O'Brien's " Dissertations on the
National
Custons, and State Laws of the Ancient Irish," part ii.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
—This authority has been followed, by many if not by most—of our annalists and biographers.
See Richard Ryan's "Bio- graphia Hibernica," vol.
i.
, p.
116.
*"' This is the age assigned to him, in the Annals of Ulster.
276, 277.
" •' "
*", Consertum est ergo praelium per tri-
See Dr. Jeffrey Keating's General History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 482.
"'See an account of him, in George Grote's" History of Greece," vol. iii. , part ii. , chap. xl. . pp. 423to442.
*" For the vaiiuus events of his career, see ibid. , vol. vii. , part ii. , chap. Ixxvii. to Ixxx. , pp. 7210314.
*" See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
^'s gee "Poems" of James Clarence f i
duum incessa—nter, et Normannorum nullus ""
vivus evasit. Ademari Historiarum," HI). iii. The chronology of this battle, in his chronicle, seems to be set down at A. D. 1016. SeePertz's " Monumenta Germanise Histo- rica," tomus iv. , p. 140.
<* " Uxores eorum cum parvulis sese cnnctse in mare precipites suffoc. irunt. Qui vivi capti sunt, feris ad laniandum proiecti sunt. Unum ex captivis rex vivere, quia Christianum captivum fuisse cognovit, et
Vol. IV. —No. 8.
45° LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
and in obedience to his father's dying request, Donagh sent jewels and offer-
ings, to the Gomharb and subordinate clergy of St. Patrick ;<S5 while, in the
fifty-first year of his age, that prince succeeded his father, «' but as we are told, he did not rule over the fourth part of Ireland/'?
According to the provisions of his will. ^s^ the King of Ireland had resolved, that his body should be conveyed to Armagh, after his death. His son Donnchadh religiously fulfilled this bequeathed obligation, and all the other bequests made, and so secured the blessing of his illustrious father. «9 Soon as the monks at Swords heard of the order for interment, theycamedirectlytothecamp. Thefirststageofthismournfulandsolemn procession was northwards from Clontarf, and the clergy of Swords, with
^^>WKVs,\^'k^-
Medieval Archiepiscopal Palace, Monastic remains, and Round Tower, at Swords, County of Dublin.
religious rites and ceremonies, brought the remains of this renowned, heroic and religious monarch, together with those of his son Murchadh, to their abbey,<*° where the coffins were deposited for that night. Here are still to
Mangan. NewYorkedition,1859,8vo. In
O,wherearetheDalcassiansofthe golden swords ?
And where are the warriors Brian led on ?
Where, O Kinkora?
" And where is Murrough, the descend- ant of kings ;
the Irish is the
Anthology," at pp. 382 to 384,
" following,
: intituled " Kinkora " —
" O, where, Kinkora ! is Brian the Great ?
And where is the beauty that once was thine?
O, where are the princes and nobles that sate
At the feast in thy halls, and drank
the red wine
Where, O Kinkora ?
" O, where Kinkora 1 are thy valorous lords?
O, whither, thou Hospitable ! are they gone ?
—f a hundred—
Who set but slight store by jewels
!
and
rings
The defeater o
the dar-
ingly brave
—
Who swam down the torrent and
laughed at its wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
" And where is Donagh, King Brian's worthy son ?
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4SI
be seen, many fine ecclesiastical and mediaeval remains. '**' Thence, the next
morning, the clergy of Daraliag, or Duleek, with similar marks of respect, had the bodies conducted, to the church of St. Kiaran ; and there, too, they were received by the monks, who bore the coffins to their religious establishment.
"
with my grief !
Left me, Kinkora !
And where are the chiefs mth whom Brian went forth,
The never vanquished sons of Erin the brave.
The great King of Onaght, renowned for his worth,
And the hosts of Baskinn from the western wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
And where Conaing, the beautiful chief?
To give me at the banquet, the first
bright cup !
Ah ! why did he heap on me honour
like this?
Why, O Kincora ?
"IamMac-Liag,andmyhomeis on the Lake :
Thither often, to that palace whose beauty is fled,
Came Brian, to ask me, and I went for his sake,
O, my grief ! that I should live, and Brian be dead !
Dead, O Kinkora !
*" This poem has been translated, by John D'Alton.
+" See James Hardiman's " Irish Mins- trelsy, or Bardic Remains of Ireland, with English Poetical Translations," vol. ii. , pp. 196 to 201. London, 1831, 8vo.
+•* See ibid. , pp. 202 to 207.
*« See ibid. , pp. 208 to 211.
*5° This notice seems to confirm Richard
Stanihurst's account, that the Danes were not settled on the north side of the city, until
"theyeare 1095," when they built "Ost- mantowne, that is, the towne of the Ost-
And Kian and Core ? Alas they are
gone—
They have left me this night alone
" O where is Duvlann of the swift-footed steeds ?
And where is Kian, who was son of MoUoy ?
And where is King Lonergan, the fame of whose deeds
In the red battle-field no time can destroy ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
" And where is that of
youth majestic
mannes. "—
"
"
"
height.
The faith-keeping Prince of the
Scots? Evenhe.
As wide as his fame was, as great was
his might.
Was tributary, O Kinkora, to thee.
Thee, O Kinkora !
They are gone those heroes of royal birth.
Who plundered no churches, and broke no trust ;
'Tis weary for me to be living on earth
When they, O Kinkora, lie low in the dust !
Low, O Kinkora!
O, never again will Princes appear, To rival the Dalcassians of the
cleaving swords ;
I can never dream of meeting afar or
anear,
In the east or the west, such heroes
and lords !
Never, Kinkora I
O, dear are the images my memory calls up
perfect Description of Ireland," &c. , chap, iii. , p. 26.
Of Brian Boru would miss
!
—how he never
Holinshed's "Chroni- cles of England, Scotland, and Ireland," vol. vi. " treatise containing a plain and
Raphaell
«
Old Ireland," set to music, thereis one called "The Return from Fingal ;" while, this is supposed by some, to have been the march played or sung by the troops of Brian Boromha, and in celebration of the victory obtained at Clontarf. Published by Boosey and Co. , London, 1883.
<5» Twenty-eight oxen were slaughtered on the green of Ath-Cliath, after his arrival. We
are told, moreover, that the foreigners who
were in Ath Cliath threatened to come out
to give battle to Donnchadh, and to such of
the Dal Cais as were alive there, because it
was great pain to them to have their cows
killed in their presence. And a message
came from the son of Amhlaibh, telling
them to take an ox for every twenty, and to
leave all the other oxen behind, except that
number. Donnchadh said, "We have not
been hitherto in the pay of the son of Imar,
nor shall we be so in future ; for, it appears
to us, that our hostility to each other is now
greater than ever. " Such of the oxen as
were yet alive were then slaughtered, in sight
of the of Ath Cliath but, the foreigners ;
foreigners declined battle, owing to their fear
In Dr. Villiers Stanford's of "Songs
45* LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
Here, the clergy of Lughmagh, or Louth, received the corpses, and attended forthepurposeoftheirremovaltothatmonastery. ^*' TheArchbishopof Armagh, with many seniors of his church,<^3 had already set out from the Primatial See, to manifest his singular respect for the glorious monarch, who desired his remains to rest in St. Patrick's city until the day of the general Resurrection. With his suffragans and clergy, the Archbishop received the body at Louth. Thence, it was conveyed, with great solemnity, to their cathe- dral, where the highest honours were paid to King Bryan's memory. The accounts are so universal, and confirming this statement, that it seems surprising any popular misconception could have arisen, regarding his interment at Kil- laloe. *** Fortwelvedaysandasmanynights,^*3thebodywaswatchedbythe clergy. During the whole of this time, there was a continuance of sacrifices, of watchings, of prayers and of devotions. ^'* The remains were interred, with great funeral pomp and ceremony, at the north side of the altar, set up in the greatchurchofArmagh. Amonumentofhewnmarblecoveredthem;*^'
of Donnchadh and of the Dal Cais. See C0540I1 5<seT)Viel. He S^lUMbli, chap. cxix. , pp. 210, 211.
<53 In John O'Donoghue's lately pub- lished " Historical Memoirs of the O'Briens,"
to the age of Bryan.
457 See Periz's " Monumenta Germania:
Historica," lomus v. , p. 555.
45* See James Stuart's "Historical Memoirs
of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123. 459 See Co5AT)h Jaeohel Ue SallAibh, the O'Briens during sixteen centuries, and chap, cxiii. , cxviii. , pp. 200 to 203, 2X0,
the reader will find detailed, the history of specially of the descendants of Brian 211.
Boroimhe ; the grant of tlie royal palace of
Cashel to the Church, by Mortogh O'Brien,
and the erection of Cormac's chapel thereon.
The relations of the O'Briens with the great
Norman families settled in Ireland, after the
advent of II. , and their to Henry struggle
f^ See Rev. Dr. Paul O'Brien's " Disser- tations on the National Customs, and State Laws of the Ancient Irish," part ii. , chap, i. , p. 534, in General Vallancey's "Collecta- nea de Rebus Hibernicis," vol. i.
4*' The annexed illustration an represents
ancient castle, in the foreground, and for-
merly used as a palace, by the Archbishops of Dublin ; in the middle distance are por- tions of the modern town ; while, in the far distance are the mediaeval belfry-tower of the monastery, and an ancient Round Tower. This drawing, taken on the spot, by William F. Wakeman, has been transferred by him to the wood, which was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
4" See Rev. James Wills' " Lives of lUus-
trious and Distinguished Irishmen," vol. i. Second Period, p. 212.
4'3
4*4 However,inJonathanFisher's"Scenery oflreland," at plate xi. , illustiating Killaloe on the River Shannon, it is stated, A. D. 1792, that near the cathedral were some remains of the mausoleum of Brien Boru.
4'5 According to a Manuscript, quoted by Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran, in his " General History of Ireland," vol. ii. . Book xi. ,chap. viii. , p. 296.
4^* See James Stuart's " Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
4°? See Rev. Dr.
O'Brien's " Dissertations on the National Custons, and State Laws of the Ancient Irish," part ii. , chap, i. , p.
maintain the independency of their territory of Thomond, are also related. After the settlement of the Anglo-Noimans, the abor- tive attempt to comljine the forces of the Irish princes at the Congress of Caeluise, attended by Teige O'Brien, Brian O'Neill, and others, for the expulsion of the invaders, will be found highly interesting, as the first attempt to shake off the yoke of the foreign-
ers. The divisions of the O'Briens— whom invited Edward Bruce to Munster, while the other, the ancestor of the present head of the family, was appointed to com—- mand the army prepared to expel him occupy considerable space. The relations subsisting between the O'Briens and the Desmond Fitzgeralds ; the alliances between the former and the De Burghs ; and the ex- action of "black rent" by the O'Briens from the English settlers protected by them, disclose a most curious state of society. The origin of the antagonism between the houses of Kildareand ofOrmond, and the share of the O'Briens in these quarrels, are fully de- tailed.
«4 See Rev. James Wills' " Lives of Illus- trious and Distinguished Irishmen," vol. i. . Second Period, pp. 213, 214.
455 See James Stuart's " Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh, chap, iii. ,
p. 123. 45' This
"
related in the " Chronicon " of Marianus Scottus, may give us some clue
General Vallancey's
fact,
in
Rebus Hibernicis," vol. i.
Collectanea de
^one of
See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
534,
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4S3
but, this has long since disappeared, or it cannot at present be recognised. The body of Morough <^^ was removed, likewise, from the field of Clontarf to Armagh, as stated by the ancient writer. t's Besides, it is said, the bodies of his son Turlough and of Conning, the son of Donnchuan, were interred in another tomb, at the south side of the same church. -t? '' Another account has it, that the head of Conang, and that of Faelan, prince of the Desies, were taken away,'*'" while the bodies were left behind, possibly because these could not be identified. This course can only be accounted for on the supposition, that after these chiefs had fallen in battle, their slayers or others had decapitated them,aswasthebarbarouscustomofvanqaishers,atthatperiod. Thirtybodies of those nobles, who had been slain at Clontarf, were carried away by the clans- men to their territorial churches, wherever these were situated over Erinn. *? '
The grandson ofBryan, who is called Turlough, and many of the other chiefs, were interred, it is stated, near the monastery, and within the cemetery of Kilmainham. A large shaft *73 of a broken cross t74 is yet to be seen, and
standingupright. ''" Thistra- dition represents, as marking the grave of one among Brian Boroimhe's sons. '*? * Ano-
-=- ther account of Richard Stanihurst *^^ has it, that the chief potentates of the Irish slain were Brian Borrough, Miagh Macke Bren, Tadie Okellie, Dolin Ahertegan, and Gille Barramedc"'
Shaft of the large Cross at Kilmainham.
Following the high encomium of Marianus Scotus, John Wilson ^^5 has
*" We are told, however, with great par- ticularity, in reference to Kilmainham, that "Morogli, the son of Brian, was buried—at the
west end of the priory church. " Rev.
Hospital, Kilmainham, near Dublin, from the original foundation as a Prioryof Knights Templars, and afterwards as Knight Hospi- talers, by Richard Earl of Pembroke, com- monly called Strongbow, a. d. i i 74, to the
Nathaniel Burton's
"
History of the Royal
These weYe buried at Kil- "
mainham, overagainstthe
greatcrosse. "'»79 Thememo-
rials of this great monarch
yet remaining deserve to
be recounted, in closing his
Memoir. He is said to have
been a poet and a musician,
as well as a warrior;^^ and
to him is attributed that air
Thugamuir fein an Sam-
hra " We the Sum- lift, bring
merwithus. "''^' TheChro- nicle of Marianus Scotus re- cords him as Brian, King of Hibernia, slain on Good Friday, the ninth of the Ca- lends of May,<^" with his hands and his mind towards God. 't^J On this day, like- wise, he is commemorated by Marianus O'Gorman. ***
454 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
included this illustrious individual among the martyrs, and his varied merits or services to religion have given him a claim to the highest veneration. 4^*
Thus, this saintly king, so justly celebrated for his great actions and piety, has been inscribed on the pages of the English and Irish Martyrologies. Indeed, on other merely national calendars, some names were inscribed, which had not better claims to public veneration, than Brian's name had on the Irish. •t^7
Hence, we should not feel surprised, if such truly national and
religious divines as Archdeacon John Lynch of Tuam, and Father Stephen White,''^* have accorded to him the honours and rewards of Martyrdom.
On Ard-Oilean or High Island, off the western coast of Ireland, and on a
steep summit, there was a spring, called Bryan Boramy's well, as also a stand- ing water, on the brook whereof there was a mill. 4^9 An ancient sword, pre- served in a small armoury at Rostellan Castle, •9° is said to have belonged to theheroicBrianBoroimha. AfewyearsafterthebattleoftheBoyne,itis
" Appendix, Miscellanea, p. 199, note. Dub- cal Dictionary of English Literature," &c. ,
present Time," with copious Notes and an his writings in S. Austin Allibone's
lin, 1843, 8vo.
*^ See CogATjli 54ex)Tiel Ue JOittAibli,
chap, cxviii. , pp. 210, 211.
<'° See Rev. Dr. O'Brien's " Dissertations
Criti-
vol. ii. , p. 2225.
«* See Richard Stanihurst's " Treatise
conteining a plaine and perfect Description of Ireland," &c. , in Holinshed's " Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland," vol. vi.
on the National Customs, and State Laws
of the Ancient Irish, "part ii. , chap, i. , p. 534, Ireland, chap, iii. , p. 26. New edition,
in General Vallancey's bus Hibernicis," vol. i.
"
Collectanea de Re-
London. 1807, 1808, 4to.
<" See Doctor Meredith Hanmer's
*' Their
in the soath aisle of that Armagh.
*'^ See CosAnh ^Aeuhet Tie J^tUiibTi chap, cxix. , pp. 211 to 213.
*'^ The accompanying illustration was
drawn on the spot, by William F. Wake-
man, in December, 1S82, and it was after- wards transferred to the wood, which has been engraved, by Mrs. Millard.
*'< A lithograph of this is given in Rev.
Nathaniel Burton's " of the History Royal
Hospital, Kilmainham, near Dublin," ^Iis- cellanea, p. 198.
" Chronicle of Ireland,"
<*" See " a Clontarf,"
heads,
it is said, were
great church,
p. 185. Poem,
1883, the following admeasurements of the ancient cross at Kilma—inham are given by William F. Wakeman " of shaft
County of Dublin," p. 71.
<*' See the edition of Gratianus Lucius'
"Cambrensis Eversus," Rev. Matthew by
Kelly, D. D. , vol. iii. , chap, xxviii. , pp. 170, 171, andn. (p).
*^ See "Apologia pro Hibernia,"cap. v. ,
P-53-
<»' "
*'>° Near the Cove of Cork, and a seat of the Marquis of Thomond. See W. H. Bart- lett's "Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland," vol. ii. , sect, iv. , pp. 75, 76.
<' In Foley Ant. , June 24, 1787.
«' By Thomas Cornwall, as he was dig-
: Height
10 feet, breadth of shaft, at base, 2 feet 5 inches, thickness of shaft, at base, 1 1 inches. N. B. —The stone in which the shaft is in- serted is, in plan, nidely quadrangular, mea- suring 7 feet, by 5 feet 6 inches. It would be idle, without digging, to speculate on the depth of this stone in the earth. The re- mains, altogether, present a very ancient look, and the monument, when perfect, must have exhibited a very grand appear-
ance. "
•''' The Jesuit Campion, who published his " Historic of Ireland, written in the yeare 1571," has given us a tradition of that time
See Roderic O'Flaherty's
phical Description of West or H-Iar Con- naught," edited by James Hardiman, p. 115.
deposited, in
Book
ii. .
<" In a letter, dated •^ See D'Alton's " Enniskillen, June 4th, John
History
of the
ging in his garden. He kept it during his regarding the " field in Clatarfe, where life, and after death it was possessed by his
diversenobleIrishmenwere
that— sonJohn. slayne, lye
buryed before the crosse of Kilmaynam. "
The First Booke, cap. xv. , p. 76. Dublin
edition, 1809, 410.
*" His name is otherwise written Richard
Stanyhurst. See an account of him and of
''5
According to the opinion of Rev. Dean Richardson of Belturbet, county of Cavan, in 1796.
*" See "Clontarf," a Poem, Preface, pp. X. , xi,
Preface, p. xi.
*^' Walsh is quoted for the statement, that
this allusion to the season of the year was an
anticipation of prosperity, prophesied after the expulsion of the Danes.
<^* This 23rd of April.
*^3 See Pertz's "Monumenta Germanise
Historica," tomus v. Mariani Scotti Chro-
nicon, p. 555. <^ See Father
White's
"Apolo-
Stephen
gia pro Hibernia," cap. v. , p. 53.
<^= In his
English Martyroloi;y.
Chorogra-
April 33-] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 455
related/9' that Brian Boroimhe's sceptre was found near Clontarf,^? ' and that some characters, thereon inscribed,*'^ pointed to such a concIusion. «*
AmongthesaintsofIreland,BryanBoroimhahasbeenrecorded; while
the panegyric of this monarch has been pronounced, by one of the Munster
chroniclers, and in a style of the highest eulogy, when comparing him with other most remarkable characters, found in the history of this world. Thus, for chastity and for unostentatioHS devotion, he is likened to the brilliant and magnanimous Moses ; for truthfulness, for worthiness, and for the mainten- ence of his sovereignty, he was the faithful, fervent, honourable and gallant DavidofErinn; heisalsocalledthehappy,wealthy,andpeaceableSolo- mon of the Gaedhil. For his energy and dignity, for his battles and triumphs, he is called the strong and irresistible second Alexander ; for the prosperity and freedom of his country and of his race, he is compared to the beautiful and ever-victorious Octavin, the term employed to distinguish Augustus Csesar. Inadditiontotheseencomiums,heisclassedamongthethreecountry- men of his own, who brought most prosperity to Erinn. Furthermore, he is
praised, for having steadfastly contended against the foreigners and pirates, whomhebanishedorkilled; while,heisalsolauded,forhavingreleasedthe men and women of Ireland from their bondage, and from those iniquities practised against them. He is said to have gained five-and-twenty battles over the foreigners. •'s This great ruler was styled the " Irish Alfred," the " Solomon of the West," with other appreciative titles of distinction, which were conferred on him, for the signal virtues and merits of a great and noble character.
As a valiant leader of high intellectual eminence, he found in Ireland a
defective political organization, turbulence and divisions, among chiefs and tribes, with a weak executive, in no sense having clearly-defined national objects and interests in view. He wished to establish a new principle of elective cr of hereditary sovereignty, in the centre of the Island, and vested in his own family. He desired to unite, in common efforts for his country's well- fare, the chieftains and people of his own race ; and, as he found the Scan- dinavians already settled in Ireland, he laboured to enlist their services, and to concilate their obedience as subjects, while he endeavoured to roll back the tide of foreign invasion. But, the destructive battle at Clontarf proved disastrous to all his projects. The death of the statesman King, and of his son and grandson, on the same day,, and in the same field, prevented the
perpetuation of the great principle of unity, upon which he intended to have reformed and controlled the old Irish Monarchy. However, the power of com-
bination was then destroyed ; for, a new dynasty is rarely the work of one able nian,<9* since practical and politic successors are required, to frame well the es-
of a — left more or less
parts nile, incomplete,
at his death. No such men
sential
survived this day one almost as fatal in its results to the victors as to the vanqui—shed. It is stated, that several of the s—aints and righteous ones of
^s?
Erinn among the rest the prophet Berchan had predicted the death of
Brian, and the calamities that should ensue, in consequence of his fall.
So far as we can judge, by the incidents of this great Monarch's career, he had almost insuperable difficulties to surmount. —The pertinacity with which he
invasions of the Northmen or Danes a and — repelled belligerent piratical
*»5 See Cogi-oVi 5<seT)Viel, Re S^^^'^K chap, cxv. , pp. , 202 to 205.
race, then greatly dreaded as the unprincipled ravagers of Europe
was a theme for national and very general rejoicing. To Christians of every clime,
*** See Thomas M'Gee's " D'Aicy
*" I" th^ Co5«t>1i jaetjViei Ue SAtlAib)! , some quatrains of an Irish poem attributed to him are and these have been
Popu- lar History of Ireland, vol. i. . Book ii. ,
quoted,
translated into English, by the editor. See
chap, vii. , pp. 102 to 104.
chap, cxvi. , pp. 204, 205.
4s6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
the great battle at Clontarf must be of peculiar significance, as actually relat-
ing to the last fight between Christianity and paganism for foothold, and within a land, so eminently distinguished in the annals of civilization. After
this great victory, the power of the Danes in Ireland, and the designs of the Norsemen on that country, were broken. Still the country was not entirely freefromtheirattacks,untilaftertheendoftheeleventhcentury. Fromthatday of Clontarf, the long-cherished Northern idea regarding a conquest of Ireland seems to have been abandoned by that indomitable people, who were satisfied to remain as colonists. Having embraced Christianity, they lived unmolested in the chief maritime cities of our nation. The services of this Imperator to Ireland were even greater, as a civil administrator than as a military hero, owing to his sagacity and comprehensive projects. In the arts of peace, he was eminently successful. So alert, so vigilant and pervading, was the policy of Bryan, that ancient and venerable institutions were restored, and most gene- rally reformed ; laws which had been instituted for the protection of life and property, and which, in the general disorder, had been disregarded, or had become obsolete, were restored and vigorously enforced. '*'^ But here, we have toestimatechieflythereligiousaspectofanoblecharacter. Hismunificence in founding churches and monasteries, his justice in ruling, and tlie private virtues of his spotless life, made him be regarded, as the model for a saintly king; and, as such, he deserves to live in the recollection of all his country- men, an example of greatness and of goodness.
Article II.
*"' This is the age assigned to him, in the Annals of Ulster.
276, 277.
" •' "
*", Consertum est ergo praelium per tri-
See Dr. Jeffrey Keating's General History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 482.
"'See an account of him, in George Grote's" History of Greece," vol. iii. , part ii. , chap. xl. . pp. 423to442.
*" For the vaiiuus events of his career, see ibid. , vol. vii. , part ii. , chap. Ixxvii. to Ixxx. , pp. 7210314.
*" See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
^'s gee "Poems" of James Clarence f i
duum incessa—nter, et Normannorum nullus ""
vivus evasit. Ademari Historiarum," HI). iii. The chronology of this battle, in his chronicle, seems to be set down at A. D. 1016. SeePertz's " Monumenta Germanise Histo- rica," tomus iv. , p. 140.
<* " Uxores eorum cum parvulis sese cnnctse in mare precipites suffoc. irunt. Qui vivi capti sunt, feris ad laniandum proiecti sunt. Unum ex captivis rex vivere, quia Christianum captivum fuisse cognovit, et
Vol. IV. —No. 8.
45° LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
and in obedience to his father's dying request, Donagh sent jewels and offer-
ings, to the Gomharb and subordinate clergy of St. Patrick ;<S5 while, in the
fifty-first year of his age, that prince succeeded his father, «' but as we are told, he did not rule over the fourth part of Ireland/'?
According to the provisions of his will. ^s^ the King of Ireland had resolved, that his body should be conveyed to Armagh, after his death. His son Donnchadh religiously fulfilled this bequeathed obligation, and all the other bequests made, and so secured the blessing of his illustrious father. «9 Soon as the monks at Swords heard of the order for interment, theycamedirectlytothecamp. Thefirststageofthismournfulandsolemn procession was northwards from Clontarf, and the clergy of Swords, with
^^>WKVs,\^'k^-
Medieval Archiepiscopal Palace, Monastic remains, and Round Tower, at Swords, County of Dublin.
religious rites and ceremonies, brought the remains of this renowned, heroic and religious monarch, together with those of his son Murchadh, to their abbey,<*° where the coffins were deposited for that night. Here are still to
Mangan. NewYorkedition,1859,8vo. In
O,wherearetheDalcassiansofthe golden swords ?
And where are the warriors Brian led on ?
Where, O Kinkora?
" And where is Murrough, the descend- ant of kings ;
the Irish is the
Anthology," at pp. 382 to 384,
" following,
: intituled " Kinkora " —
" O, where, Kinkora ! is Brian the Great ?
And where is the beauty that once was thine?
O, where are the princes and nobles that sate
At the feast in thy halls, and drank
the red wine
Where, O Kinkora ?
" O, where Kinkora 1 are thy valorous lords?
O, whither, thou Hospitable ! are they gone ?
—f a hundred—
Who set but slight store by jewels
!
and
rings
The defeater o
the dar-
ingly brave
—
Who swam down the torrent and
laughed at its wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
" And where is Donagh, King Brian's worthy son ?
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4SI
be seen, many fine ecclesiastical and mediaeval remains. '**' Thence, the next
morning, the clergy of Daraliag, or Duleek, with similar marks of respect, had the bodies conducted, to the church of St. Kiaran ; and there, too, they were received by the monks, who bore the coffins to their religious establishment.
"
with my grief !
Left me, Kinkora !
And where are the chiefs mth whom Brian went forth,
The never vanquished sons of Erin the brave.
The great King of Onaght, renowned for his worth,
And the hosts of Baskinn from the western wave ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
And where Conaing, the beautiful chief?
To give me at the banquet, the first
bright cup !
Ah ! why did he heap on me honour
like this?
Why, O Kincora ?
"IamMac-Liag,andmyhomeis on the Lake :
Thither often, to that palace whose beauty is fled,
Came Brian, to ask me, and I went for his sake,
O, my grief ! that I should live, and Brian be dead !
Dead, O Kinkora !
*" This poem has been translated, by John D'Alton.
+" See James Hardiman's " Irish Mins- trelsy, or Bardic Remains of Ireland, with English Poetical Translations," vol. ii. , pp. 196 to 201. London, 1831, 8vo.
+•* See ibid. , pp. 202 to 207.
*« See ibid. , pp. 208 to 211.
*5° This notice seems to confirm Richard
Stanihurst's account, that the Danes were not settled on the north side of the city, until
"theyeare 1095," when they built "Ost- mantowne, that is, the towne of the Ost-
And Kian and Core ? Alas they are
gone—
They have left me this night alone
" O where is Duvlann of the swift-footed steeds ?
And where is Kian, who was son of MoUoy ?
And where is King Lonergan, the fame of whose deeds
In the red battle-field no time can destroy ?
Where, O Kinkora ?
" And where is that of
youth majestic
mannes. "—
"
"
"
height.
The faith-keeping Prince of the
Scots? Evenhe.
As wide as his fame was, as great was
his might.
Was tributary, O Kinkora, to thee.
Thee, O Kinkora !
They are gone those heroes of royal birth.
Who plundered no churches, and broke no trust ;
'Tis weary for me to be living on earth
When they, O Kinkora, lie low in the dust !
Low, O Kinkora!
O, never again will Princes appear, To rival the Dalcassians of the
cleaving swords ;
I can never dream of meeting afar or
anear,
In the east or the west, such heroes
and lords !
Never, Kinkora I
O, dear are the images my memory calls up
perfect Description of Ireland," &c. , chap, iii. , p. 26.
Of Brian Boru would miss
!
—how he never
Holinshed's "Chroni- cles of England, Scotland, and Ireland," vol. vi. " treatise containing a plain and
Raphaell
«
Old Ireland," set to music, thereis one called "The Return from Fingal ;" while, this is supposed by some, to have been the march played or sung by the troops of Brian Boromha, and in celebration of the victory obtained at Clontarf. Published by Boosey and Co. , London, 1883.
<5» Twenty-eight oxen were slaughtered on the green of Ath-Cliath, after his arrival. We
are told, moreover, that the foreigners who
were in Ath Cliath threatened to come out
to give battle to Donnchadh, and to such of
the Dal Cais as were alive there, because it
was great pain to them to have their cows
killed in their presence. And a message
came from the son of Amhlaibh, telling
them to take an ox for every twenty, and to
leave all the other oxen behind, except that
number. Donnchadh said, "We have not
been hitherto in the pay of the son of Imar,
nor shall we be so in future ; for, it appears
to us, that our hostility to each other is now
greater than ever. " Such of the oxen as
were yet alive were then slaughtered, in sight
of the of Ath Cliath but, the foreigners ;
foreigners declined battle, owing to their fear
In Dr. Villiers Stanford's of "Songs
45* LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
Here, the clergy of Lughmagh, or Louth, received the corpses, and attended forthepurposeoftheirremovaltothatmonastery. ^*' TheArchbishopof Armagh, with many seniors of his church,<^3 had already set out from the Primatial See, to manifest his singular respect for the glorious monarch, who desired his remains to rest in St. Patrick's city until the day of the general Resurrection. With his suffragans and clergy, the Archbishop received the body at Louth. Thence, it was conveyed, with great solemnity, to their cathe- dral, where the highest honours were paid to King Bryan's memory. The accounts are so universal, and confirming this statement, that it seems surprising any popular misconception could have arisen, regarding his interment at Kil- laloe. *** Fortwelvedaysandasmanynights,^*3thebodywaswatchedbythe clergy. During the whole of this time, there was a continuance of sacrifices, of watchings, of prayers and of devotions. ^'* The remains were interred, with great funeral pomp and ceremony, at the north side of the altar, set up in the greatchurchofArmagh. Amonumentofhewnmarblecoveredthem;*^'
of Donnchadh and of the Dal Cais. See C0540I1 5<seT)Viel. He S^lUMbli, chap. cxix. , pp. 210, 211.
<53 In John O'Donoghue's lately pub- lished " Historical Memoirs of the O'Briens,"
to the age of Bryan.
457 See Periz's " Monumenta Germania:
Historica," lomus v. , p. 555.
45* See James Stuart's "Historical Memoirs
of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123. 459 See Co5AT)h Jaeohel Ue SallAibh, the O'Briens during sixteen centuries, and chap, cxiii. , cxviii. , pp. 200 to 203, 2X0,
the reader will find detailed, the history of specially of the descendants of Brian 211.
Boroimhe ; the grant of tlie royal palace of
Cashel to the Church, by Mortogh O'Brien,
and the erection of Cormac's chapel thereon.
The relations of the O'Briens with the great
Norman families settled in Ireland, after the
advent of II. , and their to Henry struggle
f^ See Rev. Dr. Paul O'Brien's " Disser- tations on the National Customs, and State Laws of the Ancient Irish," part ii. , chap, i. , p. 534, in General Vallancey's "Collecta- nea de Rebus Hibernicis," vol. i.
4*' The annexed illustration an represents
ancient castle, in the foreground, and for-
merly used as a palace, by the Archbishops of Dublin ; in the middle distance are por- tions of the modern town ; while, in the far distance are the mediaeval belfry-tower of the monastery, and an ancient Round Tower. This drawing, taken on the spot, by William F. Wakeman, has been transferred by him to the wood, which was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
4" See Rev. James Wills' " Lives of lUus-
trious and Distinguished Irishmen," vol. i. Second Period, p. 212.
4'3
4*4 However,inJonathanFisher's"Scenery oflreland," at plate xi. , illustiating Killaloe on the River Shannon, it is stated, A. D. 1792, that near the cathedral were some remains of the mausoleum of Brien Boru.
4'5 According to a Manuscript, quoted by Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran, in his " General History of Ireland," vol. ii. . Book xi. ,chap. viii. , p. 296.
4^* See James Stuart's " Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
4°? See Rev. Dr.
O'Brien's " Dissertations on the National Custons, and State Laws of the Ancient Irish," part ii. , chap, i. , p.
maintain the independency of their territory of Thomond, are also related. After the settlement of the Anglo-Noimans, the abor- tive attempt to comljine the forces of the Irish princes at the Congress of Caeluise, attended by Teige O'Brien, Brian O'Neill, and others, for the expulsion of the invaders, will be found highly interesting, as the first attempt to shake off the yoke of the foreign-
ers. The divisions of the O'Briens— whom invited Edward Bruce to Munster, while the other, the ancestor of the present head of the family, was appointed to com—- mand the army prepared to expel him occupy considerable space. The relations subsisting between the O'Briens and the Desmond Fitzgeralds ; the alliances between the former and the De Burghs ; and the ex- action of "black rent" by the O'Briens from the English settlers protected by them, disclose a most curious state of society. The origin of the antagonism between the houses of Kildareand ofOrmond, and the share of the O'Briens in these quarrels, are fully de- tailed.
«4 See Rev. James Wills' " Lives of Illus- trious and Distinguished Irishmen," vol. i. . Second Period, pp. 213, 214.
455 See James Stuart's " Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh, chap, iii. ,
p. 123. 45' This
"
related in the " Chronicon " of Marianus Scottus, may give us some clue
General Vallancey's
fact,
in
Rebus Hibernicis," vol. i.
Collectanea de
^one of
See James Stuart's "Historical Me- moirs of the City of Armagh," chap, iii. , p. 123.
534,
April 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 4S3
but, this has long since disappeared, or it cannot at present be recognised. The body of Morough <^^ was removed, likewise, from the field of Clontarf to Armagh, as stated by the ancient writer. t's Besides, it is said, the bodies of his son Turlough and of Conning, the son of Donnchuan, were interred in another tomb, at the south side of the same church. -t? '' Another account has it, that the head of Conang, and that of Faelan, prince of the Desies, were taken away,'*'" while the bodies were left behind, possibly because these could not be identified. This course can only be accounted for on the supposition, that after these chiefs had fallen in battle, their slayers or others had decapitated them,aswasthebarbarouscustomofvanqaishers,atthatperiod. Thirtybodies of those nobles, who had been slain at Clontarf, were carried away by the clans- men to their territorial churches, wherever these were situated over Erinn. *? '
The grandson ofBryan, who is called Turlough, and many of the other chiefs, were interred, it is stated, near the monastery, and within the cemetery of Kilmainham. A large shaft *73 of a broken cross t74 is yet to be seen, and
standingupright. ''" Thistra- dition represents, as marking the grave of one among Brian Boroimhe's sons. '*? * Ano-
-=- ther account of Richard Stanihurst *^^ has it, that the chief potentates of the Irish slain were Brian Borrough, Miagh Macke Bren, Tadie Okellie, Dolin Ahertegan, and Gille Barramedc"'
Shaft of the large Cross at Kilmainham.
Following the high encomium of Marianus Scotus, John Wilson ^^5 has
*" We are told, however, with great par- ticularity, in reference to Kilmainham, that "Morogli, the son of Brian, was buried—at the
west end of the priory church. " Rev.
Hospital, Kilmainham, near Dublin, from the original foundation as a Prioryof Knights Templars, and afterwards as Knight Hospi- talers, by Richard Earl of Pembroke, com- monly called Strongbow, a. d. i i 74, to the
Nathaniel Burton's
"
History of the Royal
These weYe buried at Kil- "
mainham, overagainstthe
greatcrosse. "'»79 Thememo-
rials of this great monarch
yet remaining deserve to
be recounted, in closing his
Memoir. He is said to have
been a poet and a musician,
as well as a warrior;^^ and
to him is attributed that air
Thugamuir fein an Sam-
hra " We the Sum- lift, bring
merwithus. "''^' TheChro- nicle of Marianus Scotus re- cords him as Brian, King of Hibernia, slain on Good Friday, the ninth of the Ca- lends of May,<^" with his hands and his mind towards God. 't^J On this day, like- wise, he is commemorated by Marianus O'Gorman. ***
454 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
included this illustrious individual among the martyrs, and his varied merits or services to religion have given him a claim to the highest veneration. 4^*
Thus, this saintly king, so justly celebrated for his great actions and piety, has been inscribed on the pages of the English and Irish Martyrologies. Indeed, on other merely national calendars, some names were inscribed, which had not better claims to public veneration, than Brian's name had on the Irish. •t^7
Hence, we should not feel surprised, if such truly national and
religious divines as Archdeacon John Lynch of Tuam, and Father Stephen White,''^* have accorded to him the honours and rewards of Martyrdom.
On Ard-Oilean or High Island, off the western coast of Ireland, and on a
steep summit, there was a spring, called Bryan Boramy's well, as also a stand- ing water, on the brook whereof there was a mill. 4^9 An ancient sword, pre- served in a small armoury at Rostellan Castle, •9° is said to have belonged to theheroicBrianBoroimha. AfewyearsafterthebattleoftheBoyne,itis
" Appendix, Miscellanea, p. 199, note. Dub- cal Dictionary of English Literature," &c. ,
present Time," with copious Notes and an his writings in S. Austin Allibone's
lin, 1843, 8vo.
*^ See CogATjli 54ex)Tiel Ue JOittAibli,
chap, cxviii. , pp. 210, 211.
<'° See Rev. Dr. O'Brien's " Dissertations
Criti-
vol. ii. , p. 2225.
«* See Richard Stanihurst's " Treatise
conteining a plaine and perfect Description of Ireland," &c. , in Holinshed's " Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland," vol. vi.
on the National Customs, and State Laws
of the Ancient Irish, "part ii. , chap, i. , p. 534, Ireland, chap, iii. , p. 26. New edition,
in General Vallancey's bus Hibernicis," vol. i.
"
Collectanea de Re-
London. 1807, 1808, 4to.
<" See Doctor Meredith Hanmer's
*' Their
in the soath aisle of that Armagh.
*'^ See CosAnh ^Aeuhet Tie J^tUiibTi chap, cxix. , pp. 211 to 213.
*'^ The accompanying illustration was
drawn on the spot, by William F. Wake-
man, in December, 1S82, and it was after- wards transferred to the wood, which has been engraved, by Mrs. Millard.
*'< A lithograph of this is given in Rev.
Nathaniel Burton's " of the History Royal
Hospital, Kilmainham, near Dublin," ^Iis- cellanea, p. 198.
" Chronicle of Ireland,"
<*" See " a Clontarf,"
heads,
it is said, were
great church,
p. 185. Poem,
1883, the following admeasurements of the ancient cross at Kilma—inham are given by William F. Wakeman " of shaft
County of Dublin," p. 71.
<*' See the edition of Gratianus Lucius'
"Cambrensis Eversus," Rev. Matthew by
Kelly, D. D. , vol. iii. , chap, xxviii. , pp. 170, 171, andn. (p).
*^ See "Apologia pro Hibernia,"cap. v. ,
P-53-
<»' "
*'>° Near the Cove of Cork, and a seat of the Marquis of Thomond. See W. H. Bart- lett's "Scenery and Antiquities of Ireland," vol. ii. , sect, iv. , pp. 75, 76.
<' In Foley Ant. , June 24, 1787.
«' By Thomas Cornwall, as he was dig-
: Height
10 feet, breadth of shaft, at base, 2 feet 5 inches, thickness of shaft, at base, 1 1 inches. N. B. —The stone in which the shaft is in- serted is, in plan, nidely quadrangular, mea- suring 7 feet, by 5 feet 6 inches. It would be idle, without digging, to speculate on the depth of this stone in the earth. The re- mains, altogether, present a very ancient look, and the monument, when perfect, must have exhibited a very grand appear-
ance. "
•''' The Jesuit Campion, who published his " Historic of Ireland, written in the yeare 1571," has given us a tradition of that time
See Roderic O'Flaherty's
phical Description of West or H-Iar Con- naught," edited by James Hardiman, p. 115.
deposited, in
Book
ii. .
<" In a letter, dated •^ See D'Alton's " Enniskillen, June 4th, John
History
of the
ging in his garden. He kept it during his regarding the " field in Clatarfe, where life, and after death it was possessed by his
diversenobleIrishmenwere
that— sonJohn. slayne, lye
buryed before the crosse of Kilmaynam. "
The First Booke, cap. xv. , p. 76. Dublin
edition, 1809, 410.
*" His name is otherwise written Richard
Stanyhurst. See an account of him and of
''5
According to the opinion of Rev. Dean Richardson of Belturbet, county of Cavan, in 1796.
*" See "Clontarf," a Poem, Preface, pp. X. , xi,
Preface, p. xi.
*^' Walsh is quoted for the statement, that
this allusion to the season of the year was an
anticipation of prosperity, prophesied after the expulsion of the Danes.
<^* This 23rd of April.
*^3 See Pertz's "Monumenta Germanise
Historica," tomus v. Mariani Scotti Chro-
nicon, p. 555. <^ See Father
White's
"Apolo-
Stephen
gia pro Hibernia," cap. v. , p. 53.
<^= In his
English Martyroloi;y.
Chorogra-
April 33-] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 455
related/9' that Brian Boroimhe's sceptre was found near Clontarf,^? ' and that some characters, thereon inscribed,*'^ pointed to such a concIusion. «*
AmongthesaintsofIreland,BryanBoroimhahasbeenrecorded; while
the panegyric of this monarch has been pronounced, by one of the Munster
chroniclers, and in a style of the highest eulogy, when comparing him with other most remarkable characters, found in the history of this world. Thus, for chastity and for unostentatioHS devotion, he is likened to the brilliant and magnanimous Moses ; for truthfulness, for worthiness, and for the mainten- ence of his sovereignty, he was the faithful, fervent, honourable and gallant DavidofErinn; heisalsocalledthehappy,wealthy,andpeaceableSolo- mon of the Gaedhil. For his energy and dignity, for his battles and triumphs, he is called the strong and irresistible second Alexander ; for the prosperity and freedom of his country and of his race, he is compared to the beautiful and ever-victorious Octavin, the term employed to distinguish Augustus Csesar. Inadditiontotheseencomiums,heisclassedamongthethreecountry- men of his own, who brought most prosperity to Erinn. Furthermore, he is
praised, for having steadfastly contended against the foreigners and pirates, whomhebanishedorkilled; while,heisalsolauded,forhavingreleasedthe men and women of Ireland from their bondage, and from those iniquities practised against them. He is said to have gained five-and-twenty battles over the foreigners. •'s This great ruler was styled the " Irish Alfred," the " Solomon of the West," with other appreciative titles of distinction, which were conferred on him, for the signal virtues and merits of a great and noble character.
As a valiant leader of high intellectual eminence, he found in Ireland a
defective political organization, turbulence and divisions, among chiefs and tribes, with a weak executive, in no sense having clearly-defined national objects and interests in view. He wished to establish a new principle of elective cr of hereditary sovereignty, in the centre of the Island, and vested in his own family. He desired to unite, in common efforts for his country's well- fare, the chieftains and people of his own race ; and, as he found the Scan- dinavians already settled in Ireland, he laboured to enlist their services, and to concilate their obedience as subjects, while he endeavoured to roll back the tide of foreign invasion. But, the destructive battle at Clontarf proved disastrous to all his projects. The death of the statesman King, and of his son and grandson, on the same day,, and in the same field, prevented the
perpetuation of the great principle of unity, upon which he intended to have reformed and controlled the old Irish Monarchy. However, the power of com-
bination was then destroyed ; for, a new dynasty is rarely the work of one able nian,<9* since practical and politic successors are required, to frame well the es-
of a — left more or less
parts nile, incomplete,
at his death. No such men
sential
survived this day one almost as fatal in its results to the victors as to the vanqui—shed. It is stated, that several of the s—aints and righteous ones of
^s?
Erinn among the rest the prophet Berchan had predicted the death of
Brian, and the calamities that should ensue, in consequence of his fall.
So far as we can judge, by the incidents of this great Monarch's career, he had almost insuperable difficulties to surmount. —The pertinacity with which he
invasions of the Northmen or Danes a and — repelled belligerent piratical
*»5 See Cogi-oVi 5<seT)Viel, Re S^^^'^K chap, cxv. , pp. , 202 to 205.
race, then greatly dreaded as the unprincipled ravagers of Europe
was a theme for national and very general rejoicing. To Christians of every clime,
*** See Thomas M'Gee's " D'Aicy
*" I" th^ Co5«t>1i jaetjViei Ue SAtlAib)! , some quatrains of an Irish poem attributed to him are and these have been
Popu- lar History of Ireland, vol. i. . Book ii. ,
quoted,
translated into English, by the editor. See
chap, vii. , pp. 102 to 104.
chap, cxvi. , pp. 204, 205.
4s6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 23.
the great battle at Clontarf must be of peculiar significance, as actually relat-
ing to the last fight between Christianity and paganism for foothold, and within a land, so eminently distinguished in the annals of civilization. After
this great victory, the power of the Danes in Ireland, and the designs of the Norsemen on that country, were broken. Still the country was not entirely freefromtheirattacks,untilaftertheendoftheeleventhcentury. Fromthatday of Clontarf, the long-cherished Northern idea regarding a conquest of Ireland seems to have been abandoned by that indomitable people, who were satisfied to remain as colonists. Having embraced Christianity, they lived unmolested in the chief maritime cities of our nation. The services of this Imperator to Ireland were even greater, as a civil administrator than as a military hero, owing to his sagacity and comprehensive projects. In the arts of peace, he was eminently successful. So alert, so vigilant and pervading, was the policy of Bryan, that ancient and venerable institutions were restored, and most gene- rally reformed ; laws which had been instituted for the protection of life and property, and which, in the general disorder, had been disregarded, or had become obsolete, were restored and vigorously enforced. '*'^ But here, we have toestimatechieflythereligiousaspectofanoblecharacter. Hismunificence in founding churches and monasteries, his justice in ruling, and tlie private virtues of his spotless life, made him be regarded, as the model for a saintly king; and, as such, he deserves to live in the recollection of all his country- men, an example of greatness and of goodness.
Article II.
