totheAnnalsoftheFour According
Masters,
Nennio, or,
as
he
86 As we do not find that he attained a it is very extraordinary age,
570.
Masters,
Nennio, or,
as
he
86 As we do not find that he attained a it is very extraordinary age,
570.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
Patrick.
5?
The original wooden edifice on Nendrum, in course of time, was superseded by a more solid stonebuilding,58 sometracesofwhichyetremain,asweareinformed.
The western extremity of Island Magee, on which Nendrum church and Round Tower 50 formerly stood, is something like the shape of a mallet head.
About the year 550, a stone church at Nendrum appears to have been built, accord- ing to the conjecture of Dr.
Reeves.
60 At the western extremity of the Island are yet traceable the foundations of a former church, encompassed by a triple cashel.
61 Three oval enclosures interrupt the ascent, from the water's edge, and successively encircle the crown of the hill, in terrace form.
The lowest and outermost one of these has been subjected to the process of cultivation, and is of course in part defaced ; but, proofs are nevertheless afforded, that it was of oval shape, with the long diameter lying north and south.
The second enclosure is nearly concentric, and it lies about thirty yards higher up, being
he had departed this life.
s° By these are to be understood the monks who were then living in the monas- teryofNendrum.
vii. , and nn. 73, 74, pp. 346, 348, 349.
S5 A note by Dr. Todd renders this word
Eiteach: by"thewinged,orflyingcrozier," 5' This same legend is related by the com- and it is so called from the legend. See
mentator on the "Feilire" of St. Aingus ; "6
Martyrology of Donegal," p. 178, n. 1. but, the English translation in the Martyr- s According to the Irish Tripartite Life of ologyofDonegal,"ism—oreintelligible,than St. Patrick. SeeMissM. F. Cusack's"Life
that elsewhere given
" A sleep without decay of the body, Mochaoi of Aendruim slept ;
Of the people of the congregation where the sage was,
He did not find but the descendants. Three melodies of delightful music
of St. Patrick, of Apostle
57
Ireland," p. 384.
The in ofabird angel shape
Lib. i. , cap. xvi.
s8 It arose from the water's edge, by a
gentle slope, to an elevation of sixty-six feet. 59 Judging from its diameter, it might be inferred that this Tower was below the middle standard in height, and this is proba-
bly an indication of its remote antiquity.
^See "Ecclesiastical of Antiquities
Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix F, p. 189.
:
sang. In the middle of the wood at the foot
ofthetree,
Fifty years each melody lasted. "
53 The death of St. Mochoe, who built the monastery of Teach Mochoe in Leix, is placed at the year 497, by Archdall. Hence, it is inferred to have been our saint, to whom his remarks apply.
53 See "Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
6l
Paper designated "A Description of Nen- drum, commonly called Mahee Island, em- bracing its present condition and past History," by the Rev. William Reeves, M. B. , Impropriate Curate of Kilconriola, in the diocese of Connor. Read 5th November, 1845, PP- 23 to 39- This first published Essay gave earnest of the Rev. Dr. Reeves'
597> 598.
54 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical capacity to deal with Irish Ecclesiastical
"
History of Ireland," vol, i. , chap, vii. , sect. Antiquities.
"
Further details may be found in that
June 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
775
more clearly defined. The third encompasses a level space, about seventy yardsindiameter,andthisapproachesnearerthefigureofacircle. Itisplaced
ontheupperpartofthatlargeoval,formedbytheexterior 6
62 Nendrum church 3 stood near the centre of this elevated platform, but of this building
only its foundations now remain. 6* A closed well, artificially
in, is situated on the eastern side, and without the enclosures. On the same side, and at
the foot of that eminence on which the church stands, a creek may 'be seen This is supposed to have been the usual landing-place, at which certain ships
Round Tower and Castle on Mahee Island, County of Down.
6*
Mochaoi. Remains of some rude stoneworks are to be found at this creek. 66 A
arrived, which had come from Britain,
although not in the time of St.
62
an excellent idea of Mahee Island and its surroundings, in that Paper to which allusion has been
already made.
63 During an examination made, several
skeletons were found, lying in and about the church site.
64 The Protestant church ot the parish is situated on a little hill, near the shore, and opposite to this island. The chuchyard is beside it, and some ruins of a church, bear- ing the date 1639 over its doorway, may be seen within the enclosure. See Rev. Mr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix F, pp. 195 to 197.
65 " Et ecce naves, quibus sanctissimus
Pontifex nomine Nennio cum suis inerat, de
66 The which the site of rings encompass
Nendrum old church belong to that species of enclosure, which is technically called a Cashel. An interesting dissertation on Cashels may be found, in Dr. George Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs,
vii. , pp. 445 to 452.
67 For an illustration, and further particu-
lars, regarding Mahee Island, the reader is referred to the notices of St. Mochumma or
Documma, at the 31st of January, n the First Volume of this work, Art. ii.
68 The accompanying illustration, taken from an original drawing by J. H. Burgess, and lithographed by Marcus Ward, Belfast, has been copied by William F. Wakenian, and drawn on the wood, engraved by Mrs.
Lithographed Maps give
Britannia; venientes, — insulae coram Millard. The original view appeared, in
Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii i. De S.
Moinenno, sive Mon-Nennio, Episcopo Cluanfertensi, p. 438.
portum
Monasterio tenuerunt. " Colgan's "Acta Papers
"
read before the Down and Connor serves to illustrate the Paper of Rev.
and Dromore Church Architecture Society,
during the year 1844, Belfast, 1S45, 4t0- It
rings.
776 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 23.
fewfragmentsshowingthebaseofaRoundTower67 remainneartheoldchurch foundations,68 and not far removed are the ruins of a castle, more modern by many centuries. 6^ Desolate and lonely now appears the site of these ancient remains, yet singularly beautiful. ' The church of ^Endrom or Nendrum was situated in the same part of Ulster, as that in which the monastery of
1
Bangor had been placed. 7
There is no good foundation for the statement of Ware, Harris,? 2 and
others, that our saint, if he be identical with the person called Ccelan or Cailan, had been consecrated Bishop of Down, 73 as mentioned in those Acts, 74
cited by Archbishop Ussher. 75 On chronological grounds, objections have been raised 76 to such a statement. The writer feels inclined to consider
Mochay and Caylan 77 as distinct persons, although they may have ruled overthesamemonasteryofNendrum. Thedeathoftheformerisassigned
to the close of fifth century. We are told, however, in the Life of St. Fin-
8 of or
nian,7 Maghbile79 Moville,
8o whoflourishedinthemiddleofthesixth
century, that whilst he was a youth, he was sent to the venerable old man
Coelan,81 Abbot of ^Eondrium, to receive instruction, and that the latter
it advisable to send him 82 to a in 8 3 which
thought great monastery Britain,
was governed by Nennio. 84 Now, as St. Finnian is said to have died in the
William Reeves, " A Description of Nen- drum," &c.
*9 This was built by one Captain Browne, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and he then settled on land claimed by the Pro- testant Bishop Merryman of Down. See
O
Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , pp.
367. 368.
i° For further details, the reader is re-
carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , P- 529-
76 By Rev. Dr. Lanigan, who argues that Cailan died while Abbot of Nendrum ; and,
therefore, he places Fergus, first on the list of the bishops of Down.
Very
Rev.
James
Laverty's
Archbishop
Ussher that after observes,
this ancient church was accurately deter- mined, by Rev. William Reeves, D. D.
found, in the eastern and maritime parts of
Ulster. Ibid. , xiii. Januarii. De S. Alello
seu Alildo Archiep. Ard. , n. 2, p. 62.
Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 494.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xii. Januarii. De S. Cumiano Epis- copo Bobii sepulto, n. 6, p. 59. Again, Colgan remarks, elsewhere, that Moville,
78 See his Life, at the 10th of ber.
7' See
Colgan's
Septem-
" Historical
77
Account of the Diocese of Down and receiving instruction from Bishop Colman in
ferred to the " Paper read before the Down in Britannia sacris disciplinis plenius eru- and Connor and Dromore Church Architec- diendus postea commendatus, Romam de- ture Society," published in Belfast, 1845, mum perrexit," &c. See Works of Arch-
"
and in which, for the first time, the site of bishop Ussher, vol. vi. ,
Britannicarum
79 St. Finnian of Maghbile, in the county of Down, is thought to have founded his Kilclief, Down and Antrim are all to be establishment there, not later than the year
?
3
See Harris Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of
2t >-
There are some writers, such as Colgan
Down,"p. 194.
73 In his Index Clironologicus, at the
"
year 520, Ussher says, Ccelanus sive
Kelanus Abbas Noendrumensis, postea
-5-, 80
Dunensi—s ordinatus Episcopus, in Hibernia "
and O'Connor, who supposed, that this saint
was identical with St. Frigidian, Bishop of
Lucca in Italy. According to Colgan, St.
Frigidian or Finnian died, about the year 595. See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernian," xviii, Martii. Vita S. Fridiani, Appendix, cap. vi. ,p. 650. See,also,theActsofthis St. Frigidian, at the iSth of November.
floriut. " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An-
tiquitates," p. 527.
7* See Kev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
Appendix A, p. 144.
» To the Acts of St. Ccelan, Ussher refers
in the passage : "quern actorum ipsius de-
81
Archbishop Ussher mentions Coelan as
Kelanum et Coelanum nominat
atque ex abbata Duncnsem postea in—Ultonia factum fuisse episcopum significat. " W01 ka
of Archbishop Ussher, vol. vi. , "Britanni- 438.
scriptor
;
Ireland, St. Finnian afterwards "a Coelano Noendrumensi Abbate Nennioni sedis quae Magnum vocabatur Monasterium Episcopo
540, and to have died in the year 576. See
Rev. Dr. " Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, vi. , pp.
still an Abbot in 520. See his Index Chro-
nologicus.
83 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
niae," Martii i. De S. Moinenno, sive Mon-Nennio, Episcopo Cluanferiensi, p.
June 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
777
year 576, he must have obtained an extraordinary longevity, if we could sup- pose him the pupil of a master, who departed some eighty years before that
8* St.
is called, St. Maeineann, Bishop of Clonfert, died on the 1st of March, a. d.
date.
totheAnnalsoftheFour According
Masters,
Nennio, or,
as
he
86 As we do not find that he attained a it is very extraordinary age,
570.
equally improbable that our saint could have directed St. Finnian to a school,
which, in all probability, was not established for many years subsequent to the year 497. It is likely enough, that St. Cailin or Coelan had been Abbot of Nendrum, after the death ofMochaoi. Perhaps, the former might have been a
ofthelattersaint. TheRev. Dr. 8? whomakesoursaintabbot Lanigan,
disciple
of Antrim,88 confounds here this latter place with Nendrum, as he does in a
8
varietyofotherinstances,? throughouthi—swork; yet,veryproperly,hedistin-
guishes between Mochay and Cailan9° the latter supposed by Sir James Ware91 tohavebeenfirstbishopofDown,? 2 afterSt. Patrick. However,the Rev. Dr. Lanigan undoubtedly is in error, when he makes both of them for- mer residents of modern Antrim,93 which must be distinguished carefully from
83 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan thinks, that this
could not have occurred earlier than a. d.
520. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
land," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xiv. , n. 189, of the century. See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
p. 424.
84 Nennio of Britain is supposed, by
Colgan, to have been identical with Mon- Nennius of Clonfert.
85 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 206, 207.
"
Bishops of Down," p. 194.
86
See his Acts at the 1st of March, in
92 " Cailan is called also Coelan, and had been abbot at Antrim, perhaps under St. Mochay. Colgan does not, as far as I can discover, speak of Coelan as a bishop. He seems not to have had his Acts, which Ussher refers to as indicating that from
Colgan's
being
Down. Yet,therearestrongreasonsforbe- lieving that he was not at any time a bishop ; one of which is that we find him when far advanced in life, still styled merely abbot of Antrim. Or, if he became bishop of Down,
" Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
pp.
abbot at Antrim he became of bishop
437 to 439. Also the account of St. Moinend
or Maoineann, Bishop of Clonfert, at the 1st
of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. v.
8? It has been conjectured, also, that
Mochay s See was not Antrim, but Dun- he must have been promoted when very old,
drum,inthecountyofDown. Thiscannot be reconciled with his being constantly known by the name of Mochay Aendruim, that is, as Dr. Lanigan found it generally explained, Antrim.
88 Sir James Ware—has it, also, "Antrim an-
tiquitus ^Endrum. " " De Hibemia et Anti-
quitatibus ejus," cap. xxvi. , p. 183.
89 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
and undoubtedly not before some time in the sixthcentury. Yet,whetherbishopornot,he may be justly reckoned among the eminent
men ofthe fifth century, althoug—hhe may have liveduntilabouttheyear540. " "Ecclesias-
tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xiv. , pp. 422, 423.
93 With our present more enlarged know-
is to ledgeofancientIrishplaces,k amusing
land," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect, hi. , p. 217. follow the rather confident manner, in which
Also, chap, vii. , sect, vii. , p. 346, and n. 74, pp. 348, 349. Also, chap, viii. , sect. ix. , p. 403, and sect, xiv. , n. 187, pp. 423, 424.
he seeks to identify Antrim with Nendrum. Ussher evidently could not find out the latter place, since he has a query at Noendrumensis. —"AnEdrumensis. " See"DeBritannica- rum Ecclesiarum Primordis, "cap. x vii. , p. 954-
9"t Theparticle11a,of,asRev. Dr. Lanigan explains, is frequently prefixed to the names of places, when persons belonging to them
90 According to Archbishop Ussher, Coe-
lan was no higher than abbot of Nendruim,
when Colman of Dromore became his pupil.
See Ussher's " De Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Primordis. " Addenda et emendanda, are spoken of ; and if folLowed by a word
p. 1065. The Rev. Dr. Lanigan re- marks : "If Colman lived so late as
some writers thought, Coelan could not have been a bishop until about the middle of the sixth century. But we shall soon see that Colman lived many years ear-
—"
beginning with a vowel, it is contracted into
n. Not knowing this, or not reflecting on it, Harris has given at Monasteries a Nen-
drum or Noendrum, in Down, as Cailan's monastery, and he has been followed by Archdall, who says, that it is now unknown.
remarks Dr. that Lanigan,
Ecclesias- tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. ,
It is no wonder,
it should be so, whereas it never existed.
lier than is usually supposed. " sect, xiv. , n. 190.
55
In more
than one
place, Archbishop
91 It has been surmised, also, that he had
been a contemporary with Macnisse, and that he was raised to that See about the end
778 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 23.
Nendurm,94 Latinized Noendrumensis,°5 and Aondromensis, or Aendrumen-
sis. Again, the same writer falls into an error, when he makes the
°6 of the Islands—off the coast of Down—to be identical with largest Copland
Neddrum," instead of Mahee Island, situated in Strangford Lough.
St. Mochaoi lived to a venerable age. He departed this life on the 23rd
to the Annals of Innisfallen in the 8 his year 490 ;°
of
death is recorded in the Annals of Ulster at 493 ;99 and again, from a different
day
June, according
authority,
at the I02
IO° Some such as the year 498. authorities,
O'Clerys
IQI and
Colgan assign
IQ3 his at 496. Tighernach places death,
his demise to a. d.
497; while, he relates the death of another Mochua, * belonging to Nen-
644.
as a relic.
An interesting annalistic account of Abbots and Bishops, belonging to the
ancient church of Nendrum, may be found in the learned work of Dr. Reeves, to which reference has been already made. The last entry in these Annals is at a. d. 974. Nendrum monastery is supposed to have been pillaged and demolished by the Danes, at a period shortly subsequent, as ships conveying
these marauders were continually floating in Strangford Lough. Long before this time, it would seem to have had some tributary relation to the See of Down. It rendered each year to this See a subsidy commemorative of the lowly office of swine-herd, from which St. Mochay had been raised by St. Patrick. 106 Nendrum is mentioned as a possession, belonging to the See of Down, in 1 178, when its name is next found on record. At that date, John de Courcy assigns it to monks of an English Abbey dedicated to St. Bega io7
10
told,
called baculus volans, or " the flying staff," had been preserved in this church,
drum,
and who died a. d.
We are
I0s that the staff of St.
Mochaoi,
or Bees lo8 of
Coupland.
100 The feast of our saint was in the long kept,
Ussher alludes to Caylanus or CcelanusNen- drumensis abbas. See " De Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordis," xvii. , ;
Secunda Vita S. Patricii, n. 5, p. 20.
,03 In these terms: A. c. 497, mochae n OenT>r»oni4 " Mo Mochae of
cap. p. 954 and also Addenda et emendanda, p. 1065. Colgan mentions him by the name of
quietnc. Nendrum rested. ''
,04 "There is a curious tradition of St. "Coelanus abbas Aondromensis," and Mochay, the founder of Nendrum, that he would fain reckon him among the disci- was charmed by a bird for 150 years, and pies of St. Patrick. See " Trias Thauma- that at the expiration of that time he re- visited the church he had founded, but the new generation did not know him. Could the rationale of this legend be, that this Mochua, who died 147 years later, was mis- taken for his predecessor, and thus the ab- for con- surd story be forged? Jocelin calls Moc- —
turga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269,
96 Called Big Isle, and supposed incor- rectly by Rev. Dr. Lanigan to have been anciently denominated Neddrum.
He takes Allemand to task,
97
founding Noendrum with Neddrum, and haoi, the founder of this church, Mochua. "
thence taking occasion to criticize Ussher, Rev. Dr. Reeves'
"
Ecclesiastical Antiqui-
for having placed a monastery at Neddrum, ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," where there was none until late in the Appendix A, p. 149.
twelfth
98 See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hi-
bernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 4.
99 See ilnd. , tomus iv. , p. 9.
100 See ibid. , tomus ii. , Tigernachi Anna-
*°5 See "Trias Colgan's
century.
Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxxvii. , p. 73.
les, p. 125.
101 They state, at the year 496, that hoc est, Dunensi pendere consuevit. "
""
he Mochaoi, Abbot of Aendruim, died on t—
twenty-third day of the month of June. " Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to 161. See, also, n. (h), p. 159, ibid.
102 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernirc," xxix. Januarii, Vita S.
he had departed this life.
s° By these are to be understood the monks who were then living in the monas- teryofNendrum.
vii. , and nn. 73, 74, pp. 346, 348, 349.
S5 A note by Dr. Todd renders this word
Eiteach: by"thewinged,orflyingcrozier," 5' This same legend is related by the com- and it is so called from the legend. See
mentator on the "Feilire" of St. Aingus ; "6
Martyrology of Donegal," p. 178, n. 1. but, the English translation in the Martyr- s According to the Irish Tripartite Life of ologyofDonegal,"ism—oreintelligible,than St. Patrick. SeeMissM. F. Cusack's"Life
that elsewhere given
" A sleep without decay of the body, Mochaoi of Aendruim slept ;
Of the people of the congregation where the sage was,
He did not find but the descendants. Three melodies of delightful music
of St. Patrick, of Apostle
57
Ireland," p. 384.
The in ofabird angel shape
Lib. i. , cap. xvi.
s8 It arose from the water's edge, by a
gentle slope, to an elevation of sixty-six feet. 59 Judging from its diameter, it might be inferred that this Tower was below the middle standard in height, and this is proba-
bly an indication of its remote antiquity.
^See "Ecclesiastical of Antiquities
Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix F, p. 189.
:
sang. In the middle of the wood at the foot
ofthetree,
Fifty years each melody lasted. "
53 The death of St. Mochoe, who built the monastery of Teach Mochoe in Leix, is placed at the year 497, by Archdall. Hence, it is inferred to have been our saint, to whom his remarks apply.
53 See "Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
6l
Paper designated "A Description of Nen- drum, commonly called Mahee Island, em- bracing its present condition and past History," by the Rev. William Reeves, M. B. , Impropriate Curate of Kilconriola, in the diocese of Connor. Read 5th November, 1845, PP- 23 to 39- This first published Essay gave earnest of the Rev. Dr. Reeves'
597> 598.
54 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical capacity to deal with Irish Ecclesiastical
"
History of Ireland," vol, i. , chap, vii. , sect. Antiquities.
"
Further details may be found in that
June 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
775
more clearly defined. The third encompasses a level space, about seventy yardsindiameter,andthisapproachesnearerthefigureofacircle. Itisplaced
ontheupperpartofthatlargeoval,formedbytheexterior 6
62 Nendrum church 3 stood near the centre of this elevated platform, but of this building
only its foundations now remain. 6* A closed well, artificially
in, is situated on the eastern side, and without the enclosures. On the same side, and at
the foot of that eminence on which the church stands, a creek may 'be seen This is supposed to have been the usual landing-place, at which certain ships
Round Tower and Castle on Mahee Island, County of Down.
6*
Mochaoi. Remains of some rude stoneworks are to be found at this creek. 66 A
arrived, which had come from Britain,
although not in the time of St.
62
an excellent idea of Mahee Island and its surroundings, in that Paper to which allusion has been
already made.
63 During an examination made, several
skeletons were found, lying in and about the church site.
64 The Protestant church ot the parish is situated on a little hill, near the shore, and opposite to this island. The chuchyard is beside it, and some ruins of a church, bear- ing the date 1639 over its doorway, may be seen within the enclosure. See Rev. Mr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix F, pp. 195 to 197.
65 " Et ecce naves, quibus sanctissimus
Pontifex nomine Nennio cum suis inerat, de
66 The which the site of rings encompass
Nendrum old church belong to that species of enclosure, which is technically called a Cashel. An interesting dissertation on Cashels may be found, in Dr. George Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs,
vii. , pp. 445 to 452.
67 For an illustration, and further particu-
lars, regarding Mahee Island, the reader is referred to the notices of St. Mochumma or
Documma, at the 31st of January, n the First Volume of this work, Art. ii.
68 The accompanying illustration, taken from an original drawing by J. H. Burgess, and lithographed by Marcus Ward, Belfast, has been copied by William F. Wakenian, and drawn on the wood, engraved by Mrs.
Lithographed Maps give
Britannia; venientes, — insulae coram Millard. The original view appeared, in
Sanctorum Hibernise," Martii i. De S.
Moinenno, sive Mon-Nennio, Episcopo Cluanfertensi, p. 438.
portum
Monasterio tenuerunt. " Colgan's "Acta Papers
"
read before the Down and Connor serves to illustrate the Paper of Rev.
and Dromore Church Architecture Society,
during the year 1844, Belfast, 1S45, 4t0- It
rings.
776 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 23.
fewfragmentsshowingthebaseofaRoundTower67 remainneartheoldchurch foundations,68 and not far removed are the ruins of a castle, more modern by many centuries. 6^ Desolate and lonely now appears the site of these ancient remains, yet singularly beautiful. ' The church of ^Endrom or Nendrum was situated in the same part of Ulster, as that in which the monastery of
1
Bangor had been placed. 7
There is no good foundation for the statement of Ware, Harris,? 2 and
others, that our saint, if he be identical with the person called Ccelan or Cailan, had been consecrated Bishop of Down, 73 as mentioned in those Acts, 74
cited by Archbishop Ussher. 75 On chronological grounds, objections have been raised 76 to such a statement. The writer feels inclined to consider
Mochay and Caylan 77 as distinct persons, although they may have ruled overthesamemonasteryofNendrum. Thedeathoftheformerisassigned
to the close of fifth century. We are told, however, in the Life of St. Fin-
8 of or
nian,7 Maghbile79 Moville,
8o whoflourishedinthemiddleofthesixth
century, that whilst he was a youth, he was sent to the venerable old man
Coelan,81 Abbot of ^Eondrium, to receive instruction, and that the latter
it advisable to send him 82 to a in 8 3 which
thought great monastery Britain,
was governed by Nennio. 84 Now, as St. Finnian is said to have died in the
William Reeves, " A Description of Nen- drum," &c.
*9 This was built by one Captain Browne, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and he then settled on land claimed by the Pro- testant Bishop Merryman of Down. See
O
Connor, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , pp.
367. 368.
i° For further details, the reader is re-
carum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , P- 529-
76 By Rev. Dr. Lanigan, who argues that Cailan died while Abbot of Nendrum ; and,
therefore, he places Fergus, first on the list of the bishops of Down.
Very
Rev.
James
Laverty's
Archbishop
Ussher that after observes,
this ancient church was accurately deter- mined, by Rev. William Reeves, D. D.
found, in the eastern and maritime parts of
Ulster. Ibid. , xiii. Januarii. De S. Alello
seu Alildo Archiep. Ard. , n. 2, p. 62.
Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 494.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xii. Januarii. De S. Cumiano Epis- copo Bobii sepulto, n. 6, p. 59. Again, Colgan remarks, elsewhere, that Moville,
78 See his Life, at the 10th of ber.
7' See
Colgan's
Septem-
" Historical
77
Account of the Diocese of Down and receiving instruction from Bishop Colman in
ferred to the " Paper read before the Down in Britannia sacris disciplinis plenius eru- and Connor and Dromore Church Architec- diendus postea commendatus, Romam de- ture Society," published in Belfast, 1845, mum perrexit," &c. See Works of Arch-
"
and in which, for the first time, the site of bishop Ussher, vol. vi. ,
Britannicarum
79 St. Finnian of Maghbile, in the county of Down, is thought to have founded his Kilclief, Down and Antrim are all to be establishment there, not later than the year
?
3
See Harris Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of
2t >-
There are some writers, such as Colgan
Down,"p. 194.
73 In his Index Clironologicus, at the
"
year 520, Ussher says, Ccelanus sive
Kelanus Abbas Noendrumensis, postea
-5-, 80
Dunensi—s ordinatus Episcopus, in Hibernia "
and O'Connor, who supposed, that this saint
was identical with St. Frigidian, Bishop of
Lucca in Italy. According to Colgan, St.
Frigidian or Finnian died, about the year 595. See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernian," xviii, Martii. Vita S. Fridiani, Appendix, cap. vi. ,p. 650. See,also,theActsofthis St. Frigidian, at the iSth of November.
floriut. " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum An-
tiquitates," p. 527.
7* See Kev. Dr. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"
Appendix A, p. 144.
» To the Acts of St. Ccelan, Ussher refers
in the passage : "quern actorum ipsius de-
81
Archbishop Ussher mentions Coelan as
Kelanum et Coelanum nominat
atque ex abbata Duncnsem postea in—Ultonia factum fuisse episcopum significat. " W01 ka
of Archbishop Ussher, vol. vi. , "Britanni- 438.
scriptor
;
Ireland, St. Finnian afterwards "a Coelano Noendrumensi Abbate Nennioni sedis quae Magnum vocabatur Monasterium Episcopo
540, and to have died in the year 576. See
Rev. Dr. " Ecclesiastical Lanigan's
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, vi. , pp.
still an Abbot in 520. See his Index Chro-
nologicus.
83 See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
niae," Martii i. De S. Moinenno, sive Mon-Nennio, Episcopo Cluanferiensi, p.
June 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
777
year 576, he must have obtained an extraordinary longevity, if we could sup- pose him the pupil of a master, who departed some eighty years before that
8* St.
is called, St. Maeineann, Bishop of Clonfert, died on the 1st of March, a. d.
date.
totheAnnalsoftheFour According
Masters,
Nennio, or,
as
he
86 As we do not find that he attained a it is very extraordinary age,
570.
equally improbable that our saint could have directed St. Finnian to a school,
which, in all probability, was not established for many years subsequent to the year 497. It is likely enough, that St. Cailin or Coelan had been Abbot of Nendrum, after the death ofMochaoi. Perhaps, the former might have been a
ofthelattersaint. TheRev. Dr. 8? whomakesoursaintabbot Lanigan,
disciple
of Antrim,88 confounds here this latter place with Nendrum, as he does in a
8
varietyofotherinstances,? throughouthi—swork; yet,veryproperly,hedistin-
guishes between Mochay and Cailan9° the latter supposed by Sir James Ware91 tohavebeenfirstbishopofDown,? 2 afterSt. Patrick. However,the Rev. Dr. Lanigan undoubtedly is in error, when he makes both of them for- mer residents of modern Antrim,93 which must be distinguished carefully from
83 The Rev. Dr. Lanigan thinks, that this
could not have occurred earlier than a. d.
520. See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
land," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xiv. , n. 189, of the century. See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
p. 424.
84 Nennio of Britain is supposed, by
Colgan, to have been identical with Mon- Nennius of Clonfert.
85 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. , pp. 206, 207.
"
Bishops of Down," p. 194.
86
See his Acts at the 1st of March, in
92 " Cailan is called also Coelan, and had been abbot at Antrim, perhaps under St. Mochay. Colgan does not, as far as I can discover, speak of Coelan as a bishop. He seems not to have had his Acts, which Ussher refers to as indicating that from
Colgan's
being
Down. Yet,therearestrongreasonsforbe- lieving that he was not at any time a bishop ; one of which is that we find him when far advanced in life, still styled merely abbot of Antrim. Or, if he became bishop of Down,
" Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
pp.
abbot at Antrim he became of bishop
437 to 439. Also the account of St. Moinend
or Maoineann, Bishop of Clonfert, at the 1st
of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. v.
8? It has been conjectured, also, that
Mochay s See was not Antrim, but Dun- he must have been promoted when very old,
drum,inthecountyofDown. Thiscannot be reconciled with his being constantly known by the name of Mochay Aendruim, that is, as Dr. Lanigan found it generally explained, Antrim.
88 Sir James Ware—has it, also, "Antrim an-
tiquitus ^Endrum. " " De Hibemia et Anti-
quitatibus ejus," cap. xxvi. , p. 183.
89 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire-
and undoubtedly not before some time in the sixthcentury. Yet,whetherbishopornot,he may be justly reckoned among the eminent
men ofthe fifth century, althoug—hhe may have liveduntilabouttheyear540. " "Ecclesias-
tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , sect, xiv. , pp. 422, 423.
93 With our present more enlarged know-
is to ledgeofancientIrishplaces,k amusing
land," vol. i. , chap, v. , sect, hi. , p. 217. follow the rather confident manner, in which
Also, chap, vii. , sect, vii. , p. 346, and n. 74, pp. 348, 349. Also, chap, viii. , sect. ix. , p. 403, and sect, xiv. , n. 187, pp. 423, 424.
he seeks to identify Antrim with Nendrum. Ussher evidently could not find out the latter place, since he has a query at Noendrumensis. —"AnEdrumensis. " See"DeBritannica- rum Ecclesiarum Primordis, "cap. x vii. , p. 954-
9"t Theparticle11a,of,asRev. Dr. Lanigan explains, is frequently prefixed to the names of places, when persons belonging to them
90 According to Archbishop Ussher, Coe-
lan was no higher than abbot of Nendruim,
when Colman of Dromore became his pupil.
See Ussher's " De Britannicarum Ecclesia-
rum Primordis. " Addenda et emendanda, are spoken of ; and if folLowed by a word
p. 1065. The Rev. Dr. Lanigan re- marks : "If Colman lived so late as
some writers thought, Coelan could not have been a bishop until about the middle of the sixth century. But we shall soon see that Colman lived many years ear-
—"
beginning with a vowel, it is contracted into
n. Not knowing this, or not reflecting on it, Harris has given at Monasteries a Nen-
drum or Noendrum, in Down, as Cailan's monastery, and he has been followed by Archdall, who says, that it is now unknown.
remarks Dr. that Lanigan,
Ecclesias- tical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. ,
It is no wonder,
it should be so, whereas it never existed.
lier than is usually supposed. " sect, xiv. , n. 190.
55
In more
than one
place, Archbishop
91 It has been surmised, also, that he had
been a contemporary with Macnisse, and that he was raised to that See about the end
778 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 23.
Nendurm,94 Latinized Noendrumensis,°5 and Aondromensis, or Aendrumen-
sis. Again, the same writer falls into an error, when he makes the
°6 of the Islands—off the coast of Down—to be identical with largest Copland
Neddrum," instead of Mahee Island, situated in Strangford Lough.
St. Mochaoi lived to a venerable age. He departed this life on the 23rd
to the Annals of Innisfallen in the 8 his year 490 ;°
of
death is recorded in the Annals of Ulster at 493 ;99 and again, from a different
day
June, according
authority,
at the I02
IO° Some such as the year 498. authorities,
O'Clerys
IQI and
Colgan assign
IQ3 his at 496. Tighernach places death,
his demise to a. d.
497; while, he relates the death of another Mochua, * belonging to Nen-
644.
as a relic.
An interesting annalistic account of Abbots and Bishops, belonging to the
ancient church of Nendrum, may be found in the learned work of Dr. Reeves, to which reference has been already made. The last entry in these Annals is at a. d. 974. Nendrum monastery is supposed to have been pillaged and demolished by the Danes, at a period shortly subsequent, as ships conveying
these marauders were continually floating in Strangford Lough. Long before this time, it would seem to have had some tributary relation to the See of Down. It rendered each year to this See a subsidy commemorative of the lowly office of swine-herd, from which St. Mochay had been raised by St. Patrick. 106 Nendrum is mentioned as a possession, belonging to the See of Down, in 1 178, when its name is next found on record. At that date, John de Courcy assigns it to monks of an English Abbey dedicated to St. Bega io7
10
told,
called baculus volans, or " the flying staff," had been preserved in this church,
drum,
and who died a. d.
We are
I0s that the staff of St.
Mochaoi,
or Bees lo8 of
Coupland.
100 The feast of our saint was in the long kept,
Ussher alludes to Caylanus or CcelanusNen- drumensis abbas. See " De Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Primordis," xvii. , ;
Secunda Vita S. Patricii, n. 5, p. 20.
,03 In these terms: A. c. 497, mochae n OenT>r»oni4 " Mo Mochae of
cap. p. 954 and also Addenda et emendanda, p. 1065. Colgan mentions him by the name of
quietnc. Nendrum rested. ''
,04 "There is a curious tradition of St. "Coelanus abbas Aondromensis," and Mochay, the founder of Nendrum, that he would fain reckon him among the disci- was charmed by a bird for 150 years, and pies of St. Patrick. See " Trias Thauma- that at the expiration of that time he re- visited the church he had founded, but the new generation did not know him. Could the rationale of this legend be, that this Mochua, who died 147 years later, was mis- taken for his predecessor, and thus the ab- for con- surd story be forged? Jocelin calls Moc- —
turga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269,
96 Called Big Isle, and supposed incor- rectly by Rev. Dr. Lanigan to have been anciently denominated Neddrum.
He takes Allemand to task,
97
founding Noendrum with Neddrum, and haoi, the founder of this church, Mochua. "
thence taking occasion to criticize Ussher, Rev. Dr. Reeves'
"
Ecclesiastical Antiqui-
for having placed a monastery at Neddrum, ties of Down, Connor and Dromore," where there was none until late in the Appendix A, p. 149.
twelfth
98 See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hi-
bernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 4.
99 See ilnd. , tomus iv. , p. 9.
100 See ibid. , tomus ii. , Tigernachi Anna-
*°5 See "Trias Colgan's
century.
Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xxxvii. , p. 73.
les, p. 125.
101 They state, at the year 496, that hoc est, Dunensi pendere consuevit. "
""
he Mochaoi, Abbot of Aendruim, died on t—
twenty-third day of the month of June. " Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to 161. See, also, n. (h), p. 159, ibid.
102 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernirc," xxix. Januarii, Vita S.
