Lectio Epistol^e beati Pauli
Apostoli
ad Hebi aeos ; Fratres.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
c.
5T3, the tenth year of Muircheartach's reign, St.
Macnisi, i.
e.
, Aengus,
:'
Dromore, Appendix, n. (f), pp. 95 to 97.
36 For a fuller account of this incident, the
reader is referred by the Bollandist editor to
the Acts of St. Comgall, published at the 10th of May, in their great collection.
37 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris, iii. Acta S. Macnescii, sect. 7, 8, p. 665.
38 In his previous Commentary, to the Acts of St. Macnescius, the Bollandist
"
p. &cen] iTobrvaech -oiccurerc, cuiurtnacep
ChomcAi'oe -oe -oaiL — Cnerrittge-n, Cecepen,
A <\u& normriAcuf ere mac Cneirre. "
Cneisse. "
See his Life, in the Fifth Volume
35
this work, at the 10th of May, the date for his festival, Art. i.
39 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Sep- tembris iii. Acta S. Macnescii, sect. 6, p. 665.
40 Porter states
:
" Evivis hie cessit senex
venerabilis, 3 Septembris, Anno Domini 507: vel secundum alios, 514. "—"Com- pendium Annalium Ecclesiasticorum Regni Hiberniae," cap. vii. , p. 173.
41 He died on the 3rd day of September, and under this day of the month his festival
:
is placed in the Martyrology of -dingus the
Culdee —
He alluded to the Four Masters and
"nuc msse co rmli-o
o chotiDetub m<\n<\ib. "
" Mac Nisse with thousands From the great Condere. "
42 His death is recorded in the Annals of
as follows :—" 10 [recte 514]. Tigernach 5
of
sect, xiv. , p. 422, ibid.
44 See William M. Hennessy's edition,
PP- 36, 37-
45 •« Ware, following these Annals, has
(Ant. , cap. 29) the year 507. Harris, with his usual sagacity, observes (Bishops at Connor), that this date does not agree with that of the Innisfallen Annals, which have 506. But," writes Rev. Dr. Lanigan, "Ware knew what Harris did not, viz. , that said 506 was the same as our 507. Archdall (at Conner) left a. d. 506, as he found it. But Ware (in Bishops) adds that, according to some, Macnisse died A. D.
514.
Colgan, who have (A. A. S. S. p. 190) a. d. 513, 514. " See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect, ii. , p. 435, and n. 31, p. 439.
46 This is an error of the printer, as Sep- tember was evidently intended. See "Acta Kl iiii. true mr-p. . 1. <\enj;ur< erpuc Sanctorum Hiberniae," Januarii xxix. Vita
Conx>er\e <juieuic ; cuiuf j? r\4cer* [recte S. Gildse Badonici, n. 13, p. 190.
ut habent ejus Acta, torn, ii. , Maii, pag. 583. "
editor observes, regarding St. Comgall,
"s
514 Kal iiii.
our saint " Do replied :
Mac Nissi, i. e. , ^Engus, Bishop of Connor, rested ; whose father was called Fobraech ; whose mother, Cness, was daughter of Comchaide of the Dal Ceteren, from whom he was named Mac
43 of See "Ecclesiastical History
Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, ix. , p. 403, and
76 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
Bishop of Coinnere, or Connor, departed on the 3rd day of November. 4 * The insertion of November for September is an error, on the part of those annalists. 48 The Bollandists inform us, that Castellanus refers the death of St. Macniscius, Bishop over Connor, to about the year 600, or 589. But, they state, that by protracting his life to either of these years, Castellanus *9 appears to have confounded our saint with the Abbot Macniscius. The holy Bishop and founder of the see was buried in the city of Connor. 5°
The festival of St. Macnessius was celebrated on the 3rd of September, according to the Martyrology of Aengus, and all the Irish Calendars. In the Kalendar. of Drummond, he is recorded at the same date. 51 Also, Castellanus,52 and the more recent Martyrologists place it at the 3rd of September. In the Diocese of Connor, his festival is celebrated with a Double Office of the first-class, and with an Octave; in conjunction with St. Malachy O'Morgair, he is esteemed as the principal patron over that ecclesiastical division of Ireland. Nicholas Anthony O' Kenny, the Protono- tary Apostolic, published Proper Masses for the Patron Saints of France and of Ireland, in the year 1734. 53 Those were edited and printed by order of Clement XII. 54 Among them is to be found a Mass, at the 3rd day of September,55 and proper for the feast of St, Macnessius, Bishop and Con- fessor, as likewise general Patron over the Church and Diocese. The Bollandist editor has inserted this Mass ; or at least the proper portions of it, in a previous commentary. 56
47 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 168, 169.
48
Dr. Lanigan is at fault, in his conjecture, as not having examined, probably, a copy of the Annals of the Four Masters. After
vincia Hiberniae, S. Magnissius episcopus Connerensis. " In the supplement to ids
work, he more rightly adds : ". Macniseus, id est filius Nisae, quod erat nomen matris
ejus-'' See p. 705.
53 Bishop de Burgo has unaccountably
omitted St. in the " Officia Macnessius,
Propria Sanctorum Hibernise," published in Dublin, 1751.
54 See, also, the Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints," vol. ix. , iii. September.
55 The Bollandist editor of our Saints' Acts declares, that the memory of St. Mac- is ascribed to the same day in some
MSS. Catalogues of the Saints of Ireland,
" habemus sub involucio " quos *%* MS. 167.
He thinks it strange, however, this saint
had been omitted by Henry Fitzsimon, the
49 1 hey say, that Castellanus, at page 968,
most probably makes the Abbot Macniseus much less distinguished, and by Father
Hugh Ward, belonging to the Order of Friars Minor, in his catalogue of the Irish Saints, which he sent to Rosweyde in the year 1627. However, in a MS. forwarded by Ward to Rosweyde or to Bollandus, there are some notices of St. Macnessius which have been already given, partly in a previous note, and extracted from the learned work of Dr. Reeves. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris, iii. Commentaiius prasvius, sect. 3, p. 662.
56 I have inserted here the proper portions
—
" Introitus. Cogitavi dies antiquos, & annos aeternos in mente habui : & meditafus sum nocte cum cordo meo ; & exercitabar
citing Ware's Antiquities, cap. 2g, and
he " Here Harris comes Bishops, says, again
forward with a correction of Ware, and quotes Colgan as saying, that Macnisse died on the
3rd of November, 513. As to 513, it was the same as Ware's 514 ; but the variation November for September was owing to a mere error of the press \2\ A. A. S. S. p. 190), z. cir- cumstance quite common in Colgan's work. Elsewhere, he has third of September {ib. p. 377), which day he refers for the Acts of Mac- nisse. " See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect, ii. , n. 32, P- 439-
a different person from the Bishop of Connor. The Bollandist editor also remarks, "abbas enim Me obiit anno jSg, non circa C,
D ut 50 " Sanctus Mac Cneisi episcopus, qui
Castellanus vull. "
in sua civitate nomine —
jacet Connyre, quae
Fleming's
est in regione Dalnaraidhe. "
Comgalli, in Liber Kilkenniensis, fol. 90 /;,
col. 2
Sacra," p. 304.
;
and also
Vita S. " Collectanea
51 At iii. Nonas. " Apud Hiberniam Natale Sanctorum Con—fessorum Luin
Colman et Meic Nissi. " Bishop
" Kalendar of Scottish Saints," p. 23.
53 In Martyrologio Universali, at the 3rd
of September, he states :
"
In Ultonia, pro-
Forbes'
of this Mass taken from the same work
:
Irish Jesuit, who names other holy men
September 3. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 77
There was another Saint Macnessius,57 in Ireland, who also bore the
name Oena -<4Engus, in Latin ^Eneas or ^Engussius. He was Abbot over
Clonmacnoise, situated on the banks of the Shannon, and on the Western
Meathian boundaries. Although, there was an accidental concordance of
names, between our saint and this Abbot just mentioned ; yet, the circum-
stances of their separate places,58 festival days/9 and the years of their
60
fully suffice to discriminate them.
The Church of Annatrim in the parish of Offerlane, at the foot of Slieve
Bloom Mountain and in the Diocese of Ossory, is said to have been dedicated tothememoryofthissaint. Such,however,webelievetobeamistake,asthe present holy Bishop, Mac Nissi, has been called Caeman Breac, and he has been confounded with Caemhan, the Patron of Eanach-Truim, venerated on
the 3rd of November. 61 Doubtless, many misconceptions h—ave tended to obscure St. Mac Nissi's Acts, but our Christian traditions generally so respectable in the Irish Church—have preserved his virtues and merits, as the Patriarch of one among our most ancient dioceses, and as a Patron whose memory is deserving the veneration of his devout clients.
Article III. —St. Lon, or Loman, also called Lon-garadh, of Disert-Garadh, or of Magh Tuathat, Queen's County. [Sixth
respective deaths,
Century. ~\
In the ancient monastic schools of Ireland, learning and piety
were admirably combined ; and this too at a very early period, as we can
learn from the traditional and written accounts regarding the present devout
scholar. In the Feilire of St. y£ngus, at the 3rd of September, Longarad,
" a
sun," 1 is mentioned, as had his commemoration. We having
2
delightful
find a festival recorded, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal, at the same date,andinhonourofLon-garadh. Inthemanuscriptcopyofthatcalendar,
& scopebam spiritum meum. Psalmus. Vitali cibo recreati gratias tibi, Domine, Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi, voce mea agimus & rogamus, ut quod ad gloriam ad Dominum clamavi, voce mea ad Deum, sumpsimus sancti tui praesulis Macniscii,
& intendit mihi. Gloria Patris, &c. Cogitavi, &c. Oratio. Sancti Macniscii, Domine,
confessoris tui & pontificis, merito ad- juvemur; ut sicut te in illo mirabilem praedicamus, ita in nos misericordum fuisse gloriemur. Per Dominum, &c.
Lectio Epistol^e beati Pauli Apostoli ad Hebi aeos ; Fratres. Plures facti sunt sacerdotes, &c, usque adfinem capitis. Gradual. Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum, in mandatis ejus
nimis. ~f. Potens in terra erit semen ejus, generatio rectorum benedicetur. Alleluia, alleluia. ~ft. Gloria & divitiae in
ejus precibus sit nobis contra hostiles impetus auxilium. Per Dominum, &c. " After the insertion of the foregoing the Bollandist editor remarks: "Haec publicam &solennem hujus sancti Episcopi venerationem satis
"
superque probant.
57 See notices of him in the Sixth Volume
of this work at the 13th of June, Art. ii.
58 Connor and Clonmacnois are more than
eighty Irish miles apart,
S9 Mac Nissi of Clonmacnois is venerated
on the 13th of Jun**, while Mac Nissi of
Connor's feast occurs on the 3rd of Sep-
tember.
cupit
ejus, A&
manet in saeculum
domo
seculi.
secundum Matthreum ;
peraegre proficiscens, &c. Credo. Offer- torium. Meditabor in mandatis tuis, quae dilexi valde ; & servavi manus meas ad mandata tua, quaedilexi. Secreta. Sucri- ficium nostrum, Domine, beatus Macniscius sacerdos magnus majestatis tuae occulis reddat acceptum, qui se tibi dum vixit, sanctam & placentem hostiam immolavit. Per Dominum, &c. Communis. Laetabitur
Justus in Domino, & sperabit in eo : & lauda- buntur omnes recti corde. Postcommunio.
justitia ejus Sequentia
sancti
Homo quidam
^
While the death of Mac Nessius, Bishop
Evangelii
of Connor, is assigned to the early part of the sixth century, that of Mac Nessius, Abbot of Clonmacnois, is placed towards its close.
6l
See an account of him, at that date, in
the Eleventh Voiume of this work,
1
Article hi. — See translations of the
Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxvi.
a Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
78 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
a space had been left after the insertion of his name, to fill in the title of his
dignity, the O'Clerys being uncertain as to whether they should style him
or "
Lon, or Loman, to which the name of his place was afterwards added. It is
possible, that he may be the same as Lon or Lonn of Cill Gobhra, who is venerated on the 24th of June. * The present Lon-garadh is said to have belonged to Sliabh Mairge, or to have been of Magh Tuathat. s He is called
He was surnamed Garadh, from Disert Garadh, in the Queen's County, where he probably had a cell. ? Sliabh Mairge is a denomination still preserved in Slievemargy, now a barony in the Queen's County, and a district that formerly extendedveryneartothepresentcityofKilkenny. Towardsthesouth,it continued between the courses of the Nore and Barrow, forming the eastern
boundary of the principality of Ossory. This latter ridge is now better known as the Johnswell Mountains. 8 The tribe Ui-Fairchellaigh or Ui- Foircheallain gave name to a district, now known as a large parish called OrTerrilan, west of Mountrath, in the Barony of Upper Ossory, Queen's County. Theancientnameoftheplain,inwhichthistribewasseated,was
Magh-Tuathat. 9 TheparishofOrTerlane,containstheinterestingruinsofAna- I0
trim,andonlyatpresentthesiteofthemonasteryofMondrehid, but,itseems notcertain,thatDisertGeradh,orCillGabhra,canbeidentified. NearCastle- town," in this same parish, there is an old cemetery, enclosing the ruins of an interesting and a mediaeval church, now called Churchtown, and of con- siderable dimensions. Old toghers or bohers are yet traceable, and leading from it in different directions. The original Irish name for this church seems to be lost. Within the memory of a middle-aged man,12 the ruins were much more perfect, and a very beautiful east-end window remained in the gable, now destroyed. 13 An old stone font lay out under the canopy of heaven in the graveyard. 14 Lon-garadh was denominated " of the White Legs," either because they were covered with a whitish hair, or because they were smooth and very white. 15 Lon is said to have been a doctor in teaching, in history,
son-in-law to Peter, Earl of Ormonde, took forcible possession of this castle. He then garrisoned and held it for some time in war- like opposition to the Fitzpatricks. Subse- quently, he resigned it to the ancient pro- prietors, and accepted in lieu of it the manor and lands of Grantstown. See the " Par- liamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," vol. i. , p
11 " priest,"
abbot,"
bishop. "
3 His name seems to have been original
Lon-garadh Coisfinn,
6 of Disert Garadh, in the north of
Osraighe.
pp. 234, 235.
3 See the appended note of Rev. Dr. Todd,
p. 234, n. 1. —Ibid.
4 See an account of him, at that date, in
the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. iv.
s Of Magh Garadh, in Ui Fairchellaigh,
and of Cill Gabhra, in Sliabh Mairge, he is
called, in old documents.
6
Coisfinn ; i. e. , of the white foot. See ""
Martyology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves. Note by Dr.
O'Donovan, p. 234.
i See " Book of Obits and Martyrology
In May, 1870, Mr. Daniel F. Dowling, then living in Castletown, and certainly not much over 40 years of age.
I3 With many other details of an interest - of the Cathedral Church of the Holy ing character, which he promised to put on
Trinity," edited by John Clarke Crosthwaite and Rev. Dr. Todd. Introduction, p. lxxii.
* See John Hogan's " Kilkenny : the Ancient City of Ossory," &c, parti. , p. 30.
record, and he related the facts embodied in the text to the writer. Some fine sped- mens of its carved lime-stones were at the heads of graves, and others were placed in positions to preserve them from similar uses, by that respectable and highly intelligent
9 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (o), p. 560.
10
Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of man.
Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 446, 447.
11
Evidently so called from an old castle, the ruins of which are still to be seen on the
14 The country people often resort to it, and they use water, found in its cavity, as a lotion for the cure of warts.
southern banks of the River Nore.
in the sixteenth century, Sir Oliver Morres,
js Such is the statement of the grapher on /Engus, contained in the " Lea-
Early
glosso-
374.
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 79
in laws and in poetry. This saint was regarded, likewise, as the Augustine
of such was the and of his ecclesiastical 16 Ireland; depth range knowledge.
He was passionately addicted to a love of literature; but, it would seem, he was not remarkable for lending his much-prized books to others who desired their use or possession. '? The most valuable codices—especially the copies of Gospels and ritual Books—were often kept in polaire or leathern cases and in
or satchels. '9 These latter20 from fastened usually hung pegs
tiaga^
in the walls of the old Irish monasteries. In the time of St. Patrick, a legend
21
isrelated,thattheIrishApostle desiredaskinonwhichhesleptandstood,
while celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass, to be converted into a sack or satchel, which might serve to hold books. These were then fastened to the girdles of six attendant boys, who accompanied six Irish clerics, on a
22 and collector of books.
Roman
pilgrimage.
This saint is to have been a lover said, likewise, great
St. Columkille2 3once paid him a visit ; but, accord-
ing to the legend, Lon-garad hid his books, and his visitor predicted that
after Longarad's death, no man would be able to read the works which were
in his 2* and which were so withheld, from one who possession, inhospitably
could so thoroughly appreciate their value. It is a curious remark, how many similar ancient customs have prevailed, and in countries so very far remote, when we undertake the task of making —antiquarian comparisons.
Atthe — present
time, in the
monasteries and in that of notably
Abyssinian
Souriani the disposition of the monks' manuscripts is to Europeans very
original. Those manuscripts are usually hung in leather cases or satchels, tied with leather thongs, and having straps attached to the cases. By these, the books contained in them depend from long wooden pegs, fastened in the walls. 25 Those wooden pegs project underneath a shelf, carried in the
""
bhar Breac copy of his Feilire. " Art. i.
26
or four manuscripts are hung on one peg, or even on more, if the Cordices
Egyptian style around the walls, and at the height of the door-top.
Three
16 22"
Anancientvellumbook,whichwehave mentioned under St. Brigid's life, at 1st ot February, and under St. Patrick's, at the 17th March, states, that Lon-garadh, in his habits and life, was like to Augustine, who was very wise.
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,"
Vita Septima S. Patricii, pars ii„ cap. ix. ,
p. 130.
23 See his Life at the 9th of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
24 See " Transactions of the Royal Irish
*f It is probable, like most literary men,
he had found from experience, how difficult
it was to recover or recall them when lent ;
and, at a time when copies of tracts had not
been sufficiently multiplied, their absence
might have much retarded his pursuit of viii. , p. 93. There is also an illustrative knowledge, under difficulties of the period.
18 Called in Irish ciaja, in the legend of
Longaradh.
'9 In Latin usually called scetha, or sceta,
squesa or cetha, meaning in English, "a sheath. "
20 The Book of Armagh has also the significant term of scetha, at fol. 191, a. a. It is worthy of notice, also, that in Sulp'crps Severus' Preface to his Vita S. Mcuuu. , l. c printed text reads: " Libellum quern de vita S. Martini scripseram scheda sua premere. " See at p. 483, in George Horn's very complete edition of the works of that writer, published at Amsterdam, in 1665, 8vo.
21 See the Life of St. Patrick in the Third Volume of this work, at the 17th of March,
wood-cut, representing this singular arrange- ment, and the interior of the library. It serves to revive in our imagination some very probable scenes of our ancient Irish monastic community or library rooms,
26 The Library room at Souriani was
about twenty-six feet long, twenty wide, and twelve in height ; its roof was formed of the trunks of palm trees, across which reeds were laid. These supported a mass of earth and plaster, of which the terrace roof was corn- posed. The windows, at a good height from the ground, were unglazed ; but, they were defended with bars of iron-wood, or some hard kind of wood. The door opened into the garden, and its lock was of wood, also, according to the peculiar construction used
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus. By
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , pp. cxl. , cxli.
2S See the Hon. Robert Curzon's "Visit to Monasteries in the Levant," part i. , chap,
8o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September
be small. The usual size of these books is that of a small and very thick quarto. The books of Abyssinia are bound in the ordinary way ; sometimes
in wooden boards, which occasionally are elaborately carved in rude and coarse devices. The straps, attached to the book cases, were intended also to support these, and the manuscripts were carried over the shoulders. A very interesting account is given about the manner in which Abyssinian
manuscripts are written; most usually on skins or vellum, but occasionally, too, on charta bombycina. The ink used by the scribes is a compound of gum, lampblack and water. It is jet black, and it keeps the colour for ever ; while it is not corrosive or injurious, either to the pen or paper. The scribes use a reed pen. The ink-horn is the small end of a cow's horn, stuck into the ground, at the feet of the scribe. The Abyssinian manuscripts are adorned with the quaintest and griraest illuminations conceivable. The colours are composed of various ochres, and laid over the outlines of figures, first drawn with the pen. *? The foregoing recorded facts may probably throw considerable light on the preservation of the ancient books of Erinn, and
especially as relating to the legendary account of St. Longaradh's death. It
is said, that the book satchels of Erin, and the gospels, and the lesson books
of the 8 fell from their racks, on the of death. a9 students,' night Lon-garadh's
Another account states, that this happened in an apartment where St. Colum- kille and others dwelt. St. Columkille then announced to Baethin the death of Lon, of Garadh, in Ossory. 3° It was believed, also, that no person had
such a knowledge of books as Lon-garadh ; for, it is related, he used to understandtheminamostperfectmanner. UniversalregretforLon-garadh's death was felt in all the monasteries and schools of T and we have
in Egypt from time immemorial. That
Ireland,3
still some Irish poems extant which give expression to it. 32 There is still extant in an old Treatise some notices of this St. Longard, of Dysart Lon- gard, whose death brought such confusion to the Libraries of Ireland, in his
library contained perhaps nearly fifty
volumes, while the entire literature of
Abyssinia did not include more than double
such a number of works. Some old Coptic
and Syiiac manuscripts were found, also, and different version is given, and where the
purchased by the Hon. Mr. Curzon, while at Souriani.
:'
Dromore, Appendix, n. (f), pp. 95 to 97.
36 For a fuller account of this incident, the
reader is referred by the Bollandist editor to
the Acts of St. Comgall, published at the 10th of May, in their great collection.
37 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris, iii. Acta S. Macnescii, sect. 7, 8, p. 665.
38 In his previous Commentary, to the Acts of St. Macnescius, the Bollandist
"
p. &cen] iTobrvaech -oiccurerc, cuiurtnacep
ChomcAi'oe -oe -oaiL — Cnerrittge-n, Cecepen,
A <\u& normriAcuf ere mac Cneirre. "
Cneisse. "
See his Life, in the Fifth Volume
35
this work, at the 10th of May, the date for his festival, Art. i.
39 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Sep- tembris iii. Acta S. Macnescii, sect. 6, p. 665.
40 Porter states
:
" Evivis hie cessit senex
venerabilis, 3 Septembris, Anno Domini 507: vel secundum alios, 514. "—"Com- pendium Annalium Ecclesiasticorum Regni Hiberniae," cap. vii. , p. 173.
41 He died on the 3rd day of September, and under this day of the month his festival
:
is placed in the Martyrology of -dingus the
Culdee —
He alluded to the Four Masters and
"nuc msse co rmli-o
o chotiDetub m<\n<\ib. "
" Mac Nisse with thousands From the great Condere. "
42 His death is recorded in the Annals of
as follows :—" 10 [recte 514]. Tigernach 5
of
sect, xiv. , p. 422, ibid.
44 See William M. Hennessy's edition,
PP- 36, 37-
45 •« Ware, following these Annals, has
(Ant. , cap. 29) the year 507. Harris, with his usual sagacity, observes (Bishops at Connor), that this date does not agree with that of the Innisfallen Annals, which have 506. But," writes Rev. Dr. Lanigan, "Ware knew what Harris did not, viz. , that said 506 was the same as our 507. Archdall (at Conner) left a. d. 506, as he found it. But Ware (in Bishops) adds that, according to some, Macnisse died A. D.
514.
Colgan, who have (A. A. S. S. p. 190) a. d. 513, 514. " See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect, ii. , p. 435, and n. 31, p. 439.
46 This is an error of the printer, as Sep- tember was evidently intended. See "Acta Kl iiii. true mr-p. . 1. <\enj;ur< erpuc Sanctorum Hiberniae," Januarii xxix. Vita
Conx>er\e <juieuic ; cuiuf j? r\4cer* [recte S. Gildse Badonici, n. 13, p. 190.
ut habent ejus Acta, torn, ii. , Maii, pag. 583. "
editor observes, regarding St. Comgall,
"s
514 Kal iiii.
our saint " Do replied :
Mac Nissi, i. e. , ^Engus, Bishop of Connor, rested ; whose father was called Fobraech ; whose mother, Cness, was daughter of Comchaide of the Dal Ceteren, from whom he was named Mac
43 of See "Ecclesiastical History
Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, ix. , p. 403, and
76 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
Bishop of Coinnere, or Connor, departed on the 3rd day of November. 4 * The insertion of November for September is an error, on the part of those annalists. 48 The Bollandists inform us, that Castellanus refers the death of St. Macniscius, Bishop over Connor, to about the year 600, or 589. But, they state, that by protracting his life to either of these years, Castellanus *9 appears to have confounded our saint with the Abbot Macniscius. The holy Bishop and founder of the see was buried in the city of Connor. 5°
The festival of St. Macnessius was celebrated on the 3rd of September, according to the Martyrology of Aengus, and all the Irish Calendars. In the Kalendar. of Drummond, he is recorded at the same date. 51 Also, Castellanus,52 and the more recent Martyrologists place it at the 3rd of September. In the Diocese of Connor, his festival is celebrated with a Double Office of the first-class, and with an Octave; in conjunction with St. Malachy O'Morgair, he is esteemed as the principal patron over that ecclesiastical division of Ireland. Nicholas Anthony O' Kenny, the Protono- tary Apostolic, published Proper Masses for the Patron Saints of France and of Ireland, in the year 1734. 53 Those were edited and printed by order of Clement XII. 54 Among them is to be found a Mass, at the 3rd day of September,55 and proper for the feast of St, Macnessius, Bishop and Con- fessor, as likewise general Patron over the Church and Diocese. The Bollandist editor has inserted this Mass ; or at least the proper portions of it, in a previous commentary. 56
47 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 168, 169.
48
Dr. Lanigan is at fault, in his conjecture, as not having examined, probably, a copy of the Annals of the Four Masters. After
vincia Hiberniae, S. Magnissius episcopus Connerensis. " In the supplement to ids
work, he more rightly adds : ". Macniseus, id est filius Nisae, quod erat nomen matris
ejus-'' See p. 705.
53 Bishop de Burgo has unaccountably
omitted St. in the " Officia Macnessius,
Propria Sanctorum Hibernise," published in Dublin, 1751.
54 See, also, the Rev. Alban Butler's "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other principal Saints," vol. ix. , iii. September.
55 The Bollandist editor of our Saints' Acts declares, that the memory of St. Mac- is ascribed to the same day in some
MSS. Catalogues of the Saints of Ireland,
" habemus sub involucio " quos *%* MS. 167.
He thinks it strange, however, this saint
had been omitted by Henry Fitzsimon, the
49 1 hey say, that Castellanus, at page 968,
most probably makes the Abbot Macniseus much less distinguished, and by Father
Hugh Ward, belonging to the Order of Friars Minor, in his catalogue of the Irish Saints, which he sent to Rosweyde in the year 1627. However, in a MS. forwarded by Ward to Rosweyde or to Bollandus, there are some notices of St. Macnessius which have been already given, partly in a previous note, and extracted from the learned work of Dr. Reeves. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris, iii. Commentaiius prasvius, sect. 3, p. 662.
56 I have inserted here the proper portions
—
" Introitus. Cogitavi dies antiquos, & annos aeternos in mente habui : & meditafus sum nocte cum cordo meo ; & exercitabar
citing Ware's Antiquities, cap. 2g, and
he " Here Harris comes Bishops, says, again
forward with a correction of Ware, and quotes Colgan as saying, that Macnisse died on the
3rd of November, 513. As to 513, it was the same as Ware's 514 ; but the variation November for September was owing to a mere error of the press \2\ A. A. S. S. p. 190), z. cir- cumstance quite common in Colgan's work. Elsewhere, he has third of September {ib. p. 377), which day he refers for the Acts of Mac- nisse. " See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sect, ii. , n. 32, P- 439-
a different person from the Bishop of Connor. The Bollandist editor also remarks, "abbas enim Me obiit anno jSg, non circa C,
D ut 50 " Sanctus Mac Cneisi episcopus, qui
Castellanus vull. "
in sua civitate nomine —
jacet Connyre, quae
Fleming's
est in regione Dalnaraidhe. "
Comgalli, in Liber Kilkenniensis, fol. 90 /;,
col. 2
Sacra," p. 304.
;
and also
Vita S. " Collectanea
51 At iii. Nonas. " Apud Hiberniam Natale Sanctorum Con—fessorum Luin
Colman et Meic Nissi. " Bishop
" Kalendar of Scottish Saints," p. 23.
53 In Martyrologio Universali, at the 3rd
of September, he states :
"
In Ultonia, pro-
Forbes'
of this Mass taken from the same work
:
Irish Jesuit, who names other holy men
September 3. ] LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. 77
There was another Saint Macnessius,57 in Ireland, who also bore the
name Oena -<4Engus, in Latin ^Eneas or ^Engussius. He was Abbot over
Clonmacnoise, situated on the banks of the Shannon, and on the Western
Meathian boundaries. Although, there was an accidental concordance of
names, between our saint and this Abbot just mentioned ; yet, the circum-
stances of their separate places,58 festival days/9 and the years of their
60
fully suffice to discriminate them.
The Church of Annatrim in the parish of Offerlane, at the foot of Slieve
Bloom Mountain and in the Diocese of Ossory, is said to have been dedicated tothememoryofthissaint. Such,however,webelievetobeamistake,asthe present holy Bishop, Mac Nissi, has been called Caeman Breac, and he has been confounded with Caemhan, the Patron of Eanach-Truim, venerated on
the 3rd of November. 61 Doubtless, many misconceptions h—ave tended to obscure St. Mac Nissi's Acts, but our Christian traditions generally so respectable in the Irish Church—have preserved his virtues and merits, as the Patriarch of one among our most ancient dioceses, and as a Patron whose memory is deserving the veneration of his devout clients.
Article III. —St. Lon, or Loman, also called Lon-garadh, of Disert-Garadh, or of Magh Tuathat, Queen's County. [Sixth
respective deaths,
Century. ~\
In the ancient monastic schools of Ireland, learning and piety
were admirably combined ; and this too at a very early period, as we can
learn from the traditional and written accounts regarding the present devout
scholar. In the Feilire of St. y£ngus, at the 3rd of September, Longarad,
" a
sun," 1 is mentioned, as had his commemoration. We having
2
delightful
find a festival recorded, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal, at the same date,andinhonourofLon-garadh. Inthemanuscriptcopyofthatcalendar,
& scopebam spiritum meum. Psalmus. Vitali cibo recreati gratias tibi, Domine, Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi, voce mea agimus & rogamus, ut quod ad gloriam ad Dominum clamavi, voce mea ad Deum, sumpsimus sancti tui praesulis Macniscii,
& intendit mihi. Gloria Patris, &c. Cogitavi, &c. Oratio. Sancti Macniscii, Domine,
confessoris tui & pontificis, merito ad- juvemur; ut sicut te in illo mirabilem praedicamus, ita in nos misericordum fuisse gloriemur. Per Dominum, &c.
Lectio Epistol^e beati Pauli Apostoli ad Hebi aeos ; Fratres. Plures facti sunt sacerdotes, &c, usque adfinem capitis. Gradual. Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum, in mandatis ejus
nimis. ~f. Potens in terra erit semen ejus, generatio rectorum benedicetur. Alleluia, alleluia. ~ft. Gloria & divitiae in
ejus precibus sit nobis contra hostiles impetus auxilium. Per Dominum, &c. " After the insertion of the foregoing the Bollandist editor remarks: "Haec publicam &solennem hujus sancti Episcopi venerationem satis
"
superque probant.
57 See notices of him in the Sixth Volume
of this work at the 13th of June, Art. ii.
58 Connor and Clonmacnois are more than
eighty Irish miles apart,
S9 Mac Nissi of Clonmacnois is venerated
on the 13th of Jun**, while Mac Nissi of
Connor's feast occurs on the 3rd of Sep-
tember.
cupit
ejus, A&
manet in saeculum
domo
seculi.
secundum Matthreum ;
peraegre proficiscens, &c. Credo. Offer- torium. Meditabor in mandatis tuis, quae dilexi valde ; & servavi manus meas ad mandata tua, quaedilexi. Secreta. Sucri- ficium nostrum, Domine, beatus Macniscius sacerdos magnus majestatis tuae occulis reddat acceptum, qui se tibi dum vixit, sanctam & placentem hostiam immolavit. Per Dominum, &c. Communis. Laetabitur
Justus in Domino, & sperabit in eo : & lauda- buntur omnes recti corde. Postcommunio.
justitia ejus Sequentia
sancti
Homo quidam
^
While the death of Mac Nessius, Bishop
Evangelii
of Connor, is assigned to the early part of the sixth century, that of Mac Nessius, Abbot of Clonmacnois, is placed towards its close.
6l
See an account of him, at that date, in
the Eleventh Voiume of this work,
1
Article hi. — See translations of the
Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxvi.
a Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
78 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
a space had been left after the insertion of his name, to fill in the title of his
dignity, the O'Clerys being uncertain as to whether they should style him
or "
Lon, or Loman, to which the name of his place was afterwards added. It is
possible, that he may be the same as Lon or Lonn of Cill Gobhra, who is venerated on the 24th of June. * The present Lon-garadh is said to have belonged to Sliabh Mairge, or to have been of Magh Tuathat. s He is called
He was surnamed Garadh, from Disert Garadh, in the Queen's County, where he probably had a cell. ? Sliabh Mairge is a denomination still preserved in Slievemargy, now a barony in the Queen's County, and a district that formerly extendedveryneartothepresentcityofKilkenny. Towardsthesouth,it continued between the courses of the Nore and Barrow, forming the eastern
boundary of the principality of Ossory. This latter ridge is now better known as the Johnswell Mountains. 8 The tribe Ui-Fairchellaigh or Ui- Foircheallain gave name to a district, now known as a large parish called OrTerrilan, west of Mountrath, in the Barony of Upper Ossory, Queen's County. Theancientnameoftheplain,inwhichthistribewasseated,was
Magh-Tuathat. 9 TheparishofOrTerlane,containstheinterestingruinsofAna- I0
trim,andonlyatpresentthesiteofthemonasteryofMondrehid, but,itseems notcertain,thatDisertGeradh,orCillGabhra,canbeidentified. NearCastle- town," in this same parish, there is an old cemetery, enclosing the ruins of an interesting and a mediaeval church, now called Churchtown, and of con- siderable dimensions. Old toghers or bohers are yet traceable, and leading from it in different directions. The original Irish name for this church seems to be lost. Within the memory of a middle-aged man,12 the ruins were much more perfect, and a very beautiful east-end window remained in the gable, now destroyed. 13 An old stone font lay out under the canopy of heaven in the graveyard. 14 Lon-garadh was denominated " of the White Legs," either because they were covered with a whitish hair, or because they were smooth and very white. 15 Lon is said to have been a doctor in teaching, in history,
son-in-law to Peter, Earl of Ormonde, took forcible possession of this castle. He then garrisoned and held it for some time in war- like opposition to the Fitzpatricks. Subse- quently, he resigned it to the ancient pro- prietors, and accepted in lieu of it the manor and lands of Grantstown. See the " Par- liamentary Gazetteer of Ireland," vol. i. , p
11 " priest,"
abbot,"
bishop. "
3 His name seems to have been original
Lon-garadh Coisfinn,
6 of Disert Garadh, in the north of
Osraighe.
pp. 234, 235.
3 See the appended note of Rev. Dr. Todd,
p. 234, n. 1. —Ibid.
4 See an account of him, at that date, in
the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. iv.
s Of Magh Garadh, in Ui Fairchellaigh,
and of Cill Gabhra, in Sliabh Mairge, he is
called, in old documents.
6
Coisfinn ; i. e. , of the white foot. See ""
Martyology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves. Note by Dr.
O'Donovan, p. 234.
i See " Book of Obits and Martyrology
In May, 1870, Mr. Daniel F. Dowling, then living in Castletown, and certainly not much over 40 years of age.
I3 With many other details of an interest - of the Cathedral Church of the Holy ing character, which he promised to put on
Trinity," edited by John Clarke Crosthwaite and Rev. Dr. Todd. Introduction, p. lxxii.
* See John Hogan's " Kilkenny : the Ancient City of Ossory," &c, parti. , p. 30.
record, and he related the facts embodied in the text to the writer. Some fine sped- mens of its carved lime-stones were at the heads of graves, and others were placed in positions to preserve them from similar uses, by that respectable and highly intelligent
9 See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (o), p. 560.
10
Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of man.
Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 446, 447.
11
Evidently so called from an old castle, the ruins of which are still to be seen on the
14 The country people often resort to it, and they use water, found in its cavity, as a lotion for the cure of warts.
southern banks of the River Nore.
in the sixteenth century, Sir Oliver Morres,
js Such is the statement of the grapher on /Engus, contained in the " Lea-
Early
glosso-
374.
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 79
in laws and in poetry. This saint was regarded, likewise, as the Augustine
of such was the and of his ecclesiastical 16 Ireland; depth range knowledge.
He was passionately addicted to a love of literature; but, it would seem, he was not remarkable for lending his much-prized books to others who desired their use or possession. '? The most valuable codices—especially the copies of Gospels and ritual Books—were often kept in polaire or leathern cases and in
or satchels. '9 These latter20 from fastened usually hung pegs
tiaga^
in the walls of the old Irish monasteries. In the time of St. Patrick, a legend
21
isrelated,thattheIrishApostle desiredaskinonwhichhesleptandstood,
while celebrating the holy sacrifice of the Mass, to be converted into a sack or satchel, which might serve to hold books. These were then fastened to the girdles of six attendant boys, who accompanied six Irish clerics, on a
22 and collector of books.
Roman
pilgrimage.
This saint is to have been a lover said, likewise, great
St. Columkille2 3once paid him a visit ; but, accord-
ing to the legend, Lon-garad hid his books, and his visitor predicted that
after Longarad's death, no man would be able to read the works which were
in his 2* and which were so withheld, from one who possession, inhospitably
could so thoroughly appreciate their value. It is a curious remark, how many similar ancient customs have prevailed, and in countries so very far remote, when we undertake the task of making —antiquarian comparisons.
Atthe — present
time, in the
monasteries and in that of notably
Abyssinian
Souriani the disposition of the monks' manuscripts is to Europeans very
original. Those manuscripts are usually hung in leather cases or satchels, tied with leather thongs, and having straps attached to the cases. By these, the books contained in them depend from long wooden pegs, fastened in the walls. 25 Those wooden pegs project underneath a shelf, carried in the
""
bhar Breac copy of his Feilire. " Art. i.
26
or four manuscripts are hung on one peg, or even on more, if the Cordices
Egyptian style around the walls, and at the height of the door-top.
Three
16 22"
Anancientvellumbook,whichwehave mentioned under St. Brigid's life, at 1st ot February, and under St. Patrick's, at the 17th March, states, that Lon-garadh, in his habits and life, was like to Augustine, who was very wise.
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga,"
Vita Septima S. Patricii, pars ii„ cap. ix. ,
p. 130.
23 See his Life at the 9th of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
24 See " Transactions of the Royal Irish
*f It is probable, like most literary men,
he had found from experience, how difficult
it was to recover or recall them when lent ;
and, at a time when copies of tracts had not
been sufficiently multiplied, their absence
might have much retarded his pursuit of viii. , p. 93. There is also an illustrative knowledge, under difficulties of the period.
18 Called in Irish ciaja, in the legend of
Longaradh.
'9 In Latin usually called scetha, or sceta,
squesa or cetha, meaning in English, "a sheath. "
20 The Book of Armagh has also the significant term of scetha, at fol. 191, a. a. It is worthy of notice, also, that in Sulp'crps Severus' Preface to his Vita S. Mcuuu. , l. c printed text reads: " Libellum quern de vita S. Martini scripseram scheda sua premere. " See at p. 483, in George Horn's very complete edition of the works of that writer, published at Amsterdam, in 1665, 8vo.
21 See the Life of St. Patrick in the Third Volume of this work, at the 17th of March,
wood-cut, representing this singular arrange- ment, and the interior of the library. It serves to revive in our imagination some very probable scenes of our ancient Irish monastic community or library rooms,
26 The Library room at Souriani was
about twenty-six feet long, twenty wide, and twelve in height ; its roof was formed of the trunks of palm trees, across which reeds were laid. These supported a mass of earth and plaster, of which the terrace roof was corn- posed. The windows, at a good height from the ground, were unglazed ; but, they were defended with bars of iron-wood, or some hard kind of wood. The door opened into the garden, and its lock was of wood, also, according to the peculiar construction used
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus. By
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , pp. cxl. , cxli.
2S See the Hon. Robert Curzon's "Visit to Monasteries in the Levant," part i. , chap,
8o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September
be small. The usual size of these books is that of a small and very thick quarto. The books of Abyssinia are bound in the ordinary way ; sometimes
in wooden boards, which occasionally are elaborately carved in rude and coarse devices. The straps, attached to the book cases, were intended also to support these, and the manuscripts were carried over the shoulders. A very interesting account is given about the manner in which Abyssinian
manuscripts are written; most usually on skins or vellum, but occasionally, too, on charta bombycina. The ink used by the scribes is a compound of gum, lampblack and water. It is jet black, and it keeps the colour for ever ; while it is not corrosive or injurious, either to the pen or paper. The scribes use a reed pen. The ink-horn is the small end of a cow's horn, stuck into the ground, at the feet of the scribe. The Abyssinian manuscripts are adorned with the quaintest and griraest illuminations conceivable. The colours are composed of various ochres, and laid over the outlines of figures, first drawn with the pen. *? The foregoing recorded facts may probably throw considerable light on the preservation of the ancient books of Erinn, and
especially as relating to the legendary account of St. Longaradh's death. It
is said, that the book satchels of Erin, and the gospels, and the lesson books
of the 8 fell from their racks, on the of death. a9 students,' night Lon-garadh's
Another account states, that this happened in an apartment where St. Colum- kille and others dwelt. St. Columkille then announced to Baethin the death of Lon, of Garadh, in Ossory. 3° It was believed, also, that no person had
such a knowledge of books as Lon-garadh ; for, it is related, he used to understandtheminamostperfectmanner. UniversalregretforLon-garadh's death was felt in all the monasteries and schools of T and we have
in Egypt from time immemorial. That
Ireland,3
still some Irish poems extant which give expression to it. 32 There is still extant in an old Treatise some notices of this St. Longard, of Dysart Lon- gard, whose death brought such confusion to the Libraries of Ireland, in his
library contained perhaps nearly fifty
volumes, while the entire literature of
Abyssinia did not include more than double
such a number of works. Some old Coptic
and Syiiac manuscripts were found, also, and different version is given, and where the
purchased by the Hon. Mr. Curzon, while at Souriani.
