No More Learning

'^ The parish of Timahoe or Fossy, in the Barony of Cullenagh, is described, on Sheets
it is described, on the Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Wexford, Sheets 34, 33, 35, 40.
" See " Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of 18, 19, 24, 25. Ibid. The townland of Wexford, collected during the Progress of the
Timahoe is on Sheets
'< The accompanying illustration
Ordnance — in vol.
Survey 1840," ii. , p. 361.
—Article VI. 'Thus, "MedaniEpiseopi. "
in "Menologiura Scotorum," Bishop For-
bes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 196. 'See"ActaSanctorum,"tomusii. , Ap- rilis xiv. Among the pretermitted feasts, p.
taken on the spot, as the author believes, in
the summer of 1865. It has been transferred
tothewoodandengraved,byGregorGrey, of Dublin.
18, 19, 24.
•'*lt ii in the barony of Shelbume, and
was
148 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 15.
Article VII. —Reputed Feast of St. Erard, Missionary at Ratis-
BON, Bavaria. \Seventh Century? \^ At this date, April 14th, Camerarius has recorded a festival for Eberhard, Bishop. On the same authority, the Bollandists ' enter his feast. His Acts are already given, at the 8th day of January, and to these the reader is referred, for the particulars of his career.
jfifteentJ) 33ap of 3pn'U
ARTICLE I. —ST. RUADHAN, OR RODAN, ABBOT OF LOTHRA, OR LORRAH, COUNTY OF TIPPERARY.
[SIXTH CENTURY. }
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—SOURCES FOR ST. RUADHAN's OR RODAN'S BIOGRArHY—HIS FAMILY AND BIRTH—HIS RELIGIOUS VOCATION AND TRAINING—EDUCATED BY ST. FINIAN OF CLONARD—HE RETURNS TO MUSKERRY—FOUNDATION OF LORRAH, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE.
WE should no more confound the traditions and legends of the saints,
with infallible than we the of
dogma, ought drops morning dew,
withtheaurorarays,whichbeamuponthem. Rathermustweconsiderwith emotionthatmysticism,nowsolittle understood,andthepoetryofpastages,
as emanations of a world, penetrated with the faith and spirit of Christianity. Various traditions of the saints are not of faith. They serve, however, to
revive the memory of holy persons long departed, and, as occurred to a great French Catholic writer, in reference to St. Francis of Assisium,' to present the recollection of such servants of God, as if they died only on yesterday.
Various Manuscript Lives of St. Ruadan, or Rodan, are extant in Ire- land,'' and in other countries. Thus, among the Burgundian MSS. , in the public Library at Bruxelles, there is a fragment of St. Ruan's Life,3 trans- cribed from an Irish original, by Michael O'Clery. 't In the Bodleian Lib- rary, at Oxford,5 and at the Salamanca Library, in Spain, Manuscript Lives of him are to be found. Some notices of St. Ruadhan are given, by Bishop Chal- lenor,*Rev. AlbanButler,? andRev. S. Baring-Gould. ^ ByColgan,some
Article vn. —"See "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus ii. , Aprilis xiy. Among the preter-
3 it is to be met with, in vol. xxii. , at fol. io5.
* It is classed, vol. iv. , Part ii. , p. 52.
mitted feasts, p. 199.
Chapter —
Completes. " tome v. , Preface, p. 6.
'
'"5 i. SeeOzanam's CEeuvres
arethusdescribed VitaS. Ruadani Abbatisde Lothra. MS. Also, Bodl. Rawl, B. 505, pp. 16, 21, veil, f xiv. 53, ill the Trinity College. Dublin, Manu- cent. , and MS. Bodl. Rawl, B. 485, f. 217,
Thus, there is a Vita S. Ruadani, at fol.
script, classed E, 3, II. There is a Vita S.
Ruadani, among the Manuscripts of Marsh's
Library, Dublin, fol. 86, 88b, veil. xiii. cen-
tury. In the Franciscan Convent, Dublin,
there is a Manuscript, intituled, "Vits other principal saints," vol. iv. , April xv. Sanctorum," ex Cod. Inisensi. It contains ^ See " Li\es of the Saints," vol. iv. , April Vita S. Ruadhani, p. 14 ad 21. 15, pp. 202 to 204.
Theseva'-ious
copies
:
veil. 4to, xiv. cent.
'See "Britannia Sancta," Part i. , p.
227.
? See " Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and
April 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. U9
Acts of this saint appear to have been collected for publication, at the 15th of April;9and,heintendedpublishingthem,onthatday. '° Anancientvellum
us some particulars—many of a legendary character—regarding the present saint. " This Life " has been edited by a learned and judicious critic, Father Daniel Papebroch. He tells us, that it has been written in a simple and rude style, resembling in this respect, almost all other Lives of Irish Saints, composed in the twelfth century, or at some period nearly subsequent. It should seem, from this remark, that Papebroch inclined to an opinion, that this tract, which he edited, was not older than the twelfth century, although the subject of it
lived, in the sixth century. He was contemporaneous with St. Columba,'J Abbot of lona ; and, Ruadan lived, somewhat before the birth of that saint,
Manuscript, procured from the College of Irish Jesuit Fathers, at Salamanca, and which contained the Life of St. Ruadan, enabled the Bollandists to give
from the
—had a of this Colgan copy
here
somewhat more elaborate and
as
saint's life,
writtenatalaterperiodthantheBollandists'publishedone appearsfroma particular narration, which may rather be regarded as a fable. 's This has been omitted by Papebroke, in the Acts of St. Ruadan, inserted, at the 15th of April; lest, as he observes, its absurdity should furnish an occasion for scandal. Papebroke did not consider it a matter of much importance, to procure the more recent copy, used by Colgan, when editing our Saint's Acts ;
for, he supposed the more ancient one followed the original and prior autho- rities, with greater fidelity. He considered, likewise, that St. Ruadhan's bio-
graphy could not have been enhanced, by the recent and enlarged copy. At a time, when the Catholic Church was firmly established in Ireland, Pape- broke is satisfied, the name of this saint was celebrated and venerable, among theIrish; for,heisreckonedasone,themostillustriousoftheirholypersons, whose Acts have been written. Again, Papebroch hoped, when the Acts of Irish Saints for April and succeeding months should be edited by Col- gan's'* successors, those records, which were in their possession, perhaps might furnish much information, regarding that ancient and solemn vene- ration, in which our present saint had formerly been held. "'
appears
biograjihy
given.
yet
— likewise
* See Catalogus Actuum . Sanctorum cpx Ms. habentur, Urdine . Mensium et Uieruin. " See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemii," xiiii. Februarii, n. 24, p. 398, and v. Maitii, n.
37,p. 465. Ibid.
" See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
Aprilis XV. De S. Rudano sive Ruadano Abbate, Lothrensi in Hibemia, pp. 382 to 386.
" It is published, in Three Chapters, and in Seventeen Sections, illustrated by notes.
while a commentary, in Three Paragraphs, precedes it.
edenda," referring tu these Acts. It is sadly to be regretted, tnose hopes were destined to
sufferdisappuintment. Even,atthepresent day, the biethren ol Colgan's order have not
completed the learned and patriotic Fran- ciscan's labours. Yet, it would seem from
Papcbrock';, remark, that about the time he wrote, in, or before, the year 1675, he must have received some information, which led
him to entertain a hope, that the "Acta " SanctorumHibermac weretobecontinued,
Or, at least, we may infer, that Colgan's MSS. wereexpectedtohavebeenpublished, soon after the period indicated, by the Irish Franciscans, living at Louvain. Many of the>e Manuscripts are probably now dis-
'J
Alter these remarks, thus rendered from
Papebroke'i Latin, he adds, within a paren-
thesis ("neque enim u-. qucqu. ique carent
tanto — monunienta ailmixtione post scripta
fabularum,") &c. "Acta Sanctorum," vol.
ii. , Apnlia xt. , Prxvius Commentarius, sect.
i, p. 382.
and lost
iever. il most im-
'*
. See his Life, at the 9th of June.
•' See " Trias Colgan's
' adds, that the Papebroke
Thaumaturga. " Secunda Appendix ad Acta S. Columbae, sect. xxxix. ,p. 461. The Liie of St, Ruadan,
Martyrology of Tallagh then furnished exclusive testimony
cap. xxxi. , is there quoted. '* "
of this fact. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Aprilis xv. De S. Rodano, &c. Com- mentarius prsevius, sect. 3, p. 382.
Papebroke, has it, brevi ut speramus
That
amplified although
although,
{Mjrtant ones among them have been brought
from Rome to Xhe Franciscan Convent, Merchant j' Quay, Dublin, where they are at present accessible.
persed
;
ISO LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 15.
There are various modes for writing the name of our saint. The Manu-
script, used by Papebroke, called him Rodanus, to the tenth number, or paragraph : afterwards, the name is found written Ruodanus, or sometimes Ruadanus. Thislatterorthographyseemstohavebeenadopted,byFather John Colgan, as also by the author of the Tallagh Martyrology. '^ However, Papebroke retained the first, as the most facile, when—giving the Acts of our saint. It is probable, that the Cologne Carthusians—when editing the Martyrology of Usuard,'? with their own comments added fell into the mis- take of calling our saint Candanus,=° by following some copy, in which his namewaswrittenRuadanus. "' Thislatterword,mostlikely,hadnotbeen inserted very legibly, or in plain characters. ''"
This saint is said to have been of noble extraction. However, it is not easy
to discover the place of his birth or family residence. '^ Ruadan was son to
Birrus,"* and he descended, from the noble family of Duach, surnamed Galach. ^s He sprung from the posterity of Dubrugy. "^ Ruadan seems to have been born, about or after the beginning of the sixth century, and to have beenachildofelectionfromhismother'swomb. Duringhisveryinfancy, hewasentirelydevotedtotheloveGod. ThroughaninspirationofDivine Grace, he left his parents and went towards the territories of Niall's pos- terity,"' or Meath,"* for the purpose of reading the Holy Scriptures, and of subjecting himself to ecclesiastical discipline. He studied for a long time, under St. Finnian,"' Bishop of Clonard.
3° When thoroughly instructed in
••"Ruadan Lothra. "—Rev. Dr. Kelly's
editionofthe"MartyrologyofTaUagh',"p. xxi. ' In 1521, this edition appeared.
'"The Carthusians have written "In
Hibernia Candani Episcopi. " Canisius, in his German Martyrology, followed them. His remarks, in turn, were copied by Fera- rius, in his "Catalogus Generalis Sanc- torum. "
that Ruadan's birth must be assigned to the earlypartofthesixthcentury,ashestudied under St. Finian of Clonard, and was reckoned among his chief disciples. Ibid.
'* The O'Clerys' Martyrology relates, that his Ruadhan belonged to the race of Eoghan Mor, son of OilioU Olum. Thus Ruadhan was the son of Fergus Beru, son to Eochaidh, son to Dera Dubh, son of Daire, son to OiloU Flannbeg, son of Fiacha Maillethan,
son to Eoghan Mor, son of OilioU Olum. "
"
Papebroch observes, that in all the In-
dices of proper names, as given by Colgan, the name Candanus nowhere occurs, nor any similarname. Hence,itmaybedoubted,if he were an Irish saint, iliid. ,%tct. 3, The doubt will be altogether removed, and Pape- broke's opinion confirmed, when the name Candanus is not found, in O'Clery's Martyr- ology, at the 15th of April.
-'
However, Pajjebroch would not under- take to assert absolutely, that there had not been a saint Candanus, in Ireland; for, Henry Fitzsimon, in his Catalogue of the principal Irish Saints, reproduces the name Candanus, on the authority of Canisius. He adds, the derivation of a place,
°sInthe"TriasThaumaturga ofColgan, he citesa Life of St. Benignus, in Tertia Ap- pendix ad Acta St. Patricii ; and, it is stated, there, that St. Patrick predicted the enjoyment of a kingdom and a numerous posterity to Duach, younger son to Brian, King of Connaught. See num. xxvi. , pp. 203, 204.
" a
in Hibernia.
error, it is difficult to believe, that the proper names of any Irishman could be set down Baile-Ruadan, or, as written, in this life, Pol-Ruodan. He then adds, whoever gave name to Ballicandan, it appears altogether likely, that the St. Ruadhan, set down in our Irish Martyrologies at this date, had no con- nexion with it.
"3 See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical His-
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect, xii. , p. 233. This learned writer conjectures,
from the same
"
person,
quo Balli-candan,
Niall,
in Irish his-
Papebroch says, owing to any
" Papebroch conjectured, that the place, called Dubrugy, the country of St. Raudan's
nativity, might have belonged to the descen- dants of the aforesaid Duach. See " Acta
Sanctorum," tomus ii.
cap. i. , n. (a), p. 383. ^' Known as the Ui
tory. "^
De S. Rodano, &c. ,
Here were the mensal lands of the supreme Monarch of Ireland, and for a long period these were possessed, by the North- ern Ui Niall kings.
'^ His feast occurs, at the I2th of De- cember. His Life will be found, at that date.
3° The Bollandists have remarked, in their commentary on St. Kieran's Act. s, "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Marlii v. , num. 12, that St. Finian began to teach in Ireland,
April 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 151
Sacred Scripture, and perfect in all devout practices, our saint, taking leave ofhisMaster,3'wenttothecountryofMuskerry. 3» Here,heissaidtohave taken up his residence,'3 with Mac Cunethin. 3< In that locality, he remained, until an angel was sent from God, to announce that it should not betheplaceofhisresurrection. Then,Ruadanleftthatparticularspot,and, he went to another, 35 where a city existed, at the time his Acts were written. Affrighted on his arrival, a wild boar fled hastily from a hollow tree, at this
spot. It is said, that there St. Ruadan founded his city,3* probably at Lorrah,37 anciently called Lothra, within the present barony of Lower Ormond, in the
Medixval Ruin at Lorrha, Coanty of Tipperaiy.
county of Tipperary. J' The site of this monastery lies about three miles eastward from the River Shannon, and its position is yet very picturesque. A
about the beginning of the sixth century ; yet, not in the Monastery of Clonard, of which he received possession, only about the
year 540.
3' In the Life of our saint, as published by
the Bollandists, it is said, "accepto gradu
valedicens Magistro," &c. These expressions show, that the writer of our saint's Acts
ferred to was St. Finnian.
'^ This territory was within the province
of Munster, and under distinctive denomina- tions.
"The text has "ibique primitus apud Mac-Cunethin locum sibi constituit. "
" Papebroch suggests, it is more proba- ble, that Mac-Cuncthan should be written Mac-Kincpthum, as Kinoethus was an Irish
name well recognised, according to the histo-
rical Indices of Colgan. It was not known to Papebroch, that the person named was an Irish saint. See n. (e), p. 383.
3= Without warrant, Challoner as- ISishop
sumes, that Kuadhan founded an Abbey, at Muscrigia, or Muscrity, in Munster, and a
flourished at a recent comparatively
>* See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. ,
rilisxv. Vita S. Rodani, cap. i. , sect. L, pp.
382. 383-
3' This town and parish are in the barony
of Lower Ormond, and descriiied, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Tipperary," Sheets I, 3, 4, 5, 7. The town and townland are on Sheet 4.
Formerly, Lorrha lay within the territory of MuscraigeTire, the extent ofwhichis defined, by Sir Charles O'Carroll, in a letter to the
LordDeputy,a. d. 1585. Itwascomprised, also, within the principality of Thomond.
period, and when the conferring of University de- grees were established. The master here re-
Ap-
different one at Lothra. See Sancta," Part i. , p. 227.
"
Britannia
152 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 15.
collection of venerable ruins yet remain, but bearing a comparatively modern date. The old Dominican Abbey ruins 3' are the most picturesque, and they are situate witliin a cemetery, beside a small stream, which flows into the Friars' Lough,4° a little below the village of Lorrah, and thence into the Shannon. High old woods and copse trees crown the rising grounds, on its left bank. ^' Beside the Dominican church ruins, those of a medisval mill are to be found,
and on the stream's right bank, where they are seen, a deep cut through a rocky surface may be traced. Besides the foregoing interesting remains, there is a singular old mediaeval house, at Lorrah. Its walls are massive, and per- forated with windows. One of its gables was surmounted by a belfry. *" It consisted of two stories, and it is now thickly covered with ivy, on the gables. In the graveyard surrounding it are the pedestal and broken shaft of a mas- sive Irish cross. « This spot seems to have been the original site for St.
Ruadhan's Monastery, and it posseses the advantage of situation, over that
occupied by the old Dominican Abbey. It is generally supposed, that our saint founded his religious house,*'* at Lorrah, somewh—at near a. d. 550.
Ab—out the same time, St. Brendan Mac-Tualt *5 or rather perhaps Ua
See "The Topographical Poems of John O'Dubhaijain and Giolla na Naomh
O'Huidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan, LL. D. , p. Ixx. , n. 613.
3* In the first Life of St. Kieran of Saighir.
as published by Colgan, St. Ruadan is said to have been Abbot of Lothra, or Lorrah, during Kieran's lifetime. See Dr. Lanigan's " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap. X. , sect, ii. , n. 31, p. 9, and chap, xii. , nn. 182. 183, pp. 233, 234-
3' An engraving of these will be found, in
" The Dublin Penny Journal," vol. ii. , No.
86. A description of the old building fol- lows, by T. A. , but the writer seems to have
been very uninformed, regarding the history of the place. See pp. 265, 266.
The Tipperary and Clare Mountains stretch off towards the south. The ruined walls are nearly three feet in thickness, and the church measured fifty feet, in length, by twenty-four, in breadth. The eastern gable is nearly perfect, with an elegant lancet-shaped win- dow of cut stone ; and, it has a semi-circular arch, beautifully turned, on the interior splay. At the other end, the grble has dis- appeared ; but, the side walls are tolerably preserved, except where there is a little breach on the south side. There the only en- trancedooroncestood. Achamberofsmall dimensions occupied the west end, and a ruinous cross-wall may yet be traced there, with a door havhig cut stone jambs curiously contrived and placed. This church is evi- dently an ancient one ; but, only unbaptized infants are now buried within its walls.
a for not far from and in a
Alt *^ had erected
town,calledTulach-Brendin. *^ Bothoftheseestablishmentsweresonear,
residence
himself,
Ruadhan,
*° This deep pool is now of mo<lerate size,
although before the bottom lands around it
underwent drainage, a vast sheet of water The fields around it are called the Church
spread over them, from below tlie Dominican
Parks.
the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and engraved by Mrs. Millard.
ruins. The
bream, perch and roach, in the Fiiars' visist to this place, the author drew the Lough. During a visit to the place, in accompanying sketch, since transferred to
catch
August, 1869, the writer had an opportunity for taking those notes from information ob-
Abbey
angler may
pike,
tained on the
*' At the distance of half a mile, on a
sloping ground the other side, are the ruins
of Porilanil old church, and a graveyard ex-
tends around it, but now disused for pur-
poses of interment. The railway from Birr
to Portumna interposes through a low, moory feast is assigned to the l6th of . May, where bottom. The site of Portland church is truly his Life will be found. But, as he remarks, magnificent, and it dominates over an arm the latter was son to Finlocha, son of Athil, of the River Shannon, spreading into Lough according to the Manuscript Life, at St. Derg, at some distance below. Rich pasture Maximinius. See, at cap. i. , n. (f), p. 383. lands surround the ruins, and have com-
spot.
engraving.
pletely obliterated the graveyard ; but, vene- rable old ash and hawthorn trees grow near the well-jointed and massive lime-stones.
conjecture of Papebroch.
*" This we deem to be the correct read-
ing.
*' In on the occasion of a August, 1856,
*3 This is shown in the object
** By Archdall, it is called, an Abbey of "
Regular Canons. See Monasticon Hiber- nicum. " p. 666.
5 The Bollandist editor supposed him to have been St. Brendan, the Navigator, whose
Perhaps, Tualt is used for Athil, whicli is the
April 15. ] LIVES OF THE IRISIT SAINTS. 153
that the bells of either churches were heard, at one and the same station.
" I and Ruadan cannot dwell together therefore, I am resolved on leaving this place for him. " Brendan then went
and he built Clonfert,*' and Ruadhan blessed him, " Thy forth, saying, city
shall not be less important than mine. "<' When St. Ruadhan went out from
the northern parts of Ireland, he wrought many wonders, and he acquired a
He wished, likewise, to establish a residence for himself, in that quarter ; but, a certain man, on whose lands he desired to build, took him by the hand, and prevented him. It is stated, that the sea and the sea-shore 5° covered the fields of this man, so that they were no longer habitable. 5'
CHAPTER II.
MIRACLES WROUGHT BV ST. RUADHAN—HE VISITS TIR-OLLEA—HE RESTORES TO HEALTH THE QUEEN OF KING KCALAIN—HE BRINGS TO LIFE THE SON OF A BRITISH KING—HIS COMMUNITY AND THEIR SIMPLE HABITS OF LIVING AT LORRHA.
On a certain day, when St. Ruadan came to a city, which was called Snam- Luthir,' in the territory of Carbry's Race," it chanced, that the dead body of
the king, who ruled over this district, was brought in a chariot, to that city. Allhisformersubjectswerebewailinghisdeath. Ruadan,compassionating them, prayed to the Lord, and the king was instantly restored to life. After- wards, the ruler presented his city Luthir,' and his subjects, for the future disposal of St Ruadan. On a certain day, when St. Ruadan came to a place, called Roys-Enni,« which seems to have been in Hi-crich-archer.