No More Learning

''
In Capgrave's
Nova Legenda Angliae,"s we find an account of St. Aldus or
Aidanus, Abbot, whose festival is set down, for the 28th of February. ^ In
the anonymous Catalogue of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare,7 the
name of St. Aldus occurs, at the 28th of February. This Saint ^dus or Aedh,ashissurnameindicates,wasthesonofBrie. Hedescendedfromthe Meathian O'Neills, and belonged to the family of the celebrated Conn of the
*'
* See
ruariixxviii. Amongthepretermittedsaints,
'°
According to the "Sanctilogic Genea- logy," chap, xxiii. See (^uinta Vita S. Columbre, lib. i. , cap. ciii. , and n. 84, p. 451. Jbui.
" See ibid. ad Acta S. Quarta Appendix
Columba;, cap. x. , num. io8, p. 492. "See"MonasiiconHibernicum,"p. 258.
"
Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Vita S. Columbce, n. 84, p. 451.
'^EditedbyDrs. ToddandReeves,pp.
58, 59.
Article vriL—^ See " Acta Sancto-
rum Hibernise," xxviii. Februarii. Vita S.
Acta Sanctorum," tomusiii. , P"eb-
p. 717.
5 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
"
Quinta p. 406.
Vita S. Columbae, lib.
i. , cap. ciii. ,
^"Thehillofthepsalm. " Thenameof
this place seems to have become obsolete,
7 Now Kilmacrenan, a parish in a large barony,bearingthesamename. Itsextent is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Town-
of
County
Sheets 26, 27, 35, 36, 44, 45, 52, 53. The
town and townland are on Slieet 45, and in a romantic position,
'3 gee Colgan's
land for the Maps
Donegal,"
^
See his Life, at the 9th of June.
This is taken from the Codex Killken- niensis. "
5 lie is said to have lived, in the time of
St. to the Life Patrick, according Tripartite
of the saint. See Colgan's "Trias Thau- maturga. " Quinta Vita S. Patricii, pars.
ii. , cap. cxxxi. , p. 146, and n. 206, p. 182. Wherefore, it is stated, his grandson could have lived in the time of St. Columkillc.
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvii,
• See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
niae," xxviii. p'ebruarii. Vita S. Aidi Epis. et Confessoris, n. 31, p. 423.
s See fol. iii. , iiii. , v.
^
Aidi Epis. et Confessoris, pp. 418 to 423. ="
Pridie Cal. Marcii.
February 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 731
Hundred Battles. St. Aedh flourished in the sixth century. The Bollandists^ have a short notice of him, at this date, but they promise to relate more, re- garding him, at the loth of November. Some Manuscript Lives of this holy Bishop and Confessor are known to be extant. 9 This saint was specially venerated, at Enachbriuin,'° in the territory of Muscraighe, in Munster ; at Rahugh," or Rathugh, and at Killare," in the county of Westmeath ; as also at Slieve League, or Slicve Leag,'3. in the county of Donegal. As a traveller wends his way westwardly from Kilcar,'-* and up this mountain, the path grows precipitous, at certain points, and purple heather, mixed with saffron blossomsofthefurze,coverstheground,ateitherside. Theravinesarenot very steep, nor very deep, however, and yet, it looks startling, to see the sea- birds fly up from the hollows. By degrees, we climb to the brown and barren heights, unrelieved by human habitation, or trace of human industry. The screaming mews of the ocean tides soon flit in myriads, on the far western sides of Slieve League, and far out on the surging Atlantic. On a very elevated site of the gloomy mountain are still to be seen the ruins of Aodh Mac Brio's little cell. Tradition yet styles him, Aodh na Bricne, or
7 See *' Historiae Catholicoe Iberniro Com-
" Anima quoque fratris Dermitii i Dun- chadha requiescat in pace. Amen. "
The foregoing is the only trace of the Irish language, that Mr. Bindon was enabled to find in the volume ; the two last pagesarealso semi-pages, neither one of these is written
pendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. x^. , p. 49. *^ "
See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Feb-
ruariixxviii. Amongthepretermittedsaints,
p. 718.
5 Among these are : Vita S. Aedi Epis-
copi Medensis, MS. , Bodl. Rawl. B. 505, pp.
124-132, veil. f. xiv. cent. MS. Bodl. Rawl.
B. 485, f. 169, veil. 4to, xiv. cent. ; Vita S.
Aidi, Episcopi et Confessoris, MS. , Marsh,
Dublin, ff. 134-135, veil, folio, xiii. cent.
In the Burgundian Library, there is a Vita
S. ^diEp. , fol. 108 to no. According to
Mr. Bindon, it is found in vol. xxii. , contain-
ingN0S. 7672,7673and7674,oftheMSS. It
is one of the most valuable Irish MSS . in ex-
istence, being the second volume of a collec-
tion of Lives of Irish Saints, in the Latin
language, and written in the fifteenth cen-
tury. Itconsistsof177largefoliosofparch-
ment : the firstisnuniTDered48, consequently
the forty-seven first leaves are wanting ; and
the MS. is written, in double columns, of
thirty-nine lines each, ornamented with some northern part, under the form of An- small illuminated letters, scattered through
the volume. Between folios 128 and 129 is
a semi-longitudinal page, upon which is found the following note, in the Irish lan-
guage :—
In the barony of Rathconrath. See A cACCAch fnif, A^ AinmAin 111 ci cue a ibid. , Sheets 17, 24, 31.
*3 At one point, it towers 1964 feet, sheer over the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, with a sublime escarpement of cliffs overhanging
glorious than is here presented.
'" This extensive parish, in the barony of
Banagh, is described, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Donegal," Sheets 81, 82, 90, 91, 96, 97. The town and townland are on Sheet 96.
'S See "Letters containing Information
relative to the of the of Antiquities County
"benriAcc CuAnriA •Ajuf (ha) tioem cai\oiii
Westmeath," Sheets 38, 39, 40. The town- land proper is to be found on Sheets 38, 40.
"
il-lAt)in in . 1. bechuj^A f^Mf
5Aex)Ailc-
lohif iriAc Ke|\uiLL "oe e^AjAltiA,
: Thus translated into English —
"The blessing of Cuanna, and (of the) saints who were in communion with him, be upon the soul of him, who translated this Life from the Irish into Latin, viz. . Brother John Mac Keruil of Oriel. "
them. On a clear
Besides this, th—e following
Latin
inscription
is to be found
:
upon both sides, although all the other pages are. Upon the back of the volume may be
seen the following title
SS. Hibernis II. " A table of contents upon paper will be found in the commencement of the volume, apparently laid there by some person who had possession of the book, and
: ofwhichthefollowingisacopy "Codicem
hunc Rector Collegij Salmanticensis Hiber- nici Soctis Jesu dono dedit nostro Patri Qigidio de Smidt qui eundem donavit P. lieriberto Roswaido. "
'°
identified ; but, it must be sought for, in the county of Tipperary, or in the county of Cork, most probably in the former, and in
"
This parish, in the barony of Moy-
:
" MS. Sahnantic. de
Thisplacedoesnotseemtohavebeen
nagh, simply or compounded.
"
vey Townland Maps for the County of
cashel, is described on the
Ordnance Sur-
the British Islanas might be searched in vain for a view more
day,
732 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS [February28.
Hnghy Breaky. 's T^Ioor-mould, covered with stunted heather, and solid or
shaley rocks crop np, at the present time, all around the solitary spot. This
saint selected a very exposed position, for his ancient church. " We are
told, that he is called by the country people St. Bricknia, It is said, he built
a church and a monastery here, at a time, when the great St. Columba'7
lived in the lower valley, not far away, and known as Glen Coknnkille. '^ St.
"
holy well/' with loose circular piles of flag stones around it, is Another well of clear water flows near it. Several (jurious piles
Bricknia's
yet shown.
of stone, each having one surmounting as an apex, besides a remarkable and
St. Aedh Mac Brio's Old Church, on the Summit of Slieve Leag Mountain, County of Donegal.
an inconvenient stone seat, under a small rude canopy of sand-stone, may there be noticed. The old church of St. Aedh presents nothing, at present, but heaps of loose and rough stones, scattered in profusion around the old walls. Some lower portions of these remain exposed and undisturbed, espe- cially at one end. This antique church measured about twenty-one feet in length from the east to the west end, by twelve north and south, on the inside. There is the trace of a ruined door-way, in one of the side walls, as is customary in many of our ancient churches. There seems an apartment
Donegal collected during the progress of the hermits, who placed themselves under his Ordnance Survey in 1835. " Letter of John direction and control. " See Kinnfaela's
"
Kilcar, October 20th, 1835, p. 216. chap, xii. , p. 86.
O'Donovan, headed, Kill Charthaigh, now
ClifT Scenery of South- Western Donegal,"
Near the summit of Sliab moun- '7 See his at the of Leag Life, 9th June.
_**
tain, and near the south-west coast of Uone-
pal, stand the ruins of a church, said to have
"
St. Aodh Mhac Briacna, or Breacan, Anglicised, Hugh Mac Bracan. There is also a cluster of Cyclopean struc- tures, used in those days as cells for the
*^ This maritime parish, in the barony of Banagh, abounds in very wild and stern scenery, a little to the north.
It is described on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the Coiiniy of Donegal," Sheets 72, 80, 81, 89, 90, 96.
been dedicated to
February 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 733
near the church, about sixteen by ten feet. The walls were of great thick- ness,'9 and constructed very rudely. Near the ruins, a gigantic rock may be
seen, cropping up from the surface, almost on the very summit, and towards
the western peak of the mountain. Isolated rocks, of a somewhat similar
character, are to be found scattered over tlie mountain tops. In the be-
ginning of the present century, or towards the close of the last, solemn
tourasses or pilgrimages were here performed in the saint's honour. =° Even
yet, such practices have not been forgotten, as may be discovered, by a view
of certain curious objects, which lie near the cell. Over two dozen loose
stone piles, some of them formed in half-circles, like those on Lough Derg
Island, in this county, have been erected for stations. Pilgrims, here, often
go barefoot, from one of those stations to another, repeating Paters and Aves,
at each ; while, Rosaries are recited, at the old church. Tiirice, also, do
they drink at the well, the water of which is soft, and having that peculiar
flavour, which might be expected from the rock-shale and moors, from which
it springs. Having reached this spot, the temptation cannot be resisted of
extending one's rambles towards the sea-cliffs, not far distant, and to behold,
towards the south, the lofty mountains, extending along the Connaught shore,
and inimitably distant the horizon's verge of the broad Atlantic. It is a
trying feat for a man, with untrained feet and nerves, to stoop over the grey
"
lines of the
one man's path," and to gaze into the far rolling billows beneath.
The waves curl into the caves below, with a hollow and echoing murmur, or
move in slow green coils round and round huge detached rocks, now moan-
ing, then swelling into a roar. On the crags they fall, and with a crash, that
makes the solid earth vibrate even where you stand. As much at ease, as if
among the garden roses, and with that jovial jerkiness of demeanour, which gives these insects an air of dancing through life, the bees flutter about and
higher up in the sunshine, through the heath tufts. Nor has Hymettus itself more fragrant wild flowers and plants, wherefrom to draw honey, than has Slieve League, in the spring and summer seasons. Flocks of gulls dart from the depths of the flashing waters, airily floating overhead, and, peering on outstretched wings for awhile, they rush down. In a second, they are riding calmly towards the open sea, having dropped light as a snow-flake on the water. Majestic crags, and hazy distances, along the cliff-bound shores, formed objects, that filled the imagination with wonders of illimitable space and unwonted shapes, when we viewed the vast expanse.
Article IX. —St. Ernin, or Ermina, Daughter of Airchuin. In the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 28th of February, we find her described as Ernin, daughter of Airchuin, or Archenn. We are also told, she is iden- tical with a St. Febair, or Febaria. She is noticed as Ermina, a Virgin, in the Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, at this date. ^ Little is known re- garding her. This day was celebrated a festival in honour of Ernin, as is written singly, in the Martyrology of Donegal. 3 No place of residence is assigned for this saint.
'9 Many of the foregoing observations, and those which follow, were taken down, on this elevated side, one warm day, in the month of July, 1868. A sketch was then taken of the ruins.
Ordnance Survey in 1835. " Letter of John O'Donovan, headed, Kill Charthaigh, now Kilcar, October 2—0th, 1835, pp. 216, 217.
Article ix. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xvii.
^ See the BoUandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus iii. , P'ebruarii xxviii. Among the
pretermitted saints, p. 717.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
58, 59.
to the wood and Grey, of Dublin.
engraved, by
Mr.
Gregor
'° '• See
It has been transferred
Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Donegal collected during the progress of the
734 LIVESOFTHEU^ISHSAINTS. [February28.
Article X. —Reputed Festival of St. Cormachus, Priest and Con- fessor. In the Kalendar of David Camerarius, we find such an entry, at the 28th day of February. ^ He is said to have had some connexion with St. Cokmiba,^ the great Caledonian Apostle. 3 In the hst of St. Coknnba's dis- ciples, as furnished by Colgan, we only find one saint bearing this name. This was St. Corbmac Hua Liethan,* Abbot of Durrow, in the Meathian territory. The Bollandists^ follow Camerarius, in recording the supposed festival, at this date, while stating, that Colgan has his feast, at the 21st of
June.
Article XI. —St. Dichuill, of Airiudh-muilt, Lough Erne. In
the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ and at the 28th of February, we find recorded, " Dichuill Mac Maelduibh in Airudh Muilt oc Locuibh Eirne. '' Marianus O'Gorman has an entry, which is somewhat similar. ^ The Martyrology of Donegal3 registers on this day, Diochuill, son of Maoldubh, of Airiudh-muilt, on Loch Eirne. It seems impossible, at present, to identify this saint's locality, or to determine whether it was on an island, or along the shores.
Article XII. —Reputed Festival of a St. Victor, said to have been
Bishop of Donaghmoyne, County of Monaghan. . The mercies of our
Divine Lord shine pre-eminent, in the succeeding history. At the 28th day of February, Colgan' and the Bollandists* have entered some notices, regard- ing a St. Victor. The latter writers are of opinion, that he does not difter from a St. Victor, who was a martyr, at Alexandria,3 who is not called a bishop, and, who, it would seem, can have no special relation with Ireland. Marianus O'Gorman, Cathald Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal, are said to record this saint, and his festival, at the present date. '^ However, Colgan seems to connect this holy man, with a Victor, who is named in the Acts of our great Irish Apostle,^ and as having flourished, about the middle of the fifth century, in the eastern part of Ulster, known as Mogdhorna. Several modern writers have been led astray, in assigning this district to a still more eastward situation, thinking it . to have been the modern barony of Mourne,^ including, according to the Catholic arrangements, the parishes of Upper and Lower Mourne, in the county of Down. But, Crioch Mughdhorna was that district, now represented, by the barony of Cremorne,^ in the county
Article X. —^ See Bishop Forbes' "Ka- lendars of Scottish Saints," p. 235.
Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Febniarii xxviii.
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 717.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and keeves, pp.
58, 59. — "
Article xii. * See Acta Sanctorum
Hibernia'," xxviii. Februarii. De S. Victory
See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Feb- ruariixxviii. Amongthepretermittedsaints, p. 717.
3 lie is classed with others, who suffered
^ For this statement, the " Vita S. Co- "
lumba; is quoted.
3 See his Life, at the 9th of June.
^ His feast occurs, on the 21st of—
June. There was another named Gorman pro- bably Coman—a Monk of Hy, and said to havebeenthefirst,amongtlieScotsorIrisli, who preached the faith in Northumbria. It is stated, that he flourislicd a. d. 630, and that liis feast is held on the 12th of March.
Fps, Domnacensi, p, 424. ="
for the faith, under the
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Ap- tis Martyribus Alexandrinis, &c. See
pendix ad Acta S. Columbae, cap. x. , num. 37. 38, p. 489.
s See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Februarii xxviii. Among the pretermitted
saints, p. 718. —
Article xi. ^Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xvii.
idid. , pp. 722, 723.
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nire," xxviii. Februarii. De S. Victore Eps.
Domnacensi, n, 2, p. 424.
=" Thus :
Dichullus in Ared-muilt prope
lacum Erne. " See the Boilandists'
"
Acta
s
^"
It is described, on the Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the County of Down," Sheets 48, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57.
j^ee his Life, at the 17th of March.
heading, "
" De Sanc-
February 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 735
of Monaghan. ^ The people of this territory were called Mugdorni, because they were descendants of Mughdhorn Dubh, the son of CoUa Meann, one of
the ancestors of the Oirghiallans. 9 The Tripartite'° and Jocelin's" Lives of St. Patrick relate substantially, in a similar manner, the wonderful ways of Divine Providence, when effecting the conversion of this man, Victor, who seemed, at first, most determinedly bent, on rejecting that grace offered. O'SuUevan'^ has some notices of him. It is remarked, by Colgan, that under such a name, there is no notice of him, in the Irish Menologies ; however, Buadbheo, in our native language, may be Latinized Victor. In the Sancti- logic Genealogy, '3 two holy men bearing this name are mentioned ; one, St. Buadhbeo, the son of Lugach, the son of Liathcon, son to Fiach Aradh, of the Roderician race, and the other is Buadhbeo, son of Eochaid, belonging tothesamefamily. Thefirstoftheseseemstohavelived,inthetimeofSt. Patrick. ^4 It is thought, by Colgan, that the Buaidbeo, whose feast occurs on the 17th of November, as stated in the Martyrologies of St. ^ngus, of Marianus, of Maguire, and of Donegal, may be identical with that Victor, who is regarded as the disciple of St. Patrick. ^5 Elsewhere, our learned Irish hagiologist says, that Buadhbeo may be Latinized, Victor, Vivax, or Vividus, andthatheseemstohavedescendedfromFiachAradb, whosefamily,inthe fifth and succeeding centuries, bore sway throughout the territory of Mugh- dornia ; which, we are told, is the mountainous region of Eastern Ultonia. *^ Here were they settled, when the Irish Apostle was engaged, prosecuting the work of his mission. Having left Hua-Meith, or Hua-Meith-tire, where he erected a church, called Teagh Tallain,''7 St. Patrick passed on to a place, called Domnach-Maigin, which is now known as Donaghmoyne,^^ in the barony of Cremorne, or Farney, and county of Monaghan. As it stood, in
1843, we have an engraving of the Castle of Donaghmoyne preserved to us, in the lately-published and interesting history of this latter county, by Evelyn Philip Shirley, Esq. '9 This place was situated, in the ancient territory of Crioch-Mughdhorna. ''° The owner of Domnach-Maigin, at that time it had been visited by the Irish Apostle, was called Victor. The lame of St. Patrick's eloquence and persuasive powers had already reached the ears of this local proprietor, who seems to have been greatly attached to pagan superstitions, and also very obstinately bent on rejecting the truths of Christianity. As emblematic of his mental blindness and indecision of character, at this junc- ture, Victor sought, by way of retirement from the light that was about to
"
7 See Dr. O'Donovan's Leabhar na g-
Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (a), p, 149.
^ A of in Cremorne, is range heights,
called Sliabh Mughdhorn, or "the Moun- tains of Mughdhorn," in Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," at A. D. 1457. See vol. iv. , pp. 998, 999,
9 See ibid. , n. (s).
iii. , cap. xii. , n. 21, p. 184.
^^ Now Tehallen, in the barony of Mon-
^°
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " 2. Ibid.
Vita S. Patricii, lib.
Septima iii. , cap. xii. ,
p. 159.
"See ibid. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap.
'^ Its bounds are described, on the "Ord-
nance Survey Townland Maps for the "
cxxxix. , pp. 95, 96.
" In Decade, lib. vi,, cap. iv.