrated monas-
3' This reliquary is minutely described, by Giraldus Cambrensis, in his "Itinerarium
Kambria;," lib. L, cap. ii. Edited by James
"
Septima
Opera. " 3= For the foregoing account, we are in- John of Teignmouth, he was warned in a debted to Giraldus Cambrensis. See pp.
tery. According to his Life, written by"
dream to build an oratory and a house, 25, 26, ibid.
"
Antiquities of Ireland," at p. pigs lying. Hence, the spot was named 329, Dr. Ledwich inserts the following . Mucros, which signifies in the old British manuscript note: "Our St. Cannice or
wliere he should find a sow and her litter of 33 In his
it was founded about A. D. 490. See dex Chronologicus," p. 523, ibid.
^'^
"
In-
on the nth of
February.
See "
F. Uimock, M. A. , in vol. vi. of
47§ LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryii.
The Rev. John Francis Shearman has suggested to the ^vriter, that the
probable place, where St. Canoe founded his Irish church was at Kilma-
canoge, near Eray, in the county of Wicklow ;34 and, indeed, we may well believe, his residence or cultus there, afterwards gave name to that place.
Article IV. —St. Ducan, Priest and Pilgrim, at Rath Dubhain, OR RiNN Dubhain, now Hook, County of Wexford. {Fifth or Sixth Century. ^ A few very meagre notices are all that Colgan could collect re- gardingtheConfessor'St. Duban,atthepresentdate. ^ TheBoUandistshave onlyamereallusiontohim. ^ ThesimpleentryofDubanSac. —forpriest— occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 at the 1 1 th of February. Marianus O'Gorman and Maguire also style him a priest. ^ According to the Martyr- ology of Donegal,5 on this day was venerated, Dubhan, a priest and a pil- grim. He came over to Ireland from Cambria, and, he lived at Rinn Dub-
hain. A king of Brechenoc, in Wales, was his father, called Brachin, son of Braca or Bracmoec, who originally came from Ireland. Din, daughter to a kingofSaxonland,washismother. ^ Thisisfoundrecorded,inanancient old vellum book. The family connexions of this saint have been already detailed. 7 Holily educated in his youth, this saint in more mature age de- sired to leave Britain, and to settle in Ireland, where he designed leading a life of perfect solitude. At Rinn Dubhan Ailithir, so called in after time, from its having been the site of his religious establishment, he founded a house, and there probably he died. Colgan is unable to decide with accuracy, thesituationofthatplace. ^ Yet,hetriesvariousconjectures. 9 But,itwould
" the
the ancient name for the church at Hook. Rinn Dubhain is said to have
been on the east side of the River Bearbha, or Barrow, some distance below Teach Moling, now St. Mullin's, in the county of Carlow.
