^'^
Tygridia
is said to have had no less than seventeen sons and five daughters, all of whom devoted themselves to a religious life.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
Todd and Reeves, pp.
40, 41.
Article vi. —^ Edited by Rev. Dr.
"" Edited Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Archbishops of pp. 38, 39.
by
Rev. Drs. Todd and
Reeves,
Armagh," p. 36.
7 In the second chapter of St. Tighernach's
Life, he is called the Venerable Duach, the
3 See Rev. A. Cogan's " Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , n,, p. 562.
illustrious
^ *' See
of Patrick's see. Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xiii.
^ Marcus Keane " Fobhair is trans- says :
lated sick, injirm, weak—ihn? , answering to
Archbishop
n. — 62. Januarii, 10, p.
'
Baal Fechan—
or in humiliation. "
s See Marcus Keane's "Towers and
Article v.
See that biography, *'Nano Nagle :
very interesting Her Life, her Labours, and their Fruits," by Rev. "William
firmity,
Temples of Ancient Ireland ; their Origin Hutch, D. D. , chap, ii. , p. 14. Dublin, and History discussed from a new point of
1875. 8vo. view," p. 90.
"^ Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiv.
It is supposed there, that Fee has the
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. vi. , n. (p), p. 2350.
^ Dr. Todd says in a note at this word,
Virgin. "The latter hand
meaning of "feebleness" or "weakness," and that the other part of the word has a connexion with Baal, the Pagan deity.
This is to " Baal in humi- thought represent
liation. "
7 See his Life, at the 20th of January.
tTlAomcic ; Mart. Taml.
'
"
a Mit At Rath Maointich' from the
adds,
Kelly, p. xiv.
or under in- Baal, Achad,
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 359
Article VII. —St. Baothan, Son of Colman. The identification of
this holy man appears to be attended with difficulty, since we only find him
distinguished as Baetain mac Colmain, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. '' He
It is mentioned, on this day, in
Article VIII. —Reputed Festival of St. Modan. In the " Meno-
logium Scoticum," Dempster places the festival of St. Modan, Bishop in Scotia,atthe5thofFebruary. ^ Inanotherwork,hisfestivalisnotassigned to any particular day ; but, his period, by some is referred to a. d. 535, and by others, it is stated, more probably to 803. His place is said to be doubt- ful ; although he was venerated, at Brechin. = Hence, we may regard him as identical with the holy bishop, so named, at the previous day, whatever warrant there may be, for placing his feast at the present date.
Article IX. —St. Eachtach or Hechtach, Virgin. Chastity has ever been held in universal esteem. In Pagan Rome, as at Dephi, vestals, dedicated to their divinities, watched the sacred fires, and ministered in the temples. When these were polluted with sin, death was the doom of any wretch who insulted the priestess. ^ Nature planted deeply in the heart of man reverence for the pure-minded maiden, but Christianity consecrated the religiousvirgintothetrueGod. AccordingtotheMartyrologiesofTallagh^ and of Donegal,3 on this day was venerated, Hectach, or Eachtach, a virgin. No place has been given in connexion with her name.
Article X. —Festival of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. [Third Century. '] The Irish Church honoured this illustrious virgin and
"
Leabhar Breac,"andtranslatedbyProfessorO'Looney. Itisfromthe"Feilire"of St. -^nguss. Herfestivalisreferredtothe5thdayofFebruary,whenshe
lived before, or during, the ninth century.
the of Martyrology
son of was venerated. Colman,3
=^ that
In the table postfixed to this Martyrology {yuvencus\ within brackets and
Donegal, italicised, occurs after his name. *
Baothan,
martyr, as appears from the following stanza, copied from the
is held in universal honour, throughout the whole Christian world. ^
4 See i^? ^. , pp. —362, 363. ^
"
*
Agatha's body was cruci—fied— The chaste one of purity
Through Jesus of whiteness Much grace hath come upon her.
^
Article vii. — Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xiv.
"
Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, PP-38,39-
3 In a note, Dr. Todd says at this word, Colman^ "The more recent hand adds, no 'btiA'OAn mAc ColmAin," or, Buadan,
869, p. 459. —
Article ix. Lempriere's
son of Colman.
'*
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xii. , num.
-A. noti CtxcclTOA co^p xirAcTiA,
In se^xAic CO ti-stAinne;
La CO
l-pti n-gite,
-
CAcnttf ino|\
-mAicTi
Ai^Ae.
tained in the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto- Article VIII. See Bishop Forbes' rum," tomus i. , Februarii v. , pp. 595 to
Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 191.
656, including previous and historic com- mentaries, with her ancient Acts, taken from different sources.
=" ** See Dempster's
* See sical Dictionary. " Vestales.
"Clas-
"" EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,p. xiv.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
40,41. — Article x.
*
The most
count of St. Agatha is probably that con-
.
complete
ac-
36o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February 6.
^i)ct6 I3ap of jfebruarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. MEL, OR MELCHUO, BISHOP AND PATRON OF ARDAGII DIOCESE.
[FIFTH CENTURY. ^
CHAPTER I.
festival, commemorated by the Irish Church, on this day, recalls
INTRODUCTION—PARENTAGE AND CONNEXIONS OF ST. MEL—HIS MISSION IN IRELAND
AND CONSECRATION—BISHOP AND ABBOT AT ARDAGH— CATION OF ST. MEL'S AND OF ST. LUPITA'S CHARACTERS.
THE
we owe to our Christian mission- early
to our that
minds,
aries, who helped to gather and labour, in the same field of noble enterprise with St. Patrick. Fervently and eloquently, St. Mel laid before the Irish
Gentiles, that depth and richness of Divine love, which he declared had
supremely distinguished Jesus Christ. He could not fail, in making a solid and lasting impression, on the minds of his hearers. These had never ex-
perienced any better consolations, and they dreamed of no brighter prospects, than what had been gleaned from the dark and unintelligible teaching and
mysteries of Paganism. This holy man refuted errors, which prevailed in our island, while the shallow and empty professions of a Druidical priesthood were exposed to merited contempt, and in the course of a few generations they were consigned to utter extinction. This renowned saint is classed amongtheprimitivefathersofourIrishChurch. Hewasacontemporary,and, ithasbeenasserted,anearrelativetothegreatApostle,St. Patrick. Atthe
very dawn of Christianity in our island, an illustrious champion and preacher of the Gospel had been already prepared, for a strenuous encounter, with the spirit of darkness. He is named Mel or Melus, in old Latin acts ; and, this title was typical of those honied stores of Divine wisdom and of saintly qualities, which had been hived within his breast. ^ A special Life of this holy man is not known to exist. From various ancient Acts of St. Patrick, and of St. Brigid, as also from other sources, Colgan has compiled a Life of St. Mel, and he has admirably annotated it. '" In like manner, the Bollandists have inserted Acts of Saints Mel, Melchuo, Mune, and Rioc, Bishops, at the 6thdayofFebruary. 3 Fromtheseauthoritiesshallwechieflydrawsucceed- ing materials, to render intelligible the recorded actions of the holy Bishop Mel, the special patron of Ardagh diocese.
He seems to have been born, in the earHer part of the fifth century. It is said, Saint Mel or Melus^ was a nephew to the great Irish Apostle
3 See "Acta tonus Feb- Sanctorum," i. ,
ruarii vi. , pp. 778 to 782. These acts are comprised, in a historic commentary, con- sisting of four sections, and containing twenty-eight paragraphs.
* This form of the name, however, is changed into Msel and Mselus, by transmut-
Article i. —Chapter —== Such na-
i.
tural allusion to his name will be found in
"
Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxix. , p. 133.
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
Septima
'
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," vi. Februarii. De S. Mele, Episcopo Ardach- adensi, pp. 259 to 264.
gratitude
HIS PROPHECIES—VINDI-
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 361
Patrick,5 and whose sister Darerca^ is named as Mel's mother. She was
daughter to Ca! phurnius, if we are to credit ancient accounts, and her name, also, is found in the Calendars of our Saints. She was blessed, not alone
through her personal virtues and merits, but even through her sainted pro- geny of children. These she brought up in the fear of God, and their lives were nobly devoted to His service. Her brothers and sisters were distin- guished in a remarkable degree, likewise, for their services to religion. Whether by natural or supernatural descent, a race of holy persons derived origin, from these illustrious and saintly progenitors. According to a pre- vailing hypothesis, the two brothers of Darerca, and consequently the uncles to St. Mel, were St. Patrick, the great Apostle of Ireland,7 who is said to have been the director and spiritual father of over two hundred holy disciples,^ and who was father to St. Patrick the ^°
wereTygridia"andLupita. '3 Thesewereolder,itisstated,thanthemother of our saint.
^'^ Tygridia is said to have had no less than seventeen sons and five daughters, all of whom devoted themselves to a religious life. 's Darerca is styled mother of the holy bishops, Mel, Moch, or Rioch, and Munis, the
travelling companions,
instead of two, as stated by Joceline, Colgan tells us, the greater probability is, that Darerca had four sisters ; all of these being distinguished, either for their personal sanctity, or for the holiness of their offspring. There are
grave and ancient authors, likewise, who tell us, that the large family of seventeen sons and two daughters belonged, not to Tygridia, but to Darerca, assumed to have been mother of our saint. ^7 Again, other hagiological
writers say, that St. Patrick, the Irish Apostle, had five sisters,^^ bearing re- spectively the names, Richella,^9 Lupita, Tigrida, Liemania,2° and Darerca. ^^
Sannan,9 Younger.
According to another account," Darerca had two sisters, whose names
ing the vowel e into the dipthong se, accord-
ing to a prevailing mode of writing, and in accordance with peculiar idioms of the Irish
tongue.
5 See his Life, at the 17th of March.
^ See her Acts, at the 22nd of March.
7 See Jocelin's or Sexta Vita S. Patricii,
had been a different person from Sannan, or if Ructus had children ; indeed, he rather thinks, the latter name was wrongly written for Succhet. See "Trias Thaumaturga," n. ii, pp. 48, 62.
" That of Joceline. See his Life of St. Patrick, chap, i. , p. 76, ibid.
"
^3 See her Life at the 27th of September.
^4 St. Patrick the Younger was nephew to the Apostle of Ireland, and a son to the brother of our great St. Patrick. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clxxxvi. , ibid. , p. 107.
^s According to Jocelin's account.
'^ See Joceline's or Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. 1. , p. 76, ibid.
'7 All the more ancient writers adopt this
latter account, while, some among the more modern authors follow Joceline's incorrect
statement, making Tygridia mother over a
numerous offspring.
^^ Ussher also enumerates the names of
St. Patrick's sisters ; but, in place of Ri- chella, he introduces Cinnenus. See " De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britannicarum," cap. xvii. , p. 823.
^5 The feast of this holy woman does not seem to be known. Another name, by which she appears to have been called, was that of Cinnena.
'° It is thought by some, that Liemania
cap. i. Colgan's
*'
Trias Thaumaturga," p.
The feast day of this holy woman does not seem to be known.
76. Also, the Calendar of Cashel, and
Charles Maguire's commentaries on St.
iEngus the Culdee, with other Irish martyr-
ologies, at the 6th of February.
^
The authorities for this statement will be discovered, in the Acts of our great na- tional patron, as found in Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," /aj^m.
9 From an old MS. , which came to the
hands of Archbishop Ussher, we are told, that Deochain Sannan was a brother to St.
Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, and that it would appear he was father to another
younger saint, bearing the same name, who, after the death of the Irish Apostle, accord-
ing to Jocelin, went to Glastonbury in Bri- tain. In the church of this place, he was
honourably interred. See '* De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britaimicarum," cap. xvii. , p. 824.
" It is related, that when St. Patrick came to Ireland, he had a brother, named Ructus. See Probus, or Quinta Vita S .
Patricii, lib. i. , cap. xii. Yet, Colgan could hardly say, whether or not, this latter
and co-labourers with their uncle St. Patrick. ^^
Yet,
362 LIVES OF THE lEJSH SAINTS. [February 6.
Some nominal variations, however, occur in their enumeration. '* The last named of these holy sisters is generally allowed to have been the parent ofSt. Mel. Itisstated,thatshehadbeenmarriedtoRestitutus,aLombard, and to Conis. Some authors state, she had sixteen other sons, besides Mel, and two daughters. *3 All of these children were distinguished for their eminent sanctity. The father of our saint is called Conis, and he is sup- posed to have been a Briton. =4 It is probable also, his son, the first bishop of Ardagh, had been a native of Britain. The particular place of his birth is not recorded. Colgan thinks, however, that Conis'5 and Darerca were of Irish birth and descent, as the names themselves are Irish. Dr. Lanigan doubts, if Mel were at all a relation to St. Patrick. ^^ Maol is an equivocal
ConcerningSt. Mel'searlyeducation,wehavenoreliablenotices; how-
ever, it is related, he became a disciple to his reputed uncle, St. Patrick. He laboured with this illustrious Apostle, on the Irish mission. He taught
many early converts of our island the principles of Christianity. Some are of opinion, St. Mel had been a bishop before he came to Ireland. ^9 He
distinguished himself there so much, as a zealous preacher and as a holy is not to be distinguished from Darerca. also Lalloca, a virgin, of Senlios, behind
*'
word 7 when toaman,it hasthe
f applied signification
shaved,"
and when to an irrational animal, it
Thus, his real family origin is left very doubtful.
signifies
"bald"or"
" without horns " or " ears. " =^
Trias Thaumaturga. " the mountain Badgna. The feast of this
See Colgan's
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. iv. , pp. 224 to 231.
latter virgin does not seem to be known, while, it is thought the former holy woman may be identified with a St. Acheach,
*' Thus called by Charles Maguire, in his **
version of the Festilogy," at the 6th of venerated at the 23rd of April. It is not February, and by an old commentator on known, however, that all of these children
St. iEngus, at the same day. We find it, were by Conis, the Briton, or by Restitutus, in a very ancient Irish districh, thus La- the Lombard, Darerca's other husband.
—
tinized, by Colgan ;
See "Trias Colgan's
**
Lupita et Tigris fervida (ut jam numeravi) et Richella ;
iv. , pp. 224 to 231.
=4
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap.
See Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. viii. Joceline's Vita S. Patricii, cap. amplexoe sunt vitam abstractam cum 1. Also, Tirechan, Ussher, Hanmer and
Darerca et Liemania togarum dives, quae
fervore ;
Nomina sunt hsec clare proposita, soro-
rum Patricii, magnarum Ecclesiarum Patroni. "
others, coincide in this account.
°s There existed a very ancient church,
called Boith-Conis, in the territory of Inish- owen,inUlster. Itisnotknown,however, that it had connexion with Conis.
—"Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," vi. Feb-
ruarii. De S. Mele Episcopo Ardacha- vol. i. , chap, vii. , sec. v. , n. 39, p. 338.
densi, n. 6, p. 262.
" In an ancient parchment MS. , con-
Such is also the opinion of Rev. S. Baring- Gould in his " Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February vi. , p. 178.
taining a fragmentary Life of St. Patrick,
or rather a commentary thereon, which be-
longed to Colgan, and referring to the Irish
Apostle, these words occur: "quinque sine auribus. " In fine, Joceline styles the
sorores ejus Lupita et Tigris, et Liemania, et Darerca ; et nomen quintae Cinnenus. " Yet, the latter is a masculine, rather than a feminine, form of name; and, probably,
of
father of the two bishops, called Mael and Maelchu, Conis. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. 1. , p. 72. Colgan's "Trias Thauma- turga. "
^* A
there was some mistake in the
it.
the
Saints Mael and Maelchu, will be found in '3 A commentator on St. ^ngus—and a the "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Ap-
writer who—deals largely in various absurd
conjectures asserts, that Darerca had se- venteen virtuous sons, who were transmarine
bishops, and two daughters, respectively called Achea, a devout person, who raised
the dead to life, and who cured lepers, as
pendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. iv. , pp. 224 to 231. Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 3, p. 542, and Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, n. 9, p. 563, ibid.
writing
disquisition, regarding
reputed
=^ See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
"7 Maolchu, according to the root of this compound word, "idem est quod molassus
"9 See " Life of St. Brigid," by an Irish Priest, chap, iv. , p. 40.
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 363
missionary, that other writers assert, St. Patrick considered him worthy of
being elevated to the episcopal dignity. It is said, St. Mel had been ap- pointed to the see of Ardagh, when St. Patrick proceeded from Usneach towards that tract of country, now known as Longford. 3° According to another supposition, however, St. Mel had not yet arrived in Ireland, at so early a period. 3^ We are told, likewise, St. Mel had been elevated to the episcopal dignity,32 before the year 454. 33 For, we read in the third chapter of St. Brigid's Life, attributed to St. Ultan of Ardbraccan, that Saints Mel and Melchuo, Bishops, came from Britain, at a time when the great Patroness of Ireland, St. Brigid,34 was borne in her mother's womb. 35 Dr. Lanigan finds no reason for contradicting the statement, that Mel was bishop about the middle of the fifth century ; but, he supposes, that the election of our saint to Ardagh see took place, when St. Patrick journeyed on his way, from Munster towards Ulster. 3^ It has been stated, that the great Apostle left his reputed nephew to reside near a high ridge, which bore the peculiar name, Bri Leith, now called Slieve Galree. It lies between Ardagh to the east, where St. Patrick left Bishop Mel, and Dmimchea, to the west, where hissisterLupitalived. 37 ThisSliabhCalraighewassocalledfromanancient territory known as Calry or Calree, in Teffia, and within the present county ofLongford. Thismountain,sowelldefinedinthedistrict,wasalsocalled
Sliabh Callann Bri Leith. 38
St. Mel built a famous monastery at Ardagh. 39 At this place, also, it is
recorded, he exercised the jurisdiction both of abbot and of bishop.
40, 41.
Article vi. —^ Edited by Rev. Dr.
"" Edited Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Archbishops of pp. 38, 39.
by
Rev. Drs. Todd and
Reeves,
Armagh," p. 36.
7 In the second chapter of St. Tighernach's
Life, he is called the Venerable Duach, the
3 See Rev. A. Cogan's " Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modem," vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , n,, p. 562.
illustrious
^ *' See
of Patrick's see. Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xiii.
^ Marcus Keane " Fobhair is trans- says :
lated sick, injirm, weak—ihn? , answering to
Archbishop
n. — 62. Januarii, 10, p.
'
Baal Fechan—
or in humiliation. "
s See Marcus Keane's "Towers and
Article v.
See that biography, *'Nano Nagle :
very interesting Her Life, her Labours, and their Fruits," by Rev. "William
firmity,
Temples of Ancient Ireland ; their Origin Hutch, D. D. , chap, ii. , p. 14. Dublin, and History discussed from a new point of
1875. 8vo. view," p. 90.
"^ Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiv.
It is supposed there, that Fee has the
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. vi. , n. (p), p. 2350.
^ Dr. Todd says in a note at this word,
Virgin. "The latter hand
meaning of "feebleness" or "weakness," and that the other part of the word has a connexion with Baal, the Pagan deity.
This is to " Baal in humi- thought represent
liation. "
7 See his Life, at the 20th of January.
tTlAomcic ; Mart. Taml.
'
"
a Mit At Rath Maointich' from the
adds,
Kelly, p. xiv.
or under in- Baal, Achad,
February 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 359
Article VII. —St. Baothan, Son of Colman. The identification of
this holy man appears to be attended with difficulty, since we only find him
distinguished as Baetain mac Colmain, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. '' He
It is mentioned, on this day, in
Article VIII. —Reputed Festival of St. Modan. In the " Meno-
logium Scoticum," Dempster places the festival of St. Modan, Bishop in Scotia,atthe5thofFebruary. ^ Inanotherwork,hisfestivalisnotassigned to any particular day ; but, his period, by some is referred to a. d. 535, and by others, it is stated, more probably to 803. His place is said to be doubt- ful ; although he was venerated, at Brechin. = Hence, we may regard him as identical with the holy bishop, so named, at the previous day, whatever warrant there may be, for placing his feast at the present date.
Article IX. —St. Eachtach or Hechtach, Virgin. Chastity has ever been held in universal esteem. In Pagan Rome, as at Dephi, vestals, dedicated to their divinities, watched the sacred fires, and ministered in the temples. When these were polluted with sin, death was the doom of any wretch who insulted the priestess. ^ Nature planted deeply in the heart of man reverence for the pure-minded maiden, but Christianity consecrated the religiousvirgintothetrueGod. AccordingtotheMartyrologiesofTallagh^ and of Donegal,3 on this day was venerated, Hectach, or Eachtach, a virgin. No place has been given in connexion with her name.
Article X. —Festival of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. [Third Century. '] The Irish Church honoured this illustrious virgin and
"
Leabhar Breac,"andtranslatedbyProfessorO'Looney. Itisfromthe"Feilire"of St. -^nguss. Herfestivalisreferredtothe5thdayofFebruary,whenshe
lived before, or during, the ninth century.
the of Martyrology
son of was venerated. Colman,3
=^ that
In the table postfixed to this Martyrology {yuvencus\ within brackets and
Donegal, italicised, occurs after his name. *
Baothan,
martyr, as appears from the following stanza, copied from the
is held in universal honour, throughout the whole Christian world. ^
4 See i^? ^. , pp. —362, 363. ^
"
*
Agatha's body was cruci—fied— The chaste one of purity
Through Jesus of whiteness Much grace hath come upon her.
^
Article vii. — Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xiv.
"
Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, PP-38,39-
3 In a note, Dr. Todd says at this word, Colman^ "The more recent hand adds, no 'btiA'OAn mAc ColmAin," or, Buadan,
869, p. 459. —
Article ix. Lempriere's
son of Colman.
'*
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," tomus ii. , lib. xii. , num.
-A. noti CtxcclTOA co^p xirAcTiA,
In se^xAic CO ti-stAinne;
La CO
l-pti n-gite,
-
CAcnttf ino|\
-mAicTi
Ai^Ae.
tained in the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto- Article VIII. See Bishop Forbes' rum," tomus i. , Februarii v. , pp. 595 to
Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 191.
656, including previous and historic com- mentaries, with her ancient Acts, taken from different sources.
=" ** See Dempster's
* See sical Dictionary. " Vestales.
"Clas-
"" EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,p. xiv.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
40,41. — Article x.
*
The most
count of St. Agatha is probably that con-
.
complete
ac-
36o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, [February 6.
^i)ct6 I3ap of jfebruarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. MEL, OR MELCHUO, BISHOP AND PATRON OF ARDAGII DIOCESE.
[FIFTH CENTURY. ^
CHAPTER I.
festival, commemorated by the Irish Church, on this day, recalls
INTRODUCTION—PARENTAGE AND CONNEXIONS OF ST. MEL—HIS MISSION IN IRELAND
AND CONSECRATION—BISHOP AND ABBOT AT ARDAGH— CATION OF ST. MEL'S AND OF ST. LUPITA'S CHARACTERS.
THE
we owe to our Christian mission- early
to our that
minds,
aries, who helped to gather and labour, in the same field of noble enterprise with St. Patrick. Fervently and eloquently, St. Mel laid before the Irish
Gentiles, that depth and richness of Divine love, which he declared had
supremely distinguished Jesus Christ. He could not fail, in making a solid and lasting impression, on the minds of his hearers. These had never ex-
perienced any better consolations, and they dreamed of no brighter prospects, than what had been gleaned from the dark and unintelligible teaching and
mysteries of Paganism. This holy man refuted errors, which prevailed in our island, while the shallow and empty professions of a Druidical priesthood were exposed to merited contempt, and in the course of a few generations they were consigned to utter extinction. This renowned saint is classed amongtheprimitivefathersofourIrishChurch. Hewasacontemporary,and, ithasbeenasserted,anearrelativetothegreatApostle,St. Patrick. Atthe
very dawn of Christianity in our island, an illustrious champion and preacher of the Gospel had been already prepared, for a strenuous encounter, with the spirit of darkness. He is named Mel or Melus, in old Latin acts ; and, this title was typical of those honied stores of Divine wisdom and of saintly qualities, which had been hived within his breast. ^ A special Life of this holy man is not known to exist. From various ancient Acts of St. Patrick, and of St. Brigid, as also from other sources, Colgan has compiled a Life of St. Mel, and he has admirably annotated it. '" In like manner, the Bollandists have inserted Acts of Saints Mel, Melchuo, Mune, and Rioc, Bishops, at the 6thdayofFebruary. 3 Fromtheseauthoritiesshallwechieflydrawsucceed- ing materials, to render intelligible the recorded actions of the holy Bishop Mel, the special patron of Ardagh diocese.
He seems to have been born, in the earHer part of the fifth century. It is said, Saint Mel or Melus^ was a nephew to the great Irish Apostle
3 See "Acta tonus Feb- Sanctorum," i. ,
ruarii vi. , pp. 778 to 782. These acts are comprised, in a historic commentary, con- sisting of four sections, and containing twenty-eight paragraphs.
* This form of the name, however, is changed into Msel and Mselus, by transmut-
Article i. —Chapter —== Such na-
i.
tural allusion to his name will be found in
"
Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xxix. , p. 133.
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga.
Septima
'
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," vi. Februarii. De S. Mele, Episcopo Ardach- adensi, pp. 259 to 264.
gratitude
HIS PROPHECIES—VINDI-
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 361
Patrick,5 and whose sister Darerca^ is named as Mel's mother. She was
daughter to Ca! phurnius, if we are to credit ancient accounts, and her name, also, is found in the Calendars of our Saints. She was blessed, not alone
through her personal virtues and merits, but even through her sainted pro- geny of children. These she brought up in the fear of God, and their lives were nobly devoted to His service. Her brothers and sisters were distin- guished in a remarkable degree, likewise, for their services to religion. Whether by natural or supernatural descent, a race of holy persons derived origin, from these illustrious and saintly progenitors. According to a pre- vailing hypothesis, the two brothers of Darerca, and consequently the uncles to St. Mel, were St. Patrick, the great Apostle of Ireland,7 who is said to have been the director and spiritual father of over two hundred holy disciples,^ and who was father to St. Patrick the ^°
wereTygridia"andLupita. '3 Thesewereolder,itisstated,thanthemother of our saint.
^'^ Tygridia is said to have had no less than seventeen sons and five daughters, all of whom devoted themselves to a religious life. 's Darerca is styled mother of the holy bishops, Mel, Moch, or Rioch, and Munis, the
travelling companions,
instead of two, as stated by Joceline, Colgan tells us, the greater probability is, that Darerca had four sisters ; all of these being distinguished, either for their personal sanctity, or for the holiness of their offspring. There are
grave and ancient authors, likewise, who tell us, that the large family of seventeen sons and two daughters belonged, not to Tygridia, but to Darerca, assumed to have been mother of our saint. ^7 Again, other hagiological
writers say, that St. Patrick, the Irish Apostle, had five sisters,^^ bearing re- spectively the names, Richella,^9 Lupita, Tigrida, Liemania,2° and Darerca. ^^
Sannan,9 Younger.
According to another account," Darerca had two sisters, whose names
ing the vowel e into the dipthong se, accord-
ing to a prevailing mode of writing, and in accordance with peculiar idioms of the Irish
tongue.
5 See his Life, at the 17th of March.
^ See her Acts, at the 22nd of March.
7 See Jocelin's or Sexta Vita S. Patricii,
had been a different person from Sannan, or if Ructus had children ; indeed, he rather thinks, the latter name was wrongly written for Succhet. See "Trias Thaumaturga," n. ii, pp. 48, 62.
" That of Joceline. See his Life of St. Patrick, chap, i. , p. 76, ibid.
"
^3 See her Life at the 27th of September.
^4 St. Patrick the Younger was nephew to the Apostle of Ireland, and a son to the brother of our great St. Patrick. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. clxxxvi. , ibid. , p. 107.
^s According to Jocelin's account.
'^ See Joceline's or Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. 1. , p. 76, ibid.
'7 All the more ancient writers adopt this
latter account, while, some among the more modern authors follow Joceline's incorrect
statement, making Tygridia mother over a
numerous offspring.
^^ Ussher also enumerates the names of
St. Patrick's sisters ; but, in place of Ri- chella, he introduces Cinnenus. See " De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britannicarum," cap. xvii. , p. 823.
^5 The feast of this holy woman does not seem to be known. Another name, by which she appears to have been called, was that of Cinnena.
'° It is thought by some, that Liemania
cap. i. Colgan's
*'
Trias Thaumaturga," p.
The feast day of this holy woman does not seem to be known.
76. Also, the Calendar of Cashel, and
Charles Maguire's commentaries on St.
iEngus the Culdee, with other Irish martyr-
ologies, at the 6th of February.
^
The authorities for this statement will be discovered, in the Acts of our great na- tional patron, as found in Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," /aj^m.
9 From an old MS. , which came to the
hands of Archbishop Ussher, we are told, that Deochain Sannan was a brother to St.
Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, and that it would appear he was father to another
younger saint, bearing the same name, who, after the death of the Irish Apostle, accord-
ing to Jocelin, went to Glastonbury in Bri- tain. In the church of this place, he was
honourably interred. See '* De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britaimicarum," cap. xvii. , p. 824.
" It is related, that when St. Patrick came to Ireland, he had a brother, named Ructus. See Probus, or Quinta Vita S .
Patricii, lib. i. , cap. xii. Yet, Colgan could hardly say, whether or not, this latter
and co-labourers with their uncle St. Patrick. ^^
Yet,
362 LIVES OF THE lEJSH SAINTS. [February 6.
Some nominal variations, however, occur in their enumeration. '* The last named of these holy sisters is generally allowed to have been the parent ofSt. Mel. Itisstated,thatshehadbeenmarriedtoRestitutus,aLombard, and to Conis. Some authors state, she had sixteen other sons, besides Mel, and two daughters. *3 All of these children were distinguished for their eminent sanctity. The father of our saint is called Conis, and he is sup- posed to have been a Briton. =4 It is probable also, his son, the first bishop of Ardagh, had been a native of Britain. The particular place of his birth is not recorded. Colgan thinks, however, that Conis'5 and Darerca were of Irish birth and descent, as the names themselves are Irish. Dr. Lanigan doubts, if Mel were at all a relation to St. Patrick. ^^ Maol is an equivocal
ConcerningSt. Mel'searlyeducation,wehavenoreliablenotices; how-
ever, it is related, he became a disciple to his reputed uncle, St. Patrick. He laboured with this illustrious Apostle, on the Irish mission. He taught
many early converts of our island the principles of Christianity. Some are of opinion, St. Mel had been a bishop before he came to Ireland. ^9 He
distinguished himself there so much, as a zealous preacher and as a holy is not to be distinguished from Darerca. also Lalloca, a virgin, of Senlios, behind
*'
word 7 when toaman,it hasthe
f applied signification
shaved,"
and when to an irrational animal, it
Thus, his real family origin is left very doubtful.
signifies
"bald"or"
" without horns " or " ears. " =^
Trias Thaumaturga. " the mountain Badgna. The feast of this
See Colgan's
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. iv. , pp. 224 to 231.
latter virgin does not seem to be known, while, it is thought the former holy woman may be identified with a St. Acheach,
*' Thus called by Charles Maguire, in his **
version of the Festilogy," at the 6th of venerated at the 23rd of April. It is not February, and by an old commentator on known, however, that all of these children
St. iEngus, at the same day. We find it, were by Conis, the Briton, or by Restitutus, in a very ancient Irish districh, thus La- the Lombard, Darerca's other husband.
—
tinized, by Colgan ;
See "Trias Colgan's
**
Lupita et Tigris fervida (ut jam numeravi) et Richella ;
iv. , pp. 224 to 231.
=4
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap.
See Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. viii. Joceline's Vita S. Patricii, cap. amplexoe sunt vitam abstractam cum 1. Also, Tirechan, Ussher, Hanmer and
Darerca et Liemania togarum dives, quae
fervore ;
Nomina sunt hsec clare proposita, soro-
rum Patricii, magnarum Ecclesiarum Patroni. "
others, coincide in this account.
°s There existed a very ancient church,
called Boith-Conis, in the territory of Inish- owen,inUlster. Itisnotknown,however, that it had connexion with Conis.
—"Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," vi. Feb-
ruarii. De S. Mele Episcopo Ardacha- vol. i. , chap, vii. , sec. v. , n. 39, p. 338.
densi, n. 6, p. 262.
" In an ancient parchment MS. , con-
Such is also the opinion of Rev. S. Baring- Gould in his " Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February vi. , p. 178.
taining a fragmentary Life of St. Patrick,
or rather a commentary thereon, which be-
longed to Colgan, and referring to the Irish
Apostle, these words occur: "quinque sine auribus. " In fine, Joceline styles the
sorores ejus Lupita et Tigris, et Liemania, et Darerca ; et nomen quintae Cinnenus. " Yet, the latter is a masculine, rather than a feminine, form of name; and, probably,
of
father of the two bishops, called Mael and Maelchu, Conis. See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. 1. , p. 72. Colgan's "Trias Thauma- turga. "
^* A
there was some mistake in the
it.
the
Saints Mael and Maelchu, will be found in '3 A commentator on St. ^ngus—and a the "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Ap-
writer who—deals largely in various absurd
conjectures asserts, that Darerca had se- venteen virtuous sons, who were transmarine
bishops, and two daughters, respectively called Achea, a devout person, who raised
the dead to life, and who cured lepers, as
pendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. iv. , pp. 224 to 231. Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 3, p. 542, and Quarta Vita S. Brigidse, n. 9, p. 563, ibid.
writing
disquisition, regarding
reputed
=^ See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
"7 Maolchu, according to the root of this compound word, "idem est quod molassus
"9 See " Life of St. Brigid," by an Irish Priest, chap, iv. , p. 40.
February 6. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 363
missionary, that other writers assert, St. Patrick considered him worthy of
being elevated to the episcopal dignity. It is said, St. Mel had been ap- pointed to the see of Ardagh, when St. Patrick proceeded from Usneach towards that tract of country, now known as Longford. 3° According to another supposition, however, St. Mel had not yet arrived in Ireland, at so early a period. 3^ We are told, likewise, St. Mel had been elevated to the episcopal dignity,32 before the year 454. 33 For, we read in the third chapter of St. Brigid's Life, attributed to St. Ultan of Ardbraccan, that Saints Mel and Melchuo, Bishops, came from Britain, at a time when the great Patroness of Ireland, St. Brigid,34 was borne in her mother's womb. 35 Dr. Lanigan finds no reason for contradicting the statement, that Mel was bishop about the middle of the fifth century ; but, he supposes, that the election of our saint to Ardagh see took place, when St. Patrick journeyed on his way, from Munster towards Ulster. 3^ It has been stated, that the great Apostle left his reputed nephew to reside near a high ridge, which bore the peculiar name, Bri Leith, now called Slieve Galree. It lies between Ardagh to the east, where St. Patrick left Bishop Mel, and Dmimchea, to the west, where hissisterLupitalived. 37 ThisSliabhCalraighewassocalledfromanancient territory known as Calry or Calree, in Teffia, and within the present county ofLongford. Thismountain,sowelldefinedinthedistrict,wasalsocalled
Sliabh Callann Bri Leith. 38
St. Mel built a famous monastery at Ardagh. 39 At this place, also, it is
recorded, he exercised the jurisdiction both of abbot and of bishop.
