No More Learning

" The Rev. Dr. Lanigan remarks, that it lay, perhaps, at the boundary of both provinces. In former times, Meath and Munster met each other, in what is now called the King's County, which has been
'' See vol. " i. ,
139- *^
in the
which Colgan has, in "Trias Thauma-
turga," p. 629, of the bishops, abbots, &c. , of Kildare, from the beginning down to the
thirteenth century, at Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. BrigidiE, cap. ii. , no St. Tola is reckoned among them.
^3 enume- In that where Colgan
rates the of Clonard, at the 23rd of Bishops
February, when treating about S. Finian. See "Acta Sanctoram Hibernise," p. 407.
** But, regarding such statement. Dr. Lanigan remarks : "In Tola's Acts at 30th March, in which Colgan collected every- thing he could find concerning him, Kildare
made of that up districts,
of those provinces.
This Dealbhna was, in all probability, the one
the —
M'Coghlan's country
"
of Meath,"
'3 Rev. Dr. By
minute Catalogue,
who thinks, that this may be deduced from the circumstance, related by the Four Masters, at A. D. 1034, about Garten, Lord of Dealbhna, having been killed by some of his subjects, when
*'
Again,
very
entering the church of Disert-Tola.
surnamed
Eathra,
or barony of Garrycastle. "
passage,
48, 49.
'5 It it marked, on the
Meath," p. 139. Again, at Bishops of Kildare," p. 382.
Lanigan,
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap. , xix. ,
sect, viii. , n. 107, pp. 173, 174.
'* Harris enumerates seven territories in
Ireland, which were called Dealbhna, usually Anglicized, Delvin. To distinguish them, there were different other names affixed. See Harris' Ware, vol. ii. , "Anti-
quities of Ireland," chap, vii. , sect, i. , pp.
is not even mentioned.
"
"
Townland Maps for the County of West-
belonged
to both
Bishops
p.
Ordnance Survey
'* " "
mcath," Sheet 13.
See Rev. A. Cogan's Ecclesiastical
History of the Diocese of Meath, Ancient
and Modem," vol. i. , chap, ii. , pp. 15, 20,
21, and vol. iii. , chap. Ixxiv. , p. 560.
^* Sir James Ware has no such account, in " De Prjiesulibus Lageniae," when treating about Episcopi Darenses," at p. 42.
*7 See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," vol. iii. , chap, xix. , sect, viii. , n. 108, p. 174-
'^ The death of the last-named of these 3S
''
See ibid. ^ vol. ii. , chap, xviii. , p. 412.
'SSeeHarris'Ware,voli. , "Bishopsof "
lOIO LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 30.
Abbot of Clonmacnoise, in Meath, who died in the year 609. =^^ The death of our saint must be placed, at an intermediate period, to both these dates. '?
The faithful servant of Christ departed this life, during 733,3° in the fourth year of the reign of Aidus, who was son to Fergal, and King over Ire- land. 3» The Annals of Ulster place his death, at a. d. 737. After the typo- graphical error, in Colgan's work, Harris has fallen into the mistake of placing his Natalis, on the 3rd day of March. 3—' However, his memory was revered, at Disert Tola, on the 30th of March the assumed date for his death. Ac- cording to no less than six different Martyrologies,33 this account has been given. Besides St. Mochua of Balla, the Feilire 34 of ^ngus commemorates St. Colman of Land Ligach, and St. Tola, at the 30th of March. The Martyrology of Tallagh 35 enters the name, Tola ; and. Bishop of Craibdigh follows this designation, at the 30th of March. The Calendar of Cashel,3^ and Marianus 0'Gorman37 commemorate him. 32 The —Irish Genealogist, DualdMac
enters — fromDisartTola saidnowtobe Firbis,39 Tola, bishop,
Dysart O'Dea, county of Clare *° in Upper Dal-Cais, at March the 30th. Again, on this day, the Martyrology of Donegal registers. Tola, Bishop, of
Disert Tdla, in the upper part of Di\ Cais, in Thomond. '*' In Scotland, also, he was commemorated. Thus, the Kalendar of Drummond^^ states, at March 30th, or iii. Kalends of April : In Hibemia, the Holy Confessors Mochua, Colman, and Tola, went to Christ. There was a St. Teloc, a disciple of St. Patrick. Colgan thinks it possible to identify him, either with
the 30th of March.
3* From the Leabhar Breac copy, Pro-
fessor O'Looney has furnished the following
rann, with the English translation
e. 111. kt. Sluint) rtlochuA t)AltA
tooLj CO riopoAn Anbich CoimAn o Liint) IitaicIi
1^ feii UoLa chjNAlDDIg.
" Commemorate Mochua of Balla, A casket abounding with ardent
dignity, ColmanfromLandLigach
With the Feast of the pious
Tola. "
35 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xx. In
saints is [thus recorded, at the year 609 :
"
Nois, died. "—Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 234, 235. In
a note, on this passage, the editor explains
Tolua Fota, as "Tolua the Tall. " The
Annals of Ulster record his death, at the
year 613. This Tolua or Tolfa was suc-
cessor to Aclithir, the third Abbot of Clon-
macnoise, who was living in the year that
St. Columkille attended Druimceat Synod.
See n. (1. ) Ibid. At the year 760, we
St. Tolua Fota, Abbot of Cluain-mic-
read :
"
Tola, of Ard-Breacain [Ard-
braccan],died. " Ibid. ,pp. 364,365.
*9 "
See, Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," xxx. Martii. Vita S. Tolas, pp. 793, 794.
3° According to his usual custom, Dr. Lanigan undertakes to correct this date, by
" S. Tola Epis- copi devoti. " In the Franciscan copy, I
makingit 734, " 3' At the year 733, we read :
St. Tola,
" S. Tola de Disert Tola in Media. " Afterwardsfollowshisgenealogy,
son of — a Dunchadh, bishop, worthy
soldier 36
It states :
of Christ, died. "
"Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 330. 331.
3^ See Harris' vol. "
Ware, i. , Bishops
drawn from the people of Galenga.
37 We thus find his account, in Colgan :
of Meath," p. 139. Again, at "Bishops of
S. Tola Episcopus colitur in superiori
Kildare," p. 382.
33 We read, according to his printed text, that Tola died, on the 3rd of March, in Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiberni3e,"Feb- ruarii xxiii. Appendix ad Vitam S. Finiani, cap. v. , p. 407. This must be a typogra- phical error for 30, whereas Colgan states, that he has taken from the Calendars of all the obitual days, the Natalis of the several saints, whom he names, in this part of his work. Now, ail the Calendars referred to by him, at p. 793, have Tola's name, only at
3* See
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Dr. O'Donovan's
Colgan's version, we find read, CoIai e^p. CiMbDig.
"
plaga Dalcassise. "
39 See " of the Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," vol. i. , part i. , pp. 106, 107. Irish MSS. Series.
*° According to William M. Hennessy's note.
4' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
90,91.
*" See Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of
ScottishSaints, p. 9.
«See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septlma
Colgan's
niae," Martu xxx. , n. 7, p. 794.
:
— :
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. loi i
the present St. Tola, or with Telleus of Tehelly, venerated the 25th of June. « But, the chronology cannot accord for the present holy man. A miracle, which took place, in the year 1034, is ascribed to the merits of St. Tola. Coirten Ua Maebuain, Lord of Dealbhna, was killed by some of his clans- men, on the threshold of Disert Tola church. 44 In punishment for this
sacrilegious and unnatural murder, the perpetrator of the crime was massacred, within that very same hour he perpetrated the treacherous act. <5
Article II. —St, Fergus or Fergussius, Bishop of Downpatrick. \Sixth Century^ The brief notices, contained in Colgan's work,^ are all we can find, referring to Fergus, or Fergussius. This saintappears to have been
a distinguished person.
Fergusius was son to ^ngus, and he descended from Coelbadh, King of Ireland, who died, in th6 year 357. ^ vEngus was the son of Chrimthann, son to Eochod, son of Colla, son to Coalbad, son of Crunn Badhrai. 3 Our saint was born, probably in the early part of the sixth century. He built a church, or cell, at a place, called Killmbian. '' This name, which might be Anglicised Kilbean or Kilmean, is thought now to be obsolete. Without authority, Colgan states, that a monastery was at this place,5 the situation of which was unknown f although Archdall places it in the county of Down. However, it is natural enough to suppose, that Killm- bian was in that part of the country. 7 Here, too, Harris conceives, that he presided, as an Abbot. ^ Although distinguished Irish writers have believed the identification of his place to be unknown ; yet, still it is asserted,^ that the cemetery of Cill-bian is still known as Killybann,^° in the townland of Barnamaghery," parish of Kilmore,'^ barony of Upper Castlereagh, and not far from Crossgar. From the church of Killmbian, Fergus was called to pre-
Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. Ixxxiii. , p. Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (d), p. 2i I.
Referring to this place, Mr. O'Donovan appends a note: ^'Disert Tola: i. e. , St. Tola's desert or wilderness. There are two places of this name in Ireland ; one in Thomond, now Dysart O'Dea, in the barony of Inchiquin, and county of Clare ; and the other in Westmeath, which is the one above referred to in the text. This is now called Dysart-Tuala, and is a townland situated in the parish of Killoolagh, in the barony of Delvin, and county of Westmeath. The site of St. Tola's church is still pointed out inthistownland,butnoportionofthewalls are now visible, and even the graveyard has been effaced by the progress of cultivation. " See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (o), p. 696.
141, and n. 135, p. 180. s This statement, also, is followed by *"*
•3
'
Article ii. See Acta Sanctorum
Se;e ibid. , p—p. 828, 829. Down," p. 195.
Hibernise," xxx. Martii. De S. Fergussio, p, 794.
=" "The Age of Christ, 357. After Cal-
bhadh, son of Crunn Badhrai, had been one
year in the sovereignty of Ireland, he wa—s
slain by Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin. " Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 124, 125.
3 The " Sanctilogium Genealogicum,"
cap. 28, thus traces his pedigree.
*See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
W. Hanna, of Downpatrick, in the Ulster Weekly Examiner of June 8th, 1872, where
the statement following is found,
"> This denomination is not to be found,
on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps of Down.
"This is noted, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down," Sheet 23.
" This parish is partly in the barony of Upper Castlereagh, and partly in that of
Archdall, in his Monasticon Hibemicum,
p. 123. ®"
See the Rev. Dr. Reeves' Ecclesias- tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix A, n. (e), p. 144.
^ " Bat I find no reason for introducing a monastery there, unless we are to believe that every church, to the name of which
Now Colgan has heaps of names so beginning of places, to which he assigns merely churches, while as to others with similar names he
Kill is prefixed had one added to it.
doesnotforgettomarksuc—hmonasteriesas '*
were annexed to them. " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect. i. , n. 11, p. 185.
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
^ "Bishops of
" ^ Mr.
See an Article, written by John
IOI2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 30.
side over the church of Downpatrick. ^3 it is called, likewise, Dromlethglas,^* for which several old writers have Dun-da-leith-glas. ^s Sir James Ware commences his list of the Downpatrick bishops, with St. Cailan. From havingbeenAbbotofNendrura,Cailan^^ wasmadeBishopoverthechurch of Down, about the close of the sixth century. '^ For this statement, he referstoActsofSt. Cailan,citedbyUsher. ^^ Itisthought,thatSt. Fergus-
Struell Wells, County of Down.
sius must have been first bishop of Downpatrick,'? by a learned Irish Church historian, who supposes, there are no sufficient proofs to show that Cailan, or Coelan, was his predecessor, as some writers maintain. ^" But, according to Mr. John W. Hanna, those who maintain such an opinion have overlooked the true conclusion to be derived from the dates, which show, that whereas Mochoe, Abbot of Nendrum, died 496, it was quite consistent, that another Coelan should be elevated to Down, in 499. Besides, Ussher, who possessed
Kinelarty. See ibid. , Sheets 22, 23, 29, 30,
37.
'3 See Harris' Ware, vol.
Down," p. 195.
'< In the " Annals of
•'"The first Bishop, and, indeed, the first minister of Down of whom we have any certain account, is whose death is
'S See Rev, Dr.
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect.
i. , n. 10, p. 185.
any Bishop
before St.
Lanigan's
'*
name for him. His feast is held on the 23rd
Fergus, and whether there was an uninter-
rupted succession after him, are questions
which, in the absence of — must be record,
vol. " i,,
and note 186, where he 12, pp. 185,
" Ulster,"
Bishops
of
Fergus,
recorded in the various collections of Annals,
Mochoe is said to have been another
of when he died a. d. June,
" Ecclesiastical of Down Antiquities
496, according to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Connor and Dromore. " Appendix A, pp 143. H4-
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 158 to 161, and n. (h. ) Ibid.
'-' Or about A. D. 499. See Harris' Ware,
quitates," cap. xvii. See, also, the " Index "
Chronologicus of Ussher, p. 527, at a. d. DXX. Ibid.
" Ecclesiastical HiS'
of
** See " Briiannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
Bishops
Down," p. 194.
p. 183,
says: "Had there been any Bishop of
1,,
&c.
" Ecclesiastical
andis atthe * *
placed Whether there was
year 583.
judged by general reasoning. " Dr. Reeves
^° See Dr.
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. , sect,
Lanigan's
Down, prior to Fergus, it should seem odd, that he is the first mentioned in both the Annals above referred to ; and that, not-
March 30. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1013
his
"
Life and Acts," could not have been deceived. *' Near Downpatrick are
the celebrated Struell Wells, which seem to have been resorted to by pilgrims,
from times very remote, and where numberless miraculous cures have been
efiFected. The place itself is only a poor village, containing a few straggling
houses, inhabited by Catholics, who take charge of the springs. ^^' These are
for the most roofs. *3 The house of the "
well" is
part protected by
the largest of three ; and, to the height of gable, it is 29 feet, being 30 feet by 22 in area. The higher part, with three small windows, is roofed with stone ; but, the lower part has no roof,^* and here the bathing takes place. Another
spring
is called the " *5 and a third is called the " drink- eye-well,"
well. " *^
It runs east and west, its length is 64^ feet, its breadth 25 feet. In the eastern gable, there is a Gothic window, 9}^ feet high, in the northern side- wall. There are no windows in the opposite one. There are three windows andadoor,andalsoone,onthewesterngable. —Ashortdistancefromthis
ing
Immediately
behind this latter are the remains of an old church. '^
old — and about
building, mid-way up
a
the wells is St. Patrick's chair,*^ which appears to be a mass of rude stones, now greatly displaced. It is supposed, that St. Patrick often resorted to Struell,*9 for penitential purposes, and to sing Psalms while in retirement at Downpatrick, from which it is only a mile or two distant. 3° That see St. Fergus governed, with great prudence and sanctity, until the day of his death, which took place on the 30th of March, a. d, 583,3' in the sixteenth year of the reign of Aidus, King of Ireland, according to the Annals of the Four Masters,3* and, likewise, to those of Ulster. The latter have it noted again, under a. d. 589. The Annals of Tighernach have his decease recorded, under A. D. 584. 33 TheAnnalsofBoyleplacehisdeath,soearlyasa. d. 557. The
withstanding Colgan's frequently alluding to Down and naming several persons called Cailan, see ex. c. Ind. tert. ad Tr. Th. , he has no Bishop of that name in said See. "
*' See an Article, in the Belfast Weekly
Examiner, of June 8th, 1872.
" The accompanying illustration was
drawn on the wood, by William F. Wake-
man, from a photograph, prepared by Rev. Bernard M'Cann, C. C, Saul. The en- graving is by Mrs. Millard.
'3 The information here given is from a
letter of Rev. Bernard M'Cann, C. C. of
Saul, and dated therefrom February 14th, 1 880.
** On the eve of June 24th, it is tem- porarily covered with leafy branches.
=^5 It is 120 feet from the former well, and
its roof is about 7 feet high ; the building is
nearly square, being 6 feet by 5>^ feet. On the western side, there is a little door 4 feet 8 inches in height.
** It is nearly in a straight line with the wells already described.