Bishop of Coinnere, or Connor,
departed
on the 3rd day of November.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
183.
2<5
The accompanying illustration, from a
22
It was founded here, before the year 828, by Kelloch, an anchorite, according to
photograph of Mr. T. C. Erwin, Pho-
tographer, Ballymena, taken June, 1897, has been reproduced on the wood, and en-
van's exquisite map of Hy-Many, prefixed to"TheTribesandCustomsofHy-Many,
commonly called O'Kelly's Country. "
23 The Rev. Dr. Reeves.
24 As published by the Bollandists :
"Fluvio nomine Curi, monasterium ejus quod Latine Desertum dicitur, praeterfluenti, ne sonitus ejus tarn prope transeuntis
note.
3°Headds "ThisChurch,whichisnow :
only parochial, is situate half an English mile S. E. of the Abbey of Kells. It is probable, also, that about the same time that arrangement was entered into whereby the Abbot became seised of the rectorial tithes and ad vowsons of all the neighbouring
"
Antiquities of Ire-
Harris' Ware, vol. ii,
land," chap, xxxviii. , p. 265. This state-
ment is gathered from the following entry
in the "Annals of the Four Masters," at
the year 828: " Ce^llac mc Cont>tfiAi5
•Anjcoi|\e t)ifi]\c CeAlUvij. " See Dr.
O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , p. 442. The
learned editor omitted the translation of
this passage into English. It may be
objected, however, that such refers, not to
this place, but to Isertkelly, in the county of James O'Laverty. See Historical Account Galway, and diocese of Kilmacduach. It is of the Diocese of Down and Connor, marked "Oir-ervc Cellaij on Mr. O'Dono- Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , p. 272,
inquisitions of Connor, and
26 Under the name of the Kells Water, that stream falls into the
28
church. 29 The Rev. William Reeves supposes, that about the period of the
twelfth century, the Abbey de Deserto Connerice^ or Kells, became an independent establishment, when another church had been founded for cathedral or parochial purposes. Subsequently, it was called the Church of Connor. 3° Thus we find, that the foundation of what is called Disertum or
the parishes which contained them. To the same origin may be traced, also, the economy of the Cathedral of Down, where the Bishop was Abbot, and the Dean was Prior.
21
According to Sir James Ware, a house of Regular Augustine Canons, called Kells, or Disert, was here dedicated to the Blessed
earlier river-bed visible,
and which are nearer to the site of the ancient
infirmos loci molestaret, per ulteriorem viam currere prsecepit : quod continuo, ut ei
imperatum est, fecit. "—"Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris iii. Vita auctore in- certo, sect. 7, p. 665.
graved by Gregor Grey.
s7 The Rev. William Reeves conjectures
that the rationale for such change may have been, that he shifted his monastery—no difficult matter for a house built more Scotorum—or that he deepened the bed of the River.
28
In the Bleach Green.
29 This information was communicated by
Mr. Robert Brown, of Kildrum, to Rev. "
74
LIVES OF THE LRLSH SAINTS. [September
x
Kells, in mediaeval times,3 must be relegated to the very earliest ages of
Christianity, and it had a succession of abbots to the period of its dissolution. 3' During the reign of King Charles I. the mediaeval abbey was still to be seen under roof ;33 but, at present, the west gable is almost the only part of the
The Abbey of Kells, County Antrim.
building which remains. It stands at the entrance of the burial ground,
whichisentirelyusedbytheRomanCatholicsofthatneighbourhood. Itis
commonly called Templemurry or Templemoyle. 34
It is related, in the Bollandists' Acts of our saint, that through the effect
of his prayers, St. Macnessius obtained the birth of a son for a woman advanced in age, and who for fifteen years previously had not given birth
parishes wherein the bishop had property. The Church of Connor stands on see land, yet the advowson of the vicarage and the rectorial tithes of the bishop's sixteen towns of Connor belonged to the Abbot of Kells. The Church of Glynn stands on see land, and yet the advowson of the vicarage and the rectorial tithes were vested in the Abbot of Kells. So also with respect to the parishes and bishop's lands of Drurnmaul, Dunean, Killroot, and Kilkenan, in Island Magee. The Castle and certain land at Glenarm were antiently held under the Bishop of Connor ; and, accordingly, the advowson of the vicarage of Templeoughter, with the rectory, w—as appendant on the abbacy of Kells. "
"
the Prior of Neddrum [circiter A. D. 1190]. This is attested by "F. Abbas de Dissert. " —Cotton Charters, No. 40, in the British Museum.
32 Murtogh Mac Annullowe, the last Abbot, was seised in 1542 of eight adjacent townlands in temporals and spirituals, of the tithes of ten other townlands, and the rectories and advowsons of nine churches.
33 In 1808, a bill was filed by Lord Mountcashell for the recovery of the im- propriate tithes of Kells, in which was the deposition of Daniel Monaghan, who de- clared that he recollected to have heard his maternal grandfather, Murtogh Dillon, say, that he was eleven years at the wars of Ire-
34 See Rev. Wm. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor, and
Rev. Wm. Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Con- nor and Dromore. '' Appendix n. (T),
the rebellion of 1, and 164
p. 261.
31 The ancient name of this Abbey is in
a deed of confirmation from the Primate to
land, namely,
that he had seen the Monastery of Kells after its dissolution, and before it was entirely unroofed.
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 75
to any offspring. Again, we are told, the father to the great St. Comgall of Bangor,35 who was named Setna, had been on a journey, accompanied by his wife Brig, occupying a seat in a chariot. Seeing our saint travelling on foot,
Setna said to his wife :
4C
woman, descend that the Bishop may take a
on
not disturb her, for she shall give birth to a king, who will rule over many. "*6
place
in this chariot. "
But,
hearing
these
words,
This was a prediction referring to St. Comgall's future eminence. n As it is s
probable, that St. Comgall of Bangor had been born, in the year 510,3 and as it is said our saint delivered a prophecy regarding him the day before his
birth, we may most probably conclude, St. Macniscius, Bishop of Connor, had been living in that year. Our saint did not survive the birth of St. Comgall for many years. Other miracles are recorded in his Acts. A town that refused hospitality to our saint was immediately consumed, as a punish- ment from on high. 39
St. Macnessius is said to have been advanced in years, when the time of
his death arrived. This was in the early part of the sixth century, although
the exact date has not been ascertained. 40 However, he departed this life,
on the 3rd day of September,41 and in the year 514,42 according to the most
probable accounts 43 although the Annals of Innisfallen name the year 506, ;
as a date for his death, with the words, "
Quies
Macnisse Condire. " The
"Chronicum Scotorum" places his death at a. d. 508. 44 Others have it during
the year 507 45 the Annals of Tigernach at a. d. 510 j and Colgan, on the
;
3rd of November,*6 a. d. 513. The Annals of the Four Masters state, that
in a. 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.
2<5
The accompanying illustration, from a
22
It was founded here, before the year 828, by Kelloch, an anchorite, according to
photograph of Mr. T. C. Erwin, Pho-
tographer, Ballymena, taken June, 1897, has been reproduced on the wood, and en-
van's exquisite map of Hy-Many, prefixed to"TheTribesandCustomsofHy-Many,
commonly called O'Kelly's Country. "
23 The Rev. Dr. Reeves.
24 As published by the Bollandists :
"Fluvio nomine Curi, monasterium ejus quod Latine Desertum dicitur, praeterfluenti, ne sonitus ejus tarn prope transeuntis
note.
3°Headds "ThisChurch,whichisnow :
only parochial, is situate half an English mile S. E. of the Abbey of Kells. It is probable, also, that about the same time that arrangement was entered into whereby the Abbot became seised of the rectorial tithes and ad vowsons of all the neighbouring
"
Antiquities of Ire-
Harris' Ware, vol. ii,
land," chap, xxxviii. , p. 265. This state-
ment is gathered from the following entry
in the "Annals of the Four Masters," at
the year 828: " Ce^llac mc Cont>tfiAi5
•Anjcoi|\e t)ifi]\c CeAlUvij. " See Dr.
O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , p. 442. The
learned editor omitted the translation of
this passage into English. It may be
objected, however, that such refers, not to
this place, but to Isertkelly, in the county of James O'Laverty. See Historical Account Galway, and diocese of Kilmacduach. It is of the Diocese of Down and Connor, marked "Oir-ervc Cellaij on Mr. O'Dono- Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , p. 272,
inquisitions of Connor, and
26 Under the name of the Kells Water, that stream falls into the
28
church. 29 The Rev. William Reeves supposes, that about the period of the
twelfth century, the Abbey de Deserto Connerice^ or Kells, became an independent establishment, when another church had been founded for cathedral or parochial purposes. Subsequently, it was called the Church of Connor. 3° Thus we find, that the foundation of what is called Disertum or
the parishes which contained them. To the same origin may be traced, also, the economy of the Cathedral of Down, where the Bishop was Abbot, and the Dean was Prior.
21
According to Sir James Ware, a house of Regular Augustine Canons, called Kells, or Disert, was here dedicated to the Blessed
earlier river-bed visible,
and which are nearer to the site of the ancient
infirmos loci molestaret, per ulteriorem viam currere prsecepit : quod continuo, ut ei
imperatum est, fecit. "—"Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Septembris iii. Vita auctore in- certo, sect. 7, p. 665.
graved by Gregor Grey.
s7 The Rev. William Reeves conjectures
that the rationale for such change may have been, that he shifted his monastery—no difficult matter for a house built more Scotorum—or that he deepened the bed of the River.
28
In the Bleach Green.
29 This information was communicated by
Mr. Robert Brown, of Kildrum, to Rev. "
74
LIVES OF THE LRLSH SAINTS. [September
x
Kells, in mediaeval times,3 must be relegated to the very earliest ages of
Christianity, and it had a succession of abbots to the period of its dissolution. 3' During the reign of King Charles I. the mediaeval abbey was still to be seen under roof ;33 but, at present, the west gable is almost the only part of the
The Abbey of Kells, County Antrim.
building which remains. It stands at the entrance of the burial ground,
whichisentirelyusedbytheRomanCatholicsofthatneighbourhood. Itis
commonly called Templemurry or Templemoyle. 34
It is related, in the Bollandists' Acts of our saint, that through the effect
of his prayers, St. Macnessius obtained the birth of a son for a woman advanced in age, and who for fifteen years previously had not given birth
parishes wherein the bishop had property. The Church of Connor stands on see land, yet the advowson of the vicarage and the rectorial tithes of the bishop's sixteen towns of Connor belonged to the Abbot of Kells. The Church of Glynn stands on see land, and yet the advowson of the vicarage and the rectorial tithes were vested in the Abbot of Kells. So also with respect to the parishes and bishop's lands of Drurnmaul, Dunean, Killroot, and Kilkenan, in Island Magee. The Castle and certain land at Glenarm were antiently held under the Bishop of Connor ; and, accordingly, the advowson of the vicarage of Templeoughter, with the rectory, w—as appendant on the abbacy of Kells. "
"
the Prior of Neddrum [circiter A. D. 1190]. This is attested by "F. Abbas de Dissert. " —Cotton Charters, No. 40, in the British Museum.
32 Murtogh Mac Annullowe, the last Abbot, was seised in 1542 of eight adjacent townlands in temporals and spirituals, of the tithes of ten other townlands, and the rectories and advowsons of nine churches.
33 In 1808, a bill was filed by Lord Mountcashell for the recovery of the im- propriate tithes of Kells, in which was the deposition of Daniel Monaghan, who de- clared that he recollected to have heard his maternal grandfather, Murtogh Dillon, say, that he was eleven years at the wars of Ire-
34 See Rev. Wm. Reeves' "Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor, and
Rev. Wm. Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Con- nor and Dromore. '' Appendix n. (T),
the rebellion of 1, and 164
p. 261.
31 The ancient name of this Abbey is in
a deed of confirmation from the Primate to
land, namely,
that he had seen the Monastery of Kells after its dissolution, and before it was entirely unroofed.
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 75
to any offspring. Again, we are told, the father to the great St. Comgall of Bangor,35 who was named Setna, had been on a journey, accompanied by his wife Brig, occupying a seat in a chariot. Seeing our saint travelling on foot,
Setna said to his wife :
4C
woman, descend that the Bishop may take a
on
not disturb her, for she shall give birth to a king, who will rule over many. "*6
place
in this chariot. "
But,
hearing
these
words,
This was a prediction referring to St. Comgall's future eminence. n As it is s
probable, that St. Comgall of Bangor had been born, in the year 510,3 and as it is said our saint delivered a prophecy regarding him the day before his
birth, we may most probably conclude, St. Macniscius, Bishop of Connor, had been living in that year. Our saint did not survive the birth of St. Comgall for many years. Other miracles are recorded in his Acts. A town that refused hospitality to our saint was immediately consumed, as a punish- ment from on high. 39
St. Macnessius is said to have been advanced in years, when the time of
his death arrived. This was in the early part of the sixth century, although
the exact date has not been ascertained. 40 However, he departed this life,
on the 3rd day of September,41 and in the year 514,42 according to the most
probable accounts 43 although the Annals of Innisfallen name the year 506, ;
as a date for his death, with the words, "
Quies
Macnisse Condire. " The
"Chronicum Scotorum" places his death at a. d. 508. 44 Others have it during
the year 507 45 the Annals of Tigernach at a. d. 510 j and Colgan, on the
;
3rd of November,*6 a. d. 513. The Annals of the Four Masters state, that
in a. 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.
