It was called Domnach bile,
afterwards
called Moville,^ in the county of Donegal.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
12 to 14.
See also Map of the parish annexed, at p.
7.
"^ See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
place
Scottish Saints," p. 5. ^
**
saint. the head Under
Article v. — At the loth of August.
"" Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. by
52, 53.
3 '« Dainie Episcopus Cinngarad "—" An-
nales Ultonienses," A. D. DCLIX. Dr.
O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip-
tores," tomus iv,, p. 53.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi.
s See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. " Additional Notes
(O), n. (z),
" See "The New Statistical Account of
Scotland," vol. v. , Bute. Account of the parish of Kingarth, by the Rev. John Buchanan, Minister, pp. 82, ? >t^^ 84.
p. 375.
7 See Mackenzie E. C. Walcott's " Scoti- Monasticon, p. 231.
^
Ci—nd-Garad is identified with Cill-
Garad nowKingarth,Bute,Scotland, cording to William M. Henessey.
5 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
ac-
February i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 629
read in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of S. Lasrae, Virgin, of Glinn-medhoin. The Bollandists have a few brief notices of her, at this
date. ^ Her period is not well known ; for, although Colg'an asserts, that she lived a contemporary with St. Brigid,3 Abbess of Kidare, and that she had been venerated on this day, he here omits any notice of her. -* We are informed, that there is a Lassair, daughter of Fergus, son of Fethlemid, son to King Laeghaire, son of Niall the Great. It has been conjectured, that she may have been the St. Lasrea, of the church of St. Lasrea, or Kill-Laisre, mentioned in the old Acts of St. Brigid. This St. Lasrea was possibly the ward of St. Finian of Clonard,^ and if so, she flourished early in the sixth century. Marianus O'Gorman and Cathal Maguire mention her at this date. ^ She is classed too among the nuns veiled by St. Patrick. ^ According to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ we find, that a festival was celebrated on this day, inhonourofLassar,Virgin,ofGlenn-medhdin. Thisplaceseemstohave obtained other denominations, viz. , Gleann-meadonaghe and Glendo-nena-
ghie,
English supposed
mean,
middle-glen. "
among
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part I, pp. 98, 99.
tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro-
^°
See Dr. O'Donovan's vol. Edition, i. .
more. " Calendar
Appendix FF. , pp. 332, 333, and LL. , p. 376.
pp. 268 to 270, and nn. (p, q), ibid. Article vi. —^ Edited by Rev. Dr.
Article vii.
See
Bishop
Forbes'
xvi. ^ See "Acta
Kelly, p.
279.
Feb- ruariixviii. Among the pretermitted saints,
p. 52.
3 For special allusions to the present
Lassair, the reader is referred to our Life of
St. Brigid, chap. V.
4 Yet, this omission, he somewhat incon-
sistentlysupplies,in "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," at xxix. Martii, where he treats " De
S. Lassara Virgine," pp. 786, 787.
s Allusion is made to her, in " Vita S.
Finiani," cap. xxii. , and in "Vita S. Ki- erani Cluanensi," cap. xvi.
^See "Trias " Colgan's Thaumaturga.
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 21, p. 543.
7 See Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patri-
cii, cap. xxiii. , p. 270, ibid.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52, 53.
9 See Rev. William Reeves'
"
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268.
2 Heis said to be in the Life of noticed,
Sanctorum," tomusiii,,
Ecclesias-
St. Kiaran of
Saigir.
"
It was situated
to
Article VII. —St. Berach. At the i8th of February, St. Berach is said to have been venerated, in Scotland. The Latin equivalent for his name is Verutus. ^ From him Kilberry, in Argyleshire, takes its name. "* It was probably dedicated to St. Berach, Abbot of Cluain-Cairpthe, in Ros- common, or to some saint, who was named Barr. 3 St. Barry's bell, with the saint's name inscribed, was preserved ;'» but, where it now is the writer has not ascertained. Near Alyth, there is a Barryhill. s
Article VIII. —St. Uidhrin or Huidhrin of Druim-dresna or Drum-dresa. This saint is found classed, as Ordius, (? Odrinus), among the disciples of St. Patrick, by Tirechan ;' while, his feast is assigned to the i8th of February, or to the 2nd of October. ^ Uidhrin, of Drumdresa, is entered in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 on this day. This place is difficult
in
the glens of Antrim County. 5 If so, it seems impracticable to find Kill- Laisre, in this district.
—
" Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 278,
'
^ See " Parochiales Scotise," Origines
vol. ii. , parti. , p. 37.
3 See ibid. , n. 8. Also, Trans. Camb.
Camd. Soc, p. ^Zy ^. nd the Scottish Saints. "
"
Kalendars of
* See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae," part i. , vol. ii. , p. 37. Also, "Old Statis- tical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 55, vol. xix. , p. 318.
s Thither was brought, in Angus, accord- ing to a Scottish legend, Guanora, spouse of King Arthur, " to a castle callet Dunbarre, of whilk nothing remains now bot the
of the wallis. "—Bellenden's "
prent Boece,"
vol. ii. , Book ix. , p. 86. Edition, 1821. ^
Article viiL— See Colgan's "Trias
630 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February18.
for identification. We find a nearly similar entry, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,"^ at the i8th of February. Here, however, the saint is called Huidhrin,ofDruim-dresna. Littleofapositivenaturehasbeenelicited,re-
garding him, or his place in history.
Article IX. —St. Aengus, or CEngus, Bishop of Drum-Rathe. The
simple name, CEngus, occurs, at the 1 8th of February, in the Martyrology of Tallagii. ^ Something in addition is found in a later calendar. On this day,
in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ is recorded Aenghas, Bishop, of Drum- Ratha. 3 There is a Drumrath or Drumrany^ in the county of Westmeath. s He descends from the race of Eoghan, son to Niall, add the O'Clerys. In a long Irish note, found in the table to this Martyrology, as translated into
"
Aengus himself has nothing at this day, but only at March 1 1 and January
English, the writer says :
I think this is the son of Aongabhann, because
20. " The writer then adds
:
" This is the author of the Festilogium. " Such,
however, is only an unfounded conjecture. According to some accounts, he was a disciple to the great Irish Apostle. When St. Patrick was in the
northern parts of Ireland, he journeyed to a place called Bredach, in the land ofOlild,sonofEugene. TherehecelebratedtheHolySacrificeonSunday, and set apart a place for building a church.
It was called Domnach bile, afterwards called Moville,^ in the county of Donegal. In this, he initiated St. ^ngus, the son of Oilild, to sacred orders. Here, also, were met three Deacons, nephews to St. Patrick, by one of his sisters. 7 In a place called Druim Bearta,^ where there was an old church near the O'Dogherty's Castle, in Colgan's time, St. ^ngus was venerated on the i8th of FebrLiary. 9 We
"
find the following commentary added to the O'Clerys' notices.
Aongus,
son of Aongobhann, son of Oblein, says the prefatory gloss on the Felire, was
the ^° who was of the of he is the same as
person, family Cluain-h-Eidhneach,
Aongus Ua<h Oiblein. The matter is, therefore, to be thus reconciled by
putting Aongus ua h Oiblein at the 18th of February; although this is against the authority of Marian O'Gorman, who says, at the nth March,
*
Aongus ard 6 h Eblen,' [Aongus the noble, grandson of Oiblen. ] Other-
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the County of Donegal," Sheets, 12, 13, 21,
22 ; that of in the while, Upper Moville,
$2, 53.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi, 4—
Article ix. ^Edited by Rev. Dr. same barony and county, will be found on
Kelly, p. xvi.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52,53.
3 Dr. O'Donovan asserts, that this proper
name must be rendered "Church of the
Sheets 12, 20, 21, 30, 31. The town of Moville is shown on Sheets 21, 22, ibid.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. cxxii. , p. 145. Also, Quinta Appendix ad Acta
S. Patricii, caj). xxiii. , p. 267.
^ Duald Mac Firbis enters Aengus, Bishop
of Druim Bertach, at February the i8th, and Mr. William M. Hcnnessy says, it is Burt, in the barony of Inishov\'en West and
Fort. " See
"
Annals of the Four Masters,"
vol. i. , n. (a), p. 395. Colgan says, it is a church in Leyny, in the province of Con-
"
naught. See Acta Sanctorum HibernijB,"
Index Topographicus, p. 876.
"* "
This small parish is in the barony of county of Donegal. See I'roceedings of
Kilkenny West. See it shown on the " Ord- nanceSurveyTownlandMapsfortheCounty of Westmeath. " Sheets 23, 30. The townland proper is shown on Sheet 23.
5 Here, too, stood an ancient monastery. See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of Meath,
Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , n. , p. 558.
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. Series,parti. ,vol. i. ,p. 109.
' See "Trias Thaumaturga," nn. 167,
177, 178, p. 181.
'° At this word. Dr. Todd adds in a note :
"See the Prose Preface to the Felire, where in speaking of the Person by whom that
work was composed, his genealogy is given, and he is said to have belonged to the Monastery of Cluain-eidhneach. "
*
barony of Inishowen East, is described, on
The parish of Lower Moville, in the
February 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 631
wise, if he himself records his own day, he cannot be the writer or author of
theMartyrology,asheiscommonlyreputed. "" DrumRatha,"however,is not easily discoverable.
^\x\tUtxA\) JBag of jfetiruarp^
ARTICLE I. —ST. ODRAN, OR ODHRAN, OF DISERT-ODHRAIN, IN OFFALY, KING'S COUNTY, MARTYR.
[FIFTH CENTURY. -\
exhibits more remarkably the spirit of tolerance, which pre-
vailed our ancestors, than the freedom NOTHINGamong pagan comparative
with which St. Patrick was allowed to prosecute his Irish mission, although it was distasteful to the chief monarch, to many of his nobles, and especially to the whole influential class of Druids. Opposition he met with, indeed, but usually it was not prosecuted to the bitter end. Except in the present case, not one of his disciples suffered martyrdom, in the attempt to regenerate the heathens of our island. In this instance of Odran or Odhran, we have a noble example of love and constancy. The birth-place of this saint has not been ascertained. Still, we may believe him to have been a native of Ireland, on probable grounds. This saint is thought to have belonged originally to Tipperary,^ where probably he embraced the faith, when the Irish Apostle preached in Munster. Although of a heroic and a devoted spirit, he was
most likely a man of humble origin. The Martyrologies of Tallagh,^ of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Donegal record on this day, Odran or Odhrdn,
of Tir-aonaigh or of Tiri-oenaigh. 4
^'
See ibid. , pp. 358, 359.
^^ There is a parish of Drumragh, in the
barony of Omagh East, which is described
William M. Hennessy, in an annotation,
barony of Lower Toome, shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Antrim," Sheet 31; as also a Drumraw, in the parish of Desertcreat, in the barony of Upper Dungannon, which is
on the
"
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Tyrone. " Sheets 25, 34,
35, 42, 43. There is also a parish of Drum-
rat, in the barony of Corran. This is shown
on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Sligo. " Sheets 39, 40,
44, 45, There are townlands, called Drum- noolh College, and a very distinguished rat : one townland so denominated in the
parish of MuUagh, barony of Castlerahan,
and one in the parish of Larah, barony of
Tullygarvey—both of these are shown on the
"OrdnanceSurveyTownlandMapsfort—he tionConvent,Waterford. Fortheperusal
County of Cavan," Sheets 39, 40, and 2 1 while there is one in th—e parish of Donegal, andbaronyofTirhugh thisisdescribedon the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Donegal," Sheet 94. There
of
parish Crosserlough, and barony of Clanmahon, to be seen on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Cavan. " Sheets
31, 37. Besides, there is a townland of notice of St. Odran, M. See " Lives of thq Drumraw, in the parish of Ahoghill, and Saints," vol. ii. , February xx.
is a townland of in the Drumrath,
Acta Sanctoram Hiber- nice," xix. Februarii. De S. Odrano Mar- tyre, n. 18, p. 372. From this account, like- wise, the Rev. S. Baring-Gould draws his
•
'
LclitedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,p. xvi.
shown on the
"
Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Tyrone. " Sheet 38. '
Article —ByVery
I. Rev. Laurence
F. Renehan, D. D,, late I'resident of May-
student of Irish History and Antiquities, in a letter, dated Maynooth College, Feast of St, Otteran, 1845, and addressed to Mrs. Keshan, Lady Superioress of the Presenta-
and use of this, I feel indebted to Rev. P. Nolan, P. P. , Trinity Without, Waterford.
=
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
**
52, 53. "* See
Colgan's
632 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February19.
calls his place Tire naonoigh, and he says, it is the same as Tiranny,5 in the
county of Armagh. Yet, unless this holy martyr were connected with this northern place by birth, it is difficult to conceive why it should be stated he I belonged to it. From all we can learn, he became devotedly attached to the
Irish Apostle, and he was a constant personal attendant on his missionary travels. Odran became a servant to St. Patrick, whom he served in the capacityofcharioteer. Wehavenoexpressmentionofhim,exceptinciden-
tally, in different Lives of St. Patrick. ^ From such sources, Colgan has com-
piled his eulogistic biography, adding notes to it. 7 The BoUandist writers
have inserted Acts^ of St. Odran, Martyr, in six paragraphs, at this day. 9
This humble and devoted charioteer is classed among the disciples of the
Irish '° On St. Patrick's return from Apostle.
about the
in Colgan's opinion, and after, or during the year 456, according to Ussher, the Irish Apostle entered Hy-Failge territory. " Here were two powerful chieftains ruling at the time : one was a wicked Pagan, Failge Berraide, who entertained a implacable hatred against St. Patrick, because he had destroyed the idol, known as Crom Cruach,'^ an object of adoration among the Gentile Irish, while the other chief was named Failge Ros,^3 vvho had conceived a great love and reverence towards the holy man. ^4 As the former had fre- quently boasted, that he would take the Apostle's life away, whenever the opportunity might be afforded ; the present stage of his journeying, which brought him along the highway, not far from Failge Berraide's^s Castle, seemed favourable for this son of Belial's purpose. That district, since so well known as Offaly, at least in this part, was then ruled over by the merciless pagan,
FailgeBerraide. Thiswickedman'sdesignwasbaselytotakeawaybyassas- sination the life of our great Irish Apostle ; and, in the accomplishment of
s I cannot discover such a townland or
parish denomination, on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of
d'un cercle de douze dieux inferieurs, comma une Annee divine entouree dcs douze mois, des douze maisons du soleil, Crom est, selon toute apparence, le legs d'une ancienne reli- gion savante que les heros Scotts ou Milesiens ont re9ue de leurs devanciers. Nous croy- ons, M. de la Villemarque et moi, qu'il se
Armagh.
"
There is, however, a barony of
this name, which is shown on Sheets 7, 8,
II, 12, 15, 19, 20, 23, 24.
^" See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
Vita Tertia S. Patricii, cap. lix. Vita retrouve en Bretayne quelques vestiges de
Quarta S. Patricii, cap. Ixxvii. Vita Sexta S. Patricii, cap. Ixxiii. Vita Septima S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. Ivi. , pp. 25, 26, 44, 91, 159, 160.
cet antique nom. Crom serait done le prin-
cipe divin actif, con9u comme engendrant revolution du temi^s, de meme que Bel ou Belenos serait Dien confu en tant que prin-
—" Etudes d'Ar- Februarii. De S. Odrano Martyre. Ex cheologie Celtique, Notes et Voyages dans
7 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xix. variis, pp. 370 to 372.
^
These are edited by Father Godefrid Henschenn.
9 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Feb- ruarii xix. De S. Odrano Martyre, Auriga S. Patricii in Hibernia, pp. 131, 132.
'° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. '' Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 265.
" " This district comprised, besides oth—er
tracts, a great part of the King's County.
"^ See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
place
Scottish Saints," p. 5. ^
**
saint. the head Under
Article v. — At the loth of August.
"" Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. by
52, 53.
3 '« Dainie Episcopus Cinngarad "—" An-
nales Ultonienses," A. D. DCLIX. Dr.
O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip-
tores," tomus iv,, p. 53.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi.
s See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. " Additional Notes
(O), n. (z),
" See "The New Statistical Account of
Scotland," vol. v. , Bute. Account of the parish of Kingarth, by the Rev. John Buchanan, Minister, pp. 82, ? >t^^ 84.
p. 375.
7 See Mackenzie E. C. Walcott's " Scoti- Monasticon, p. 231.
^
Ci—nd-Garad is identified with Cill-
Garad nowKingarth,Bute,Scotland, cording to William M. Henessey.
5 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
ac-
February i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 629
read in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of S. Lasrae, Virgin, of Glinn-medhoin. The Bollandists have a few brief notices of her, at this
date. ^ Her period is not well known ; for, although Colg'an asserts, that she lived a contemporary with St. Brigid,3 Abbess of Kidare, and that she had been venerated on this day, he here omits any notice of her. -* We are informed, that there is a Lassair, daughter of Fergus, son of Fethlemid, son to King Laeghaire, son of Niall the Great. It has been conjectured, that she may have been the St. Lasrea, of the church of St. Lasrea, or Kill-Laisre, mentioned in the old Acts of St. Brigid. This St. Lasrea was possibly the ward of St. Finian of Clonard,^ and if so, she flourished early in the sixth century. Marianus O'Gorman and Cathal Maguire mention her at this date. ^ She is classed too among the nuns veiled by St. Patrick. ^ According to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ we find, that a festival was celebrated on this day, inhonourofLassar,Virgin,ofGlenn-medhdin. Thisplaceseemstohave obtained other denominations, viz. , Gleann-meadonaghe and Glendo-nena-
ghie,
English supposed
mean,
middle-glen. "
among
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part I, pp. 98, 99.
tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro-
^°
See Dr. O'Donovan's vol. Edition, i. .
more. " Calendar
Appendix FF. , pp. 332, 333, and LL. , p. 376.
pp. 268 to 270, and nn. (p, q), ibid. Article vi. —^ Edited by Rev. Dr.
Article vii.
See
Bishop
Forbes'
xvi. ^ See "Acta
Kelly, p.
279.
Feb- ruariixviii. Among the pretermitted saints,
p. 52.
3 For special allusions to the present
Lassair, the reader is referred to our Life of
St. Brigid, chap. V.
4 Yet, this omission, he somewhat incon-
sistentlysupplies,in "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," at xxix. Martii, where he treats " De
S. Lassara Virgine," pp. 786, 787.
s Allusion is made to her, in " Vita S.
Finiani," cap. xxii. , and in "Vita S. Ki- erani Cluanensi," cap. xvi.
^See "Trias " Colgan's Thaumaturga.
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 21, p. 543.
7 See Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patri-
cii, cap. xxiii. , p. 270, ibid.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52, 53.
9 See Rev. William Reeves'
"
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268.
2 Heis said to be in the Life of noticed,
Sanctorum," tomusiii,,
Ecclesias-
St. Kiaran of
Saigir.
"
It was situated
to
Article VII. —St. Berach. At the i8th of February, St. Berach is said to have been venerated, in Scotland. The Latin equivalent for his name is Verutus. ^ From him Kilberry, in Argyleshire, takes its name. "* It was probably dedicated to St. Berach, Abbot of Cluain-Cairpthe, in Ros- common, or to some saint, who was named Barr. 3 St. Barry's bell, with the saint's name inscribed, was preserved ;'» but, where it now is the writer has not ascertained. Near Alyth, there is a Barryhill. s
Article VIII. —St. Uidhrin or Huidhrin of Druim-dresna or Drum-dresa. This saint is found classed, as Ordius, (? Odrinus), among the disciples of St. Patrick, by Tirechan ;' while, his feast is assigned to the i8th of February, or to the 2nd of October. ^ Uidhrin, of Drumdresa, is entered in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 on this day. This place is difficult
in
the glens of Antrim County. 5 If so, it seems impracticable to find Kill- Laisre, in this district.
—
" Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 278,
'
^ See " Parochiales Scotise," Origines
vol. ii. , parti. , p. 37.
3 See ibid. , n. 8. Also, Trans. Camb.
Camd. Soc, p. ^Zy ^. nd the Scottish Saints. "
"
Kalendars of
* See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae," part i. , vol. ii. , p. 37. Also, "Old Statis- tical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 55, vol. xix. , p. 318.
s Thither was brought, in Angus, accord- ing to a Scottish legend, Guanora, spouse of King Arthur, " to a castle callet Dunbarre, of whilk nothing remains now bot the
of the wallis. "—Bellenden's "
prent Boece,"
vol. ii. , Book ix. , p. 86. Edition, 1821. ^
Article viiL— See Colgan's "Trias
630 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February18.
for identification. We find a nearly similar entry, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,"^ at the i8th of February. Here, however, the saint is called Huidhrin,ofDruim-dresna. Littleofapositivenaturehasbeenelicited,re-
garding him, or his place in history.
Article IX. —St. Aengus, or CEngus, Bishop of Drum-Rathe. The
simple name, CEngus, occurs, at the 1 8th of February, in the Martyrology of Tallagii. ^ Something in addition is found in a later calendar. On this day,
in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ is recorded Aenghas, Bishop, of Drum- Ratha. 3 There is a Drumrath or Drumrany^ in the county of Westmeath. s He descends from the race of Eoghan, son to Niall, add the O'Clerys. In a long Irish note, found in the table to this Martyrology, as translated into
"
Aengus himself has nothing at this day, but only at March 1 1 and January
English, the writer says :
I think this is the son of Aongabhann, because
20. " The writer then adds
:
" This is the author of the Festilogium. " Such,
however, is only an unfounded conjecture. According to some accounts, he was a disciple to the great Irish Apostle. When St. Patrick was in the
northern parts of Ireland, he journeyed to a place called Bredach, in the land ofOlild,sonofEugene. TherehecelebratedtheHolySacrificeonSunday, and set apart a place for building a church.
It was called Domnach bile, afterwards called Moville,^ in the county of Donegal. In this, he initiated St. ^ngus, the son of Oilild, to sacred orders. Here, also, were met three Deacons, nephews to St. Patrick, by one of his sisters. 7 In a place called Druim Bearta,^ where there was an old church near the O'Dogherty's Castle, in Colgan's time, St. ^ngus was venerated on the i8th of FebrLiary. 9 We
"
find the following commentary added to the O'Clerys' notices.
Aongus,
son of Aongobhann, son of Oblein, says the prefatory gloss on the Felire, was
the ^° who was of the of he is the same as
person, family Cluain-h-Eidhneach,
Aongus Ua<h Oiblein. The matter is, therefore, to be thus reconciled by
putting Aongus ua h Oiblein at the 18th of February; although this is against the authority of Marian O'Gorman, who says, at the nth March,
*
Aongus ard 6 h Eblen,' [Aongus the noble, grandson of Oiblen. ] Other-
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the County of Donegal," Sheets, 12, 13, 21,
22 ; that of in the while, Upper Moville,
$2, 53.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi, 4—
Article ix. ^Edited by Rev. Dr. same barony and county, will be found on
Kelly, p. xvi.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52,53.
3 Dr. O'Donovan asserts, that this proper
name must be rendered "Church of the
Sheets 12, 20, 21, 30, 31. The town of Moville is shown on Sheets 21, 22, ibid.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. cxxii. , p. 145. Also, Quinta Appendix ad Acta
S. Patricii, caj). xxiii. , p. 267.
^ Duald Mac Firbis enters Aengus, Bishop
of Druim Bertach, at February the i8th, and Mr. William M. Hcnnessy says, it is Burt, in the barony of Inishov\'en West and
Fort. " See
"
Annals of the Four Masters,"
vol. i. , n. (a), p. 395. Colgan says, it is a church in Leyny, in the province of Con-
"
naught. See Acta Sanctorum HibernijB,"
Index Topographicus, p. 876.
"* "
This small parish is in the barony of county of Donegal. See I'roceedings of
Kilkenny West. See it shown on the " Ord- nanceSurveyTownlandMapsfortheCounty of Westmeath. " Sheets 23, 30. The townland proper is shown on Sheet 23.
5 Here, too, stood an ancient monastery. See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of Meath,
Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , n. , p. 558.
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. Series,parti. ,vol. i. ,p. 109.
' See "Trias Thaumaturga," nn. 167,
177, 178, p. 181.
'° At this word. Dr. Todd adds in a note :
"See the Prose Preface to the Felire, where in speaking of the Person by whom that
work was composed, his genealogy is given, and he is said to have belonged to the Monastery of Cluain-eidhneach. "
*
barony of Inishowen East, is described, on
The parish of Lower Moville, in the
February 19. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 631
wise, if he himself records his own day, he cannot be the writer or author of
theMartyrology,asheiscommonlyreputed. "" DrumRatha,"however,is not easily discoverable.
^\x\tUtxA\) JBag of jfetiruarp^
ARTICLE I. —ST. ODRAN, OR ODHRAN, OF DISERT-ODHRAIN, IN OFFALY, KING'S COUNTY, MARTYR.
[FIFTH CENTURY. -\
exhibits more remarkably the spirit of tolerance, which pre-
vailed our ancestors, than the freedom NOTHINGamong pagan comparative
with which St. Patrick was allowed to prosecute his Irish mission, although it was distasteful to the chief monarch, to many of his nobles, and especially to the whole influential class of Druids. Opposition he met with, indeed, but usually it was not prosecuted to the bitter end. Except in the present case, not one of his disciples suffered martyrdom, in the attempt to regenerate the heathens of our island. In this instance of Odran or Odhran, we have a noble example of love and constancy. The birth-place of this saint has not been ascertained. Still, we may believe him to have been a native of Ireland, on probable grounds. This saint is thought to have belonged originally to Tipperary,^ where probably he embraced the faith, when the Irish Apostle preached in Munster. Although of a heroic and a devoted spirit, he was
most likely a man of humble origin. The Martyrologies of Tallagh,^ of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Donegal record on this day, Odran or Odhrdn,
of Tir-aonaigh or of Tiri-oenaigh. 4
^'
See ibid. , pp. 358, 359.
^^ There is a parish of Drumragh, in the
barony of Omagh East, which is described
William M. Hennessy, in an annotation,
barony of Lower Toome, shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Antrim," Sheet 31; as also a Drumraw, in the parish of Desertcreat, in the barony of Upper Dungannon, which is
on the
"
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Tyrone. " Sheets 25, 34,
35, 42, 43. There is also a parish of Drum-
rat, in the barony of Corran. This is shown
on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Sligo. " Sheets 39, 40,
44, 45, There are townlands, called Drum- noolh College, and a very distinguished rat : one townland so denominated in the
parish of MuUagh, barony of Castlerahan,
and one in the parish of Larah, barony of
Tullygarvey—both of these are shown on the
"OrdnanceSurveyTownlandMapsfort—he tionConvent,Waterford. Fortheperusal
County of Cavan," Sheets 39, 40, and 2 1 while there is one in th—e parish of Donegal, andbaronyofTirhugh thisisdescribedon the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Donegal," Sheet 94. There
of
parish Crosserlough, and barony of Clanmahon, to be seen on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Cavan. " Sheets
31, 37. Besides, there is a townland of notice of St. Odran, M. See " Lives of thq Drumraw, in the parish of Ahoghill, and Saints," vol. ii. , February xx.
is a townland of in the Drumrath,
Acta Sanctoram Hiber- nice," xix. Februarii. De S. Odrano Mar- tyre, n. 18, p. 372. From this account, like- wise, the Rev. S. Baring-Gould draws his
•
'
LclitedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,p. xvi.
shown on the
"
Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Tyrone. " Sheet 38. '
Article —ByVery
I. Rev. Laurence
F. Renehan, D. D,, late I'resident of May-
student of Irish History and Antiquities, in a letter, dated Maynooth College, Feast of St, Otteran, 1845, and addressed to Mrs. Keshan, Lady Superioress of the Presenta-
and use of this, I feel indebted to Rev. P. Nolan, P. P. , Trinity Without, Waterford.
=
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
**
52, 53. "* See
Colgan's
632 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February19.
calls his place Tire naonoigh, and he says, it is the same as Tiranny,5 in the
county of Armagh. Yet, unless this holy martyr were connected with this northern place by birth, it is difficult to conceive why it should be stated he I belonged to it. From all we can learn, he became devotedly attached to the
Irish Apostle, and he was a constant personal attendant on his missionary travels. Odran became a servant to St. Patrick, whom he served in the capacityofcharioteer. Wehavenoexpressmentionofhim,exceptinciden-
tally, in different Lives of St. Patrick. ^ From such sources, Colgan has com-
piled his eulogistic biography, adding notes to it. 7 The BoUandist writers
have inserted Acts^ of St. Odran, Martyr, in six paragraphs, at this day. 9
This humble and devoted charioteer is classed among the disciples of the
Irish '° On St. Patrick's return from Apostle.
about the
in Colgan's opinion, and after, or during the year 456, according to Ussher, the Irish Apostle entered Hy-Failge territory. " Here were two powerful chieftains ruling at the time : one was a wicked Pagan, Failge Berraide, who entertained a implacable hatred against St. Patrick, because he had destroyed the idol, known as Crom Cruach,'^ an object of adoration among the Gentile Irish, while the other chief was named Failge Ros,^3 vvho had conceived a great love and reverence towards the holy man. ^4 As the former had fre- quently boasted, that he would take the Apostle's life away, whenever the opportunity might be afforded ; the present stage of his journeying, which brought him along the highway, not far from Failge Berraide's^s Castle, seemed favourable for this son of Belial's purpose. That district, since so well known as Offaly, at least in this part, was then ruled over by the merciless pagan,
FailgeBerraide. Thiswickedman'sdesignwasbaselytotakeawaybyassas- sination the life of our great Irish Apostle ; and, in the accomplishment of
s I cannot discover such a townland or
parish denomination, on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of
d'un cercle de douze dieux inferieurs, comma une Annee divine entouree dcs douze mois, des douze maisons du soleil, Crom est, selon toute apparence, le legs d'une ancienne reli- gion savante que les heros Scotts ou Milesiens ont re9ue de leurs devanciers. Nous croy- ons, M. de la Villemarque et moi, qu'il se
Armagh.
"
There is, however, a barony of
this name, which is shown on Sheets 7, 8,
II, 12, 15, 19, 20, 23, 24.
^" See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
Vita Tertia S. Patricii, cap. lix. Vita retrouve en Bretayne quelques vestiges de
Quarta S. Patricii, cap. Ixxvii. Vita Sexta S. Patricii, cap. Ixxiii. Vita Septima S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. Ivi. , pp. 25, 26, 44, 91, 159, 160.
cet antique nom. Crom serait done le prin-
cipe divin actif, con9u comme engendrant revolution du temi^s, de meme que Bel ou Belenos serait Dien confu en tant que prin-
—" Etudes d'Ar- Februarii. De S. Odrano Martyre. Ex cheologie Celtique, Notes et Voyages dans
7 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xix. variis, pp. 370 to 372.
^
These are edited by Father Godefrid Henschenn.
9 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Feb- ruarii xix. De S. Odrano Martyre, Auriga S. Patricii in Hibernia, pp. 131, 132.
'° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. '' Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 265.
" " This district comprised, besides oth—er
tracts, a great part of the King's County.
