18 It is sometimes styled
the Monastery j and, it is also known as Team-
1
pull Molaise.
the Monastery j and, it is also known as Team-
1
pull Molaise.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
6 There is also an island, called Inishkeen, situated in Upper Lough Macnean, which separates Fermanagh county from that of Leitrim.
This island last-named belongs to the former county ; but, it does not appear to have any associated historical notices.
There is another island, called Inis caoin, or Inishkeen, in Lough Melvin, which also separates the counties already named.
This is situated within the bounds of Leitrim county.
It is covered with wood of considerable size, and the neat cottage of a caretaker has been built upon it.
There was formerly a friary on this island.
?
The ancient territory of Cuil or Coole was
partly comprehended within the present barony of Tirkennedy, in the county
fessor of Ogham writing, of philosophy, of poetry, and of other arts. See pp. 608, 609. 10 Killala is valued in the King's books by an extent, returned Anno 28 Eliz. at
,£23 6s. 8d. , sterling. In a marginal note affixed to the copy of Harris' Ware, in the
writer's possession, and formerly belonging
to Mr. Patrick Lynch, we read in the hand-
writing of this capable scholar : " Here are
a Dean, Archdeacon, Provost, and the two of the Ordnance Survey. " One volume,
PrebendariesofKilncharpyandKillanley. " Article 11. — r "Mur—chadh (Muiredhech
p. 7.
? See the County Fermanagh Extracts,
One to the volume, formerly belonging
Office of the Irish Ordnance Survey, and now preserved in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, p. 63.
8 This conclusion was arrived at by John M
potius) o Cill alaidh. "
"Calendar of Irish Saints," &c, p. xxxii.
3
See an account of him, at that date, in the Fourth Volume of this work, Art. i.
3 See Colgan's • Acta Sanctorum Hi-
Rev. Dr.
Kelly's
2 and, like the latter, his memory
being separated from land on A grave-yard is marked on the
According to Mr. O'Donovan,
berniae," xxi. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Endei, cap. iv. , p. 713.
* See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 262.
s See sheet 27.
6
See Letter dated Enniskillin, October
12th, 1834, in "Letters containing Informa- tion relative to the Antiquities of the County
of Fermanagh, collected during the Progress
178 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 12.
of Fermanagh. 8 The feast of St. Muredac of Iniscaoin was observed on the 1 2th of August. 9
Article III. —St. Molaisse or Laisren, Patron of Inis-Muiread- hagh, now Innismurry, County of Sligo. [Sixth Century. '] Over most of our Saints' Lives, the impenetrable mist of ages has fallen. We cannot roll away the darkness, nor even guess what are the interesting concealments. Nevertheless, isolated incidents, full of life and character, are well worth contemplating and investigating, even though they are too meagre to be woven into a connected biography of some particular saint The historian need hardly enquire, what the Irish Church ought to have believed ; but, he interrogates her monuments and records, to learn what may have been her
1
actual doctrines and teaching.
point, in the old Irish Litanies, is in the circumstance, that they comprise
2
Hence, the cele- brated Litany of St. Mngus, as a doctrinal relic of our ancient literature, could not be looked upon with much favour by those who pretend to inherit thedoctrinesofourearlyIrishChurch. Itstestimonyisclearandobjective. But, whether the piety of ^Engus deserves sympathy, or whether his invoking saintsbearemarkablecircumstance,isclearlyonething; andthefact,that iEngus did invoke saints is altogether another matter. Nor is this an isolated document, and unsupported by other evidence, to establish the veneration of many holy persons, whose light and fame have been eclipsed,
like those stars that are in distant space and surrounded by orbs of greater brightnessormagnitude. TheremoteIslandofInnismurryiscelebratedin Irish legend and is still remarkable for the manners, dress, and customs of its inhabitants. 3 But, until it was selected as a lonely site for the establish- ment of a religious settlement, it seems to have had little or no historical or
"
traditional renown. In the ancient record of St. Angus' Feilire,"* St.
Laisren of the Isle of Muredach is commemorated with a special eulogy, on
numerous invocations to a vast number of dead saints.
O'Donovan, who travelled in 1834, through t he parish of Enniskillen, while he got some of the native Irish people to pronounce for him in Irish many of the local denomina- tions. He writes : "It would appear from
—John O'Donovan's Letter, dated Ennis-
killen, Friday, October 17th, 1834. "Letters containing Information relative to the Anti-
quities of the County of Fermanagh. " One Volume, p. 16.
9 See " Acta Sanctorum Hi- Colgan's
berniae," xxi. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S.
the names of some
tions in the country, that it was anciently in
territory
places,
and from tradi-
of Cuil. The names I allude
geous palace of Lord Curry (rectius Lowry), Moran's
the
to are Castle-Coole, the splendid and gor-
iv. , — Endaei, cap. p. 713.
which is called by the Irish CAiplen via cuile, i. e. , the castle of Coole territory. The Annals always prefix the article to the nameof this territory asm Agin-Dip nA Cuile, i. e. , Maguire of the Coole: O'CAipei-oe via Cuile, i. e. , O'Cassidy of the Coole. In like manner the Irish people of Enniskillen parish always insert the article riA in the name of Castle Coole. Again, there is a
proverbial expression current in the parish, that Carrickmacmea townland in Enniskillen
(in Irish CeAfjpArh mictndifc, i. e. , McMea's
2
Quarter), is t—he best quarter in Coole.
It
the historic importance of this document,
where he says, that the piety of yEngus is
such, as can meet with little sympathy, in
the mind of a well-instructed and enlightened
Christian. See Rev. Robert King's
"
Primer of the History of the Church of Ireland," vol. i. , bookii. , chap, xi. , p. 255.
3 See Miss Owenson's "Patriotic Sketches
rhymes thus
:
of in Ireland, written
Connaught,"
vol. i. ,
sketch ix. , p. 47, n. "*"
Thus, the most striking and remarkable
CeAtpAirn true niec, ceAcpAift pAe^A In the "Leabhar Breac copy, is the iia Cuile. " following stanza, at this date, and it has
Article III.
See Most Rev. Dr. Essays on the Origin, Doctrines, and Discipline of the Early Irish Church," Essay on Teaching of the Ancient Church of Ireland, regarding the Blessed Eucharist,
chap, iv. , p. 220.
•
The Rev. Mr. King seeks to discredit
"
August 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1 79 the 1 2th of August. In the scholion annexed, he is called Molaise, son of
Declain, of Inis Muiredaig in the north. 5
One of the most interesting monographs on Irish topography and antiquities we possess is that written by William F. Wakeman, on Inis Muiredaich, now
of 6 at the 12th of ology Tallagh,
in honour of Molaise mac
of Inuse Muiredhaigh. 7 This place is now known as Innismurry, an island in the parish of Ahamlish,8 barony of Lower Carbery, and county of Sligo. 9
10 To this we are indebted for of the Inismurry. many
August,
Deglain,
succeeding notices, which must necessarily be abbreviated ; while under the different headings
here presented, every class of monumental remains described may be found
on this singularly interesting island. 1. The Caiseal, or Stone Fort, with its Cellae. The opinion is, that the great walled enclosure here belongs to the class of antiquities known as the Dun, Caher, Lis or Cashel, and that its origin must be referred to old Pagan times, when it had been intended for a
somewhat the
The Cellae resemble the clochans, so commonly met with, especially in the western and south- western parts of Ireland. Those, too, are built of stones and without cement. Rude door-ways pierce the walls. r 3 2. Teach Molaise, the oratory or dwelling of St. Molaise, called after the island patron, is still well preserved ;
but, its proportions are extremely small, measuring internally only eight feet, ten inches, in length, by seven feet, ten inches, in breadth. The side walls are of great thickness, in order to sustain a stone roof, which still remains unimpaired, although the storms and frosts of full twelve hundred years have
1
done their worst upon it. * Entered by a doorway in the western end, it is
been translated into English, by Whitley tion of Ireland, vol. vii. , Fourth Series,
fortification. It
with the corners rounded off, while it is composed of uncemented and undressed stones. The present height of this cashel ranges from seven to thirteen feet, while there were four entrances through the thickness of the walls, varying from seven to fifteen feet wide, with traces of inclines on the
12
military
presents
figure
interior, and several chambers or covered passages.
Stokes, LL. D. :—
CogAi^m LAr^en 1 trope muirve-DAig mor\ mochcAe Cocbeir\ rioeim nAX)Aichbe
1885, 1886. It is preceded by a Map of the island, drawn on a scale of six inches to one statute mile. Afterwards follows among the Proceedings and Papers the Article " Inis Muiredaich, now Inismurray, and its Antiquities,"pp. 175to332. Agreatnum-
£eilSevernpochbAi.
"The calling of Laisren of the Isle of the spot by Mr. Wakeman, serve to illustrate
Muredach, the great and magnified : with a holy train—that ebbs not, the feast of famous
ber of engravings, from drawings made on fully this highly interesting Tractate,
Segene. " "Transactions
of Irish the Royal
Mr. and Wakeman,
inan
engrav-
Academy. " Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , parti. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. cxxiii.
5 See ibid. , p. cxxx.
6 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxii.
7 In the copy of the Tallagh Martyrology contained in the Book of Leinster the read-
ing is ttlobArfi 111AC 'OeclAin inp mujvi- •OA15.
presented
ing, while two engravings represent external
views of the Cashel, as it appeared before the alterations recently made by the Board of Public Works. It appears the latter body —as in. so many other instances—has con- trived to transform the original structure in an attempted restoration.
I2
Several of the details have received illustration, and in a most ample manner.
8 It is described, on the " Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the County of Toorybrenell, or the School-house, Trahaun-
Sligo," sheets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8. Inishmurray is shown on sheet I.
9 See Lewis' " Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 24, 25.
10 This appeared in " The Journal of the Royal Historical andArchaeological Associa-
a-chorres, or the Lent Trahaun, as also Teach-an-alais, or the Sweat-house.
M Two different engravings, and from
opposite points of view, are given of the exterior. Other details of the building have also received illustration,
II
The ground plan has been drawn, by
A festival occurs in the Martyr-
of a rude 11 triangle,
I3 There are engravings representing
i8o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 12.
lighted by a single window in the opposite gable, at a considerable distance
from the ground. Mortar, composed of lime, was freely used throughout this building ; but, in the eastern end, there is an altar constructed of rude stones of various sizes and roughly laid together without any kind of cement.
the
effigy spot by
Interior of Teach Molaise on Ennismurry.
been supposed, that this was the Teampull Mor, or great church of the establishment. There is a legend on Inismurray, that St. Columkille and St. Molaise were partners in the erection of this church, but that owing to the difference in their respec- tive dispositions—the one being impetuous and enterprising, the other mild and retiring—they could not alwaysUhoroughly agree, and so Columbamade up his mind to leave the Island. This church measures twenty-five feet, six
•s The accompanying illustration shows been appropriated respectively to males and
the interior of Teach Molaise, with the altar females. See Lewis' "Topographical Dic-
and of St. Molaise. It was drawn on tionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 24, 25.
19 A well-known and an established usage,
dictated alike by religious propriety and sen- timent, as also reaching from remote times, yet prevails in all the Catholic churches and chapels throughout Ireland, where no family pews or seats have been provided : there is a marked separation of the sexes—the men
William F. Wakeman, and by him transferred to the wood, engraved by
Mrs. Millard.
16 The natives hold an opinion, that the
statue is the work of the Goban Saor, a
famous craftsman, who is thought to have flourished in the sixth century.
'? A drawing of this statue by Mr. standing and kneeling on the Epistle side
Wakeman has been engraved.
of the nave and transept, while the women
18 It has been observed, that cemeteries occupy the Gospel side.
20
connected with the ecclesiastical ruins have
The burial-ground for females is at
The effigy of an eccle- siastic carved in oak, and about four feet, eight inches, in height, at present occupies a position in an angle of Teach Molaise. 1 * The natives on the Island assert, that it is a statue of their patron Saint Molaise. It is rudely carved, and it seems to
have been a work exe- cuted about the com- mencement of the
16 The statue appears to have been subjected to some
rough usage, for, at present, the facial fea- tures and hands have
fifteenth
century.
disappeared.
It now
stands in the angle of
oratory. 3. pull-na-bFear, or the Church of the Men.
18 It is sometimes styled
the Monastery j and, it is also known as Team-
1
pull Molaise. ? It has
the 1? Team-
August 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 181
inches, in length, while it is twelve feet in breadth ; and like every other
Irish temple of its class and period, its plan is a plain quadrangle, with a square-headed doorway in the west gable and a window to the east. It is a remarkable fact, that in the extensive cemetery, which surrounds this
91
walls are two feet in thickness.
Women, is sometimes called Teampull Muire, or Church of Mary, by the islanders. It stands at a little distance to the north-west of the cashel. It measures twenty-eight feet in length, by thirteen in breadth. This building appears to have undergone different modifications since the period of its first erection. Interesting Leachta and other monuments are found in the immediate vicinity of this church. 22 6. Within or without the Caiseal are a number of Altars, most of them bearing very ancient and curiously-carved crosses of stone. 23 7. Two remarkable monuments of the class of Hole- stones, which were held in high veneration on account of certain supernatural powers they were supposed to possess, are to be found on the Island. Those are upright pillars and square in form, many examples of which are to be met with in various parts of Ireland. 8. Eight memorial Leacs, bearing inscriptions in Irish or Latin, are described, while their respective carvings are faithfully represented in several engravings. 9. Uninscribed monumental
stones are numerous, and their several carvings are represented, many of these being incised crosses on slabs, while some of them are very graceful in form. 10. Several Bullauns, or rude font-like objects ofstone, the precise useofwhichhasnotasyetbeenascertained; althoughitseemsmostlikely, they were holy-water fonts, as they are generally found in close proximity with our ruined churches, nor do they appear for the most part to be very ancient. Even still, many of those have been brought from their neglected position in the open grave-yards, and have been again set up for holy-water stoups, in several of our modern churches and chapels. 11. The Sacred Wells, with their coverings of stone, on Inismurray are chiefly Tober
Molaise or St. Molaise's Well, near the Cashel, and on the opposite side of the Island Tober-na-coragh, or the Well of Assistance, on the opposite side of the Island. 2* St. Molaise's Well is covered by a stone-roofed, bee-hive-
shaped, mortarless structure, measuring internally seven by six feet. The doorway is a truly Cyclopean work. It is six feet in height, three in breadth at the lintel, and four at the base. Five stones lead from this ope to the water,whichisneitherabundantnorpalatable. 12. TheLeachta,orStations,
is permitted to be interred. Church of the Men, no woman 20
4. Teampull- na-Teinidh or Church of the Fire. This structure is thought to be less ancient than the other ecclesiastical buildings remaining on the island, and not dating beyond the fourteenth century, while it may have been built at a period considerably later, yet probably it stands on the site of a still earlier structure. This building is oblong in form, measuring internally seventeen feet, four inches, in length, by eleven feet, four inches, in breadth, while the
Teampull-na-mbhanortheWomen'sChurch, situate some distance outside the Cashel. It
is universally believed by the islanders, that if a woman be buried in the men's ground
have prevailed on the Western Islands of Scotland.
" A drawing of the interior of this building, with other associated details, has been given
by Mr. Wakeman, with a minute descrip- tion ©f their several features,
" An illustration, drawn by Mr. Wake- man, is given with the text,
*3 and illustrations of these Descriptions
various objects, with much curious informa- tion regarding them, are furnished by Mr. Wakeman, in his learned contribution on
the Antiquities of Inismurray.
"* Descriptions and illustrations of both
wells have been furnished by Mr. Wake- man.
the must be removed corpse
the
by unseen hands to the women's cemetery, and vice versa. A similar arrangement for separate interments of both sexes seems to
during
night
5. Teampull-na-mBan or Church of the
1 82 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 12.
with their monuments, are very numerous on the Island, and they too have been well described. Numerous illustrations have also been furnished, and these bring the various objects very vividly before the mind of the reader, who desires to be fully conversant with the local scenes and antiquarian objects. There St. Molaisse is regarded as the patron. This saint appears to have been the son of Degill, and of Cumenia, sister to St. Columkille. 2 s This island lies out amid the stormy billows of the Atlantic Ocean,26 about four or five miles off the western coast, and two leagues N. N. E. from Bally- connell point. Here St. Columkille erected a religious establishment, in conjunction with St. Molaisse. To the latter was relinquished its govern- ment. Onthisislandmayyetbeseenremainsoftheiroldreligiousbuild- ings. These are of the rudest possible construction. In one of them, resem-
bling
a fort and built of
stones, there is shown a —of the tradi- rough figure
St. Molaisse. His or a mere alcove chapel oratory
—ional and venerated t
patron
is not capable of accommodating many persons. Its east end was covered
with very fine flags. The whole is surrounded with a wall enclosing about half an acre. There are several compartments excavated in the rock, which appear to have been intended as cells for solitary prayer. One of these cells is covered with a flag ; in size and form it resembles a mill-stone. Near it is a large flag-stone, supported on eight upright stones, about two feet high, and on which are placed several other stones, about which the people have some very curious traditions. After—the lapse of centuries, the pilgrim who visits this lonely island may yet find
" The peaceful mound, the mouldering cross,
And every stone whose rudely-sculptured form Hath braved the rage ofmany a winter's storm. "27
28
At this same date, the Martyrology of Donegal
Laisren, son of Deglan, of Inis Muireadhagh, in the north. 9 The Kalendar of Drummond also records his feast, at this day. 3° Here indeed, amid the wildest scenic solitudes, the adventurous tourist must be filled with thoughts,whichneithertonguecanexpressnorpenadequatelydescribe. A long lapse of centuries has affected great changes. No longer on lone Inish- murry does the monk pursue his round of daily duties ; his holy exercises are over ; the chaunted praises of God are no more heard in the deserted oratory. Lights have long been extinguished on the altar, and only a few islanders wander among the ruins, filled, however, with reverence towards the
memory of former monastic inhabitants.
Article IV. —St. Seighin, Abbot of Iona, and Founder of the Church on Rathlin Island, County of Antrim. The festival of the celebrated Segene, is commemorated on this day, in the " Feilire " of St. ^ngus. T The commentator observes, that he was Abbot of Hi of Colomb
25 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," 216,217.
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columba? , cap. x. , p. 491.
2» In a note, Dr. O'Donovan says at these
:
words " the north, i. e. , the north of
Connacht. "
3° SeeBishopForbes'"KalendarsofScot-
26
See an interesting description of this
Island, with illustrations of antiquities
there remaining, in Major W. G. Wood- tish Saints": Pridie Idus. "In Ilibernia
"
Martin's History of Sligo, County and Natales Sanctorum Confessorum Lasriani
Town, from the earliest Ages to the close oftheReignofQueenElizabeth,"bookii. , chap, iv. , pp. 149 to 163. "
et Segnini," p. 12.
Articleiv. —• See"Transactionsofthe
Royal Irish Academy. " Irish Manuscript
2? See Mrs. Henry Tighe's Poems. " Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
Lines written in the church-yard at Malvern. Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
28
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. exxiii.
registers Molaisse, i. e. , 2
August 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 183
Cille. 3 The Martyrology of Tallagh 3 mentions, that veneration was given at the 1 2th of August to Segene, Abbot, Iae. 4 The Bollandists 5 have a notice of Segenus or Segeneus, Abbot of Hy, at the 12th of August, while remarking, that Dempster and Camerarius noted it at the 7th of April ; but,
they express a doubt, regarding the propriety of numbering him in a Catalogue
He is called Segineus, son of Fiachrius, son to Feradac, son
to have built a church on Rachrainn, Ragharee or Rathlinn Island, a. d.
8 IO
630, 632,9 634, or 635," according to various statements. Dr. O'Conor,
however, considers him to be only the restorer of this church. This idea he
I2
of the Saints.
Ferguss,
Donegal
son of Conall Gulban. 6 A commentator on the
of
Martyrology makes Seghin the son of Fachtna j while the Irish Saints' Genealogies state, he was son of Fiachra, or of Ronan. Segeni, Abbot of la, is commemorated on the same day, in the Festilogium of the Psalter of Cashel. 7 He was nephew to Laisren, the third Abbot of Iona. He is said
appears to have entertained, because St. Columkille
is said to have been the original erector of Rachrann church. 3 But, it would appear from Prince O'Donnell's Life of St. Columkille, as also from various other authorities,
that the Island of Rachrainn, on which this holy man built the church,
1 belonged to the east of Bregia. *
It was, in fact, the ancient name of
off the coast of the
Dublin. 1 s Adamnan refers to
Lambay Island,
Segene as being the informant of Failbeus, his own immediate predecessor, forcertainparticularswhicharesetdownintheLifeofSt. Columba. The Venerable Bede mentions him as
x
County
presbyter
Fergna Brit, in the year 623 ;** and thus, he was the fifth abbot, in order of
time,whofollowedafterSt. Columba. Heceasedtorulethecommunityat Iona in 632. He was a zealous advocate for the old Irish Paschal observ- ance. He was addressed in 634 by Cummian, in an Epistle on the Paschal observance. 18 The clergy of Rome, in 640,^ wrote to him another epistle on that same
subject.
20 The death of this
present
saint took in the place
year 642, according to the Annals of Inisfallen, or a. d. 65 1," according to 22 2
Ussher; or a. d. 652, according to the Annals of Tighernach, 3 and of
2
See ibid. , p. cxxx.
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxii.
4 The Book of Leinster copy has Severn
-Ab lAe.
5 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Au-
gusti xii. Among the pretermitted saints,
pp. 698, 699. 6"
*5 See the Quinta Vita or O'Donnell's
Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. lxv. , p. 400, ibid.
l6 See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," p. 373.
ad Acta S. cap. iii. , num. 39, p. 482.
J * See Ussher's vol. i v. "Veterum Works,
Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge. " Epis- tola, xi. , p. 432.
I9 See the Life of St. Diman or Dima
Dubh, Bishop of Connor, at the 6th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
20 See Venerable Bede's " Historia
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. ,
Quarta Appendix
Columbse,
? See ibid. , pp. 468, 469.
8 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 250, 251.
partly comprehended within the present barony of Tirkennedy, in the county
fessor of Ogham writing, of philosophy, of poetry, and of other arts. See pp. 608, 609. 10 Killala is valued in the King's books by an extent, returned Anno 28 Eliz. at
,£23 6s. 8d. , sterling. In a marginal note affixed to the copy of Harris' Ware, in the
writer's possession, and formerly belonging
to Mr. Patrick Lynch, we read in the hand-
writing of this capable scholar : " Here are
a Dean, Archdeacon, Provost, and the two of the Ordnance Survey. " One volume,
PrebendariesofKilncharpyandKillanley. " Article 11. — r "Mur—chadh (Muiredhech
p. 7.
? See the County Fermanagh Extracts,
One to the volume, formerly belonging
Office of the Irish Ordnance Survey, and now preserved in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, p. 63.
8 This conclusion was arrived at by John M
potius) o Cill alaidh. "
"Calendar of Irish Saints," &c, p. xxxii.
3
See an account of him, at that date, in the Fourth Volume of this work, Art. i.
3 See Colgan's • Acta Sanctorum Hi-
Rev. Dr.
Kelly's
2 and, like the latter, his memory
being separated from land on A grave-yard is marked on the
According to Mr. O'Donovan,
berniae," xxi. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Endei, cap. iv. , p. 713.
* See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 262.
s See sheet 27.
6
See Letter dated Enniskillin, October
12th, 1834, in "Letters containing Informa- tion relative to the Antiquities of the County
of Fermanagh, collected during the Progress
178 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 12.
of Fermanagh. 8 The feast of St. Muredac of Iniscaoin was observed on the 1 2th of August. 9
Article III. —St. Molaisse or Laisren, Patron of Inis-Muiread- hagh, now Innismurry, County of Sligo. [Sixth Century. '] Over most of our Saints' Lives, the impenetrable mist of ages has fallen. We cannot roll away the darkness, nor even guess what are the interesting concealments. Nevertheless, isolated incidents, full of life and character, are well worth contemplating and investigating, even though they are too meagre to be woven into a connected biography of some particular saint The historian need hardly enquire, what the Irish Church ought to have believed ; but, he interrogates her monuments and records, to learn what may have been her
1
actual doctrines and teaching.
point, in the old Irish Litanies, is in the circumstance, that they comprise
2
Hence, the cele- brated Litany of St. Mngus, as a doctrinal relic of our ancient literature, could not be looked upon with much favour by those who pretend to inherit thedoctrinesofourearlyIrishChurch. Itstestimonyisclearandobjective. But, whether the piety of ^Engus deserves sympathy, or whether his invoking saintsbearemarkablecircumstance,isclearlyonething; andthefact,that iEngus did invoke saints is altogether another matter. Nor is this an isolated document, and unsupported by other evidence, to establish the veneration of many holy persons, whose light and fame have been eclipsed,
like those stars that are in distant space and surrounded by orbs of greater brightnessormagnitude. TheremoteIslandofInnismurryiscelebratedin Irish legend and is still remarkable for the manners, dress, and customs of its inhabitants. 3 But, until it was selected as a lonely site for the establish- ment of a religious settlement, it seems to have had little or no historical or
"
traditional renown. In the ancient record of St. Angus' Feilire,"* St.
Laisren of the Isle of Muredach is commemorated with a special eulogy, on
numerous invocations to a vast number of dead saints.
O'Donovan, who travelled in 1834, through t he parish of Enniskillen, while he got some of the native Irish people to pronounce for him in Irish many of the local denomina- tions. He writes : "It would appear from
—John O'Donovan's Letter, dated Ennis-
killen, Friday, October 17th, 1834. "Letters containing Information relative to the Anti-
quities of the County of Fermanagh. " One Volume, p. 16.
9 See " Acta Sanctorum Hi- Colgan's
berniae," xxi. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S.
the names of some
tions in the country, that it was anciently in
territory
places,
and from tradi-
of Cuil. The names I allude
geous palace of Lord Curry (rectius Lowry), Moran's
the
to are Castle-Coole, the splendid and gor-
iv. , — Endaei, cap. p. 713.
which is called by the Irish CAiplen via cuile, i. e. , the castle of Coole territory. The Annals always prefix the article to the nameof this territory asm Agin-Dip nA Cuile, i. e. , Maguire of the Coole: O'CAipei-oe via Cuile, i. e. , O'Cassidy of the Coole. In like manner the Irish people of Enniskillen parish always insert the article riA in the name of Castle Coole. Again, there is a
proverbial expression current in the parish, that Carrickmacmea townland in Enniskillen
(in Irish CeAfjpArh mictndifc, i. e. , McMea's
2
Quarter), is t—he best quarter in Coole.
It
the historic importance of this document,
where he says, that the piety of yEngus is
such, as can meet with little sympathy, in
the mind of a well-instructed and enlightened
Christian. See Rev. Robert King's
"
Primer of the History of the Church of Ireland," vol. i. , bookii. , chap, xi. , p. 255.
3 See Miss Owenson's "Patriotic Sketches
rhymes thus
:
of in Ireland, written
Connaught,"
vol. i. ,
sketch ix. , p. 47, n. "*"
Thus, the most striking and remarkable
CeAtpAirn true niec, ceAcpAift pAe^A In the "Leabhar Breac copy, is the iia Cuile. " following stanza, at this date, and it has
Article III.
See Most Rev. Dr. Essays on the Origin, Doctrines, and Discipline of the Early Irish Church," Essay on Teaching of the Ancient Church of Ireland, regarding the Blessed Eucharist,
chap, iv. , p. 220.
•
The Rev. Mr. King seeks to discredit
"
August 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 1 79 the 1 2th of August. In the scholion annexed, he is called Molaise, son of
Declain, of Inis Muiredaig in the north. 5
One of the most interesting monographs on Irish topography and antiquities we possess is that written by William F. Wakeman, on Inis Muiredaich, now
of 6 at the 12th of ology Tallagh,
in honour of Molaise mac
of Inuse Muiredhaigh. 7 This place is now known as Innismurry, an island in the parish of Ahamlish,8 barony of Lower Carbery, and county of Sligo. 9
10 To this we are indebted for of the Inismurry. many
August,
Deglain,
succeeding notices, which must necessarily be abbreviated ; while under the different headings
here presented, every class of monumental remains described may be found
on this singularly interesting island. 1. The Caiseal, or Stone Fort, with its Cellae. The opinion is, that the great walled enclosure here belongs to the class of antiquities known as the Dun, Caher, Lis or Cashel, and that its origin must be referred to old Pagan times, when it had been intended for a
somewhat the
The Cellae resemble the clochans, so commonly met with, especially in the western and south- western parts of Ireland. Those, too, are built of stones and without cement. Rude door-ways pierce the walls. r 3 2. Teach Molaise, the oratory or dwelling of St. Molaise, called after the island patron, is still well preserved ;
but, its proportions are extremely small, measuring internally only eight feet, ten inches, in length, by seven feet, ten inches, in breadth. The side walls are of great thickness, in order to sustain a stone roof, which still remains unimpaired, although the storms and frosts of full twelve hundred years have
1
done their worst upon it. * Entered by a doorway in the western end, it is
been translated into English, by Whitley tion of Ireland, vol. vii. , Fourth Series,
fortification. It
with the corners rounded off, while it is composed of uncemented and undressed stones. The present height of this cashel ranges from seven to thirteen feet, while there were four entrances through the thickness of the walls, varying from seven to fifteen feet wide, with traces of inclines on the
12
military
presents
figure
interior, and several chambers or covered passages.
Stokes, LL. D. :—
CogAi^m LAr^en 1 trope muirve-DAig mor\ mochcAe Cocbeir\ rioeim nAX)Aichbe
1885, 1886. It is preceded by a Map of the island, drawn on a scale of six inches to one statute mile. Afterwards follows among the Proceedings and Papers the Article " Inis Muiredaich, now Inismurray, and its Antiquities,"pp. 175to332. Agreatnum-
£eilSevernpochbAi.
"The calling of Laisren of the Isle of the spot by Mr. Wakeman, serve to illustrate
Muredach, the great and magnified : with a holy train—that ebbs not, the feast of famous
ber of engravings, from drawings made on fully this highly interesting Tractate,
Segene. " "Transactions
of Irish the Royal
Mr. and Wakeman,
inan
engrav-
Academy. " Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , parti. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. cxxiii.
5 See ibid. , p. cxxx.
6 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxii.
7 In the copy of the Tallagh Martyrology contained in the Book of Leinster the read-
ing is ttlobArfi 111AC 'OeclAin inp mujvi- •OA15.
presented
ing, while two engravings represent external
views of the Cashel, as it appeared before the alterations recently made by the Board of Public Works. It appears the latter body —as in. so many other instances—has con- trived to transform the original structure in an attempted restoration.
I2
Several of the details have received illustration, and in a most ample manner.
8 It is described, on the " Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the County of Toorybrenell, or the School-house, Trahaun-
Sligo," sheets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8. Inishmurray is shown on sheet I.
9 See Lewis' " Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 24, 25.
10 This appeared in " The Journal of the Royal Historical andArchaeological Associa-
a-chorres, or the Lent Trahaun, as also Teach-an-alais, or the Sweat-house.
M Two different engravings, and from
opposite points of view, are given of the exterior. Other details of the building have also received illustration,
II
The ground plan has been drawn, by
A festival occurs in the Martyr-
of a rude 11 triangle,
I3 There are engravings representing
i8o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 12.
lighted by a single window in the opposite gable, at a considerable distance
from the ground. Mortar, composed of lime, was freely used throughout this building ; but, in the eastern end, there is an altar constructed of rude stones of various sizes and roughly laid together without any kind of cement.
the
effigy spot by
Interior of Teach Molaise on Ennismurry.
been supposed, that this was the Teampull Mor, or great church of the establishment. There is a legend on Inismurray, that St. Columkille and St. Molaise were partners in the erection of this church, but that owing to the difference in their respec- tive dispositions—the one being impetuous and enterprising, the other mild and retiring—they could not alwaysUhoroughly agree, and so Columbamade up his mind to leave the Island. This church measures twenty-five feet, six
•s The accompanying illustration shows been appropriated respectively to males and
the interior of Teach Molaise, with the altar females. See Lewis' "Topographical Dic-
and of St. Molaise. It was drawn on tionary of Ireland," vol. ii. , pp. 24, 25.
19 A well-known and an established usage,
dictated alike by religious propriety and sen- timent, as also reaching from remote times, yet prevails in all the Catholic churches and chapels throughout Ireland, where no family pews or seats have been provided : there is a marked separation of the sexes—the men
William F. Wakeman, and by him transferred to the wood, engraved by
Mrs. Millard.
16 The natives hold an opinion, that the
statue is the work of the Goban Saor, a
famous craftsman, who is thought to have flourished in the sixth century.
'? A drawing of this statue by Mr. standing and kneeling on the Epistle side
Wakeman has been engraved.
of the nave and transept, while the women
18 It has been observed, that cemeteries occupy the Gospel side.
20
connected with the ecclesiastical ruins have
The burial-ground for females is at
The effigy of an eccle- siastic carved in oak, and about four feet, eight inches, in height, at present occupies a position in an angle of Teach Molaise. 1 * The natives on the Island assert, that it is a statue of their patron Saint Molaise. It is rudely carved, and it seems to
have been a work exe- cuted about the com- mencement of the
16 The statue appears to have been subjected to some
rough usage, for, at present, the facial fea- tures and hands have
fifteenth
century.
disappeared.
It now
stands in the angle of
oratory. 3. pull-na-bFear, or the Church of the Men.
18 It is sometimes styled
the Monastery j and, it is also known as Team-
1
pull Molaise. ? It has
the 1? Team-
August 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 181
inches, in length, while it is twelve feet in breadth ; and like every other
Irish temple of its class and period, its plan is a plain quadrangle, with a square-headed doorway in the west gable and a window to the east. It is a remarkable fact, that in the extensive cemetery, which surrounds this
91
walls are two feet in thickness.
Women, is sometimes called Teampull Muire, or Church of Mary, by the islanders. It stands at a little distance to the north-west of the cashel. It measures twenty-eight feet in length, by thirteen in breadth. This building appears to have undergone different modifications since the period of its first erection. Interesting Leachta and other monuments are found in the immediate vicinity of this church. 22 6. Within or without the Caiseal are a number of Altars, most of them bearing very ancient and curiously-carved crosses of stone. 23 7. Two remarkable monuments of the class of Hole- stones, which were held in high veneration on account of certain supernatural powers they were supposed to possess, are to be found on the Island. Those are upright pillars and square in form, many examples of which are to be met with in various parts of Ireland. 8. Eight memorial Leacs, bearing inscriptions in Irish or Latin, are described, while their respective carvings are faithfully represented in several engravings. 9. Uninscribed monumental
stones are numerous, and their several carvings are represented, many of these being incised crosses on slabs, while some of them are very graceful in form. 10. Several Bullauns, or rude font-like objects ofstone, the precise useofwhichhasnotasyetbeenascertained; althoughitseemsmostlikely, they were holy-water fonts, as they are generally found in close proximity with our ruined churches, nor do they appear for the most part to be very ancient. Even still, many of those have been brought from their neglected position in the open grave-yards, and have been again set up for holy-water stoups, in several of our modern churches and chapels. 11. The Sacred Wells, with their coverings of stone, on Inismurray are chiefly Tober
Molaise or St. Molaise's Well, near the Cashel, and on the opposite side of the Island Tober-na-coragh, or the Well of Assistance, on the opposite side of the Island. 2* St. Molaise's Well is covered by a stone-roofed, bee-hive-
shaped, mortarless structure, measuring internally seven by six feet. The doorway is a truly Cyclopean work. It is six feet in height, three in breadth at the lintel, and four at the base. Five stones lead from this ope to the water,whichisneitherabundantnorpalatable. 12. TheLeachta,orStations,
is permitted to be interred. Church of the Men, no woman 20
4. Teampull- na-Teinidh or Church of the Fire. This structure is thought to be less ancient than the other ecclesiastical buildings remaining on the island, and not dating beyond the fourteenth century, while it may have been built at a period considerably later, yet probably it stands on the site of a still earlier structure. This building is oblong in form, measuring internally seventeen feet, four inches, in length, by eleven feet, four inches, in breadth, while the
Teampull-na-mbhanortheWomen'sChurch, situate some distance outside the Cashel. It
is universally believed by the islanders, that if a woman be buried in the men's ground
have prevailed on the Western Islands of Scotland.
" A drawing of the interior of this building, with other associated details, has been given
by Mr. Wakeman, with a minute descrip- tion ©f their several features,
" An illustration, drawn by Mr. Wake- man, is given with the text,
*3 and illustrations of these Descriptions
various objects, with much curious informa- tion regarding them, are furnished by Mr. Wakeman, in his learned contribution on
the Antiquities of Inismurray.
"* Descriptions and illustrations of both
wells have been furnished by Mr. Wake- man.
the must be removed corpse
the
by unseen hands to the women's cemetery, and vice versa. A similar arrangement for separate interments of both sexes seems to
during
night
5. Teampull-na-mBan or Church of the
1 82 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 12.
with their monuments, are very numerous on the Island, and they too have been well described. Numerous illustrations have also been furnished, and these bring the various objects very vividly before the mind of the reader, who desires to be fully conversant with the local scenes and antiquarian objects. There St. Molaisse is regarded as the patron. This saint appears to have been the son of Degill, and of Cumenia, sister to St. Columkille. 2 s This island lies out amid the stormy billows of the Atlantic Ocean,26 about four or five miles off the western coast, and two leagues N. N. E. from Bally- connell point. Here St. Columkille erected a religious establishment, in conjunction with St. Molaisse. To the latter was relinquished its govern- ment. Onthisislandmayyetbeseenremainsoftheiroldreligiousbuild- ings. These are of the rudest possible construction. In one of them, resem-
bling
a fort and built of
stones, there is shown a —of the tradi- rough figure
St. Molaisse. His or a mere alcove chapel oratory
—ional and venerated t
patron
is not capable of accommodating many persons. Its east end was covered
with very fine flags. The whole is surrounded with a wall enclosing about half an acre. There are several compartments excavated in the rock, which appear to have been intended as cells for solitary prayer. One of these cells is covered with a flag ; in size and form it resembles a mill-stone. Near it is a large flag-stone, supported on eight upright stones, about two feet high, and on which are placed several other stones, about which the people have some very curious traditions. After—the lapse of centuries, the pilgrim who visits this lonely island may yet find
" The peaceful mound, the mouldering cross,
And every stone whose rudely-sculptured form Hath braved the rage ofmany a winter's storm. "27
28
At this same date, the Martyrology of Donegal
Laisren, son of Deglan, of Inis Muireadhagh, in the north. 9 The Kalendar of Drummond also records his feast, at this day. 3° Here indeed, amid the wildest scenic solitudes, the adventurous tourist must be filled with thoughts,whichneithertonguecanexpressnorpenadequatelydescribe. A long lapse of centuries has affected great changes. No longer on lone Inish- murry does the monk pursue his round of daily duties ; his holy exercises are over ; the chaunted praises of God are no more heard in the deserted oratory. Lights have long been extinguished on the altar, and only a few islanders wander among the ruins, filled, however, with reverence towards the
memory of former monastic inhabitants.
Article IV. —St. Seighin, Abbot of Iona, and Founder of the Church on Rathlin Island, County of Antrim. The festival of the celebrated Segene, is commemorated on this day, in the " Feilire " of St. ^ngus. T The commentator observes, that he was Abbot of Hi of Colomb
25 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," 216,217.
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columba? , cap. x. , p. 491.
2» In a note, Dr. O'Donovan says at these
:
words " the north, i. e. , the north of
Connacht. "
3° SeeBishopForbes'"KalendarsofScot-
26
See an interesting description of this
Island, with illustrations of antiquities
there remaining, in Major W. G. Wood- tish Saints": Pridie Idus. "In Ilibernia
"
Martin's History of Sligo, County and Natales Sanctorum Confessorum Lasriani
Town, from the earliest Ages to the close oftheReignofQueenElizabeth,"bookii. , chap, iv. , pp. 149 to 163. "
et Segnini," p. 12.
Articleiv. —• See"Transactionsofthe
Royal Irish Academy. " Irish Manuscript
2? See Mrs. Henry Tighe's Poems. " Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
Lines written in the church-yard at Malvern. Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p.
28
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. exxiii.
registers Molaisse, i. e. , 2
August 12. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 183
Cille. 3 The Martyrology of Tallagh 3 mentions, that veneration was given at the 1 2th of August to Segene, Abbot, Iae. 4 The Bollandists 5 have a notice of Segenus or Segeneus, Abbot of Hy, at the 12th of August, while remarking, that Dempster and Camerarius noted it at the 7th of April ; but,
they express a doubt, regarding the propriety of numbering him in a Catalogue
He is called Segineus, son of Fiachrius, son to Feradac, son
to have built a church on Rachrainn, Ragharee or Rathlinn Island, a. d.
8 IO
630, 632,9 634, or 635," according to various statements. Dr. O'Conor,
however, considers him to be only the restorer of this church. This idea he
I2
of the Saints.
Ferguss,
Donegal
son of Conall Gulban. 6 A commentator on the
of
Martyrology makes Seghin the son of Fachtna j while the Irish Saints' Genealogies state, he was son of Fiachra, or of Ronan. Segeni, Abbot of la, is commemorated on the same day, in the Festilogium of the Psalter of Cashel. 7 He was nephew to Laisren, the third Abbot of Iona. He is said
appears to have entertained, because St. Columkille
is said to have been the original erector of Rachrann church. 3 But, it would appear from Prince O'Donnell's Life of St. Columkille, as also from various other authorities,
that the Island of Rachrainn, on which this holy man built the church,
1 belonged to the east of Bregia. *
It was, in fact, the ancient name of
off the coast of the
Dublin. 1 s Adamnan refers to
Lambay Island,
Segene as being the informant of Failbeus, his own immediate predecessor, forcertainparticularswhicharesetdownintheLifeofSt. Columba. The Venerable Bede mentions him as
x
County
presbyter
Fergna Brit, in the year 623 ;** and thus, he was the fifth abbot, in order of
time,whofollowedafterSt. Columba. Heceasedtorulethecommunityat Iona in 632. He was a zealous advocate for the old Irish Paschal observ- ance. He was addressed in 634 by Cummian, in an Epistle on the Paschal observance. 18 The clergy of Rome, in 640,^ wrote to him another epistle on that same
subject.
20 The death of this
present
saint took in the place
year 642, according to the Annals of Inisfallen, or a. d. 65 1," according to 22 2
Ussher; or a. d. 652, according to the Annals of Tighernach, 3 and of
2
See ibid. , p. cxxx.
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxxii.
4 The Book of Leinster copy has Severn
-Ab lAe.
5 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Au-
gusti xii. Among the pretermitted saints,
pp. 698, 699. 6"
*5 See the Quinta Vita or O'Donnell's
Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. lxv. , p. 400, ibid.
l6 See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," p. 373.
ad Acta S. cap. iii. , num. 39, p. 482.
J * See Ussher's vol. i v. "Veterum Works,
Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge. " Epis- tola, xi. , p. 432.
I9 See the Life of St. Diman or Dima
Dubh, Bishop of Connor, at the 6th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
20 See Venerable Bede's " Historia
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. ,
Quarta Appendix
Columbse,
? See ibid. , pp. 468, 469.
8 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 250, 251.
