3^ But, it cannot be supposed, that the holy and humble Abbess could have arrogated to herself a privilege opposed to the ecclesiastical canons, nor is it probable such assumptions, if they were made, should have
commanded
the approval of the Irish bishops.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
'^
It is no easy matter to determine that exact spot, where the first inter- view between St. Conlaeth and St. Brigid took place. The most minute account of this meeting, remaining on record, is substantially as follows. A certain saint, whose proper name was Conlaidus, came to visit St. Brigid, from among a people, dwelling not far away from her ; as he had a great
ai^^^^^^^Hs. '
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 73
duly performed, St. Brigid received her pious visitor, and then brought her nuns,introducingthemtotheirholyguest. AllhersisterhoodwelcomedSt. Conlaeth, with a kindly and cordial greeting. He remained with the reli- gious community for some days. He piously instructed the nuns, through his edifying counsels, and he planted in their hearts those germs of Christian virtues, Avhich were destined to bear fruit in abundance, when the Lord of the vineyard proposed to gallier His harvest. Then, St. Conlaeth bade them adieu, and desired his chariot to be prepared, for a return to his own habita- tion. A boy in attendance was ordered to ])ut their yokes on the necks of his horses. Before starting on this journey, however, the chariot-wheel became
tunately he had escaped from accident. Although a wheel was loose on its axle, the chariot nevertheless bore himself and his attendant safely to the end of their journey. On alighting from the vehicle, St. Conlaeth gave heartfelt thanks to God. He likewise extolled the merits of St. Brigid, to whose bles- sing he attributed this almost miraculous preservation. ^9 These incidents are briefly related, in the Third and Fourth Lives of St. Brigid. In these Acts, it is said, that the attendant of Conlaeth, when yoking the chariot, forgot to place the roset(Z,^° as a security against the movement of the wheels. Thus, it may be seen, how the holy eremite had been enabled to return home, under circumstances of more than ordinary difficulty and danger. ^^ The route of St. Conlaeth homewards lay probably across that well-known plain, denominated the Curragh of Kildare, now deemed the finest common in Europe, and con- taining three thousand acres of land. Nothing can exceed the softness and elasticity of its surface, diversified, as it is, by gentle swells or irregularities, and on which some scattered vestiges of circular entrenchments yet remain.
The soil is a fine loam, resting on a gravelly bottom. ^^
In the Life of St. Tighernach,23 it is related, that a certain nobleman, of
Leinster origin, who was named Corrnoc,^* had adopted him for a foster-son. Soon afterwards, taking his youthful charge, as the companion of his journey, that chief prepared for a return towards his home ; but, on their way, both entered Kildare, the city of St. Brigid. Tliis holy virgin intimated to her nuns, as distinguished guests were about to visit their house, that they should cordially and hospitably receive those visitors. St. Brigid met them, and taking the infant gently into her arms, she called him by the name of Tyger- nach, at the same time, declaring him to have descended from a royal pedi- gree. She asked St. Conlaid, or Collaid, the bishop, to baptize him. After
yet, no danger was apprehended, for Conlaeth appears to
loose on its axle
have been unaware of this fact, at the time of parting from St. Brigid. This illustrious abbess came out from her nunnery, to take leave of him, when he had ascended the vehicle. Conlaeth then asked her to extend her holy hand, and to bestow her blessing on him, that so he might felicitously prosecute his journey. The sainted Abbess gave both himself ind companion her blessing, with a sign of the cross. The pious recluse discovered, afterwards, how for-
;
meant certain iron fastenings or bosses, attached to the chariot's axle, in order to prevent the wheels from falling off. See ibid. , Vita Tertia S. Brigidas, cap. ii. , p. 532, and n. 25, p. 543. Also, Vita Quarta S. Brigidaa, lib. ii. , cap. xix. . xx. , p. 552, ibid.
^^ See "The Traveller's New Guide through Ireland," &c. County of Kildare,
7. Published at Dublin, by John Cum- ming, A. D. 1S15.
^3 gee his Life, given in vol. iv. of this work, and at the 4th of April.
-•• He was a warrior or chief of a king called Echad, and a grandson, likewise, as the daughter of this prince had been his
'
^' The foregoing incidents are briefly nar-
rated in the Fourth Life of St. Brigid, as pub-
lished by Bollandus. See "Acta Sancto- mother.
rum," tomus i. , Vita Quarta S. BrigidK, cap. -5 See ' Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. Prima iii. , n. 15, p. 162, Dies Februarii. Vita S. Brigid^. Com-
p. 1
1
;
74 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
this event, the foster-father with his adopted son went to his own place, wherehecarefullytendedthechild. 's Fromtheforegoingnarrative,Bollan- dus infers, that as Conlaid had been a bishop, when he baptized St. Tigher- nach, his elevation to the episcopal rank must have been accomplished previous to a. d. 480. For, St. Maccarthen ^^ died in the year 506; and, he wasimmediatelysucceededintheSeeofClogherbySt. Tighernach. ^? Sup- posing correctness in the foregoing account, it is conjectured,^'^ his baptism must have taken place, at least thirty years before the latter date, and during the younger days of his godmotlier, St. Brigid. ^^ The reputation of Conleth, this pious servant of God, for great sanctity daily increased, and his virtues were a subject of admiration, to all living within that extent of country imme- diately surrounding him. We cannot doubt, but he infused the light of a good example, and impressed a right spirit throughout the district blessed by his ministrations. We find it difficult to obtain any very correct notions, re- garding the real state of society, at that remote period ; but, there appears to have been a new awakening to the dawn of a happier epoch, and a steady perseverance in the doctrines and teaching of St, Patrick,3° who had early visited Naas, the royal city of Leinster, and of Auxilius,3^ who dwelt near the Liffey's banks.
It is expressly stated, in the Fourth Life of St. Brigid, that this holy virgin selected St. Conlaeth to be the first bishop over her newly- established city of Kildare. It is probable, this pious man lived in retirement, not far from the place. This circumstance, connected with his first introduc- tion to St. Brigid, her influence with other Irish bishops, as likewise his own great virtues and merits, may have contributed to point him out, as one eminently suited to fill the position to which he was elevated. There can hardly be a doubt, regarding St. Conlaeth having been the first prelate over that See, notwithstanding some statements of certain writers, that other per- sons had there preceded him, in such an office. 3^ According to these, Lon,
mentarius Prsevius, sect, xiii. , n, 102, p. 116.
-^ His feast has been assigned, to the 24th of March, and to the 15th of August.
^7 See "Acta Sanctorum," ibid. , n. 104, p. 116. BoUandus considers, that Colgan allows him not less than twenty-four years in the episcopate, and he argues that Tigher- nach could not have been baptized after A. D. 500. Now St. Duach, or Dubtach, Arch- bishop of Armagh, is said by Colgan to have died A. D. 512 ; or as Ussher states, from an- cient annals, a. d. 514. Bollandus says, this latter saw Tighernach invested with the episcopal dignity, and afterwards he adds : " Ut nondum lumc solveret Colganus, dum quae de S. Tigernaco narraviuius, ex nostro Salmanticensi codice recitat, consulto S. Conlaidi nomen dissimulavit ; ab Episcopo, inquiens,baptizaricumfecit. AtMS. habet ab Episcopo Conlatheo baptizari eum fecit. Nos alio usi exemplari sumus, in quo Collai- dus, pro Coidaido, scriptum erat. " Bollan- dus, however, seems to have forgotten, that there might have been a later l3ubtach, as Archbishop of Armagh, tlian he who died A. u. 512, 513, or 514. Dubtach, the second of this name, in the See of Armagh, died A. D. 547 or 548. Now, this latter might have been the prelate, who saw St. Tighernach
advanced to the episcopacy. See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , " Archhisliops of Armagh," pp. 36, y], and 38 ; also Dr. O'Donovan's " Annal, of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 168, 169, and pp. 184, 185, withn. (p). Ibid.
^^ By Rev. Dr. Lanigan.
*' See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect, li. , p. 434, and n. 16,
pp. 436, 437. St. Tighernach, Bishop of
Clones and Cloglier, is said to have died
A. D. 549. See ibid. , vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect,
xiii. , p. 70.
^o
g^g hjg Life in vol. iii. of this work, and at the 17th of March.
3' His festival has been assigned to the l6th of September.
3= In Harris' Ware, vol. i. , we read : " I do not know upon what authority it is grounded ; but the Red Book of the Earl of Kiidaie saith that one Lonius was the first bishop of Kildare ; Ivorius the next ; and thai Conlius or Conlaeth succeeded Ivorius. And out of that book, Richard Stanihurst, in his English description of Ireland (which is cxt. un in the printed lIoling>hed), gives the same account ; but, in my opinion, they are both in error. " "Bishops of Kildare," p. 3S1.
33 jn commenting on this statement, Col- gan declares himself to be completely igno-
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
75
or Lonius, had been the first bishop there ;33 Ivor,34 or Ibhar,35 was the second prelate ; and then Conlius or Conlaeth succeeded as the third. Cogitosus represents the latter as a holy ascetic, who lived in retirement, until he had attracted the notice of St. Brigid. It is thought, likewise, that he was a skilled artificer in gold and silver, and that he wrought the ancient crozier, which afiierwards belonged to St. Finnbharr 36 of Termon Barry in Connaught, and which is now preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. 37
By most of our early ecclesiastical writers, we are told, that Conlaeth was an illustrious man, adorned with every virtue, and that the Almighty had been pleased to effect great wonders through him. He appears to have been called from his solitude, almost immediately after his first interview with St. Brigid, to receive episcopal unction and jurisdiction over the newly-established See of Kildare. A great increase in the number of applicants for admission to St. Brigid's religious institute, at this venerable spot, as also the increasing size and population of a rising city, required the presence and ministrations
of a bishop, in the opinion of its renowned AbLess. So long as Conlaeth lived in Kildare with her, most cordial relations oi'holy friendship and mutual esteem prevailed between them. Cogitosus also seems to say, that the ap- pointment of St. Conlaeth to his episcopal dignity was effected by St. Brigid.
3^ But, it cannot be supposed, that the holy and humble Abbess could have arrogated to herself a privilege opposed to the ecclesiastical canons, nor is it probable such assumptions, if they were made, should have commanded the approval of the Irish bishops. 39 That her influence to procure Conlaeth's
rant of any grounds on which it may rest, for
in the Irish Marlyrologies there is only one
St. Lonius, surnamed Garadh, known.
Marianus O'Gormau and Charles Magmre
tell us, that on the 24th of June, Lonius was
venerated in the church ot Killgaura, and
they also, together with St. yEngus and the
Calentlar of Cashel, declare that, on the 3rd
of September, he was especially honoured in
the churches of Killagaura, in Slievemarigue,
in Magtuathad, and in Garadh, a desert place
in the northern part of Ossory. This Lonius,
however, lived in the lime of St. Columkille
—that is, about the year 550, or afterwards,
as Charles Maguire and the scholiast of
. (Engus state. Wherefore, he could not have
been a bishop of Kildare before St. Con-
laeth, who died in the year 515, or before
St. Ibar, who is said to have departed this
life A. D. 506. Colgan thinks it probable, therefore living at Kildare. See " Ecclesias-
that the supposed affinity of these words, Garadh, Killgaradh, or Kilguara, with Kil- dara, gave occasion to Ware and other writers, for placing Lon over the See of Kil- dare. Notwithstanding, Colgan seems to have overlooked Sir James Ware's avowal of his disbelief, in these statements, made by previous writers.
tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xi. , n. 134, p. 412.
3^ We may qut;stion, if this be not a mis- take for St. Fintan,' also called St. Berach, whose Life has been set forth already, at the I Sth of February, in the Second Volume of this work. There is some reference to the Bachal Gearr, in chap, ii. , and nn. 2, 3.
''• Colgan's own opinion was, that St. Conlaeth had been first bishop over Kildare,
St. Ivorius or Ibar was bishop, and he flourished before St. Conlaeth, as will ap-
pear from the Lives of St. Declan, chap. 14,
of St. Albeus, chap. 23, of St. Moninne, 518. chap. 2. This St. Ibar, as would seem Irom
the latter Acts, chap. 2, and from 21, 23, and 24 chapters of St. Brigid's Third Life, was on intimate terms with the holy Abbess
"See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect. X. , n. 129, p. 409.
^° See Rev. Michael Comerford's " Col-
of Kildare. However, in no ancient record is he called Bishop of Kildare. The fact of his having lived in the plain of Geashill, in Kildare diocese, and before the church of this city had been built by St. Brigid, as ap- pears from her life, attributed to St. Ultan (cap. 54), may account for his having been called a bishop of the diocese, afterwards known as Kildare. Perhaps, for the same reason, Lonius was called Bishop of Kildare. See what is laid down in "Trias Thauma- tuiga," Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, n. 12, P- 565-
3= Dr. Laniganremarks,fromthecircum- stances of St. Ibar having had some com- munications with St. Brigid, and owing to tlie friendship existing between both saints, some mistaken writer must have supposed Ibar to have been St. Brigid's ordinary, and
37 See Professor Eugene O'Cuiry's "Lec- tures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xv. , p. 338.
3^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Secunda S. Brigidae. Prologus, p
76 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
appointment was zealously exerted, may be assumed, and that her recom- mendation, coupled with his own deserts and established character, deter- mined his election to the See of Kildare, are also highly probable. The time of St. Conlatth's consecration, which must have been nearly contempo- raneous with the erection of Kildare See, is not recorded. Conlaeth is ex- pressly called first bishop of Kildare, by Cogitosus ; and, it is evident, from this same writer's words, there neither was, nor could have been, a bishop in that place before his time. t° Until the period of Conlaeth's appointment, or a short interval before, it is probable, there had hardly been a house on the present site of Kildare; nor was a bishop required, until the formation of a new town, and the establishment of a local religious institute, required his supervision and residence. It is probable, the new See had not been erected, for at least a few years after the foundation of St. Brigid's nunnery, and not earlier than a. d. 49o. t' The Cathedral of Kildare is said to have been first founded by St. Coiilian, in the year of Christ 503, and to have been dedicated to St. Brigid. -t^ Tiiis is an assumption, however, for which no certain data
can be fixed. It is likely enough, St. Brigid exerted herself with a corre- sponding zeal and energy, in the erection of its first church ; but, this had not been dedicated to her memory, at least during the lifetime of St. Conleth. We know, that St. Brigid survived him for a few years. Over the convents of St. Brigid, which were established throughout Ireland, St. Conleth and his successors in the See of Kildare, are said to have exercised a special jurisdic- tion. Yet, regarding this matter, our historians seem to have supplied no conclusive evidence. 43 In the opinion of some writers, before this bishop's appointment to Kildare, its religious institution had been attended, in mani- fold capacities, by a priest named Natfroich,''4 also called her charioteer. ^s This priest remained with St. Brigid all his lifetime, as a spiritual companion or chaplain to the holy Abbess, which office he is thought to have discharged, under the episcopacy of St. Conlaeth. Whilst at their meals, it was apart of Natfroich's duty, to read for St, Brigid and her nuns, in their refectory. ''^ He probably attended her, moreover, on many of those important journeys under-
taken to serve the interests of her religious order. 47
lections relating to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin," Bishops of Kildare, p. i.
''' See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , rhap. viii. , sect. xi , n. 134, pp. 410, 411, 412.
'•"See "The Complete Irish Traveller,'' vol. i. , p. 90, published in London, 1788, 8vo. Here we have a copperplate engraving of the round tower at Kildare, with a portion of the Cathedral nuns, as standing at that time. These, however, were not the oldest structures erected at Kildare.
^3 "Fromthestatementswhichtheyadvance, this inference can only be deduced, that the Bishop of Kildare, in virtue of his dignity of Metropolitan, was charged, in a particular manner, with the care of tlie Rrigitine Con- vents, which were established in different parts of the Province of Leinster. " See Rev. P. J. Carew's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," chap, vi. , p. 240.
"< The Fourth Life of St. Brigid, prior to the foundation of Kildare, has the appoint- ment of Natfroich to the duty of attending St. Brigid which it erroneously attributes to St. Patrick, unless we should suppose, that
he was constituted her spiritual director, when she was very young, Seelib. i. ,cap. xliii. ^^ Xhe author of the "Third Life" has thoughtlessly changed, at cap. 41, the at- tendant on St. Brigid into that of o^naitri^a, and hence the denomination o{ chaiioteer,
added to his title of prie-t.
"t^ Colgan thinks, that Natfroich became a
bishop. He is called a " presbyter," as likewise a charioteer and reader at the table of St. Brigid, as may be collected from St. Ultan, in his Life of St. Brigid, cap. xli. , asalsofromanIrishlifeofthissaint, cap. xvii. His feast was celebrated at the lith day of December, according to M. Gorman, whocallshimbisliop. Colganadds:"Fuisse ergo videtur Episcopus Killdariensis floruit, anno 520. " See " Trias Th. iumaturga. " Appendix Quinta ad Acta S. BrigidiE, chap. ii. , p. 629.
-t? "PoorArchdalltellsus(atKildare)that Natfroich is said to have been coachman to St. Brigid ! Pray, where were coaches to be found in those days ? When St. Brigid and Natfroich happened to travel together, we may easily suppose that he drove the curri-
capacity both of Abbot and Bishop
this is probably to be explained, by regarding him as having charge—at least for some time—over a community of monks at Old Connell, after he had been appointed to preside over the See of Kildare. We are not informed, by whom he had been consecrated bishop ; but, it is probable, that a sufficiently numer- ous attendance of bishops honoured the occasion of his investiture by their presence. 49 St. Fiach of Sletty, the principal bishop of Leinster,
-f"
cle ; but this is very different from the me- sio ad 3 Maii legitur, ad quern diem fusius nial office of a charioteer. "—Dr. Lanigan's de eo agemus. Fuit Episcopus Kildariensis
"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xi. , and n. 135, pp. 410, 412.
"•^ See Rev. Michael Comerford's " Col- lections relating to the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin," Bishops of Kildare, p. 2.
"•9 See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect. xi. p. 410, and n. 137, p. 412, where he says-- "Perhaps it was to the assemblage of bish- ops for the consecration ol' Conlaith, that Cogitosus alluded, when he writes (cap. 6),
* Advenientibus enim episcopis, et cum ea hospitantibus,' " &c.
s° See ibid. . , sect, xi. , p. 410.
5' In the Second Life of St. Brigid, by
Cogitosus, these vestments are called "ves-
timenta transmarina et peregiina Episcopi
Conlaith decorati luminis," &c. In a note,
postfixed to this passage, Colgan writes :
" In MS. Amandi et in libris editis legitur,
Conleach : sed rectius Conlaidii, ut in MS. applied to his vestments. These terms have S. Huberti, in Annalibus nostris ad an. 519, reference to changes of colour, necessary for qua obiit, et aliis Codicibus Hibernicis legi- various festivals.
tur : vel Conlaedh ut in Mariano et .
It is no easy matter to determine that exact spot, where the first inter- view between St. Conlaeth and St. Brigid took place. The most minute account of this meeting, remaining on record, is substantially as follows. A certain saint, whose proper name was Conlaidus, came to visit St. Brigid, from among a people, dwelling not far away from her ; as he had a great
ai^^^^^^^Hs. '
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 73
duly performed, St. Brigid received her pious visitor, and then brought her nuns,introducingthemtotheirholyguest. AllhersisterhoodwelcomedSt. Conlaeth, with a kindly and cordial greeting. He remained with the reli- gious community for some days. He piously instructed the nuns, through his edifying counsels, and he planted in their hearts those germs of Christian virtues, Avhich were destined to bear fruit in abundance, when the Lord of the vineyard proposed to gallier His harvest. Then, St. Conlaeth bade them adieu, and desired his chariot to be prepared, for a return to his own habita- tion. A boy in attendance was ordered to ])ut their yokes on the necks of his horses. Before starting on this journey, however, the chariot-wheel became
tunately he had escaped from accident. Although a wheel was loose on its axle, the chariot nevertheless bore himself and his attendant safely to the end of their journey. On alighting from the vehicle, St. Conlaeth gave heartfelt thanks to God. He likewise extolled the merits of St. Brigid, to whose bles- sing he attributed this almost miraculous preservation. ^9 These incidents are briefly related, in the Third and Fourth Lives of St. Brigid. In these Acts, it is said, that the attendant of Conlaeth, when yoking the chariot, forgot to place the roset(Z,^° as a security against the movement of the wheels. Thus, it may be seen, how the holy eremite had been enabled to return home, under circumstances of more than ordinary difficulty and danger. ^^ The route of St. Conlaeth homewards lay probably across that well-known plain, denominated the Curragh of Kildare, now deemed the finest common in Europe, and con- taining three thousand acres of land. Nothing can exceed the softness and elasticity of its surface, diversified, as it is, by gentle swells or irregularities, and on which some scattered vestiges of circular entrenchments yet remain.
The soil is a fine loam, resting on a gravelly bottom. ^^
In the Life of St. Tighernach,23 it is related, that a certain nobleman, of
Leinster origin, who was named Corrnoc,^* had adopted him for a foster-son. Soon afterwards, taking his youthful charge, as the companion of his journey, that chief prepared for a return towards his home ; but, on their way, both entered Kildare, the city of St. Brigid. Tliis holy virgin intimated to her nuns, as distinguished guests were about to visit their house, that they should cordially and hospitably receive those visitors. St. Brigid met them, and taking the infant gently into her arms, she called him by the name of Tyger- nach, at the same time, declaring him to have descended from a royal pedi- gree. She asked St. Conlaid, or Collaid, the bishop, to baptize him. After
yet, no danger was apprehended, for Conlaeth appears to
loose on its axle
have been unaware of this fact, at the time of parting from St. Brigid. This illustrious abbess came out from her nunnery, to take leave of him, when he had ascended the vehicle. Conlaeth then asked her to extend her holy hand, and to bestow her blessing on him, that so he might felicitously prosecute his journey. The sainted Abbess gave both himself ind companion her blessing, with a sign of the cross. The pious recluse discovered, afterwards, how for-
;
meant certain iron fastenings or bosses, attached to the chariot's axle, in order to prevent the wheels from falling off. See ibid. , Vita Tertia S. Brigidas, cap. ii. , p. 532, and n. 25, p. 543. Also, Vita Quarta S. Brigidaa, lib. ii. , cap. xix. . xx. , p. 552, ibid.
^^ See "The Traveller's New Guide through Ireland," &c. County of Kildare,
7. Published at Dublin, by John Cum- ming, A. D. 1S15.
^3 gee his Life, given in vol. iv. of this work, and at the 4th of April.
-•• He was a warrior or chief of a king called Echad, and a grandson, likewise, as the daughter of this prince had been his
'
^' The foregoing incidents are briefly nar-
rated in the Fourth Life of St. Brigid, as pub-
lished by Bollandus. See "Acta Sancto- mother.
rum," tomus i. , Vita Quarta S. BrigidK, cap. -5 See ' Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. Prima iii. , n. 15, p. 162, Dies Februarii. Vita S. Brigid^. Com-
p. 1
1
;
74 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
this event, the foster-father with his adopted son went to his own place, wherehecarefullytendedthechild. 's Fromtheforegoingnarrative,Bollan- dus infers, that as Conlaid had been a bishop, when he baptized St. Tigher- nach, his elevation to the episcopal rank must have been accomplished previous to a. d. 480. For, St. Maccarthen ^^ died in the year 506; and, he wasimmediatelysucceededintheSeeofClogherbySt. Tighernach. ^? Sup- posing correctness in the foregoing account, it is conjectured,^'^ his baptism must have taken place, at least thirty years before the latter date, and during the younger days of his godmotlier, St. Brigid. ^^ The reputation of Conleth, this pious servant of God, for great sanctity daily increased, and his virtues were a subject of admiration, to all living within that extent of country imme- diately surrounding him. We cannot doubt, but he infused the light of a good example, and impressed a right spirit throughout the district blessed by his ministrations. We find it difficult to obtain any very correct notions, re- garding the real state of society, at that remote period ; but, there appears to have been a new awakening to the dawn of a happier epoch, and a steady perseverance in the doctrines and teaching of St, Patrick,3° who had early visited Naas, the royal city of Leinster, and of Auxilius,3^ who dwelt near the Liffey's banks.
It is expressly stated, in the Fourth Life of St. Brigid, that this holy virgin selected St. Conlaeth to be the first bishop over her newly- established city of Kildare. It is probable, this pious man lived in retirement, not far from the place. This circumstance, connected with his first introduc- tion to St. Brigid, her influence with other Irish bishops, as likewise his own great virtues and merits, may have contributed to point him out, as one eminently suited to fill the position to which he was elevated. There can hardly be a doubt, regarding St. Conlaeth having been the first prelate over that See, notwithstanding some statements of certain writers, that other per- sons had there preceded him, in such an office. 3^ According to these, Lon,
mentarius Prsevius, sect, xiii. , n, 102, p. 116.
-^ His feast has been assigned, to the 24th of March, and to the 15th of August.
^7 See "Acta Sanctorum," ibid. , n. 104, p. 116. BoUandus considers, that Colgan allows him not less than twenty-four years in the episcopate, and he argues that Tigher- nach could not have been baptized after A. D. 500. Now St. Duach, or Dubtach, Arch- bishop of Armagh, is said by Colgan to have died A. D. 512 ; or as Ussher states, from an- cient annals, a. d. 514. Bollandus says, this latter saw Tighernach invested with the episcopal dignity, and afterwards he adds : " Ut nondum lumc solveret Colganus, dum quae de S. Tigernaco narraviuius, ex nostro Salmanticensi codice recitat, consulto S. Conlaidi nomen dissimulavit ; ab Episcopo, inquiens,baptizaricumfecit. AtMS. habet ab Episcopo Conlatheo baptizari eum fecit. Nos alio usi exemplari sumus, in quo Collai- dus, pro Coidaido, scriptum erat. " Bollan- dus, however, seems to have forgotten, that there might have been a later l3ubtach, as Archbishop of Armagh, tlian he who died A. u. 512, 513, or 514. Dubtach, the second of this name, in the See of Armagh, died A. D. 547 or 548. Now, this latter might have been the prelate, who saw St. Tighernach
advanced to the episcopacy. See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , " Archhisliops of Armagh," pp. 36, y], and 38 ; also Dr. O'Donovan's " Annal, of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 168, 169, and pp. 184, 185, withn. (p). Ibid.
^^ By Rev. Dr. Lanigan.
*' See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect, li. , p. 434, and n. 16,
pp. 436, 437. St. Tighernach, Bishop of
Clones and Cloglier, is said to have died
A. D. 549. See ibid. , vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect,
xiii. , p. 70.
^o
g^g hjg Life in vol. iii. of this work, and at the 17th of March.
3' His festival has been assigned to the l6th of September.
3= In Harris' Ware, vol. i. , we read : " I do not know upon what authority it is grounded ; but the Red Book of the Earl of Kiidaie saith that one Lonius was the first bishop of Kildare ; Ivorius the next ; and thai Conlius or Conlaeth succeeded Ivorius. And out of that book, Richard Stanihurst, in his English description of Ireland (which is cxt. un in the printed lIoling>hed), gives the same account ; but, in my opinion, they are both in error. " "Bishops of Kildare," p. 3S1.
33 jn commenting on this statement, Col- gan declares himself to be completely igno-
May 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
75
or Lonius, had been the first bishop there ;33 Ivor,34 or Ibhar,35 was the second prelate ; and then Conlius or Conlaeth succeeded as the third. Cogitosus represents the latter as a holy ascetic, who lived in retirement, until he had attracted the notice of St. Brigid. It is thought, likewise, that he was a skilled artificer in gold and silver, and that he wrought the ancient crozier, which afiierwards belonged to St. Finnbharr 36 of Termon Barry in Connaught, and which is now preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy. 37
By most of our early ecclesiastical writers, we are told, that Conlaeth was an illustrious man, adorned with every virtue, and that the Almighty had been pleased to effect great wonders through him. He appears to have been called from his solitude, almost immediately after his first interview with St. Brigid, to receive episcopal unction and jurisdiction over the newly-established See of Kildare. A great increase in the number of applicants for admission to St. Brigid's religious institute, at this venerable spot, as also the increasing size and population of a rising city, required the presence and ministrations
of a bishop, in the opinion of its renowned AbLess. So long as Conlaeth lived in Kildare with her, most cordial relations oi'holy friendship and mutual esteem prevailed between them. Cogitosus also seems to say, that the ap- pointment of St. Conlaeth to his episcopal dignity was effected by St. Brigid.
3^ But, it cannot be supposed, that the holy and humble Abbess could have arrogated to herself a privilege opposed to the ecclesiastical canons, nor is it probable such assumptions, if they were made, should have commanded the approval of the Irish bishops. 39 That her influence to procure Conlaeth's
rant of any grounds on which it may rest, for
in the Irish Marlyrologies there is only one
St. Lonius, surnamed Garadh, known.
Marianus O'Gormau and Charles Magmre
tell us, that on the 24th of June, Lonius was
venerated in the church ot Killgaura, and
they also, together with St. yEngus and the
Calentlar of Cashel, declare that, on the 3rd
of September, he was especially honoured in
the churches of Killagaura, in Slievemarigue,
in Magtuathad, and in Garadh, a desert place
in the northern part of Ossory. This Lonius,
however, lived in the lime of St. Columkille
—that is, about the year 550, or afterwards,
as Charles Maguire and the scholiast of
. (Engus state. Wherefore, he could not have
been a bishop of Kildare before St. Con-
laeth, who died in the year 515, or before
St. Ibar, who is said to have departed this
life A. D. 506. Colgan thinks it probable, therefore living at Kildare. See " Ecclesias-
that the supposed affinity of these words, Garadh, Killgaradh, or Kilguara, with Kil- dara, gave occasion to Ware and other writers, for placing Lon over the See of Kil- dare. Notwithstanding, Colgan seems to have overlooked Sir James Ware's avowal of his disbelief, in these statements, made by previous writers.
tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xi. , n. 134, p. 412.
3^ We may qut;stion, if this be not a mis- take for St. Fintan,' also called St. Berach, whose Life has been set forth already, at the I Sth of February, in the Second Volume of this work. There is some reference to the Bachal Gearr, in chap, ii. , and nn. 2, 3.
''• Colgan's own opinion was, that St. Conlaeth had been first bishop over Kildare,
St. Ivorius or Ibar was bishop, and he flourished before St. Conlaeth, as will ap-
pear from the Lives of St. Declan, chap. 14,
of St. Albeus, chap. 23, of St. Moninne, 518. chap. 2. This St. Ibar, as would seem Irom
the latter Acts, chap. 2, and from 21, 23, and 24 chapters of St. Brigid's Third Life, was on intimate terms with the holy Abbess
"See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect. X. , n. 129, p. 409.
^° See Rev. Michael Comerford's " Col-
of Kildare. However, in no ancient record is he called Bishop of Kildare. The fact of his having lived in the plain of Geashill, in Kildare diocese, and before the church of this city had been built by St. Brigid, as ap- pears from her life, attributed to St. Ultan (cap. 54), may account for his having been called a bishop of the diocese, afterwards known as Kildare. Perhaps, for the same reason, Lonius was called Bishop of Kildare. See what is laid down in "Trias Thauma- tuiga," Vita Quarta S. Brigidae, n. 12, P- 565-
3= Dr. Laniganremarks,fromthecircum- stances of St. Ibar having had some com- munications with St. Brigid, and owing to tlie friendship existing between both saints, some mistaken writer must have supposed Ibar to have been St. Brigid's ordinary, and
37 See Professor Eugene O'Cuiry's "Lec- tures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. xv. , p. 338.
3^ See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Vita Secunda S. Brigidae. Prologus, p
76 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 3.
appointment was zealously exerted, may be assumed, and that her recom- mendation, coupled with his own deserts and established character, deter- mined his election to the See of Kildare, are also highly probable. The time of St. Conlatth's consecration, which must have been nearly contempo- raneous with the erection of Kildare See, is not recorded. Conlaeth is ex- pressly called first bishop of Kildare, by Cogitosus ; and, it is evident, from this same writer's words, there neither was, nor could have been, a bishop in that place before his time. t° Until the period of Conlaeth's appointment, or a short interval before, it is probable, there had hardly been a house on the present site of Kildare; nor was a bishop required, until the formation of a new town, and the establishment of a local religious institute, required his supervision and residence. It is probable, the new See had not been erected, for at least a few years after the foundation of St. Brigid's nunnery, and not earlier than a. d. 49o. t' The Cathedral of Kildare is said to have been first founded by St. Coiilian, in the year of Christ 503, and to have been dedicated to St. Brigid. -t^ Tiiis is an assumption, however, for which no certain data
can be fixed. It is likely enough, St. Brigid exerted herself with a corre- sponding zeal and energy, in the erection of its first church ; but, this had not been dedicated to her memory, at least during the lifetime of St. Conleth. We know, that St. Brigid survived him for a few years. Over the convents of St. Brigid, which were established throughout Ireland, St. Conleth and his successors in the See of Kildare, are said to have exercised a special jurisdic- tion. Yet, regarding this matter, our historians seem to have supplied no conclusive evidence. 43 In the opinion of some writers, before this bishop's appointment to Kildare, its religious institution had been attended, in mani- fold capacities, by a priest named Natfroich,''4 also called her charioteer. ^s This priest remained with St. Brigid all his lifetime, as a spiritual companion or chaplain to the holy Abbess, which office he is thought to have discharged, under the episcopacy of St. Conlaeth. Whilst at their meals, it was apart of Natfroich's duty, to read for St, Brigid and her nuns, in their refectory. ''^ He probably attended her, moreover, on many of those important journeys under-
taken to serve the interests of her religious order. 47
lections relating to the Dioceses of Kildare and Leighlin," Bishops of Kildare, p. i.
''' See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , rhap. viii. , sect. xi , n. 134, pp. 410, 411, 412.
'•"See "The Complete Irish Traveller,'' vol. i. , p. 90, published in London, 1788, 8vo. Here we have a copperplate engraving of the round tower at Kildare, with a portion of the Cathedral nuns, as standing at that time. These, however, were not the oldest structures erected at Kildare.
^3 "Fromthestatementswhichtheyadvance, this inference can only be deduced, that the Bishop of Kildare, in virtue of his dignity of Metropolitan, was charged, in a particular manner, with the care of tlie Rrigitine Con- vents, which were established in different parts of the Province of Leinster. " See Rev. P. J. Carew's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," chap, vi. , p. 240.
"< The Fourth Life of St. Brigid, prior to the foundation of Kildare, has the appoint- ment of Natfroich to the duty of attending St. Brigid which it erroneously attributes to St. Patrick, unless we should suppose, that
he was constituted her spiritual director, when she was very young, Seelib. i. ,cap. xliii. ^^ Xhe author of the "Third Life" has thoughtlessly changed, at cap. 41, the at- tendant on St. Brigid into that of o^naitri^a, and hence the denomination o{ chaiioteer,
added to his title of prie-t.
"t^ Colgan thinks, that Natfroich became a
bishop. He is called a " presbyter," as likewise a charioteer and reader at the table of St. Brigid, as may be collected from St. Ultan, in his Life of St. Brigid, cap. xli. , asalsofromanIrishlifeofthissaint, cap. xvii. His feast was celebrated at the lith day of December, according to M. Gorman, whocallshimbisliop. Colganadds:"Fuisse ergo videtur Episcopus Killdariensis floruit, anno 520. " See " Trias Th. iumaturga. " Appendix Quinta ad Acta S. BrigidiE, chap. ii. , p. 629.
-t? "PoorArchdalltellsus(atKildare)that Natfroich is said to have been coachman to St. Brigid ! Pray, where were coaches to be found in those days ? When St. Brigid and Natfroich happened to travel together, we may easily suppose that he drove the curri-
capacity both of Abbot and Bishop
this is probably to be explained, by regarding him as having charge—at least for some time—over a community of monks at Old Connell, after he had been appointed to preside over the See of Kildare. We are not informed, by whom he had been consecrated bishop ; but, it is probable, that a sufficiently numer- ous attendance of bishops honoured the occasion of his investiture by their presence. 49 St. Fiach of Sletty, the principal bishop of Leinster,
-f"
cle ; but this is very different from the me- sio ad 3 Maii legitur, ad quern diem fusius nial office of a charioteer. "—Dr. Lanigan's de eo agemus. Fuit Episcopus Kildariensis
"Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xi. , and n. 135, pp. 410, 412.
"•^ See Rev. Michael Comerford's " Col- lections relating to the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin," Bishops of Kildare, p. 2.
"•9 See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect. xi. p. 410, and n. 137, p. 412, where he says-- "Perhaps it was to the assemblage of bish- ops for the consecration ol' Conlaith, that Cogitosus alluded, when he writes (cap. 6),
* Advenientibus enim episcopis, et cum ea hospitantibus,' " &c.
s° See ibid. . , sect, xi. , p. 410.
5' In the Second Life of St. Brigid, by
Cogitosus, these vestments are called "ves-
timenta transmarina et peregiina Episcopi
Conlaith decorati luminis," &c. In a note,
postfixed to this passage, Colgan writes :
" In MS. Amandi et in libris editis legitur,
Conleach : sed rectius Conlaidii, ut in MS. applied to his vestments. These terms have S. Huberti, in Annalibus nostris ad an. 519, reference to changes of colour, necessary for qua obiit, et aliis Codicibus Hibernicis legi- various festivals.
tur : vel Conlaedh ut in Mariano et .
