An ancient altar-shaped mass of masonry rises, near the beautifully
recessed
choir-window.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
, p.
261.
he was iTAitbe fUinn, who was king over Cashel,atthattime; and,heisprobaljlythe king alluded to, in the Life of St. Mochoem-
hog, or St. Pulcherius, chap, iij. , at the 13th of March.
p.
261.
262.
Chapter hi. From the text we learn,
April 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 65
I ask for, fire shall come from Heaven, and bum your habitation. " Then happenedadoubleprodigy. NotonlylightningfromHeavencameinstantly, and burned down the house, before their eyes ; but, at that time, a boy, who had been infirm from the time of his birth, was restored to health, while the evil counsellor of the king was deprived of the use of his tongue. On wit- nessing this, the king relented, in his purpose, and granted the saint's request. Then, as the king desired it, in the presence of all, the mute was restored to the use of his speech, while our saint gave his blessing to the monarch. '
There was a St. P'inanus, who led the life of an anchorite, for many years, near the monastery of Dar-magh, or " the plain of the oak wood," while this lay,likewise,ontheconfinesofEliaandFera-Kellia; but,hemusthavebeen a distinct person from our saint, who hardly could have lived, afterwards, down to the time of St. Adamnan,3 about or after the year 660. Our saint cured a man, who for a year and a-half had been infirm, nor could he derive any benefit, from the aid of medical men. With Finan's blessing, he slept without disturbance orpain, during three whole days. Aftenvards, that man was abletorise,yet,somepaincontinuedinhisfoot. Thesaintsuppliedhimwitha
"
shoe to cover it, and he said,
continue to serve its purpose, you must know, that whenever it cannot be fitted to your foot, then death is already about to take place. " The fact was rea- lized, and it accorded with Finan's prediction. '* Once the leg of his chariot- horse was broken, but the saint's benediction restored the fractured limb, and the animal was enabled to draw the chariot. s St. Finan asked a certain king to liberate a hostage he held in chains, but when the king's son objected to such request,thatsametime,hebecameamute. Then,oursaintpromisedthe king, if his captive were restored to liberty, that very same moment, his son should be healed. The king promised to do so, and immediately, his son was restoredtotheuseofspeech. * Forawholeyear,oneofSt. Finan'smonks could not walk, until the Abbot visited him, on a certain day, and with a bless-
"
ing, he made the sign of the cross. He also said,
with me, and hold the horses. " When he had thus spoken, the infirm brother was healed. ' During a great fall of rain, upon a multitude of people around him, the garments of all were thoroughly drenched ; yet, not a single drop fell upon Finan, so that all present were in admiration, at this extraordinary manifestation of a good Providence watching over him. *
A certain holy person is mentioned, in'a Life of St. Mochoemoc,^ Abbot
of Lietlimore, in Ely O'Carroll, as having been in this monastery, on a parti-
cular occasion '° is of that this Finan must have been ; and, Colgan opinion,
identical with our saint. " His supposition is not improbable, as Kinnitty, where the holy Abbot resided, was situated, not far from that neighbourhood.
Our saint was a contemporary and relative, it is said, to Sl Mochelloc," of Kil- mallock, whom he visited on a certain occasion, bringing with him two cows andacalf,asapresent. Itappears,somewolveshaddevouredanothercalf, belonging to one of these cows ; and, St. Finan, having blessed the living calf, it was caressed, by that cow, which had lost its offspring, as much as it should have been by its own dam. Mochelloc, then an old man, gave orders
'
In Vita S. Finani, cap. xxii. , p. 262.
^ See his Life, at the 23rd of September.
cherius, at the 13th of March, chap. iL, where some notice is placed upon record.
'° See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," xiii. Martii, VitaS. Mochoemoci, cap. xviii. , p. 592.
" See ibid. , IL 23, p. 597.
" See an account of him, at the 26th day of March.
* See Vita S. Finani,
cap.
xxiii. ,
p.
262.
s See ibid. , cap. xxiv. , p. 262. '
See ibid. , cap. xxv. , pp. 262, 263.
' See ibid. , cap. xxvi. , p. 263.
' See ibid. , cap. xxvii. , p. 263.
' See the Life of St. Mochoenihog, or Pul-
Vol. IV. —No, 2.
e
If this shoe, used each day during your life,
Arise, my brother, come
66 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 7.
for his discipleSj to take good care of this living calf, lest the wolves should devour it, in like manner. One of Finan's disciples, on hearing these com- mands, said, that this calf should not die, so long as their holy senior Finan was there ; but, however, on the following night, a wolf devoured it. Finan then requested Mochelloc to have his cows milked, and when a servant went forth for such a purpose, that wolf, which had been a destroyer on the night before, presented himself in a docile manner before the cows, who licked him with demonstrations of affection. St. Finan then said to his venerable friend : "ItisbetterforustoaskofGodanothercalf,thantohavethewolf. " Then, both saints prayed, and afterwards, a white calf, but, having red ears,
"
This calf shall only remain with you, so long as these cows have milk, and until they arc about to bring forth young. " As the wolf had not departed to a very great
:
distance,oursaintcontinued "Thatwolfshallbeguardianofyourcalves,
to the time of his death, nor shall he injure any animal. " Such prediction was afterwards fulfilled. '3 The substance of this legend is contained, also, in the old Life of St. Finan of Kinnetty. '*
Our saint healed five paralytics, as also, five mutes. One day, as he entered a smith's shop, the iron-worker was engaged drawing iron from the fire, when
the saint what he should then " Take do,
approached the cows, and the wolf retired. Finan then said,
the broke in his hand. tongs
Asking
the iron firmly in your hand, and strike it with tlie sledge," was his reply.
This order the smith obeyed, nor did his hand suffer any injury from the fire. '5 One day, some guests were expected to arrive at his monastery, and F"inan sent a monk to an adjoining pasture field, where there was no water, yet with direcUons to bring from it three fishes. His order was obeyed, and the fish were found there, as he had indicated. '^
The Rev. Dr. Lanigan is of opinion, that St. Finan was the founder of Ceall-achaidh-Conchinn monastery, and the more so, as he had been a native of Corcaduibhne, in which it was situated ; '7 but, he appears to have over- looked Colgan's remark, for apparently, the latter writer had materials, which should not favour such a conclusion. "^ Nor does this appear, in the Life of St. Finan, which we have seen. Among other matters written, a house of Cyclo-
pean style, on Church Island, placed in Lough Lee, or Lough Currane, county of Kerry, is said to have been called after St. Finan Cam. '9 It lies, on the boun- dary linesof the baronies of Iveragh and Dunkeerin. However, it seems to me very questionable, if the present saint were, in reality, the patron of this place ; for, the people here celebrated their festival,^" on the i6th of March,^' and this should seem to connect it with St. Finan Lobhar, whose habitation was beside
'3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," xxvi. Martii, De S. Mochelloco Kel- locia Patrono, p. 749.
'* See Codex Manuscriptus Inisensi, Vita S. Finani, cap. xxviii. , p. 263.
'5 See ibtd. , cap. xxix. , xxx. , p. 263.
" See ibid. , cap. xxxi. , pp. 263, 264.
'' See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sec. iv. , n. 48, p. 19.
' See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xvi.
Martii, Vita S. Abbani, cap. xx. , p. 615, and n. 18, p. 622.
'' See Dr. George Petrie's " Ecclesiastical
Architecture and Round Tower or Ireland,"
Part ii. , sec. ii. , p. 130.
"° See Charles Smith's " Natural and Civil
History of Kerry," chap, v. , pp. 99, 100. " This celebration is continued, to our time, at the Well of St. Finian, not far from
the present village of Waterville, as the Rev Eugene Murphy, C. C. , informed me, on the occasion of a tour taken with the Rev.
James Gaffney, M. R. I. A. , in July, 1871, The Rev. Eugene Murphy was an accom-
plished Irish scholar, then engaged in com-
piling an Irish Dictionary, with large addi- tions to Dr. O'Donovan's edition of Edward O'Reilly's; but,hislamenteddeathoccurred too soon after that period, to give him op- portunity for realizing his intentions. The Manuscript fell into the possession of the Most Rev. Daniel MacCarthy, D. D. , Bishop of Kerry, and on his decease, the Rev. DanielMacCarthy Downing,at presentC. C, cathedral, Marlborough-street, Dublin, the Bishop's executor, became the possessor. It is to be hoped, the Manuscript will yet be utilized, for purposes of publication.
April 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 67
alake,wherehebuiltabasilica. '" Nonameisfoundattachedtothelake,inthe
account referring to him ; and, it seems not improbable, that the locality may have been at Lough Currane. In it, there are three islands ; but, the largest one oftheseisChurchIsland. '3 ItliesnearWaterville,intheparishofDromod,"* and not far from Ballynaskelligs Bay. Church Island ^5 contains about two acres. Near the lake-shore are the remains of a most beautiful specimen of primitiveIrishchurcharchitecture. Thisisolatedchurchconsistsofanaveand a choir; both having been fonnerly separated, by a wall, which probably served forintercommunication,underanarchedopening. Ontheinterior,thenave measures twenty-four feet, in length, by thirteen feet, nine inches, in width. The chancel wall is two feet, ten inches, in thickness. The chancel itself mea- sures fifteen feet, nine inches, in length ; while the breadth is eleven feet. The walls of this building measure three feet, in thickness, on an average. There was a beautiful circularly arched door-way, leading to the nave, on the westside. Itmeasuresonlytwofeet,sixinches,internally; whileexternally, six feet, four inches, are measured,;from the moulded jambs remaining below ; the upper part of its truly fine old tracery has been removed with the face of the wall. In the south wall of the nave, there is one most elegantly chiselled old window, with circular arched head, very small on the outside, but more enlarged from being deeply embayed internally. There is also a circularly headed, embayed, and finely chiselled, eastern small window, in the choir. This part of the old church is propped, by a thick buttress, externally, and some old cairn-shaped tombs lie near the outer walls. There are also inscribed old crosses of elegant design, over some of the graves. There is a square recess for the sacred vessels, to the right of the altar ; and, there is an old disused broken altar-stone, yet remaining.
An ancient altar-shaped mass of masonry rises, near the beautifully recessed choir-window. Traces of plaster cover the interior nave and choir-walls, which are capped all over, with an ivy<oping of stunted growth. '* Many interments take place in the graveyard,nearthechurch; thecorpseandfuneralattendantsbeingconveyed from the mainland, in well-appointed boats. The island lies low, over the
——
lake surface, and the soil although rocky produces
thick and
grass, for a few of the small breed of Kerry cows, that graze over the surface. An outline of the surrounding mountains is wildly magnificent, but wood is altogether wanting, to relieve their stern and bare aspect. Stripes of fields and comfortable-looking cottages dot their slopes, and present variety, from the middle of the lake, as the boat dips and floats, over the freshening waves. Another island, on Lough Currane, contains the ruins of an old castle, which may be seen, to most advantage, at low water. '' Not far from the old church are various traces of an old monastic establishment, in the shape of mere
" See his Dfe, at the l6th of March, chap. i.
nourishing
garding Church Island, in an old Irish
Manuscript. The substance of this, he
'^ For an account of
could not then recollect, " "'
ierred to Miss Cmack's History of the
Kingdom of Kerry," chap, xviii. , pp. 398,
399-
'< This very extensive parish, in the
barony of Iveragh, is shown on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 71, 80,81, 88,
89. 90. 97i 98, 99. Waterville is shown, on Sheet 98.
— Accompanied by Rev. Eugene Murphy then curate in the Parish of Dromod—on
the 14th of July, 1871, the Rev. Jamee Gaffney and the writer had a most interest-
ing excursion, by twat, to the Island. While there, abundant opportunity was afforded, to make the measurements and observations, conveyed in the text.
»7 After some heavy showers, which pre- vailed on the day preceding our visit, the
'5
In July, 1871, the writer was informed,
— Mr. Andrew
by O'Sullivan,
of Cahirciveen
mountain streams and
higher
lakes
an excellen—
t Irish
and
a Legend, re-
upper had filled
to
80 years old
highest
scholar, that he read
then over
Lough Currane, water-leveL
nearly
its
it,
the reader is re-
^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 7.
foundations,theground-planofwliichisyetquitetraceable. Manyofthese houses seem isolated in position, and they rise in various parts of the island.
The most perfect of the old houses is a rudely-shaped building of Cyclopean masonry, and, on that part of the island, most remote from the church. In-
ternally, it is nearly a square ; but, the exact admeasurements are sixteen feet, six inches, in length, by fourteen feet, six inches, in width. It is entered, by
a low, square-headed doorway, covered with a large and thick ledge of stone. The door is nearly three feet, in width. Externally, the walls are nearly elip- tical, in appearance ; and, at the door entrance, they measure six feet, six inches in thickness. Externally, also, the whole of this building, near the ground, measures exactly 100 feet, from one rude door-jamb to the other. The walls taper and incline, as they rise, while they are crowned on top, with a
St. Finan s Church, Derrynane, County of Kerry.
thick interlacing ivy-mantle, of hardy and weather-beaten growth. The outer appearance of this rude structure, from the lake, gives it the appearance of a stunted bee-hive of dimensions. °^ some
extremely large Also, Darrynane,^' seven or eight miles distant, it is said, claims this saint,3° as the patron. 3'
However, the matter is not very certain ; for, as in the preceding case, it seems likely enough, that St. Finan Lobhar was the person there venerated.
The "abbey"—so called—at Darrynane, or Ahavore,3^ is very accurately described, by Miss Cusack. 33 It is situated, on the sea-shore, and quite ad-
°' A
teristic view of this house will be seen, in
"
Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," Part ii. ,
sec. ii. , p. 131.
'^ The townland of Darrynane Beg and of
Darrynane More, in the parish of Kilcro- hane, and barony of Dunkerron South, are shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland
Dr. Petrie's
faithful,
County
clearly engraved,
Maps
3° In Irish, t)on\e vli'oniin.
3' See Dr. Petrie's "Ecclesiastical Anti-
quities and Round Towers of Ireland," Part
ii. , sec. ii. , p. 130.
^'^ This denomination is not on the Ord-
nance Survey Maps.
33 See her "History of the Kingdom of
Kerry," chap, xviii. , pp. 402 10404.
and charac-
for the
of Sheet 106. Kerry,"
April 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 69
jacent to Derrynane House, formerly the celebrated home of Ireland's illus- trious son, Daniel O'Connell. s* The old church and monastic ruins 35 are in a
very exposed situation, and now, these are greatly dismantled.
St. Finan was a cotemporary of St. Mochelloc, who died, during the joint reign of Conall Ceal and Ceallach,5* sons to King Moelcob, between the years639and656. Bothsaintswereold,atatimetheyarespokenof,as having been associates. St. Mochoemoc—also a cotemporary—departed this life, about the year 655. It is therefore probable, St. Finan died, during the first half of the seventh century. While still vigorous grew his virtues, however, the forces of St. Finan's body began to fail him, and the day of his departure
"
was near. Then said the saint to his monks,
Dearly beloved, the time for
my release approaches, yet my spirit shall not pass from its prison of the body, until a certain infirm girl, who is now coming from 3. distance, shall have arrived. " This prediction having been fulfilled, Finan's soul escaped from his body, and the Angels of God were seen and heard, coming to meet it, with Hymns and Canticles. They conducted it to the tribunal of the Eter- nal King, where, as the sun's light it shines, yet world without end. 3' How long St. Finan continued Abbot, or what had been the exact year of his death, is altogether unknown ; but, it seems probable, he died, on the 7th of April, which afterwards became the day for his festival.
For reasons already assigned, it is not an easy matter to connect the me-
mory ofour saint, with various places, where a St. Finan was held in memory.
TheSt. Fionan, venerated at Ardfinan,^' in the county of Tipperary, is thought
to be identical with the present holy man, by some writers.
However, this
following places
is
extremely
doubtful
;
nor do we think, that in
Kerry,
the
were under his — The Great special patronage.
J* His talented daughter, Mrs. Ellen Fitz- " In the Codex Inisensi, Vita S. Finani,
called Sceilig Mhichil 39
Skelligs are said to have furnished the first
a founda-
for
tion, by St Finain. <° Thither pilgrimages were made, it is stated,^' even from the time of St Patrick. *^ But this is clearly a mistake. However, their re- mote situation has caused them to be rarely visited by tourists ; but, the
simon, in her chief Poem,
Darrynane in cap. xxxii. , 264. " p.
Hundred and
4, thus describes the situation :
"Across the sands, where the receding tide
Has left free passage to the Abbey Isle,
I shaped my course, and soon before merise
The old gray walls, where once the
•
^a
According
to some this authorities,
Eighteen
—
hymn of praise
Rose to the living God !
Now all is
still.
Save the shrill whistle of the wild
curlew,
Or the loud music of the winds and
waves. "
M The accompanying drawing on the
*• See Dr. " JeofTrey Keating's
William F. \Vakeman, and en- graved, by Mrs. Millard, is from a photo- graph furnished, by Frederick W. Mares,
Dublin.
3* See an account of their reign, in Dr.
O'l '< novan's " . \nnals of the Four Master*,' voL i, pp. 256 to 269.
wood, by
General History of Ireland," Part i. , p. 137. Du y's
"
Thirty-two, pp. 3,
—
Rocks sometimes
wasunderthe
Lobhar, as may be seen in his Life, at the l6tli of March, chap. ii.
39 xhe most complete and accurate anti-
quarian description of Sceilig Mhichel, or Michael's Rock, called also the Greater Skellig, is that containol in " Notes on Irish Architecture," by Edwin, Third Earl of Dunraven, edited by Margaret Stokes, Part i. , sec. ii. Early Christian Monasteries, pp. 26 to 36, A beautiful woodcut of the Island precedes, and six fine lithogra|)hic plates, with a wood-engraving, "The Way
of the Cross," and an lithographic ground
plan of the various cells there, accompany
this description.
*°
It is incorrectly stated, the monks there were St. Austin's Regulars.
place
patronage
ofSt. Finan
edition.
*' His Life occurs, at the I7(h of March. " See an interesting account of this place,
in Miss Cusack's "History of the Kingdom of Kerry, "chap, xviii. , pp. 386 10388?
site
70 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 7
antiquarian should know, that curious objects and some bee-hive shaped cells remain, within what is called St. Michael's cincture, on the Great Skellig. ''3 It has been stated, that some chapels are situated, on the flat part of this island, yet rising fifty yards perpendicular, over the sea level. The Greater Skellig
is celebrated, in some of the oldest legends of Ireland, as the burial-place of Ir, the son of Milesius, who was interred near the summit of the rock. To a late period, a Cromlech stood there, which was held, by tradition, to mark his grave. ••* Towards the extreme south-western part of Kerry County, the parish of Killemlagh '•5 is situated, within the boundaries of Iveragh barony. On the north, west, and south, it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and it is bounded on the west,by Caher <*and by Prior*? Parishes. Valentia Island serves to break the swell of waters, that roll on its northern shore. To the west of Killemlagh Parish,*^ dedicated to St. Finan, there is a bay,'»9 which bears the name of the patron saint. s" At the head of this bay, an old church in ruins may be seen, on the south-western decHvity of an elevated ground- swell, and about one quarter of a mile, from the sea-shore. This church, it is sup- posed, wasdedicated to St. Finian. 51 Thevvalls of theoldreligious establishment, near St. Finian's Bay, are in tolerably good preservation, excepting the east
gable's upper part. This had been demolished, nearly as far down as the window-top, which pierced it. The walls were constructed, with a species of green stone, jointed with lime-mortar. 5^ It is built with rude and thin stones, on
*• See " Notes on Irish Architecture," By Edwin,ThirdEarlofDunraven. Editedby Margaret Stokes, vol. i. , Part i. , sec. ii. , p.
34-
*5 The name of this parish is pronounced
in Irish Ciil Imleic, which signifies the
5' See Smith's " Natural and Civil His- tory of the County of Kerry," chap, v. , p. 104.
5^ The parish chapel was built to the north side of this ruined church ; the north wall of the latter serving for the south wall
thickness of its walls is about three feet, five and a-half inches. On the east gal)le, there is a window, constructed of green cut stone.
church " vel conti- cella-adjacens
of the former The old building.
bordering
gua ;" the place in which the old church of
building, on the interior, is forty-eight feet, six inches, in length ; the breadth seventeen feet, nine inches ; while the height of its side walls, on signifies bordering, as just noted in connec- the inside, is ten feet, three inches. I'he
the parish is situated, having previously to the erection of it been called ImleAc, which
tion with another church. 1mte4c,in a Typo-
graphical sense, implies, //(j'fi? , and is always
applied to places bordering on lakes, rivers,
and on the sea. Thus, it might be rendered, It has a circular top, on the inside. This
"
locus adjacens, contenninus vel contiguus. " This Inileat, which forms our present subject, is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, lying westwards of it. The place therefore obtained its name, from its lying
window is eight feet, three inches, high, on the inside, and four feet, two inches, broad. A heap of human bones, coffin boards and earth, dug up to cover graves, raised the ground surface, on the interior, to a level
in Latin,
along the ocean. See " Letters containing with this window, in 1841. On the outside,
Information relative to the Antiquities of the
this window appears to have been pointed at top, where it was somewhat injured, at that period. The window, on this side, was
County of Kerry, collected during the pro-
gress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. " Mr.
(/Conor's Letter, dated Cahirciveen, then ab—out two feet, four inches, from the
August 15th, 1841, p. 374.
*^
It is situated, in the barony of Iveragh, and it is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 69, 79, 80, 88, 89.
*' It is situated, in the barony of Iveragh. See ibid. . Sheets 88, 97, 105.
<^ItisinthebaronyofIveragh,anditis shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 79, 87, 88, 96, 97, 104, 105.
grou—nd it is to
part it being five feet, two inches, in height, and seven inches, in width. At a distance of two feet, six inches, from the east gable, there stood a window, in the sou—th side wall. This was square on the inside a rude flag- stone being placed across it, at top and bot- tom. Aheapofbonesandbrokencofifins
nearly reached to the window, on the inside, ill 1841. Interiorly, the window measured five feet, eleven inches, in height, and three
" The bay is called, in Irish, big feet, eight inches, in breadth, below, and
pondm, in English, St. Finan's Bay.
5° This festival was fomierly celebrated, it is said, on the i6th of March, in this remote
district
above, three feet, nine inches. Exteriorly, it is rounded, at the top, being two feet, eleven inches, in height ; six inches, in width; and, one foot, nine and a-half inches, from
be at the lower presumed
April 7. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
n
;
the outside 53 and, under the arch, westwardly, it is dilapidated. s* On this side,
it is six feet, four inches, high ; and it is three feet, ten inches, broad. 55 This
establishment is said to have been removed, from Great Skellig Island, owing
to the extreme bleakness, and hazard of approaching that spot. The name of
St. Finan Cam is thought to be preserved,5^ in Rahinnane, or Finan's Fort,
a townland, near Ventry. This conjecture, indeed, seems not improbable, for it lay within his patrimonial district.
Referring to the Manuscripts of Colgan, the Rev. Alban Butler 57 assigns
the celebration of St. Finan of Keann-Ethich, to the 7th day of April. At
such date, in the " Feilire " of St. . ^Engus, we have an entry of St. Finan's
Feast,5' and with this accord the rest of our Kalendars. On the 7th
of April, his name occurs as Finan Cairam, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,59
with a further — that the a
remark, obliquity-r-indicated by designation
appended to the name was in his eyes. His name is found in the Irish Calendar, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy. *" The Martyrology
of Donegal*' registers, on this day, Fionan Cam,*" of Ceann-Eitigh,*3 and of Sliabh-Bladhma. Our saint is also commemorated, in the Scottish
the ground. On the south sidj wall, about thirteen feet, eight inches, from the west ga- ble, there is a circular doorway, the interior sides of which are built with green cut-stone, as is, also, a part of its arch, the top of which has been constructed, with rude and thin stones.
he was iTAitbe fUinn, who was king over Cashel,atthattime; and,heisprobaljlythe king alluded to, in the Life of St. Mochoem-
hog, or St. Pulcherius, chap, iij. , at the 13th of March.
p.
261.
262.
Chapter hi. From the text we learn,
April 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 65
I ask for, fire shall come from Heaven, and bum your habitation. " Then happenedadoubleprodigy. NotonlylightningfromHeavencameinstantly, and burned down the house, before their eyes ; but, at that time, a boy, who had been infirm from the time of his birth, was restored to health, while the evil counsellor of the king was deprived of the use of his tongue. On wit- nessing this, the king relented, in his purpose, and granted the saint's request. Then, as the king desired it, in the presence of all, the mute was restored to the use of his speech, while our saint gave his blessing to the monarch. '
There was a St. P'inanus, who led the life of an anchorite, for many years, near the monastery of Dar-magh, or " the plain of the oak wood," while this lay,likewise,ontheconfinesofEliaandFera-Kellia; but,hemusthavebeen a distinct person from our saint, who hardly could have lived, afterwards, down to the time of St. Adamnan,3 about or after the year 660. Our saint cured a man, who for a year and a-half had been infirm, nor could he derive any benefit, from the aid of medical men. With Finan's blessing, he slept without disturbance orpain, during three whole days. Aftenvards, that man was abletorise,yet,somepaincontinuedinhisfoot. Thesaintsuppliedhimwitha
"
shoe to cover it, and he said,
continue to serve its purpose, you must know, that whenever it cannot be fitted to your foot, then death is already about to take place. " The fact was rea- lized, and it accorded with Finan's prediction. '* Once the leg of his chariot- horse was broken, but the saint's benediction restored the fractured limb, and the animal was enabled to draw the chariot. s St. Finan asked a certain king to liberate a hostage he held in chains, but when the king's son objected to such request,thatsametime,hebecameamute. Then,oursaintpromisedthe king, if his captive were restored to liberty, that very same moment, his son should be healed. The king promised to do so, and immediately, his son was restoredtotheuseofspeech. * Forawholeyear,oneofSt. Finan'smonks could not walk, until the Abbot visited him, on a certain day, and with a bless-
"
ing, he made the sign of the cross. He also said,
with me, and hold the horses. " When he had thus spoken, the infirm brother was healed. ' During a great fall of rain, upon a multitude of people around him, the garments of all were thoroughly drenched ; yet, not a single drop fell upon Finan, so that all present were in admiration, at this extraordinary manifestation of a good Providence watching over him. *
A certain holy person is mentioned, in'a Life of St. Mochoemoc,^ Abbot
of Lietlimore, in Ely O'Carroll, as having been in this monastery, on a parti-
cular occasion '° is of that this Finan must have been ; and, Colgan opinion,
identical with our saint. " His supposition is not improbable, as Kinnitty, where the holy Abbot resided, was situated, not far from that neighbourhood.
Our saint was a contemporary and relative, it is said, to Sl Mochelloc," of Kil- mallock, whom he visited on a certain occasion, bringing with him two cows andacalf,asapresent. Itappears,somewolveshaddevouredanothercalf, belonging to one of these cows ; and, St. Finan, having blessed the living calf, it was caressed, by that cow, which had lost its offspring, as much as it should have been by its own dam. Mochelloc, then an old man, gave orders
'
In Vita S. Finani, cap. xxii. , p. 262.
^ See his Life, at the 23rd of September.
cherius, at the 13th of March, chap. iL, where some notice is placed upon record.
'° See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
nise," xiii. Martii, VitaS. Mochoemoci, cap. xviii. , p. 592.
" See ibid. , IL 23, p. 597.
" See an account of him, at the 26th day of March.
* See Vita S. Finani,
cap.
xxiii. ,
p.
262.
s See ibid. , cap. xxiv. , p. 262. '
See ibid. , cap. xxv. , pp. 262, 263.
' See ibid. , cap. xxvi. , p. 263.
' See ibid. , cap. xxvii. , p. 263.
' See the Life of St. Mochoenihog, or Pul-
Vol. IV. —No, 2.
e
If this shoe, used each day during your life,
Arise, my brother, come
66 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 7.
for his discipleSj to take good care of this living calf, lest the wolves should devour it, in like manner. One of Finan's disciples, on hearing these com- mands, said, that this calf should not die, so long as their holy senior Finan was there ; but, however, on the following night, a wolf devoured it. Finan then requested Mochelloc to have his cows milked, and when a servant went forth for such a purpose, that wolf, which had been a destroyer on the night before, presented himself in a docile manner before the cows, who licked him with demonstrations of affection. St. Finan then said to his venerable friend : "ItisbetterforustoaskofGodanothercalf,thantohavethewolf. " Then, both saints prayed, and afterwards, a white calf, but, having red ears,
"
This calf shall only remain with you, so long as these cows have milk, and until they arc about to bring forth young. " As the wolf had not departed to a very great
:
distance,oursaintcontinued "Thatwolfshallbeguardianofyourcalves,
to the time of his death, nor shall he injure any animal. " Such prediction was afterwards fulfilled. '3 The substance of this legend is contained, also, in the old Life of St. Finan of Kinnetty. '*
Our saint healed five paralytics, as also, five mutes. One day, as he entered a smith's shop, the iron-worker was engaged drawing iron from the fire, when
the saint what he should then " Take do,
approached the cows, and the wolf retired. Finan then said,
the broke in his hand. tongs
Asking
the iron firmly in your hand, and strike it with tlie sledge," was his reply.
This order the smith obeyed, nor did his hand suffer any injury from the fire. '5 One day, some guests were expected to arrive at his monastery, and F"inan sent a monk to an adjoining pasture field, where there was no water, yet with direcUons to bring from it three fishes. His order was obeyed, and the fish were found there, as he had indicated. '^
The Rev. Dr. Lanigan is of opinion, that St. Finan was the founder of Ceall-achaidh-Conchinn monastery, and the more so, as he had been a native of Corcaduibhne, in which it was situated ; '7 but, he appears to have over- looked Colgan's remark, for apparently, the latter writer had materials, which should not favour such a conclusion. "^ Nor does this appear, in the Life of St. Finan, which we have seen. Among other matters written, a house of Cyclo-
pean style, on Church Island, placed in Lough Lee, or Lough Currane, county of Kerry, is said to have been called after St. Finan Cam. '9 It lies, on the boun- dary linesof the baronies of Iveragh and Dunkeerin. However, it seems to me very questionable, if the present saint were, in reality, the patron of this place ; for, the people here celebrated their festival,^" on the i6th of March,^' and this should seem to connect it with St. Finan Lobhar, whose habitation was beside
'3 See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- niae," xxvi. Martii, De S. Mochelloco Kel- locia Patrono, p. 749.
'* See Codex Manuscriptus Inisensi, Vita S. Finani, cap. xxviii. , p. 263.
'5 See ibtd. , cap. xxix. , xxx. , p. 263.
" See ibid. , cap. xxxi. , pp. 263, 264.
'' See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sec. iv. , n. 48, p. 19.
' See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xvi.
Martii, Vita S. Abbani, cap. xx. , p. 615, and n. 18, p. 622.
'' See Dr. George Petrie's " Ecclesiastical
Architecture and Round Tower or Ireland,"
Part ii. , sec. ii. , p. 130.
"° See Charles Smith's " Natural and Civil
History of Kerry," chap, v. , pp. 99, 100. " This celebration is continued, to our time, at the Well of St. Finian, not far from
the present village of Waterville, as the Rev Eugene Murphy, C. C. , informed me, on the occasion of a tour taken with the Rev.
James Gaffney, M. R. I. A. , in July, 1871, The Rev. Eugene Murphy was an accom-
plished Irish scholar, then engaged in com-
piling an Irish Dictionary, with large addi- tions to Dr. O'Donovan's edition of Edward O'Reilly's; but,hislamenteddeathoccurred too soon after that period, to give him op- portunity for realizing his intentions. The Manuscript fell into the possession of the Most Rev. Daniel MacCarthy, D. D. , Bishop of Kerry, and on his decease, the Rev. DanielMacCarthy Downing,at presentC. C, cathedral, Marlborough-street, Dublin, the Bishop's executor, became the possessor. It is to be hoped, the Manuscript will yet be utilized, for purposes of publication.
April 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 67
alake,wherehebuiltabasilica. '" Nonameisfoundattachedtothelake,inthe
account referring to him ; and, it seems not improbable, that the locality may have been at Lough Currane. In it, there are three islands ; but, the largest one oftheseisChurchIsland. '3 ItliesnearWaterville,intheparishofDromod,"* and not far from Ballynaskelligs Bay. Church Island ^5 contains about two acres. Near the lake-shore are the remains of a most beautiful specimen of primitiveIrishchurcharchitecture. Thisisolatedchurchconsistsofanaveand a choir; both having been fonnerly separated, by a wall, which probably served forintercommunication,underanarchedopening. Ontheinterior,thenave measures twenty-four feet, in length, by thirteen feet, nine inches, in width. The chancel wall is two feet, ten inches, in thickness. The chancel itself mea- sures fifteen feet, nine inches, in length ; while the breadth is eleven feet. The walls of this building measure three feet, in thickness, on an average. There was a beautiful circularly arched door-way, leading to the nave, on the westside. Itmeasuresonlytwofeet,sixinches,internally; whileexternally, six feet, four inches, are measured,;from the moulded jambs remaining below ; the upper part of its truly fine old tracery has been removed with the face of the wall. In the south wall of the nave, there is one most elegantly chiselled old window, with circular arched head, very small on the outside, but more enlarged from being deeply embayed internally. There is also a circularly headed, embayed, and finely chiselled, eastern small window, in the choir. This part of the old church is propped, by a thick buttress, externally, and some old cairn-shaped tombs lie near the outer walls. There are also inscribed old crosses of elegant design, over some of the graves. There is a square recess for the sacred vessels, to the right of the altar ; and, there is an old disused broken altar-stone, yet remaining.
An ancient altar-shaped mass of masonry rises, near the beautifully recessed choir-window. Traces of plaster cover the interior nave and choir-walls, which are capped all over, with an ivy<oping of stunted growth. '* Many interments take place in the graveyard,nearthechurch; thecorpseandfuneralattendantsbeingconveyed from the mainland, in well-appointed boats. The island lies low, over the
——
lake surface, and the soil although rocky produces
thick and
grass, for a few of the small breed of Kerry cows, that graze over the surface. An outline of the surrounding mountains is wildly magnificent, but wood is altogether wanting, to relieve their stern and bare aspect. Stripes of fields and comfortable-looking cottages dot their slopes, and present variety, from the middle of the lake, as the boat dips and floats, over the freshening waves. Another island, on Lough Currane, contains the ruins of an old castle, which may be seen, to most advantage, at low water. '' Not far from the old church are various traces of an old monastic establishment, in the shape of mere
" See his Dfe, at the l6th of March, chap. i.
nourishing
garding Church Island, in an old Irish
Manuscript. The substance of this, he
'^ For an account of
could not then recollect, " "'
ierred to Miss Cmack's History of the
Kingdom of Kerry," chap, xviii. , pp. 398,
399-
'< This very extensive parish, in the
barony of Iveragh, is shown on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 71, 80,81, 88,
89. 90. 97i 98, 99. Waterville is shown, on Sheet 98.
— Accompanied by Rev. Eugene Murphy then curate in the Parish of Dromod—on
the 14th of July, 1871, the Rev. Jamee Gaffney and the writer had a most interest-
ing excursion, by twat, to the Island. While there, abundant opportunity was afforded, to make the measurements and observations, conveyed in the text.
»7 After some heavy showers, which pre- vailed on the day preceding our visit, the
'5
In July, 1871, the writer was informed,
— Mr. Andrew
by O'Sullivan,
of Cahirciveen
mountain streams and
higher
lakes
an excellen—
t Irish
and
a Legend, re-
upper had filled
to
80 years old
highest
scholar, that he read
then over
Lough Currane, water-leveL
nearly
its
it,
the reader is re-
^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 7.
foundations,theground-planofwliichisyetquitetraceable. Manyofthese houses seem isolated in position, and they rise in various parts of the island.
The most perfect of the old houses is a rudely-shaped building of Cyclopean masonry, and, on that part of the island, most remote from the church. In-
ternally, it is nearly a square ; but, the exact admeasurements are sixteen feet, six inches, in length, by fourteen feet, six inches, in width. It is entered, by
a low, square-headed doorway, covered with a large and thick ledge of stone. The door is nearly three feet, in width. Externally, the walls are nearly elip- tical, in appearance ; and, at the door entrance, they measure six feet, six inches in thickness. Externally, also, the whole of this building, near the ground, measures exactly 100 feet, from one rude door-jamb to the other. The walls taper and incline, as they rise, while they are crowned on top, with a
St. Finan s Church, Derrynane, County of Kerry.
thick interlacing ivy-mantle, of hardy and weather-beaten growth. The outer appearance of this rude structure, from the lake, gives it the appearance of a stunted bee-hive of dimensions. °^ some
extremely large Also, Darrynane,^' seven or eight miles distant, it is said, claims this saint,3° as the patron. 3'
However, the matter is not very certain ; for, as in the preceding case, it seems likely enough, that St. Finan Lobhar was the person there venerated.
The "abbey"—so called—at Darrynane, or Ahavore,3^ is very accurately described, by Miss Cusack. 33 It is situated, on the sea-shore, and quite ad-
°' A
teristic view of this house will be seen, in
"
Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ireland," Part ii. ,
sec. ii. , p. 131.
'^ The townland of Darrynane Beg and of
Darrynane More, in the parish of Kilcro- hane, and barony of Dunkerron South, are shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland
Dr. Petrie's
faithful,
County
clearly engraved,
Maps
3° In Irish, t)on\e vli'oniin.
3' See Dr. Petrie's "Ecclesiastical Anti-
quities and Round Towers of Ireland," Part
ii. , sec. ii. , p. 130.
^'^ This denomination is not on the Ord-
nance Survey Maps.
33 See her "History of the Kingdom of
Kerry," chap, xviii. , pp. 402 10404.
and charac-
for the
of Sheet 106. Kerry,"
April 7. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 69
jacent to Derrynane House, formerly the celebrated home of Ireland's illus- trious son, Daniel O'Connell. s* The old church and monastic ruins 35 are in a
very exposed situation, and now, these are greatly dismantled.
St. Finan was a cotemporary of St. Mochelloc, who died, during the joint reign of Conall Ceal and Ceallach,5* sons to King Moelcob, between the years639and656. Bothsaintswereold,atatimetheyarespokenof,as having been associates. St. Mochoemoc—also a cotemporary—departed this life, about the year 655. It is therefore probable, St. Finan died, during the first half of the seventh century. While still vigorous grew his virtues, however, the forces of St. Finan's body began to fail him, and the day of his departure
"
was near. Then said the saint to his monks,
Dearly beloved, the time for
my release approaches, yet my spirit shall not pass from its prison of the body, until a certain infirm girl, who is now coming from 3. distance, shall have arrived. " This prediction having been fulfilled, Finan's soul escaped from his body, and the Angels of God were seen and heard, coming to meet it, with Hymns and Canticles. They conducted it to the tribunal of the Eter- nal King, where, as the sun's light it shines, yet world without end. 3' How long St. Finan continued Abbot, or what had been the exact year of his death, is altogether unknown ; but, it seems probable, he died, on the 7th of April, which afterwards became the day for his festival.
For reasons already assigned, it is not an easy matter to connect the me-
mory ofour saint, with various places, where a St. Finan was held in memory.
TheSt. Fionan, venerated at Ardfinan,^' in the county of Tipperary, is thought
to be identical with the present holy man, by some writers.
However, this
following places
is
extremely
doubtful
;
nor do we think, that in
Kerry,
the
were under his — The Great special patronage.
J* His talented daughter, Mrs. Ellen Fitz- " In the Codex Inisensi, Vita S. Finani,
called Sceilig Mhichil 39
Skelligs are said to have furnished the first
a founda-
for
tion, by St Finain. <° Thither pilgrimages were made, it is stated,^' even from the time of St Patrick. *^ But this is clearly a mistake. However, their re- mote situation has caused them to be rarely visited by tourists ; but, the
simon, in her chief Poem,
Darrynane in cap. xxxii. , 264. " p.
Hundred and
4, thus describes the situation :
"Across the sands, where the receding tide
Has left free passage to the Abbey Isle,
I shaped my course, and soon before merise
The old gray walls, where once the
•
^a
According
to some this authorities,
Eighteen
—
hymn of praise
Rose to the living God !
Now all is
still.
Save the shrill whistle of the wild
curlew,
Or the loud music of the winds and
waves. "
M The accompanying drawing on the
*• See Dr. " JeofTrey Keating's
William F. \Vakeman, and en- graved, by Mrs. Millard, is from a photo- graph furnished, by Frederick W. Mares,
Dublin.
3* See an account of their reign, in Dr.
O'l '< novan's " . \nnals of the Four Master*,' voL i, pp. 256 to 269.
wood, by
General History of Ireland," Part i. , p. 137. Du y's
"
Thirty-two, pp. 3,
—
Rocks sometimes
wasunderthe
Lobhar, as may be seen in his Life, at the l6tli of March, chap. ii.
39 xhe most complete and accurate anti-
quarian description of Sceilig Mhichel, or Michael's Rock, called also the Greater Skellig, is that containol in " Notes on Irish Architecture," by Edwin, Third Earl of Dunraven, edited by Margaret Stokes, Part i. , sec. ii. Early Christian Monasteries, pp. 26 to 36, A beautiful woodcut of the Island precedes, and six fine lithogra|)hic plates, with a wood-engraving, "The Way
of the Cross," and an lithographic ground
plan of the various cells there, accompany
this description.
*°
It is incorrectly stated, the monks there were St. Austin's Regulars.
place
patronage
ofSt. Finan
edition.
*' His Life occurs, at the I7(h of March. " See an interesting account of this place,
in Miss Cusack's "History of the Kingdom of Kerry, "chap, xviii. , pp. 386 10388?
site
70 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 7
antiquarian should know, that curious objects and some bee-hive shaped cells remain, within what is called St. Michael's cincture, on the Great Skellig. ''3 It has been stated, that some chapels are situated, on the flat part of this island, yet rising fifty yards perpendicular, over the sea level. The Greater Skellig
is celebrated, in some of the oldest legends of Ireland, as the burial-place of Ir, the son of Milesius, who was interred near the summit of the rock. To a late period, a Cromlech stood there, which was held, by tradition, to mark his grave. ••* Towards the extreme south-western part of Kerry County, the parish of Killemlagh '•5 is situated, within the boundaries of Iveragh barony. On the north, west, and south, it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, and it is bounded on the west,by Caher <*and by Prior*? Parishes. Valentia Island serves to break the swell of waters, that roll on its northern shore. To the west of Killemlagh Parish,*^ dedicated to St. Finan, there is a bay,'»9 which bears the name of the patron saint. s" At the head of this bay, an old church in ruins may be seen, on the south-western decHvity of an elevated ground- swell, and about one quarter of a mile, from the sea-shore. This church, it is sup- posed, wasdedicated to St. Finian. 51 Thevvalls of theoldreligious establishment, near St. Finian's Bay, are in tolerably good preservation, excepting the east
gable's upper part. This had been demolished, nearly as far down as the window-top, which pierced it. The walls were constructed, with a species of green stone, jointed with lime-mortar. 5^ It is built with rude and thin stones, on
*• See " Notes on Irish Architecture," By Edwin,ThirdEarlofDunraven. Editedby Margaret Stokes, vol. i. , Part i. , sec. ii. , p.
34-
*5 The name of this parish is pronounced
in Irish Ciil Imleic, which signifies the
5' See Smith's " Natural and Civil His- tory of the County of Kerry," chap, v. , p. 104.
5^ The parish chapel was built to the north side of this ruined church ; the north wall of the latter serving for the south wall
thickness of its walls is about three feet, five and a-half inches. On the east gal)le, there is a window, constructed of green cut stone.
church " vel conti- cella-adjacens
of the former The old building.
bordering
gua ;" the place in which the old church of
building, on the interior, is forty-eight feet, six inches, in length ; the breadth seventeen feet, nine inches ; while the height of its side walls, on signifies bordering, as just noted in connec- the inside, is ten feet, three inches. I'he
the parish is situated, having previously to the erection of it been called ImleAc, which
tion with another church. 1mte4c,in a Typo-
graphical sense, implies, //(j'fi? , and is always
applied to places bordering on lakes, rivers,
and on the sea. Thus, it might be rendered, It has a circular top, on the inside. This
"
locus adjacens, contenninus vel contiguus. " This Inileat, which forms our present subject, is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, lying westwards of it. The place therefore obtained its name, from its lying
window is eight feet, three inches, high, on the inside, and four feet, two inches, broad. A heap of human bones, coffin boards and earth, dug up to cover graves, raised the ground surface, on the interior, to a level
in Latin,
along the ocean. See " Letters containing with this window, in 1841. On the outside,
Information relative to the Antiquities of the
this window appears to have been pointed at top, where it was somewhat injured, at that period. The window, on this side, was
County of Kerry, collected during the pro-
gress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. " Mr.
(/Conor's Letter, dated Cahirciveen, then ab—out two feet, four inches, from the
August 15th, 1841, p. 374.
*^
It is situated, in the barony of Iveragh, and it is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 69, 79, 80, 88, 89.
*' It is situated, in the barony of Iveragh. See ibid. . Sheets 88, 97, 105.
<^ItisinthebaronyofIveragh,anditis shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the County of Kerry," Sheets 79, 87, 88, 96, 97, 104, 105.
grou—nd it is to
part it being five feet, two inches, in height, and seven inches, in width. At a distance of two feet, six inches, from the east gable, there stood a window, in the sou—th side wall. This was square on the inside a rude flag- stone being placed across it, at top and bot- tom. Aheapofbonesandbrokencofifins
nearly reached to the window, on the inside, ill 1841. Interiorly, the window measured five feet, eleven inches, in height, and three
" The bay is called, in Irish, big feet, eight inches, in breadth, below, and
pondm, in English, St. Finan's Bay.
5° This festival was fomierly celebrated, it is said, on the i6th of March, in this remote
district
above, three feet, nine inches. Exteriorly, it is rounded, at the top, being two feet, eleven inches, in height ; six inches, in width; and, one foot, nine and a-half inches, from
be at the lower presumed
April 7. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
n
;
the outside 53 and, under the arch, westwardly, it is dilapidated. s* On this side,
it is six feet, four inches, high ; and it is three feet, ten inches, broad. 55 This
establishment is said to have been removed, from Great Skellig Island, owing
to the extreme bleakness, and hazard of approaching that spot. The name of
St. Finan Cam is thought to be preserved,5^ in Rahinnane, or Finan's Fort,
a townland, near Ventry. This conjecture, indeed, seems not improbable, for it lay within his patrimonial district.
Referring to the Manuscripts of Colgan, the Rev. Alban Butler 57 assigns
the celebration of St. Finan of Keann-Ethich, to the 7th day of April. At
such date, in the " Feilire " of St. . ^Engus, we have an entry of St. Finan's
Feast,5' and with this accord the rest of our Kalendars. On the 7th
of April, his name occurs as Finan Cairam, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,59
with a further — that the a
remark, obliquity-r-indicated by designation
appended to the name was in his eyes. His name is found in the Irish Calendar, belonging to the Royal Irish Academy. *" The Martyrology
of Donegal*' registers, on this day, Fionan Cam,*" of Ceann-Eitigh,*3 and of Sliabh-Bladhma. Our saint is also commemorated, in the Scottish
the ground. On the south sidj wall, about thirteen feet, eight inches, from the west ga- ble, there is a circular doorway, the interior sides of which are built with green cut-stone, as is, also, a part of its arch, the top of which has been constructed, with rude and thin stones.
