She asked him, in Christ's name, to bless her eyes, and he complied, at the same time
recommending
her to bathe her face witlj holy water.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
Then Mochoemoc went to the place, and invoking the
Cassel" looks over this plain, to the south of it.
*° Her feast occurs, on the 1st of Feb* written "tampus Monael," evidently a ruary.
'' In one passage, the Latin Life has this
mistake for "Mossadhe. " This plain"reached northward from Cashel.
" two Depart you
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 353
name of the Most Holy Trinity, the tree rose upwards to its former position,
while the mark of a deep cut was for a long time afterwards seen in it.
monk was at once miraculously released, and all the company returned to their monastery, giving thanks to God for his mercies. Again, the saint's monks went one day to cut down corn, and three of them suddenly died on the spot. This grieved Mochcemoc, who went thither and blessing some water, he converted it into wine. After an aspersion, the three dead men came to life, but they were faint, until tasting the liquid, their strength returned, when resuming their labours, they lived afterwards for several days. Thencereturningtohiscell,''^ Mochcemocsawatree,thefruitofwhichwas exceedingly bitter. He made the sigh of the cross upon that tree, and the fruit subsequently became sweet. Thus, on the same day, Mochcemoc wrought three distinct miracles; first, by converting water into wine, secondly, by raising the dead to life, and thirdly, by changing bitter into sweet fruit. Two of Mochoemoc's monks—an old and a young man—were seized with sickness : the latter died and was buried, the former lived. Then the saint exclaimed after this manner, " O Lord Jesus Christ, how have I deserved of thee, to inflict death on the young man, whom I desired should
live,
spare
and follow
and
for life the old man so advanced in " years !
thee,
Then, he told the grave to open, and give up its dead, in the name of Christ, theSonofGod. Theyoungmaninstantlyarose,andheblessedtheSaviour ofall. Nextturningtotheoldman,Mochcemocasked,ifhewerereadytodie.
*'
The senior replied,
Christ. " He then received the Sacrament, when perfect and pure he departed. Soon,afterwards,anAngeloftheLordcametoMochoemog,and
thee a
your people, shall be obtained," The Latin Acts add, that such a Divinely- prociured permission, the holy man Pulcherius granted to his disciples. ^^
CHAPTER IV.
ST, MOCHCEMOC'S ACQUAINTANCE AND TRANSACTIONS, IN REFERENCE TO SAINTS CANICE, DAGAN, MOCHUMBA, MOLUA, MOFECHTA, FURSEY, DYMA, CUANCHEIR, AND GAINER, AS ALSO TO THE CHIEFS COLMAN, ^NGUSS, Fe'iDELIM, CUAN, AND SCANLAN—ST. MOCHCEMOC'S DEATH AND BURIAL—HIS FESTIVAL AND MEMORIALS— CONCLUSION.
On a certain day, the holy Abbot Canice promised, that he would come to Liath, and at the ninth hour, to visit St. Pulcherius. Canice then lived at
Aghaboe, in the territory of Ossory, but, when the appointed hour came, he hadforgottenthatpromise; yet,thenasuddenrecollectionbroughtittohis mind, and he was troubled on account of that neglect. However, by some extraordinary means, Canice was speedily transported to Leith, the ordinary journey of a day, and there he timely arrived, notwithstanding, to chaunt Nones with St. Pulcherius. ' The latter ordered a bath to be prepared, for
he " O servant of said,
Christ hath
that as
It is meet for a very old person to have a desire to go to
God,
know and desire, so long as you live, whatever may be judged necessary for
his he said to guest ; and,
Canice,
" O
brother,
celebrate^ Mass for in the us,
''
Life, we find, here, Sella, with an annotation within a parenthesis [" probably Sellach- Tellach, household-residence, or naonastic
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Mochoemoci
Vol. III. —No. 6.
Abbatis de Liath-mor in Helia, cap. xix. ,
xx. , xxi. , xxii. , xxiii. , xxiv. , xxv. , xxvi. , pp. 59210594. Withsomedifferencesofread- ing, tlie Life, translated by Professor O'Looney, corresponds in the order of chap- ters. —
In Professor O'Looney's translated
establishment. "]
^^ "
See Colgan's ni? e," Martii xiii.
CHAPTER IV.
'
The Latin Acts add z
granted
privilege,
you
The
:
354 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 13.
meantime, so that the monks may return from their work to hear it, acting in the spirit of obedience. " This request Canice at first refused, until a miracle, which soon afterwards took place, compelled him to comply. Pouring forth acts of thanksgiving, both holy men then returned to partake of food, the whole community being edified and filled with spiritual joy.
At—Liath, too, St. Dagans—afterwards Abbot of Inbher Daile, or Enne- reilly received his early education, while his career, even then, was marked by the performance of great miracles. Colman, the son of Feradach, and a chief of Ossory, had dared to violate the monastery of Mochoemoc, where a fugitive had taken refuge ; and, for this, the saint decreed . his chastisement.
Yet, afterwards, on repenting, and on making reparation, the chief obtained
a pardon, especially owing to his friendship with St. Canice. At one time, Mochoemoc gave the site for a church or cell, to one of his disciples, who was named Mochoimbe, or Mochumba. "^ There he built, at first, a church, and a
"
refectory,5 or a Tech-osta,^ a house of entertainment. " Before the latter
had been thatched. Saints Mochoemoc, Cainech, Molua7 Mac Occae,^ and Mofechta,9 happened to arrive there. Mochoimbe asked them to go into the church,asnootherbuildingwasthenreadyfortheiraccommodation. Mo-
night. " There the holy visitors supped and remained until morning. Sub-
fechta " We shall not do replied,
but we shall
although it is unthatched, God will not let the rain or wind fall upon us this
Molua
" In this
at a future time. " St. Canice then " no man said, May
so,
go
into the for Tech-osta,
to- wards us, may it abound in riches forever. " Then said Mochoemoc, " Though bare this roof of mine be, yet God has sheltered us this night under it, from the wind and rain ; so may it be blessed, and may a noble building
sequently,
fail not to be
said,
place,
charity
practised
here,
be killed, in this place. " Thus, all three blessed the spot, and their blessing
remained on it. Whereupon, taking their departure, Mochoimbhe, its patron,
said, "O saints of God, are you going to leave me here alone? " They returned for answer, "We shall be with you spiritually, and you shall be venerated in this place, while you shall come with us to the judgment seat of God. " Then, for a sign of this covenant, the five saints present set up five small stones there, in the holy cemetery. These monuments were to be seen, in that same spot, when the Acts of Pulcherius were written, nor could any human power remove them.
Next have we an account, so strongly flavoured with the marvellous and incredible, that it should be ridiculous to attach any credence to it, at least in some of the extravagant circumstances related. This refers to a quarrel,
*'
Deus, qui eum conduxit citissime, ipse scit quod illi accidit, qui sibi et nobis late-
bat, nisi qUod ipse viribus perambularet suis. " From this passage, Colgan infers, the writer must have been living in the time of St. Canice, whose death is generally re- ferred to about the close of the sixth, or to
latter date, his Life is given, as it is his chief festival.
* Colgan thinks his feast may be that of Mochumma, venerated on the 4th of Ja- nuary, or of Mochumma, commemorated on the 17th of June. The latter seems to us the more likely alternative,
5 So is it designated, in the Latin ActSi
* Teach-osda "a house of enter- means,
tainment," and it is now applied to an inn, or to a public ale-house. This was the de* generate successor to the ancient Tech- aoided, or house of hospitality, according to a note, at this passage, by Professor O'Looney, in his translated Life.
? His Life may be seen, at the 4th of
the beginning of the seventh, century.
See xiii. , n. 29, p. 597. However, a different con- elusion might be drawn from this passage, which seems very considerably changed in wording, at least, as found in Professor O'Looney's English translation from the
Irish Life.
=
In the Latin Acts, the words are, "can- ta nobis frater interim missam," &c.
"Acta Sanctorum Martii Hibemise,"
^ His feast on the 12th of occurs,
August.
* In the Latin
Coche. "
Acts, he is called "filius
March, and on the 13th of September. At the
where
has been
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 355
which took place, between a chief,'° called ^ngus, of the Nan-Desies terri- tory," and another''^ of the same race, who is called Feidelem/3 or Foelan,^* son to Eochaidh,'5 or Eatach. ^^ However, they agreed to make peace, in
the presence of Mochoemoc ; yet, this was treacherously broken, by ^ngus, who killed his rival, Feidelim. This wicked proceeding greatly irritated our saint, who set out to bring the murderer to repentance, or to denounce him for his grievous crime. Yet, -^ngus told our saint, that Cuimin Fota'? had already blessed him, and had promised him the kingdom on earth and in heaven. " Then," said Mochoemoc, " as Cuimin blessed you, I shall not curse you ; but, I shall pronounce a malison against your wife and son," Whereupon, the chieftainess came with her son, and bending her knee most
"
humbly, in the presence of Pulcherius, she said,
spare us, O father, and willingly shall we do whatever you require from us, for you know, it was not within our power to correct the acts of our lord, the king, who has offended. "
he
on this lake, which surrounds and defends his castle, and on its occupants. " Then the waters of the lake were mysteriously absorbed in the land, beneath and around, which seemed to be dry, while the castle itself disappeared. This portent did not remove his obduracy, from ^ngus ; but, to punish him still more, his favourite daughter, and a war-steed, which was strong and fleet, died, on the instant. The chief was now moved to sincere repentance, and he asked the saint's pardon. Mochoemoc prayed for him ; and, once more, the lake and castle appeared, while the favourite daughter, and his war-steed, came to life. As a thank-offering, ^nguss granted land, whereon a church might be built, to God and to Pulcherius. The saint imposed a suitable penance upon him, and having regulated for the building and government of that cell, Mochoemoc returned again to his own monastery.
and,
replied, according
to the
legend,
The holy Bishop Fursey'^ and the devout Abbot Pulcherius greatly loved
an alumnus, named Scanlan, the son of Foelan, and who spent much of his
boyhooddays,intheircompany. Thisyouthwasofanoblefamily,andhe
grew up, under their teaching, in morality and piety. Owing to a dynastic
jealousy, lest he might aspire to power, a chief, called Cuan or Cuana, seized on the young man, and then cast him into a prison. The saints at once set
out to procure his release, and coming to Cuan, Mochoemoc said to him, " O chieftain, restore our friend safely to us, for he has no evil intent against
The chief " as he hath done evil answered, Truly, yet, nothing
you. " againstme,butIfear,hemaydoitbycontendingformyprincipality. " St.
" I said,
been St. Fechin, Abbot of Fore, whose Life
has been already given, at the 20th of Ja-
he shall not life. " Then injure you during
but come with me to 9 He is supposed, by Colgan, to have Life, also, he is called, larla.
Mochoemoc
the chief re-assured
promise,
" I shall do what
nuary.
10
replied,
Life,IfindhimcalledlarlaEngusa. larla means " an earl," but in this sense, as we
are told, in a note, it signifies a /\^/fA 7Mfl/^a, who was entitled to follow next after the
'sThuswritten,inthetranslatedLife,
'* Thus written, in the Latin Acts,
'7 His feast is assigned, to the I2th of
November, and, he died, A. D. 66i, accord- '*
high king ; and, it may be derived, perhaps, ing to Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the
from the Irish iA]\f:lAic, "a rear-chief," or
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 270, 271.
'^ to have been St. Colgan supposes him,
Fursey, Abbot of Perrone, and whose Life has been already given, at the i6th of Ja- nuary. Additional notices are at the 9th of
a
lish word. Earl, or its derivatives.
"following-king,"
and not from the
Eng-
" The old author remarks, that the mother
of St. Mochoemoc belonged to this tribe.
"
In Professor O'Looney's translated February.
you wish,
For the sake of Christ,
With this submission, Mochcemoc was pleased,
" I shall a malediction pronounce
'3 So is it found, in Professor O'Looney's translated Life.
• Such is the name, as given in the Latin In Professor O'Looney's translated Acts.
356 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 13.
Cashel city/9 and, that he may stand as a witness,^" I shall release him, in
your presence, before the king. " When they came to, Cashel, Cuan gave Scanlan his liberty, in presence of the monarch. For, at this time, the bishop
of Imlech, or Emly,^' happened to be with the king, in Cashel, and he said,
"O Cuanis sovereign,
very
dearto
you ; "
" andthe
king replied,
" do Truly
Ilovehim. " Thenthe
bishop urged,
Propose
to
Cuan,
thatheshallcom-
ply with the wishes of Mochoemoc, for on whatever day Cuan shall incur his
displeasure, he shall die. " Although, Cuan then promised to be at peace
with Scanlan, yet he afterwards displeased Mochoemoc, and died as a conse- quence. Through a love for our saint, the King of Cashel willed that Scanlan should succeed as chief. He also asked the bishop for his opinion, regard-
themeritsofMochoemoc. "I
choemoc told Sliabh Cua''^ to remove into the place of Magh Feymin^3 beyond the River Suir, and that Magh Feymin should leave its own position, and go to Sliabh Cua, the Almighty would grant it to honour his saint. " The king gave praise to God, and the fame of Pulcherius was greatly magnified. One Dima, a good man, whose father is called Feichin, or Fiechenus, was a faithful friend of our saint, and he had asked the holy abbot, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, whenever his last sickness took place, that he Dyma might enjoy the happiness of receiving Holy Communion from the abbot's hands. This favour Mochoemoc promised. He happened to be living, in theMonasteryofInisLeamlachta,^^orlnishlounaght,^s inthesouthernpart of Ossory territory, where the Feor river flows into the strait of the sea,^^ when a messenger arrived from the infirm Dyma. At once, Pulcherius hastened to see him, but before his arrival, the sick man died, and his friends were bewailing his loss, and making preparations for his burial. They watched around his corpse, and when Pulcherius came, he went alone at night to the coffin, a bright light shining above, and signing the cross over
"
ing
believe,"
My dear friend Dyma, arise in Christ's name, that you may receive the Holy Viaticum from my hands, as your faith desired it. " Immediately, as if awaking from a profound sleep, the dead man
"
Dyma's body, the saint cried out,
God. Mochoemoc then
to live with your people again, or to go back to the repose you have left ?
rose and he up,
praised
said,
you
'9 In the Irish Life, the word, Cathair, is used.
'° The Irish word used isy? «(/«i2i>^.
" In the year 660, Conangius or Conaing Ua Daint, Abbot of Imleach Ibhair, or Emly, died. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 270, 271. As he departed five years after the death of our saint, Colgan thinks he may be the pre- late here noticed, and he is assigned a festival, at the 23rd of September.
^^ Professor O'Looney renders it into
" Island of the new milk. "
^^In his Tract, " Cosnobia Cisterciensia
Ilibernias," Sir James Ware tells us, that
about the year 11 87, a Cistercian monastery was founded and endowed, at Inislawnaght,
by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, and by Malachy O'Felan, Chief over the Decies. It lay on the banks of the Suir, in the county of Tipperary, and hence, it was also called the Monastery of the Suir. See p.
" This was the ancient name for the 74. It is represented now by a parish,
mountain, now called Cnoc Maeldomnaigh, or Knockmseldown, south of Clonmel, in thecountyofWaterford. Thenameisstill
preserved, but pronounced Sliabh Gua, and it is now popularly applied to a district in
Seskinan parish, lying between Dungarvan and Clonmel, and in the barony of Dcsies without Drum. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na-g Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (t), p. 16.
'3 Relatively to the former place, it ex-
tended northwards, and beyond the River Suir.
called Inishlounaght, situated partly, in the baronies of Iffa and Offa East, in the South
Riding of the county of Tipperary, and this part is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Tippe- "
rary, Sheets 76, 77, 82, 83, while the townland proper is on the last-noted Sheet,
Another part is in the barony of Glenahiiy, and this is found on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Water- ford," Sheet i.
'^^
This identification of site is only found in the Latin Acts.
English,
saidthe "thatifMo- bishop,
" Do now desire
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 357
All those persons in the house ran to hear the conversation, between the saint and their master Dyma, for whose restoration they blessed our merciful Lord. Dyma expressed his great desire to leave the world, and he gave himselfandhisposteritytoSt. Mochoemoc. ThenreceivingHolyViaticum from his hands, Dyma departed in peace, and Mochoemoc took care to have his remains deposited, in his monastery, at Liath.
Again, it happened, that our saint despatched one of his monks, named Cuancheir,^7 to the western part of Ireland. On returning, this monk died in the city of Emly, situated on the plain of Munster, and there he was buried. Hearing this, Pulcherius set out to bring the body for interment to his monastery, but the Archbishop of that city would not consent to such re- moval. While this was
you monastery ? The bishop replied, God knows it, for I do not. " When
contested,
point
to keep the body of my monk, who gave both his soul and his body to my
""
" You whenthemonkcameforthfromhisplaceofburial. Then,thebishop,giving
"
Mochoemoc heard he this,
said,
know, my Lord,
that this is an
injustice,
and you shall see a corresponding indication. " Going to the tomb, the
monk's grave was miraculously opened, and his abbot took him by the hand,
praise to God, cried out in a loud voice,
I ought not keep your revivified
monk, whom the Almighty hath brought to life, like Lazarus,^^ owing to the merits of his servant. God knows, that I acted through no evil intention, but solely to have the relics of a saint in the cemetery of this church. " After-
wards, obtaining the permission and blessing of the bishop, Mochoemoc and his monk Cuancheir returned with joy to their monastery. Subsequently, MochoemocsentthatmonktobuildthemonasteryofGlassmore. Therehe lived, for many years, a very holy life, and there, too, he wrought miracles, until he happily departed to a better life. Another miracle, Mochoemoc wrought, in favour of a holy virgin, named Gainer,''? who had lost her sight for a long time, but who was led to the saint.
She asked him, in Christ's name, to bless her eyes, and he complied, at the same time recommending her to bathe her face witlj holy water. This she did, and soon she saw the earthandsky,inthepresenceofagreatmultitudeofpersons. ThenGainer returned to her sanctuary blessing God, for the miracles wrought through his saints. Thus, after the Almighty had performed many wonders, such as raising the dead to life, curing many afflicted persons, and exorcising demons, through the instrumentality of our saint, and when Mochoemoc had founded many monasteries, old age came upon him, and he was warned, that his term of life had expired. Calling his monks around him, he imparted a blessing, on them, and on Liath, where he was buried with great solemnity. 3°
Calculating on circumstances related, and the periods of some persons, stated to have lived contemporaneously with him. Dr. Lanigan is of opinion, that our saint must have been, at least, io6 years old, at the time of his death,whichoccurredonthe13thofMarch. 3^ Accordingtothequatrainof
'7 This Cuan, surnamcd Cearr, is supposed by Colgan to be identical with St. Cronan, the Patron of whose Life is
^9 Colgan supposes her to have had a festival, on the 5th of November,
30 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber Colgan's
Glassmore,
given, at the loth of February. Thus, nias," xiii. Vita S. Mochoemoci, Ab
Cuan, Mochua, and Cronan, are names often confounded by Irish writers. Yet, to us, it does not seem to be clear, that the present holy monk can be identical with St. Cronan, of Glassmore, or Clashmore, as may be
found on a comparison of the respective Acts.
batis de Liath-Mor in Helia, &c. , cap xxvii. , xxviii. , xxix. , xxx. , xxxi. , xxxii. xxxiii. , xxxiv. , xxxv. , xxxvi. , xxxvii. , pp 594 to 596, and nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, pp. 597, 598 With several differences of detail, Professoi
O'Looney's translated Life substantially agrees.
°*
St. John xi.
Pulcherius
" Is it
for
said,
right
358 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 13.
an Irish Poem,3' quoted by the 0'Clerys,33 Mochasmhog attained the very ex- traordinary age of 413 years. 34 This, however, is clearly a mistake, or an extraor- dinary exaggeration. 35 They also add, that a. d. 655 was the date for his departure, apparently relying on the chronology oftheAnnals of Ulster, 3^ and on thatoftheFourMasters. 37 Afterhisdeathandburial,inhismonastery,various miracleswereperformed,atthetombofSt. Pulcherius. TheIrishCalendars commemorate the feast of St. Mochcemoc, or Pulcherius, at the 13th of
""
March. Thus, is he noticed, in the Feilire of St. . ^ngus,38 in the
Martyrologies of Tallagh,39 of Cashel, and of Marianus O'Gorman ; in jfEngussiusauctus,intheCarthusianMartyrology,byHermannGreuen; in
theMartyrologiesofCanisius,ofPhilipFerrarius,andofDonegal. *" Inthe Patrician Decade,*' also, it is noted,** and the name of this saint occurs as
Moccevogus, in the anonymous list of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare. *3 He is frequently called Pulcherius, in various Calendars. ** In that Calendar, compiled by the Rev. Dr. Reeves, the name of this saint is entered, as Abbot of Dundrum, who died a. d. 496. *^ Here, evidently, a
mistake of entry has been permitted. 3' See " Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
His references to other pages of his 3* The following stanza, from the Leabhar
vol. iii. , chap,
and nn. 72, 73, pp. 28, 29.
sect,
withthe —has copy, Englishtranslation,
land,"
xvii. ,
v. , p. 25,
3' Mr. Joseph O'Longan has kindly fur- nished this quatrain, to the writer, from the Book of Leinster, where it is found in the foot margin, col. 3, p. 353. He has also given —the accompanying English trans-
:
CUAnjU]' CAIT) CO]*OA|'
O biAch mo^ niAich oiaj'.
May Mocoemoc protect us,
To the eternal protection to
come,
Cuangus the chaste of perfect
knowledge,
From Liath Mor, good the two
men.
lation
:
Aongus. "
Abbot of Liath-mor.
*' See lib. 2. x. , cap.
*^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii xiii. Appendix ad Acta S. Mochcemoci Abbatis de Liath-mor, in Helia, cap. v. , pp. 598, 599.
*3 See "Historise Catholicae Ibemias
SAegtiL tnocAeinoc teic;
tloco ce^AC riA cui]A
ci\eic; "Oa fecc liibliA'OAn cec|\i cec
ni iA]\niA]\ ni immA]\bi\ec.
The age of Mochsemoc Liath, Noble or humble do not deny, Twice seven years and four hundred It is no addition, it is no fiction.
Substantially this agrees with the O'Clery's Irish version, and with the corresponding English translation. Mr. O'Longan says, that Leith, "grey," refers to Mochoemog himself, on account of his great age.
39 At the iii. Idus, Rev. Dr. Kelly's
edition " Lieth simply records, Mochoemog
moir," at p. xviii. In the Franciscan copy, at the same day, and after the entry of ten foreign saints, we find TnocliAemoc beich 1Tloi]\. Attached to this, is the gloss : Sac^uL niocliAem6c teich ni cebAC ctii]\ riA c]\eich xim. cccc. ni bAegul ni him- tnAi|\b]\ec.
33 In the margin of the original Calendar
were the letters f. ao. , which are interpreted
by Dr. Todd, as meaning, "the Feilire of 74, 75. There he is called Mochaemhog,
would here make an emenda- tion, that this notation orght probably to be 14 over 100, which should give him a term of 114 years. See "Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernisE," Martii xiii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochcemoci, cap. v. , p. 599.
3*
Colgan
•^5 The Irish words are
lent authority, to have been entered for others, signifying above one hundred. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 266, 267, and n. (c. ) Ibid.
3* See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernica- rum Scriptores," Annales Ultonienses.
3' These writers, however, place his death at the 3rd of March : they must have meant the iii. of its Ides.
said, by
an excel-
Compendium," p. 49.
tomus
i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
Breac
been furnished by Professor O'Looney
t>. 111. IT).
HonpiAiTJe mocoemoc "Oon bichcoetnnu biAf
*° Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
** See "Circle of the Seasons," p. 73.
*5 To me, this appears confounding the present saint with St. Mochaoi, Abbot of
. ^ndruim, who died on the 23rd ofJune, A. D. 496, according to O'Donovan's " Annals of
the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to l6l, and n. (h. ) Ibid. The Annals of Inisfallen have A. D. 490 ; the Annals of Ulster, A. D. 493, and from a different authority A. D.
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
359
work,4^ however, serve to create some confusion, in the minds of his readers. '*? There is aUusion made to the Castle of Rath-Temaynj-t^ where the King of Ulster dwelt, as mentioned in the ancient Life of St. Mochcemog or Pulche- rius, found in the Book of Kilkenny. 49 This place, as we are told, was in Kilmore parish, county of Down. With more or less of ideal accuracy, in reference to his individuality, the Scotch Kalendars also commemorate St. Pulcherius. Thus at the 13th, iii. Idus, the Kalendar of Drummond has, in Hibernia, the Natal Day of the Holy Confessors, Mochoemoc and Cuangus, Avas celebrated. 5° To the succeeding article, our readers are referred, for some additional illustration. Besides his own place, at Leigh, where he was venerated as chief patron, there is a church, called Kill Mocsemog, or Kil- makevoge,5^ from this saint, and it is situated in the barony of Ida, and county of Kilkenny. 5^ There is, also, a large parish, called Kilmocomoge,53 in the West Riding of Cork County, and which probably derives its denomina-
tion from him.
"to
adorn a tale," some account regarding the labours, and life of a holy Irish
monk, who flourished in the sixth and seventh centuries, may claim attention and interest, when brought before Irish readers. They serve to illustrate the
habits and usages of our early monasticism, and the efforts of its promoters. Opposition, too, St. Mochoemoc had to meet with. However, his calm and
collected mind, so far from being disconcerted, only displayed a fertility of
resource, and all the greater, in proportion to the magnitude of the difficulties, with which he had to cope. Christian courage enabled him, not only to overcome those difficulties, but even to turn them into so many helps to favour his great enterprises. Thus, in a short time, he had the happiness to see the walls of a magnificent monastic establishment rising before his eyes, and it encouraged him the more to resume his labours of love. The Almighty crowned his work, with marvellous success, as he always desires to aid those, who are in earnest, about good and useful undertakings.
Article II. —Festival of a reputed St. Kevoca, in Scotland.
Passing from, or rather reverting to, the previous Life of St. Mochoemoc, we have next to consider cautiously the accounts furnished to us, from the
Scottish Calendars, and by Scottish writers, regarding a St. Kevoca, or Ken- nocha—as named by the BoUandists' at this day—and who is reputed to
Ifthe life of mancan be every good
presented,
point
a moral
and
498; while the Annals of Tighernach, give A. D. 497.
^* At p. 236, we find nothing regarding this saint, if he be not confounded with St. Mochumma of Druimbo.
^7 He alludes to a townland, called Ra- demnan, in which the Down Survey has a castle, called Radaman. It was in the Kinealarty portion of Kilmore parish, baro- nies of Kinealarty and Upper Castlereagh, county of Down. See " Ecclesiastical Anti- quities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix M, p. 216, and Calendar, LL, p. 377.
so Cgg Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 7.
S' See " Ordnance Survey Townland
MapsfortheCountyofKilkenny," Sheets 40, 41. The townland proper is on Sheet
41.
^^ See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (b), p. 267. The editor tells, that when he wrote, the
peasantry were beginning to corrupt this church to Kill- Ivory, from a false notion,
that Csemhog denoted ivory.
53 It is situated, in three different baronies,
viz. : Bantry, East Carbery and West Car- bery. Its bounds are defined on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," Sheets 79, 80, 91, 92, 93,
*® Colgan has printed it incorrectly Rath- "
leamain. See Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xiii.
Cassel" looks over this plain, to the south of it.
*° Her feast occurs, on the 1st of Feb* written "tampus Monael," evidently a ruary.
'' In one passage, the Latin Life has this
mistake for "Mossadhe. " This plain"reached northward from Cashel.
" two Depart you
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 353
name of the Most Holy Trinity, the tree rose upwards to its former position,
while the mark of a deep cut was for a long time afterwards seen in it.
monk was at once miraculously released, and all the company returned to their monastery, giving thanks to God for his mercies. Again, the saint's monks went one day to cut down corn, and three of them suddenly died on the spot. This grieved Mochcemoc, who went thither and blessing some water, he converted it into wine. After an aspersion, the three dead men came to life, but they were faint, until tasting the liquid, their strength returned, when resuming their labours, they lived afterwards for several days. Thencereturningtohiscell,''^ Mochcemocsawatree,thefruitofwhichwas exceedingly bitter. He made the sigh of the cross upon that tree, and the fruit subsequently became sweet. Thus, on the same day, Mochcemoc wrought three distinct miracles; first, by converting water into wine, secondly, by raising the dead to life, and thirdly, by changing bitter into sweet fruit. Two of Mochoemoc's monks—an old and a young man—were seized with sickness : the latter died and was buried, the former lived. Then the saint exclaimed after this manner, " O Lord Jesus Christ, how have I deserved of thee, to inflict death on the young man, whom I desired should
live,
spare
and follow
and
for life the old man so advanced in " years !
thee,
Then, he told the grave to open, and give up its dead, in the name of Christ, theSonofGod. Theyoungmaninstantlyarose,andheblessedtheSaviour ofall. Nextturningtotheoldman,Mochcemocasked,ifhewerereadytodie.
*'
The senior replied,
Christ. " He then received the Sacrament, when perfect and pure he departed. Soon,afterwards,anAngeloftheLordcametoMochoemog,and
thee a
your people, shall be obtained," The Latin Acts add, that such a Divinely- prociured permission, the holy man Pulcherius granted to his disciples. ^^
CHAPTER IV.
ST, MOCHCEMOC'S ACQUAINTANCE AND TRANSACTIONS, IN REFERENCE TO SAINTS CANICE, DAGAN, MOCHUMBA, MOLUA, MOFECHTA, FURSEY, DYMA, CUANCHEIR, AND GAINER, AS ALSO TO THE CHIEFS COLMAN, ^NGUSS, Fe'iDELIM, CUAN, AND SCANLAN—ST. MOCHCEMOC'S DEATH AND BURIAL—HIS FESTIVAL AND MEMORIALS— CONCLUSION.
On a certain day, the holy Abbot Canice promised, that he would come to Liath, and at the ninth hour, to visit St. Pulcherius. Canice then lived at
Aghaboe, in the territory of Ossory, but, when the appointed hour came, he hadforgottenthatpromise; yet,thenasuddenrecollectionbroughtittohis mind, and he was troubled on account of that neglect. However, by some extraordinary means, Canice was speedily transported to Leith, the ordinary journey of a day, and there he timely arrived, notwithstanding, to chaunt Nones with St. Pulcherius. ' The latter ordered a bath to be prepared, for
he " O servant of said,
Christ hath
that as
It is meet for a very old person to have a desire to go to
God,
know and desire, so long as you live, whatever may be judged necessary for
his he said to guest ; and,
Canice,
" O
brother,
celebrate^ Mass for in the us,
''
Life, we find, here, Sella, with an annotation within a parenthesis [" probably Sellach- Tellach, household-residence, or naonastic
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Mochoemoci
Vol. III. —No. 6.
Abbatis de Liath-mor in Helia, cap. xix. ,
xx. , xxi. , xxii. , xxiii. , xxiv. , xxv. , xxvi. , pp. 59210594. Withsomedifferencesofread- ing, tlie Life, translated by Professor O'Looney, corresponds in the order of chap- ters. —
In Professor O'Looney's translated
establishment. "]
^^ "
See Colgan's ni? e," Martii xiii.
CHAPTER IV.
'
The Latin Acts add z
granted
privilege,
you
The
:
354 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 13.
meantime, so that the monks may return from their work to hear it, acting in the spirit of obedience. " This request Canice at first refused, until a miracle, which soon afterwards took place, compelled him to comply. Pouring forth acts of thanksgiving, both holy men then returned to partake of food, the whole community being edified and filled with spiritual joy.
At—Liath, too, St. Dagans—afterwards Abbot of Inbher Daile, or Enne- reilly received his early education, while his career, even then, was marked by the performance of great miracles. Colman, the son of Feradach, and a chief of Ossory, had dared to violate the monastery of Mochoemoc, where a fugitive had taken refuge ; and, for this, the saint decreed . his chastisement.
Yet, afterwards, on repenting, and on making reparation, the chief obtained
a pardon, especially owing to his friendship with St. Canice. At one time, Mochoemoc gave the site for a church or cell, to one of his disciples, who was named Mochoimbe, or Mochumba. "^ There he built, at first, a church, and a
"
refectory,5 or a Tech-osta,^ a house of entertainment. " Before the latter
had been thatched. Saints Mochoemoc, Cainech, Molua7 Mac Occae,^ and Mofechta,9 happened to arrive there. Mochoimbe asked them to go into the church,asnootherbuildingwasthenreadyfortheiraccommodation. Mo-
night. " There the holy visitors supped and remained until morning. Sub-
fechta " We shall not do replied,
but we shall
although it is unthatched, God will not let the rain or wind fall upon us this
Molua
" In this
at a future time. " St. Canice then " no man said, May
so,
go
into the for Tech-osta,
to- wards us, may it abound in riches forever. " Then said Mochoemoc, " Though bare this roof of mine be, yet God has sheltered us this night under it, from the wind and rain ; so may it be blessed, and may a noble building
sequently,
fail not to be
said,
place,
charity
practised
here,
be killed, in this place. " Thus, all three blessed the spot, and their blessing
remained on it. Whereupon, taking their departure, Mochoimbhe, its patron,
said, "O saints of God, are you going to leave me here alone? " They returned for answer, "We shall be with you spiritually, and you shall be venerated in this place, while you shall come with us to the judgment seat of God. " Then, for a sign of this covenant, the five saints present set up five small stones there, in the holy cemetery. These monuments were to be seen, in that same spot, when the Acts of Pulcherius were written, nor could any human power remove them.
Next have we an account, so strongly flavoured with the marvellous and incredible, that it should be ridiculous to attach any credence to it, at least in some of the extravagant circumstances related. This refers to a quarrel,
*'
Deus, qui eum conduxit citissime, ipse scit quod illi accidit, qui sibi et nobis late-
bat, nisi qUod ipse viribus perambularet suis. " From this passage, Colgan infers, the writer must have been living in the time of St. Canice, whose death is generally re- ferred to about the close of the sixth, or to
latter date, his Life is given, as it is his chief festival.
* Colgan thinks his feast may be that of Mochumma, venerated on the 4th of Ja- nuary, or of Mochumma, commemorated on the 17th of June. The latter seems to us the more likely alternative,
5 So is it designated, in the Latin ActSi
* Teach-osda "a house of enter- means,
tainment," and it is now applied to an inn, or to a public ale-house. This was the de* generate successor to the ancient Tech- aoided, or house of hospitality, according to a note, at this passage, by Professor O'Looney, in his translated Life.
? His Life may be seen, at the 4th of
the beginning of the seventh, century.
See xiii. , n. 29, p. 597. However, a different con- elusion might be drawn from this passage, which seems very considerably changed in wording, at least, as found in Professor O'Looney's English translation from the
Irish Life.
=
In the Latin Acts, the words are, "can- ta nobis frater interim missam," &c.
"Acta Sanctorum Martii Hibemise,"
^ His feast on the 12th of occurs,
August.
* In the Latin
Coche. "
Acts, he is called "filius
March, and on the 13th of September. At the
where
has been
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 355
which took place, between a chief,'° called ^ngus, of the Nan-Desies terri- tory," and another''^ of the same race, who is called Feidelem/3 or Foelan,^* son to Eochaidh,'5 or Eatach. ^^ However, they agreed to make peace, in
the presence of Mochoemoc ; yet, this was treacherously broken, by ^ngus, who killed his rival, Feidelim. This wicked proceeding greatly irritated our saint, who set out to bring the murderer to repentance, or to denounce him for his grievous crime. Yet, -^ngus told our saint, that Cuimin Fota'? had already blessed him, and had promised him the kingdom on earth and in heaven. " Then," said Mochoemoc, " as Cuimin blessed you, I shall not curse you ; but, I shall pronounce a malison against your wife and son," Whereupon, the chieftainess came with her son, and bending her knee most
"
humbly, in the presence of Pulcherius, she said,
spare us, O father, and willingly shall we do whatever you require from us, for you know, it was not within our power to correct the acts of our lord, the king, who has offended. "
he
on this lake, which surrounds and defends his castle, and on its occupants. " Then the waters of the lake were mysteriously absorbed in the land, beneath and around, which seemed to be dry, while the castle itself disappeared. This portent did not remove his obduracy, from ^ngus ; but, to punish him still more, his favourite daughter, and a war-steed, which was strong and fleet, died, on the instant. The chief was now moved to sincere repentance, and he asked the saint's pardon. Mochoemoc prayed for him ; and, once more, the lake and castle appeared, while the favourite daughter, and his war-steed, came to life. As a thank-offering, ^nguss granted land, whereon a church might be built, to God and to Pulcherius. The saint imposed a suitable penance upon him, and having regulated for the building and government of that cell, Mochoemoc returned again to his own monastery.
and,
replied, according
to the
legend,
The holy Bishop Fursey'^ and the devout Abbot Pulcherius greatly loved
an alumnus, named Scanlan, the son of Foelan, and who spent much of his
boyhooddays,intheircompany. Thisyouthwasofanoblefamily,andhe
grew up, under their teaching, in morality and piety. Owing to a dynastic
jealousy, lest he might aspire to power, a chief, called Cuan or Cuana, seized on the young man, and then cast him into a prison. The saints at once set
out to procure his release, and coming to Cuan, Mochoemoc said to him, " O chieftain, restore our friend safely to us, for he has no evil intent against
The chief " as he hath done evil answered, Truly, yet, nothing
you. " againstme,butIfear,hemaydoitbycontendingformyprincipality. " St.
" I said,
been St. Fechin, Abbot of Fore, whose Life
has been already given, at the 20th of Ja-
he shall not life. " Then injure you during
but come with me to 9 He is supposed, by Colgan, to have Life, also, he is called, larla.
Mochoemoc
the chief re-assured
promise,
" I shall do what
nuary.
10
replied,
Life,IfindhimcalledlarlaEngusa. larla means " an earl," but in this sense, as we
are told, in a note, it signifies a /\^/fA 7Mfl/^a, who was entitled to follow next after the
'sThuswritten,inthetranslatedLife,
'* Thus written, in the Latin Acts,
'7 His feast is assigned, to the I2th of
November, and, he died, A. D. 66i, accord- '*
high king ; and, it may be derived, perhaps, ing to Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the
from the Irish iA]\f:lAic, "a rear-chief," or
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 270, 271.
'^ to have been St. Colgan supposes him,
Fursey, Abbot of Perrone, and whose Life has been already given, at the i6th of Ja- nuary. Additional notices are at the 9th of
a
lish word. Earl, or its derivatives.
"following-king,"
and not from the
Eng-
" The old author remarks, that the mother
of St. Mochoemoc belonged to this tribe.
"
In Professor O'Looney's translated February.
you wish,
For the sake of Christ,
With this submission, Mochcemoc was pleased,
" I shall a malediction pronounce
'3 So is it found, in Professor O'Looney's translated Life.
• Such is the name, as given in the Latin In Professor O'Looney's translated Acts.
356 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 13.
Cashel city/9 and, that he may stand as a witness,^" I shall release him, in
your presence, before the king. " When they came to, Cashel, Cuan gave Scanlan his liberty, in presence of the monarch. For, at this time, the bishop
of Imlech, or Emly,^' happened to be with the king, in Cashel, and he said,
"O Cuanis sovereign,
very
dearto
you ; "
" andthe
king replied,
" do Truly
Ilovehim. " Thenthe
bishop urged,
Propose
to
Cuan,
thatheshallcom-
ply with the wishes of Mochoemoc, for on whatever day Cuan shall incur his
displeasure, he shall die. " Although, Cuan then promised to be at peace
with Scanlan, yet he afterwards displeased Mochoemoc, and died as a conse- quence. Through a love for our saint, the King of Cashel willed that Scanlan should succeed as chief. He also asked the bishop for his opinion, regard-
themeritsofMochoemoc. "I
choemoc told Sliabh Cua''^ to remove into the place of Magh Feymin^3 beyond the River Suir, and that Magh Feymin should leave its own position, and go to Sliabh Cua, the Almighty would grant it to honour his saint. " The king gave praise to God, and the fame of Pulcherius was greatly magnified. One Dima, a good man, whose father is called Feichin, or Fiechenus, was a faithful friend of our saint, and he had asked the holy abbot, in the name of the Blessed Trinity, whenever his last sickness took place, that he Dyma might enjoy the happiness of receiving Holy Communion from the abbot's hands. This favour Mochoemoc promised. He happened to be living, in theMonasteryofInisLeamlachta,^^orlnishlounaght,^s inthesouthernpart of Ossory territory, where the Feor river flows into the strait of the sea,^^ when a messenger arrived from the infirm Dyma. At once, Pulcherius hastened to see him, but before his arrival, the sick man died, and his friends were bewailing his loss, and making preparations for his burial. They watched around his corpse, and when Pulcherius came, he went alone at night to the coffin, a bright light shining above, and signing the cross over
"
ing
believe,"
My dear friend Dyma, arise in Christ's name, that you may receive the Holy Viaticum from my hands, as your faith desired it. " Immediately, as if awaking from a profound sleep, the dead man
"
Dyma's body, the saint cried out,
God. Mochoemoc then
to live with your people again, or to go back to the repose you have left ?
rose and he up,
praised
said,
you
'9 In the Irish Life, the word, Cathair, is used.
'° The Irish word used isy? «(/«i2i>^.
" In the year 660, Conangius or Conaing Ua Daint, Abbot of Imleach Ibhair, or Emly, died. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 270, 271. As he departed five years after the death of our saint, Colgan thinks he may be the pre- late here noticed, and he is assigned a festival, at the 23rd of September.
^^ Professor O'Looney renders it into
" Island of the new milk. "
^^In his Tract, " Cosnobia Cisterciensia
Ilibernias," Sir James Ware tells us, that
about the year 11 87, a Cistercian monastery was founded and endowed, at Inislawnaght,
by Donald O'Brien, King of Limerick, and by Malachy O'Felan, Chief over the Decies. It lay on the banks of the Suir, in the county of Tipperary, and hence, it was also called the Monastery of the Suir. See p.
" This was the ancient name for the 74. It is represented now by a parish,
mountain, now called Cnoc Maeldomnaigh, or Knockmseldown, south of Clonmel, in thecountyofWaterford. Thenameisstill
preserved, but pronounced Sliabh Gua, and it is now popularly applied to a district in
Seskinan parish, lying between Dungarvan and Clonmel, and in the barony of Dcsies without Drum. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Leabhar na-g Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (t), p. 16.
'3 Relatively to the former place, it ex-
tended northwards, and beyond the River Suir.
called Inishlounaght, situated partly, in the baronies of Iffa and Offa East, in the South
Riding of the county of Tipperary, and this part is shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Tippe- "
rary, Sheets 76, 77, 82, 83, while the townland proper is on the last-noted Sheet,
Another part is in the barony of Glenahiiy, and this is found on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Water- ford," Sheet i.
'^^
This identification of site is only found in the Latin Acts.
English,
saidthe "thatifMo- bishop,
" Do now desire
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 357
All those persons in the house ran to hear the conversation, between the saint and their master Dyma, for whose restoration they blessed our merciful Lord. Dyma expressed his great desire to leave the world, and he gave himselfandhisposteritytoSt. Mochoemoc. ThenreceivingHolyViaticum from his hands, Dyma departed in peace, and Mochoemoc took care to have his remains deposited, in his monastery, at Liath.
Again, it happened, that our saint despatched one of his monks, named Cuancheir,^7 to the western part of Ireland. On returning, this monk died in the city of Emly, situated on the plain of Munster, and there he was buried. Hearing this, Pulcherius set out to bring the body for interment to his monastery, but the Archbishop of that city would not consent to such re- moval. While this was
you monastery ? The bishop replied, God knows it, for I do not. " When
contested,
point
to keep the body of my monk, who gave both his soul and his body to my
""
" You whenthemonkcameforthfromhisplaceofburial. Then,thebishop,giving
"
Mochoemoc heard he this,
said,
know, my Lord,
that this is an
injustice,
and you shall see a corresponding indication. " Going to the tomb, the
monk's grave was miraculously opened, and his abbot took him by the hand,
praise to God, cried out in a loud voice,
I ought not keep your revivified
monk, whom the Almighty hath brought to life, like Lazarus,^^ owing to the merits of his servant. God knows, that I acted through no evil intention, but solely to have the relics of a saint in the cemetery of this church. " After-
wards, obtaining the permission and blessing of the bishop, Mochoemoc and his monk Cuancheir returned with joy to their monastery. Subsequently, MochoemocsentthatmonktobuildthemonasteryofGlassmore. Therehe lived, for many years, a very holy life, and there, too, he wrought miracles, until he happily departed to a better life. Another miracle, Mochoemoc wrought, in favour of a holy virgin, named Gainer,''? who had lost her sight for a long time, but who was led to the saint.
She asked him, in Christ's name, to bless her eyes, and he complied, at the same time recommending her to bathe her face witlj holy water. This she did, and soon she saw the earthandsky,inthepresenceofagreatmultitudeofpersons. ThenGainer returned to her sanctuary blessing God, for the miracles wrought through his saints. Thus, after the Almighty had performed many wonders, such as raising the dead to life, curing many afflicted persons, and exorcising demons, through the instrumentality of our saint, and when Mochoemoc had founded many monasteries, old age came upon him, and he was warned, that his term of life had expired. Calling his monks around him, he imparted a blessing, on them, and on Liath, where he was buried with great solemnity. 3°
Calculating on circumstances related, and the periods of some persons, stated to have lived contemporaneously with him. Dr. Lanigan is of opinion, that our saint must have been, at least, io6 years old, at the time of his death,whichoccurredonthe13thofMarch. 3^ Accordingtothequatrainof
'7 This Cuan, surnamcd Cearr, is supposed by Colgan to be identical with St. Cronan, the Patron of whose Life is
^9 Colgan supposes her to have had a festival, on the 5th of November,
30 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber Colgan's
Glassmore,
given, at the loth of February. Thus, nias," xiii. Vita S. Mochoemoci, Ab
Cuan, Mochua, and Cronan, are names often confounded by Irish writers. Yet, to us, it does not seem to be clear, that the present holy monk can be identical with St. Cronan, of Glassmore, or Clashmore, as may be
found on a comparison of the respective Acts.
batis de Liath-Mor in Helia, &c. , cap xxvii. , xxviii. , xxix. , xxx. , xxxi. , xxxii. xxxiii. , xxxiv. , xxxv. , xxxvi. , xxxvii. , pp 594 to 596, and nn. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, pp. 597, 598 With several differences of detail, Professoi
O'Looney's translated Life substantially agrees.
°*
St. John xi.
Pulcherius
" Is it
for
said,
right
358 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 13.
an Irish Poem,3' quoted by the 0'Clerys,33 Mochasmhog attained the very ex- traordinary age of 413 years. 34 This, however, is clearly a mistake, or an extraor- dinary exaggeration. 35 They also add, that a. d. 655 was the date for his departure, apparently relying on the chronology oftheAnnals of Ulster, 3^ and on thatoftheFourMasters. 37 Afterhisdeathandburial,inhismonastery,various miracleswereperformed,atthetombofSt. Pulcherius. TheIrishCalendars commemorate the feast of St. Mochcemoc, or Pulcherius, at the 13th of
""
March. Thus, is he noticed, in the Feilire of St. . ^ngus,38 in the
Martyrologies of Tallagh,39 of Cashel, and of Marianus O'Gorman ; in jfEngussiusauctus,intheCarthusianMartyrology,byHermannGreuen; in
theMartyrologiesofCanisius,ofPhilipFerrarius,andofDonegal. *" Inthe Patrician Decade,*' also, it is noted,** and the name of this saint occurs as
Moccevogus, in the anonymous list of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullevan Beare. *3 He is frequently called Pulcherius, in various Calendars. ** In that Calendar, compiled by the Rev. Dr. Reeves, the name of this saint is entered, as Abbot of Dundrum, who died a. d. 496. *^ Here, evidently, a
mistake of entry has been permitted. 3' See " Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
His references to other pages of his 3* The following stanza, from the Leabhar
vol. iii. , chap,
and nn. 72, 73, pp. 28, 29.
sect,
withthe —has copy, Englishtranslation,
land,"
xvii. ,
v. , p. 25,
3' Mr. Joseph O'Longan has kindly fur- nished this quatrain, to the writer, from the Book of Leinster, where it is found in the foot margin, col. 3, p. 353. He has also given —the accompanying English trans-
:
CUAnjU]' CAIT) CO]*OA|'
O biAch mo^ niAich oiaj'.
May Mocoemoc protect us,
To the eternal protection to
come,
Cuangus the chaste of perfect
knowledge,
From Liath Mor, good the two
men.
lation
:
Aongus. "
Abbot of Liath-mor.
*' See lib. 2. x. , cap.
*^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii xiii. Appendix ad Acta S. Mochcemoci Abbatis de Liath-mor, in Helia, cap. v. , pp. 598, 599.
*3 See "Historise Catholicae Ibemias
SAegtiL tnocAeinoc teic;
tloco ce^AC riA cui]A
ci\eic; "Oa fecc liibliA'OAn cec|\i cec
ni iA]\niA]\ ni immA]\bi\ec.
The age of Mochsemoc Liath, Noble or humble do not deny, Twice seven years and four hundred It is no addition, it is no fiction.
Substantially this agrees with the O'Clery's Irish version, and with the corresponding English translation. Mr. O'Longan says, that Leith, "grey," refers to Mochoemog himself, on account of his great age.
39 At the iii. Idus, Rev. Dr. Kelly's
edition " Lieth simply records, Mochoemog
moir," at p. xviii. In the Franciscan copy, at the same day, and after the entry of ten foreign saints, we find TnocliAemoc beich 1Tloi]\. Attached to this, is the gloss : Sac^uL niocliAem6c teich ni cebAC ctii]\ riA c]\eich xim. cccc. ni bAegul ni him- tnAi|\b]\ec.
33 In the margin of the original Calendar
were the letters f. ao. , which are interpreted
by Dr. Todd, as meaning, "the Feilire of 74, 75. There he is called Mochaemhog,
would here make an emenda- tion, that this notation orght probably to be 14 over 100, which should give him a term of 114 years. See "Acta Sanctorum Hi- bernisE," Martii xiii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochcemoci, cap. v. , p. 599.
3*
Colgan
•^5 The Irish words are
lent authority, to have been entered for others, signifying above one hundred. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 266, 267, and n. (c. ) Ibid.
3* See Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernica- rum Scriptores," Annales Ultonienses.
3' These writers, however, place his death at the 3rd of March : they must have meant the iii. of its Ides.
said, by
an excel-
Compendium," p. 49.
tomus
i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
Breac
been furnished by Professor O'Looney
t>. 111. IT).
HonpiAiTJe mocoemoc "Oon bichcoetnnu biAf
*° Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
** See "Circle of the Seasons," p. 73.
*5 To me, this appears confounding the present saint with St. Mochaoi, Abbot of
. ^ndruim, who died on the 23rd ofJune, A. D. 496, according to O'Donovan's " Annals of
the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to l6l, and n. (h. ) Ibid. The Annals of Inisfallen have A. D. 490 ; the Annals of Ulster, A. D. 493, and from a different authority A. D.
March 13. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
359
work,4^ however, serve to create some confusion, in the minds of his readers. '*? There is aUusion made to the Castle of Rath-Temaynj-t^ where the King of Ulster dwelt, as mentioned in the ancient Life of St. Mochcemog or Pulche- rius, found in the Book of Kilkenny. 49 This place, as we are told, was in Kilmore parish, county of Down. With more or less of ideal accuracy, in reference to his individuality, the Scotch Kalendars also commemorate St. Pulcherius. Thus at the 13th, iii. Idus, the Kalendar of Drummond has, in Hibernia, the Natal Day of the Holy Confessors, Mochoemoc and Cuangus, Avas celebrated. 5° To the succeeding article, our readers are referred, for some additional illustration. Besides his own place, at Leigh, where he was venerated as chief patron, there is a church, called Kill Mocsemog, or Kil- makevoge,5^ from this saint, and it is situated in the barony of Ida, and county of Kilkenny. 5^ There is, also, a large parish, called Kilmocomoge,53 in the West Riding of Cork County, and which probably derives its denomina-
tion from him.
"to
adorn a tale," some account regarding the labours, and life of a holy Irish
monk, who flourished in the sixth and seventh centuries, may claim attention and interest, when brought before Irish readers. They serve to illustrate the
habits and usages of our early monasticism, and the efforts of its promoters. Opposition, too, St. Mochoemoc had to meet with. However, his calm and
collected mind, so far from being disconcerted, only displayed a fertility of
resource, and all the greater, in proportion to the magnitude of the difficulties, with which he had to cope. Christian courage enabled him, not only to overcome those difficulties, but even to turn them into so many helps to favour his great enterprises. Thus, in a short time, he had the happiness to see the walls of a magnificent monastic establishment rising before his eyes, and it encouraged him the more to resume his labours of love. The Almighty crowned his work, with marvellous success, as he always desires to aid those, who are in earnest, about good and useful undertakings.
Article II. —Festival of a reputed St. Kevoca, in Scotland.
Passing from, or rather reverting to, the previous Life of St. Mochoemoc, we have next to consider cautiously the accounts furnished to us, from the
Scottish Calendars, and by Scottish writers, regarding a St. Kevoca, or Ken- nocha—as named by the BoUandists' at this day—and who is reputed to
Ifthe life of mancan be every good
presented,
point
a moral
and
498; while the Annals of Tighernach, give A. D. 497.
^* At p. 236, we find nothing regarding this saint, if he be not confounded with St. Mochumma of Druimbo.
^7 He alludes to a townland, called Ra- demnan, in which the Down Survey has a castle, called Radaman. It was in the Kinealarty portion of Kilmore parish, baro- nies of Kinealarty and Upper Castlereagh, county of Down. See " Ecclesiastical Anti- quities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix M, p. 216, and Calendar, LL, p. 377.
so Cgg Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 7.
S' See " Ordnance Survey Townland
MapsfortheCountyofKilkenny," Sheets 40, 41. The townland proper is on Sheet
41.
^^ See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (b), p. 267. The editor tells, that when he wrote, the
peasantry were beginning to corrupt this church to Kill- Ivory, from a false notion,
that Csemhog denoted ivory.
53 It is situated, in three different baronies,
viz. : Bantry, East Carbery and West Car- bery. Its bounds are defined on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," Sheets 79, 80, 91, 92, 93,
*® Colgan has printed it incorrectly Rath- "
leamain. See Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xiii.
