Soon, to their great
sublime
of God appeared to him one night.
sublime
of God appeared to him one night.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
145.
b,
The Life of of St. Columba in the Cod.
Salmant. expressly limits this prophey to 60
years (Tr. Th. , p. 325). See Rev. Dr. Etudes.
158).
"
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
Isaac, a child of promise. See Galatians iv. , ""
28. Terra repromissionis is a common name, in the Lives of Irish Saints, for the Holy Land.
421 It is observable in continental hagio- logy, that Columba is a female appellation ; whereas, among the Irish, with one or two
trifling exceptions, this denomination belongs to the opposite sex.
422 Thus, the Venerable Bede observes : " Qui videlicet Columba nunc a nonnullis [composito a Cella —et Columba nomine],
"
Columcelli vocatur. " Historia Ecclesias-
ticaGentisAnglorum,"lib. v. , cap. x. , p. 402.
Cog- nomento apud suos Co'umkille, eo quod multarum cellarum, id est monasteriorum vel eccl—esiarum institutor, fundator, et rector
Martyrologium," Junii.
The O'Clerys state: "The reason why he is named of the cille [or church] is, because he was fostered at Cill-mic-Nenain,
land. " See Rev. Drs. Todd's and Reeves'
"
Martyrology of Donegal," pp. 150, 151. 425 In an old Life of St. Columba, found
"
423 Thus writes Notker Balbulus " :
424
nechan is said to have been his fosterer. The latter consulted a diviner, who examined the appearance of the heavens or stars, and who then ordered the alphabet to be written en a cake, which was a method of the age, and calculated to make children begin learn- ing their letters with the greater avidity,
H. Gaidoz, " Les Gateaux Alphabetiques,"
in the " Recutil de Tra- Melanges Renier,
vaux publies par l'Ecole pratique des Hantes "
284 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
CHAPTER II.
ANECDOTES OF ST. COLUMBA's CHILDHOOD—FOSTERED AT KILMACREANAN—HE STUDIES UNDER ST. FINIAN OF MAGHBILE—IN LEINSTER, HE BECOMES A DIS- CIPLE OF ST. GEMMAN—A STUDENT UNDER ST. FINIAN, ABBOT OF CLONARD— HE REMAINS FOR SOME TIME UNDER THE DISCIPLINE OF ST. MOBI AT GLASNEVIN —HE RETURNS TO ULSTER.
From his youth, Columba was trained up in Christian discipline, and in the study of wisdom by his pious parents, who desired to share their responsi-
bility
priest by
baptized.
3
Tliey
seem to have been drawn
pally from the traditional folklore of the North of Ireland.
hospitiolum
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,
demy. From their inscriptions, they appear to have been school exercises. In a Paper read, 26th May, 1845, these are described and their inscriptions are deciphered, by Rev. Dr. James Henthorn Todd. Admir- able Plates are
vii. , p. 107.
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbia, lib. i. , cap. xxxii. pp. 393, 394.
9 Here are the remains of an old church, and the cemetery is in two portions. In one of these was an ancient enclosure of stones like a roofless chapel, which was commonly called Ced-mitheaohd Columkille. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes O, p. 281.
,0 No doubt, the successor of St. Columba, in the Abbey of Iona, and whose feast occurs on the 9th of June.
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
likewise, in " Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
appended,
vol. xxi. , Antiquities, Art. i. , pp. 3 to 15.
5 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
whom he had been
1 The anec- following
with the
dotes of his earlier years are gleaned chiefly from the saint's Life, by Prince O'Donnell. 2 Cruthnechan, with a venerable senior, taught him the elements of readings and of writing on tablets,* with a pen or stylus. At one time, when the boy tore one of these tablets, and threw a portion of it beside a stream, near which they happened to be, while the other portion was cast beyond it ; the venerable senior told Cruthnechan, that their alumnus should bedistinguishedbotliinIrelandandinScotland. 5 Onenight,whenthesame Cruthnechan returned home from the church, after his devotions were over,6 he saw a glorious light around the head of Columb. ? This dazzled and amazed the teacher ; but, soon his senses returned, and he thoroughly understood, this exterior light manifested that interior illumination of the Holy Spirit,
8
which glowed within his pupil.
Near the church of Tulachdubglass,? and connected with the saint's foster-
age, was to be seen an ancient building, like a cemetery, and surrounded by walls. This is said to have been the ambulatory of Columkille during his days of infancy, and, in the Irish language, it was called" Cedmitheachd Columkille," or " the first walking-place of Columba •" because this space he used to travel, when first able to move his limbs. At an early period, St. Baithen 10 is said to have celebrated it in Irish verse ; and, he states, that whoever would make a devout pilgrimage around it, in honour of our saint, should be preserved from a sudden and an unprovided death, or if suffering from any infirmity, he should berelievedfromit. 11 InO'Donnell'stime,arockwasshownnearLoughGartan,
11. Chapter — '
"
chap, xi. , sect, vii. , p. 107, and n. Si, p. 116.
3 This is stated, in the Second Life, attri- buted to Cummian, cap, hi. , p. 325, in Colgan.
4 In a bog at Maghera, county of Derry, were found fragments of an ancient waxed
Table-book, with writing in the Latin Ian- guage and in the Irish characters. These are now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca-
See Rev. Dr. Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. ,
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , p. 393.
6 "
Lanigan's
xxxi. ,
Adamnan, who relates this vision, states, Cruithnecanus, post missam a—b ecclesia ad
revertens," &c. Rev. Dr. "
princi-
lib. hi. , cap. 2, pp. 191, 192. 7 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect.
cap.
June 9. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
285
on which St. Columba and his juvenile companions were said to have played. A curious legend was afterwards related, which perpetuated in the minds of the people, a recollection of the great purity and innocence of his boyhood. " In a fountain near Gartan, it was believed by the people, that a trout had re- mained there, since the time of Columba ; and, although frequently taken up from the water in vessels, in the process of cooking, no degree of heat could
to boil, until that trout was taken back to the fountain. '3 Doire- ethne is said to have been the ancient name for Killmicnenain,1* or the church of Enan's son, which was the place where St. Columba's family man-
cause a
pot
sion stood. 15 At present, it is denominated Kilmacrenan, a well-known parish, 16
whichgivesnametoabarony, inthecountyofDonegal. Inthedaysof our national greatness, few places attained greater celebrity, than this district.
Ruins at Kilmacrenan, County Donegal.
In it had been built, and there flourished, also, the once famous monastery of Kilmacrenan. ClosebystandsthehistoricRockofDoon,whichlookson Gartan, the birth-place of our saint. On Doon, likewise, the princes of
18 Tyrconnell were inaugurated, ? by the O'Firghils. '
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxvi. , P- 393-
12
See ibid. , cap. xxvii. , p. 393.
13 See ibid. , cap. xxviii. , p. 393.
14 This was originally known, as the ter-
ritory of Cineb tugxieAc mic Secna, or the Tribe of Lugaidh, son of Setna, brother to Fedhlimidh, the father of St. Columba. The inhabitants were known as the Siob Seena, or the Race of Setna. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," n. (c), p. 192.
nain erat," &c. See ibid. , cap. lix. , p. 399-
16
See ibid. , cap. xxix. , p, 393.
•» There gallant Red Hugh, the last of that
illustrious O'Donnell line, swore fealty to the
cause of his country and religion. How
chivalrously he maintained that cause, the
victory of many a gloriously contested field bears ample testimony. See a "Lecture on the Life and Times of Hugh Roe O'Don- nell," &c, by Rev. C. P. Meehan, Dublin,
1869, cr. 8vo.
18 Now the Freels, a of the Cinel- family
Conaill, who were the hereditary wardens of
"
* 5 O Donnell states in
patriamque aulam, quae tunc in Killmacne-
Colgan's
version
286 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
hermit,
companion.
piety
learning.
Near the village of Kilmacrenan, and a little to the north-east, are the 1
ruins of an old church, ? surrounded by a very picturesque country, and
and
2
cius, the son of Deagaidh, + invited that holy priest and his pupil to Rath-
enaigh,25 inTirennia, to celebrate the Festival of our Lord's Nativity. While
enjoying the Bishop's hospitality, Cruthnechan asked him to join in reciting alternately the Divine office. To this he assented; but, when they had pro- ceeded so far as the Psalm " Misericordias Domini," the senior either felt his
sight weak, or his tongue faltering, and through agitation of mind he could proceed no further. On seeing this, the foster-son took up his Master's
Psaltery, and although he had only learned merely the rudiments, Colum was able to read through the long and involved Psalm. 20 More wonderful still was that miracle which took place, while Cruthnechan and Columkille returned home, after assisting at the obsequies of a certain person. Suddenly, the former fell on the ground ; but, thinking he wished to sleep there, Columba threw his cloak over him. He then commenced reading, in a very loud tone, to employ well the time he deemed it necessary to wait, during his
horror,theydiscoveredthattheirfatherwasdead; yet,havingaknowledgeof the youth's great sanctity, they entreated him to raise his master from this pro-
found sleep. Columba joyfully did so, and the happy company gave thanks to God for such a wonderful favour. 2 ? Filled with gratitude to the Almighty,
the restored priest applied with still greater zeal to his task of instruction. Soon had he the pleasure of finding his disciple excel all equals in years, and even
many of his superiors, both in virtue and in learning. His genius sought the true object; fixed on Heaven were his thoughts; piety and honesty shone in his actions ; his spirit loved to seek for truth and beauty, where they are only to be found ; and, his mind was filled with the most noble and
28 While under Cruthnechan's anxious care, the
near it are the remains of a small Franciscan viewofnorthernsceneryisobtainedfromthemountainofKilmacrenan. 21 St. Columba lived for some time, under the charge of his baptizer, and of a pious
foster-father's
22 This hermit was revered for
his
As a curious illustration of teaching at that time, we are informed, that Columba learned the elements of writing, by tracing on tablets or on pugil- lares? '* Soon after the occurrence of Cruithnechan's vision, Bishop Bruga-
Near the — was a
repose. place nunnery,
and here were the daughters of Cruthnechan living as he had been married, before he em- braced a religious life. Hearing Columba's voice, and knowing their father was in his company, the virgins proceeded to meet them.
Soon, to their great
sublime
of God appeared to him one night. Clothed in a white and shining garment,
imaginings.
Angel
he said to the " The Lord be with thee, act boy :
and
your soul in the Lord. Behold, lam present, and appointed as your guardian
Kilmacrenan church.
19 The accompanying illustration of Kil-
macrenan Abbey taken from the north west
side was drawn Alexander
by McHenry,
Esq. , C. E. , from sketches of Mrs. G. H Kinehan. It was transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it was en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
20 Only fragments remain, and chiefly ot the south wall.
325. In n. 9, ibid. , p. 331, Colgan supplies the name of St. Cruthnecan, venerated on the 7th of March.
23 known as or Classically writing noting
tables, probably covered with wax, on which the stylus or metallic pen might run.
"* His feast occurs, on the 3rd of Novem- ber.
2S Or Rath-maighe-enaigh, now Ray-
mochy, in the Barony of Raphoe. See Rev.
21 " "
See Rev. Caesar Otway's Sketches in Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St.
Donegal," Letter i. , pp. 6 to 20.
22
This is stated, without mentioning the
name of that Priest, in the Second Life of
our saint, attributed to Cummian. See p. 394, and n. 38, p. 449.
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," cap. ii. , p.
2?
See Hid. , cap. xxxiii. , p. 394.
monastery.
Columba," n. (c), p. 192.
20
20 A most beautiful
manfully
strengthen
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. i. , cap. xxxii. ,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 287
and defender, so that I may guide you in all your ways, lest your foot dash against a stone. " In amazement, Columba asked who he was, and the Angel
replied :
my office,
Auxil,
my
" From the nature of
I am called
2 9 since it is duty to afford you assistance against the snares of your enemy, against the falsehood of this world, and against the deceits of the flesh. " Then, the boy enquired, if all God's Angels presented so youthful and so fair an appearance, and. clothed. 3° " said the
or if were all so they
splendidly adorned,
Angel, "much as you admire my vesture and appearance, yet the stole of glory
with which I am clothed in Heaven, is far more brilliant, neither could your mortal eyes bear this vision of brightness, were it not accorded by Divine permission. And, if you ambition such a stole of immortality, the sole reward of great merit, desire earnestly, seek, and pursue virtue ; consecrate your virginity to God, and preserve it unstained to the end. Should you do this, you shall obtain the most splendid vesture among the Angels, whose glory and majesty no language could exaggerate. " Then said the boy, "I shall happily follow what you advise me to do, and I ask you to sign my heart and whole body with a sign of the cross. " This request was complied with, by the Angel, who immediately departed heavenwards. Columba was com- forted, and a new spirit seemed diffused within him, so that his whole future life was devoted to the contemplation of heavenly things, while he despised those ofthe world. 31
Another time, his tutelary Angel appeared in glorious sheen to the boy,
and told him, that Christ had permitted him to select his choice of virtues
and graces, while he was admonished to reflect well and to discern rightly.
Then Columba answered, that of all others, he desired the graces of virginity
andofwisdom. " hastthou orratherthe Ghostwithin
Rightly answered,
thee, in making such a choice," replied the Angel,
"
Holy
wherefore, as you have
so discreetly and meritoriously wished, God shall further bestow on you the giftofprophecy,inwhichyoushallprovetobesuper-eminent. "32 Ithasbeen well observed,33 that in the most strange of phantasies, the Irish legends maintain a morality high and pure. 3 * No sooner had the Angel disappeared from his view, than he had a vision of three beautiful virgins, having a most unusual mien, and they advanced, as if to salute him ; but, with instinctive modesty, he felt reluctant to return their proffered courtesy, until he first en-
" arethe doubtless, you
who
and the spouses offered to thee by cur father. " " And who is your father? " askedSt. Columb. TheysaidhewasJesusChrist,theLordandSaviourof
quired
all. " addedSt. Then,"
then
Columb, greatly relieved,
sisters,
they
virgins
replied :
were. These
daughters of a great parent, and now oblige me by declaring your respective names. " They then declared, that one was named Virginity, the second was
called Wisdom, while the third was named Prophecy. 33 They intimated to
him, likewise, that thenceforth, they should become his inseparable com- panions, and that they should cherish him with an inviolable fidelity. This vision of the three mystical and heavenly graces then vanished ; and, the holy youth gave thanks to God, who had deemed him to be the worthy associate of such noble and beautiful spouses. 36 The Angel Auxil again appeared to him,
28
See ibid. , cap. xxxiv. , p. 394.
29 Latinized Auxilius or Auxiliator.
30 See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les
33 By the Comte de Montalembert, who
Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. xi. , iii. , liv. xi. , chap, i. , pp. 109, no.
chap, i. , p. 109. 35 This is somewhat differently stated, in 31 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," the Life of our saint, attributed to Cum-
Vita Quinta S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxxv. , p. 394, and n. 39, p. 449.
32 See ibid. , cap. xxxvi. , p. 394.
mian, cap. iii. , p. 325, in Colgan. How- ever, there is a manifest clerical inaccuracy in the text.
Truly,"
" We are three
relates this
34 See "Les Moines d'Occident," tome
story.
36 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xxxvii. , P- 394-
37 See ibid. , cap. xxxvm. , p. 395.
38 In "The Life of St. Columkille," by an eminent Divine of the Roman Catholic
Church, chap, i. , we have the fol—lowing
"
Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down,
Connor and Dromore," p. 151. Besides Movilla, he was the founder of Druim-fionn, now Dromin, in the county of Louth. This is called Ecclesia S. Fintani de Droming, in the Registry of Fleming, fol. 44a.
42 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
lines translated from an Irish Poem
:
penance, on the
Vita Quinta S. Columbae, lib. i. , P- 395-
cap. xxxix. ,
" As a
religious ground
43
Finnian of Movilla, it renders very impro-
Lay youthful Columb-kille, through his clothes
while
— between him and St.
His meagre bones humble cell
appeared ; his
to be related
Was always open to the inclement
wind,
Which blew with violence through
the unplastered walls. "
39 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. I, n. (e),
p. 105.
40 His festival occurs, on the 10th of Sep-
tember. The Irish Vmnen, pnoen, and "
reign.
44 See Rev. Dr.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
and declared, that Christ had given him the selection of the place, the period, and the sort of death, he might chose. * Then," said the holy youth, " I desire to die a natural death, which abstinence and a voluntary restraint of the flesh may procure ; I wish it may come after youth has long passed, and yet before I attain the decrepitude of years ; for, I do not chose to de- cline in the dangerous time, when passion is strong, neither do I chose to be- come senile and morose, when indulgence is required and a relaxation from toil. Lastly, with regard to the place, I do not wish to die in my own country, but, as an exile and a stranger in a distant land, in penitence and in
tears; for,theexileismorepronetolament,andtoweanhisthoughtsatthe
same time, from vain and transitory things. "** This holy saint constantly spent
hnVearly days, in acts of devotion, austerity, self-denial, abstinence, and mor-
8
3
tification.
been
sent—when about twenty years of age to the school of St. Finnian,* son
Having
fully qualified
for the— St. Columba was higher studies,
3?
to 1 of 2 This wasinthe of Cairbre,* Maghbile. * place present county
Down, at the head of Strangford Lough. It was then very celebrated, and much resorted to, as a religious house, At this school, Columkille applied himself sedulously, not alone to the acquirement of learnings but he desired also to imitate the virtues of his holy teacher. ** Here Columba especially addicted himself to a study of ecclesiastical science. *5 There was another celebrated Abbot of Clonard,*6 who bore the same name, and who at a later period seems to have been St. Columkille's preceptor ;*7 this has caused some con-
sans doute aussi celtique (car on le retrouve ITittniA, are diminutives of prm, albus," chez les Gallois) que les enfants fussent
equivalent to Albinus, and they appear in the Latin forms Finnianus, Findianus, Fin- nio, Vinnio, and Vinnianus ; to which the Italians add Fridanus and Frigidianus. Findbar r is a compound name, formed from
eleves dans une autre famille ou par des
" " 47
However, he desired on this occasion— learn wisdom, from the illustrious bishop namely, Finghin of Magh-bile. See Dermod
"
O'Conor's Keating's
saint of the Ultonians. See Rev. William Ketenn, as quoted by Colgan, in his Lifeot
—vertex," pulcher
propter can-
to
£inn barvr*
dorem capillorum. " Colgan's
torum Hiberniae," Martii xviii. , Vita S. Fri- diani, cap. i. , p. 638.
"
Acta
Sanc-
General History of 41 He was one of the Dal-Fiatach, the Ireland," part ii. , p. 384, Duffy's edition. royal family of Ulster, and he became patron With this agree the Lives of SS. Ere, Callin,
If this anecdote refer to the teaching of
bable that legend of the quarrel
hereafter Colum- For the legend, see O'Donnell, or Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. i. , in "Trias Thau- maturga," p. 408, also in Keating's "History of Ireland," part ii. , at Aodh's
viii. , p. 117.
45 " C'etait un ancien usage irlandais et
—
ba, both as to cause and effect.
" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect,
Strangers.
The Life of of St. Columba in the Cod.
Salmant. expressly limits this prophey to 60
years (Tr. Th. , p. 325). See Rev. Dr. Etudes.
158).
"
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
Isaac, a child of promise. See Galatians iv. , ""
28. Terra repromissionis is a common name, in the Lives of Irish Saints, for the Holy Land.
421 It is observable in continental hagio- logy, that Columba is a female appellation ; whereas, among the Irish, with one or two
trifling exceptions, this denomination belongs to the opposite sex.
422 Thus, the Venerable Bede observes : " Qui videlicet Columba nunc a nonnullis [composito a Cella —et Columba nomine],
"
Columcelli vocatur. " Historia Ecclesias-
ticaGentisAnglorum,"lib. v. , cap. x. , p. 402.
Cog- nomento apud suos Co'umkille, eo quod multarum cellarum, id est monasteriorum vel eccl—esiarum institutor, fundator, et rector
Martyrologium," Junii.
The O'Clerys state: "The reason why he is named of the cille [or church] is, because he was fostered at Cill-mic-Nenain,
land. " See Rev. Drs. Todd's and Reeves'
"
Martyrology of Donegal," pp. 150, 151. 425 In an old Life of St. Columba, found
"
423 Thus writes Notker Balbulus " :
424
nechan is said to have been his fosterer. The latter consulted a diviner, who examined the appearance of the heavens or stars, and who then ordered the alphabet to be written en a cake, which was a method of the age, and calculated to make children begin learn- ing their letters with the greater avidity,
H. Gaidoz, " Les Gateaux Alphabetiques,"
in the " Recutil de Tra- Melanges Renier,
vaux publies par l'Ecole pratique des Hantes "
284 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
CHAPTER II.
ANECDOTES OF ST. COLUMBA's CHILDHOOD—FOSTERED AT KILMACREANAN—HE STUDIES UNDER ST. FINIAN OF MAGHBILE—IN LEINSTER, HE BECOMES A DIS- CIPLE OF ST. GEMMAN—A STUDENT UNDER ST. FINIAN, ABBOT OF CLONARD— HE REMAINS FOR SOME TIME UNDER THE DISCIPLINE OF ST. MOBI AT GLASNEVIN —HE RETURNS TO ULSTER.
From his youth, Columba was trained up in Christian discipline, and in the study of wisdom by his pious parents, who desired to share their responsi-
bility
priest by
baptized.
3
Tliey
seem to have been drawn
pally from the traditional folklore of the North of Ireland.
hospitiolum
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,
demy. From their inscriptions, they appear to have been school exercises. In a Paper read, 26th May, 1845, these are described and their inscriptions are deciphered, by Rev. Dr. James Henthorn Todd. Admir- able Plates are
vii. , p. 107.
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbia, lib. i. , cap. xxxii. pp. 393, 394.
9 Here are the remains of an old church, and the cemetery is in two portions. In one of these was an ancient enclosure of stones like a roofless chapel, which was commonly called Ced-mitheaohd Columkille. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes O, p. 281.
,0 No doubt, the successor of St. Columba, in the Abbey of Iona, and whose feast occurs on the 9th of June.
"See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
likewise, in " Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
appended,
vol. xxi. , Antiquities, Art. i. , pp. 3 to 15.
5 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
whom he had been
1 The anec- following
with the
dotes of his earlier years are gleaned chiefly from the saint's Life, by Prince O'Donnell. 2 Cruthnechan, with a venerable senior, taught him the elements of readings and of writing on tablets,* with a pen or stylus. At one time, when the boy tore one of these tablets, and threw a portion of it beside a stream, near which they happened to be, while the other portion was cast beyond it ; the venerable senior told Cruthnechan, that their alumnus should bedistinguishedbotliinIrelandandinScotland. 5 Onenight,whenthesame Cruthnechan returned home from the church, after his devotions were over,6 he saw a glorious light around the head of Columb. ? This dazzled and amazed the teacher ; but, soon his senses returned, and he thoroughly understood, this exterior light manifested that interior illumination of the Holy Spirit,
8
which glowed within his pupil.
Near the church of Tulachdubglass,? and connected with the saint's foster-
age, was to be seen an ancient building, like a cemetery, and surrounded by walls. This is said to have been the ambulatory of Columkille during his days of infancy, and, in the Irish language, it was called" Cedmitheachd Columkille," or " the first walking-place of Columba •" because this space he used to travel, when first able to move his limbs. At an early period, St. Baithen 10 is said to have celebrated it in Irish verse ; and, he states, that whoever would make a devout pilgrimage around it, in honour of our saint, should be preserved from a sudden and an unprovided death, or if suffering from any infirmity, he should berelievedfromit. 11 InO'Donnell'stime,arockwasshownnearLoughGartan,
11. Chapter — '
"
chap, xi. , sect, vii. , p. 107, and n. Si, p. 116.
3 This is stated, in the Second Life, attri- buted to Cummian, cap, hi. , p. 325, in Colgan.
4 In a bog at Maghera, county of Derry, were found fragments of an ancient waxed
Table-book, with writing in the Latin Ian- guage and in the Irish characters. These are now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca-
See Rev. Dr. Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. ,
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , p. 393.
6 "
Lanigan's
xxxi. ,
Adamnan, who relates this vision, states, Cruithnecanus, post missam a—b ecclesia ad
revertens," &c. Rev. Dr. "
princi-
lib. hi. , cap. 2, pp. 191, 192. 7 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect.
cap.
June 9. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
285
on which St. Columba and his juvenile companions were said to have played. A curious legend was afterwards related, which perpetuated in the minds of the people, a recollection of the great purity and innocence of his boyhood. " In a fountain near Gartan, it was believed by the people, that a trout had re- mained there, since the time of Columba ; and, although frequently taken up from the water in vessels, in the process of cooking, no degree of heat could
to boil, until that trout was taken back to the fountain. '3 Doire- ethne is said to have been the ancient name for Killmicnenain,1* or the church of Enan's son, which was the place where St. Columba's family man-
cause a
pot
sion stood. 15 At present, it is denominated Kilmacrenan, a well-known parish, 16
whichgivesnametoabarony, inthecountyofDonegal. Inthedaysof our national greatness, few places attained greater celebrity, than this district.
Ruins at Kilmacrenan, County Donegal.
In it had been built, and there flourished, also, the once famous monastery of Kilmacrenan. ClosebystandsthehistoricRockofDoon,whichlookson Gartan, the birth-place of our saint. On Doon, likewise, the princes of
18 Tyrconnell were inaugurated, ? by the O'Firghils. '
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxvi. , P- 393-
12
See ibid. , cap. xxvii. , p. 393.
13 See ibid. , cap. xxviii. , p. 393.
14 This was originally known, as the ter-
ritory of Cineb tugxieAc mic Secna, or the Tribe of Lugaidh, son of Setna, brother to Fedhlimidh, the father of St. Columba. The inhabitants were known as the Siob Seena, or the Race of Setna. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," n. (c), p. 192.
nain erat," &c. See ibid. , cap. lix. , p. 399-
16
See ibid. , cap. xxix. , p, 393.
•» There gallant Red Hugh, the last of that
illustrious O'Donnell line, swore fealty to the
cause of his country and religion. How
chivalrously he maintained that cause, the
victory of many a gloriously contested field bears ample testimony. See a "Lecture on the Life and Times of Hugh Roe O'Don- nell," &c, by Rev. C. P. Meehan, Dublin,
1869, cr. 8vo.
18 Now the Freels, a of the Cinel- family
Conaill, who were the hereditary wardens of
"
* 5 O Donnell states in
patriamque aulam, quae tunc in Killmacne-
Colgan's
version
286 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
hermit,
companion.
piety
learning.
Near the village of Kilmacrenan, and a little to the north-east, are the 1
ruins of an old church, ? surrounded by a very picturesque country, and
and
2
cius, the son of Deagaidh, + invited that holy priest and his pupil to Rath-
enaigh,25 inTirennia, to celebrate the Festival of our Lord's Nativity. While
enjoying the Bishop's hospitality, Cruthnechan asked him to join in reciting alternately the Divine office. To this he assented; but, when they had pro- ceeded so far as the Psalm " Misericordias Domini," the senior either felt his
sight weak, or his tongue faltering, and through agitation of mind he could proceed no further. On seeing this, the foster-son took up his Master's
Psaltery, and although he had only learned merely the rudiments, Colum was able to read through the long and involved Psalm. 20 More wonderful still was that miracle which took place, while Cruthnechan and Columkille returned home, after assisting at the obsequies of a certain person. Suddenly, the former fell on the ground ; but, thinking he wished to sleep there, Columba threw his cloak over him. He then commenced reading, in a very loud tone, to employ well the time he deemed it necessary to wait, during his
horror,theydiscoveredthattheirfatherwasdead; yet,havingaknowledgeof the youth's great sanctity, they entreated him to raise his master from this pro-
found sleep. Columba joyfully did so, and the happy company gave thanks to God for such a wonderful favour. 2 ? Filled with gratitude to the Almighty,
the restored priest applied with still greater zeal to his task of instruction. Soon had he the pleasure of finding his disciple excel all equals in years, and even
many of his superiors, both in virtue and in learning. His genius sought the true object; fixed on Heaven were his thoughts; piety and honesty shone in his actions ; his spirit loved to seek for truth and beauty, where they are only to be found ; and, his mind was filled with the most noble and
28 While under Cruthnechan's anxious care, the
near it are the remains of a small Franciscan viewofnorthernsceneryisobtainedfromthemountainofKilmacrenan. 21 St. Columba lived for some time, under the charge of his baptizer, and of a pious
foster-father's
22 This hermit was revered for
his
As a curious illustration of teaching at that time, we are informed, that Columba learned the elements of writing, by tracing on tablets or on pugil- lares? '* Soon after the occurrence of Cruithnechan's vision, Bishop Bruga-
Near the — was a
repose. place nunnery,
and here were the daughters of Cruthnechan living as he had been married, before he em- braced a religious life. Hearing Columba's voice, and knowing their father was in his company, the virgins proceeded to meet them.
Soon, to their great
sublime
of God appeared to him one night. Clothed in a white and shining garment,
imaginings.
Angel
he said to the " The Lord be with thee, act boy :
and
your soul in the Lord. Behold, lam present, and appointed as your guardian
Kilmacrenan church.
19 The accompanying illustration of Kil-
macrenan Abbey taken from the north west
side was drawn Alexander
by McHenry,
Esq. , C. E. , from sketches of Mrs. G. H Kinehan. It was transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it was en- graved by Mrs. Millard.
20 Only fragments remain, and chiefly ot the south wall.
325. In n. 9, ibid. , p. 331, Colgan supplies the name of St. Cruthnecan, venerated on the 7th of March.
23 known as or Classically writing noting
tables, probably covered with wax, on which the stylus or metallic pen might run.
"* His feast occurs, on the 3rd of Novem- ber.
2S Or Rath-maighe-enaigh, now Ray-
mochy, in the Barony of Raphoe. See Rev.
21 " "
See Rev. Caesar Otway's Sketches in Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St.
Donegal," Letter i. , pp. 6 to 20.
22
This is stated, without mentioning the
name of that Priest, in the Second Life of
our saint, attributed to Cummian. See p. 394, and n. 38, p. 449.
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," cap. ii. , p.
2?
See Hid. , cap. xxxiii. , p. 394.
monastery.
Columba," n. (c), p. 192.
20
20 A most beautiful
manfully
strengthen
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. i. , cap. xxxii. ,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 287
and defender, so that I may guide you in all your ways, lest your foot dash against a stone. " In amazement, Columba asked who he was, and the Angel
replied :
my office,
Auxil,
my
" From the nature of
I am called
2 9 since it is duty to afford you assistance against the snares of your enemy, against the falsehood of this world, and against the deceits of the flesh. " Then, the boy enquired, if all God's Angels presented so youthful and so fair an appearance, and. clothed. 3° " said the
or if were all so they
splendidly adorned,
Angel, "much as you admire my vesture and appearance, yet the stole of glory
with which I am clothed in Heaven, is far more brilliant, neither could your mortal eyes bear this vision of brightness, were it not accorded by Divine permission. And, if you ambition such a stole of immortality, the sole reward of great merit, desire earnestly, seek, and pursue virtue ; consecrate your virginity to God, and preserve it unstained to the end. Should you do this, you shall obtain the most splendid vesture among the Angels, whose glory and majesty no language could exaggerate. " Then said the boy, "I shall happily follow what you advise me to do, and I ask you to sign my heart and whole body with a sign of the cross. " This request was complied with, by the Angel, who immediately departed heavenwards. Columba was com- forted, and a new spirit seemed diffused within him, so that his whole future life was devoted to the contemplation of heavenly things, while he despised those ofthe world. 31
Another time, his tutelary Angel appeared in glorious sheen to the boy,
and told him, that Christ had permitted him to select his choice of virtues
and graces, while he was admonished to reflect well and to discern rightly.
Then Columba answered, that of all others, he desired the graces of virginity
andofwisdom. " hastthou orratherthe Ghostwithin
Rightly answered,
thee, in making such a choice," replied the Angel,
"
Holy
wherefore, as you have
so discreetly and meritoriously wished, God shall further bestow on you the giftofprophecy,inwhichyoushallprovetobesuper-eminent. "32 Ithasbeen well observed,33 that in the most strange of phantasies, the Irish legends maintain a morality high and pure. 3 * No sooner had the Angel disappeared from his view, than he had a vision of three beautiful virgins, having a most unusual mien, and they advanced, as if to salute him ; but, with instinctive modesty, he felt reluctant to return their proffered courtesy, until he first en-
" arethe doubtless, you
who
and the spouses offered to thee by cur father. " " And who is your father? " askedSt. Columb. TheysaidhewasJesusChrist,theLordandSaviourof
quired
all. " addedSt. Then,"
then
Columb, greatly relieved,
sisters,
they
virgins
replied :
were. These
daughters of a great parent, and now oblige me by declaring your respective names. " They then declared, that one was named Virginity, the second was
called Wisdom, while the third was named Prophecy. 33 They intimated to
him, likewise, that thenceforth, they should become his inseparable com- panions, and that they should cherish him with an inviolable fidelity. This vision of the three mystical and heavenly graces then vanished ; and, the holy youth gave thanks to God, who had deemed him to be the worthy associate of such noble and beautiful spouses. 36 The Angel Auxil again appeared to him,
28
See ibid. , cap. xxxiv. , p. 394.
29 Latinized Auxilius or Auxiliator.
30 See Le Comte de Montalembert's " Les
33 By the Comte de Montalembert, who
Moines d'Occident," tome iii. , liv. xi. , iii. , liv. xi. , chap, i. , pp. 109, no.
chap, i. , p. 109. 35 This is somewhat differently stated, in 31 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," the Life of our saint, attributed to Cum-
Vita Quinta S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xxxv. , p. 394, and n. 39, p. 449.
32 See ibid. , cap. xxxvi. , p. 394.
mian, cap. iii. , p. 325, in Colgan. How- ever, there is a manifest clerical inaccuracy in the text.
Truly,"
" We are three
relates this
34 See "Les Moines d'Occident," tome
story.
36 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xxxvii. , P- 394-
37 See ibid. , cap. xxxvm. , p. 395.
38 In "The Life of St. Columkille," by an eminent Divine of the Roman Catholic
Church, chap, i. , we have the fol—lowing
"
Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down,
Connor and Dromore," p. 151. Besides Movilla, he was the founder of Druim-fionn, now Dromin, in the county of Louth. This is called Ecclesia S. Fintani de Droming, in the Registry of Fleming, fol. 44a.
42 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
lines translated from an Irish Poem
:
penance, on the
Vita Quinta S. Columbae, lib. i. , P- 395-
cap. xxxix. ,
" As a
religious ground
43
Finnian of Movilla, it renders very impro-
Lay youthful Columb-kille, through his clothes
while
— between him and St.
His meagre bones humble cell
appeared ; his
to be related
Was always open to the inclement
wind,
Which blew with violence through
the unplastered walls. "
39 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. I, n. (e),
p. 105.
40 His festival occurs, on the 10th of Sep-
tember. The Irish Vmnen, pnoen, and "
reign.
44 See Rev. Dr.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
and declared, that Christ had given him the selection of the place, the period, and the sort of death, he might chose. * Then," said the holy youth, " I desire to die a natural death, which abstinence and a voluntary restraint of the flesh may procure ; I wish it may come after youth has long passed, and yet before I attain the decrepitude of years ; for, I do not chose to de- cline in the dangerous time, when passion is strong, neither do I chose to be- come senile and morose, when indulgence is required and a relaxation from toil. Lastly, with regard to the place, I do not wish to die in my own country, but, as an exile and a stranger in a distant land, in penitence and in
tears; for,theexileismorepronetolament,andtoweanhisthoughtsatthe
same time, from vain and transitory things. "** This holy saint constantly spent
hnVearly days, in acts of devotion, austerity, self-denial, abstinence, and mor-
8
3
tification.
been
sent—when about twenty years of age to the school of St. Finnian,* son
Having
fully qualified
for the— St. Columba was higher studies,
3?
to 1 of 2 This wasinthe of Cairbre,* Maghbile. * place present county
Down, at the head of Strangford Lough. It was then very celebrated, and much resorted to, as a religious house, At this school, Columkille applied himself sedulously, not alone to the acquirement of learnings but he desired also to imitate the virtues of his holy teacher. ** Here Columba especially addicted himself to a study of ecclesiastical science. *5 There was another celebrated Abbot of Clonard,*6 who bore the same name, and who at a later period seems to have been St. Columkille's preceptor ;*7 this has caused some con-
sans doute aussi celtique (car on le retrouve ITittniA, are diminutives of prm, albus," chez les Gallois) que les enfants fussent
equivalent to Albinus, and they appear in the Latin forms Finnianus, Findianus, Fin- nio, Vinnio, and Vinnianus ; to which the Italians add Fridanus and Frigidianus. Findbar r is a compound name, formed from
eleves dans une autre famille ou par des
" " 47
However, he desired on this occasion— learn wisdom, from the illustrious bishop namely, Finghin of Magh-bile. See Dermod
"
O'Conor's Keating's
saint of the Ultonians. See Rev. William Ketenn, as quoted by Colgan, in his Lifeot
—vertex," pulcher
propter can-
to
£inn barvr*
dorem capillorum. " Colgan's
torum Hiberniae," Martii xviii. , Vita S. Fri- diani, cap. i. , p. 638.
"
Acta
Sanc-
General History of 41 He was one of the Dal-Fiatach, the Ireland," part ii. , p. 384, Duffy's edition. royal family of Ulster, and he became patron With this agree the Lives of SS. Ere, Callin,
If this anecdote refer to the teaching of
bable that legend of the quarrel
hereafter Colum- For the legend, see O'Donnell, or Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. i. , in "Trias Thau- maturga," p. 408, also in Keating's "History of Ireland," part ii. , at Aodh's
viii. , p. 117.
45 " C'etait un ancien usage irlandais et
—
ba, both as to cause and effect.
" Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect,
Strangers.
