No More Learning

modica. eolocimoracontracta, virsanctus cum sua venerandacomitivacontenditad peramse-
yeomen
young girl.
:
of the
the has Mullagh
nurailiumcollum,leniter—acclivem,vulgo foregoingisrelatedontheauthorityofVery
close to ea—ch other and on opposite banks of the that the pilgrimage to Drumceat should Roe there is no elevation deserving the
the present Shonreagh Hill, and he directed
commence therefrom, according to O'Donnell. 83 About the time of Colgan or towards the middle of the seventeenth century, Drumceat was celebrated for the religious assemblies there held and in the charter
;
granted by Charles II. , to the Irish Society, "
name of a hill down to Lough Foyle. More- over, between those hdls and that place where the river first meets its bed of rocks, there is no elevation on its banks that can
be called a hill.
90 When Thomas P'egan had been engaged
he excepts Mullagh otherwise Cavenmore preparing the Ordnance Survey in 1838, he
with the chapel thereon erected. According to well-established local tradition, from the
base of the Mullagh was ploughed up a largequantityofhumanbones; sothatthe former existence of a chapel, and these rem- nants of mortality indicate a graveyard hav- ing been attached. Formerly a cross had been fixed on the Mullagh, and a woman, whose maiden name was Mary Doherty, told
her granddaughter, Mrs. Alexander Doherty of Limavady, that it had been burned by
found among the people legendary stories
"
regarding
precisely similar to those told by Keating and others regarding the Convention held at Drum-Ceat. Itmaybe,thatthesimilarity which Drumahitt bears to Drum-ceat has localized on the banks of the Shesk legends relating to the convention that is generally supposed to have been assembled on the
banks of the Roe. Formerly that similarity amounted to identity ; Mr. Fagan found the
Now,
Shanreagh.
when she was a
woman died about the year 1863, when she was one hundred and five years old. " The
85 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. iii. , cap. iv. ,v. , P- 43i-
nise," xxix. Januarii, p. 203.
87 Dr. Joyce tells us that Ceide as the Irish
scholar O'Brien writes it, or Ceidagh as the Four Masters write it, according to the same O'Brien, is " a compact kind of hill, smooth and plain at the top. " This definition cer- tainly suits the Mullagh, which also has a
on the side of the river. opposite
Height,
89 On the opposite side of the river is
Rathbready-beg on which Limavady is built. It may have been the Hill of the Boat mentioned by O'Donnell, but it is not very near Enagh, and in that direction, its ridge merges into or is lost in a level plain. In fact, the spot where it meets this plain is half- a-mile from Enagh. Between the hills of
Shanreagh and Rathbready-beg—quite
fairly
8? Thisisabout
the Parliament of Drumahitt,"
480 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9. a statute mile from the Mullagh, and it forms part of the continuous ridge
of O'Donnell, and it — description may
both uniting places.
It suits also the
have been " the Hill of the Boat, which was very near to Drumceat"
provided this ancient name can be merged in the modern one of Mullagh.
However, quite a different place has been conjecturally named, as having been the site, and this is known as the townland of Drumahitt, in the parish
of Culfeightrin, county of Antrim, and diocese of Connor. Here, too, there seem to have been popular legends, regarding the Long Parliament of Druma- hitt, which lasted thirteen months, and to which St. Columkille came from Scotland. 9°
within the
Here, too, some interesting antiquities have been discovered
1 —we are told, that between Port Brittas present century. 9 Again,
—
names which
nately, however, the former name of that curious natural pillar the Granny Rock—which is an object so conspicuous at the entrance to Port Brittas, is now not known. At—a short distance from—the harbour is Dun-a-Mallaght, popularly translated " fort of the curse " and a little farther on is Dun- rainey, which is popularly translated " fort of the queen. " Until the middle of the last century, the Shesk rivulet flowed on the —east side of Dunrainey ; but,thenameofthefordcrossingintoD—rumahaman thetownlandinterven- ing between Dunrainy and Drumahitt since the change in the river was effected, has dropped o—ut of popular recollection. 94 The locality wher—e this
95 celebrated convention known in Irish as the Mordail-Droma-Cett met
old people, in 1838, pronouncing the name arch of the Kinel-Connell race, adds Rev.
now the harbour of Ballycastle very closely correspond
and Drumahitt, there are places and
92
with the ancient — Unfortu- legends. 93
ofthetownlandDrumacuithandtheDown JamesO'Laverty,tosummonanationalCon-
Survey enters it Drumchet. "—Rev. James vention at Limavaddy, within the territory
"
Historical Account of the of the Kinel-Owen, has not yet been satisfac- Diocese of Down and Connor, Ancient and torily explained, while Drumahitt is within Modern," vol. iv. , p. 465. This volume the Dalriadan territory and near to Scotland.
O'Laverty's
treats exclusively of that part of Connor Diocese, which is in the ancient territory of Dal-Riada. This contention seems to be disposed of, however, owing to the facts as related, that Drumceat was situated, not in the county of Antrim, but in the diocese and county ofDerry, and at the River Roe.
91 Several old churches and cemeteries are
within the parish of Culfeightrin, and these are described, in Rev. William Reeves'
"
Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Con- nor and Dromore," Appendix Z, pp. 282 to 284.
99 It lies in a bay opposite Rathlin Island.
After _£i 50,000 had been expended on a pier at this place, the harbour is filled with sand, and its coal mines near are yet unwrought.
It still preserves a traditional memory of its long parliament that lasted thirteen months and was attended by St. Columkille and the
'
King of Ireland, and can show the fort of
the malediction,' and the 'fort of the queen,'
between Port Brittas and its own 'charming, "
See Alexander Keith Johnston's
"
Diction-
Account of the Diocese of Down and Con-
nor, Ancient and Modern," vol. iv. , p. 467,
and n. ibid.
95 In A. D. 1532, Manus O'Donnell, chiet
of Tyrconnell, compiled an Irish Life of St. Columb in the castle of Port-na-tri-namad, or "the Port of the three enemies," now called Lifford ; and into this Life he com- pressed every local tale and legend, accessi- ble at that period. Colgan, who translated a great part of this work from Irish into Latin, reproduces the original substantially inhis"TriasThaumaturga. " TotheTyr- connell
ary of Geography, Descriptive, Physical, Statistical and Historical," p. 107.
93 The queen of Aedh and her waiting
maid are said to have insulted St. — Columba,
he leaves whatever honours
him—
chieftain,
a Coir-Chleirech '"a de- accrued from the collection and
by calling
graded cleric
transformed into two
These are commonly called, in the north of
compilation
of the Columban and on them must legends,
we for the details of this con- chiefly depend
vention.
46 St. Canice was born a short distance
from Drum-ceat, though the exact spot can- not be pointed out. He was living during the time of this convention, and he died,
A. D. 598.
"
and in punishment they
—
Ireland, cranes. "Many people tell us,"
"
that this is the reason why there are two herons ever since constantly seen on the ford, near Druim-ceat. " "What special reason induced King Aedh a mon-
says Keating,
Coirr-iasg
are " herons. "
gently sloping hill. '
" Historical
9* See Rev.
James O'Laverty's
June 9. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
was on the eastern shore of the Foyle, according to other writers, and on a
slope near the stream of the deep-channelled Roe, near the modern town of
Limavady, in the present county of Londonderry. It has been supposed, like- wise, that the townland of Keady, in the parish of Drumachose, gave name to Drum-ceat,96 the latter compound Keatta being very similar in sound to
Keady. 97 Already have we entered on this subject for investigation, in a pre- viousvolumeofthiswork. 98 Therewehaveseen,thatprobableargumentsare
advanced,^ to connect the famous place of assembly with the present Eanagh, which is on the opposite side of the River Roe from the Mullagh, and which
Enagh Hill—supposed by some to be the Site of the Convention at Drumceat.
is farther up that stream. Colgan says, the place was well known in his time,
JO°
and he mentions the annual assembly of the people at the spot thecommemorationofthatConvention. Eanaghalsoanswerstotheletter that description given by O'Donnell in his Life of St. Columba, and also Col-
97 See a series of chapters on " The Con- Professor O'Brien of Maynooth College, vention of Drumceat, a. d. 590," by Very and a native of Limavady, favoured his Rev. John Keys O'Dogherty, P. P. , New- views, and with many very excellent rea-
townstewart,in TheLondonderryJournaloi April 24th and 26th, 1876. Introduction, chap. i.
»8 See volume ii. at the 15th of February, when treating about St. Farannan, Con- fessor, and Patron of All-Farannan, now Alternan, parish of Easkey, county of Sligo,
sons.
100 The name Enagh or Aenach, as Dr.
Joyce shows, originally meant a place of assembly for the people to commemorate great events, and afterwards it came to mean a fair. See " Origin and History of Irish Names of Places^" part ii. , chap, vi. , pp. 197 to 200.
101 The accompanying illustration from
a photograph, kindly furnished by Very Rev. E. M'Kenna, P. P. , Limavady, has been copied by William F. Wakeman, and it has been engraved by Mrs. Millard.
102 In a letter of Very Rev. John Keys IH
He is said to have been one, among the eminent ecclesiastics who were present in the Convention at Dromceat.
See ibid. , chap. hi.
99 By Very Rev. John Keys O'Doherty,
P. P. , of Newtownstewart, who states, also, in a letter dated December 15th, 1875, tnat
Art. ii. , chap. i.
to celebrate
482 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
gan'sallusionstotheplaceas—agently'slopinghill. 101 Itstopsuppliesaspace— about three acres of dry soil and its table-ground is of a somewhat con-
cave shape. The place is near the Keady Hill, rising 1,100 feet over the sea- level ; while it has all the characteristics of a druim, or ridge, and that too of considerable extent. That " a 102 and that a fair or an-
Enagh signifies fair,"
nual assembly was held on the site, to commemorate the Convention, is testi-
fied by Colgan. Keady Hill forms the entire of the townland so called, with two ordinary field lengths sloping down from the foot of that hill. '°3 Both
the Mullagh and Enagh are nearly equi-distant from the mouth of the Roe, each being about five miles removed. It is contended, that though Enagh maybe fairly enough described as near to the Roe, there is no probability that it ever bore the name of Ceadagh or Keady ; for if so, it should have been called Keady-beg, or the Lesser Keady, to distinguish it from the higher hill in its neighbourhood.
The occasion of St. Columba's arrival at the meeting is said to have
been an unpleasant surprise to King Aedh io4 and to his household. How-
ever, it can hardly be supposed, Aedh was ignorant of the fact, that the holy Abbot had left Scotland, and that he had landed in Ireland, with an express object in view. As Columba had come in the interest of peace, the king could not do otherwise than treat the holy Abbot, his near relation, with at least outward reverence. 105 However, Columkille, with Aidan M'Gauran, King of Albania, and the prelates who accompanied the saint from Scotland, conformed with the formalities then in use. '°6 These high plenipotentiaries took their several seats next the monarch, as being greatly distinguished in rank and influence, while they were received as visitors and guests. This seems to be much more probable, than that Aid should have offered any studied insult to the saint ; as well because of that near relationship with him, and because courtesy and hospitality should be otherwise violated, as also because the high character and influence of Columba had rendered him popu-
O'Doherty, P. P. , addressed to the author,
and dated Newtownstewart, 'County Tyrone,
January 18th, 1888, he writes ; " A local
tradition in favour of Enagh is thus told by
a very old man in the locality. O'Cahan
and his daughters mounted on horseback
oncevisitedthefair. Apooroldmanhap-
pened to be in their way, and O'Cahan
lashed him with his whip, telling him to get
out ofthefair, andoutofthe wayofhis horse. Irish Nation," part i. , chap, ii. , p. 54. The old man replied, that soon the Choc
'
should be gan enagh, i. e. ,
a fair,' and the O'Cahan should be gan-each,
'" that is, the O'Cahan without a horse,'
103TheRev. FatherM'Kennafurtherob-
jects: "Any one can see, that separated from the slope or hill-foot of Keady by a level tract of ground two miles in extent, Enagh cannot be the ridge or Drum of that Keady. Some thought, that this Keady I now speak of might have been the
Dublin, 1876, 8vo.
10S It is stated, however, by Prince
the hill without
site for the Convention; but, no one holds this '"
to his arguments and representations. See view now, who knows that the CollisCym- Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga, Quinta bae,' was 'pervicinus,'or very near to Drum- Vita S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. vii. , p. 431.
ceat. " The Rev. Mr. M'Ken—naadds to the
—: if it bethean- foregoing account "Enagh
cient Drumcette should have two features, viz. , it should be a hill, and that hill should have a ridge joined to it. If you call it Drum 'a ridge, 'and look at it, you see there
,o6 An absurd tradition prevailed, that our
' isnothinglefttobecalledCeadaghor hill,'
'
and if you call it a Ceadagh or hill,' there
is nothing left to be called a drum or '"
ridge. '
I04 " This Aidus had a brother named
Lochan Dilmhain, who was, according to someoftheancien—tIrishannalists,ancestor to the Dillons" John O'Hari's "Irish Pedigrees ; or, the Origin or Stem of the
O'Donnell, that Aedh's change of de- meanour towards our saint was only after he hadwitnessedtheactsofColumba,inre- ference to the members of his family, and when he feared God's judgments might fall upon himself, if he showed disrespect towards the holy man. Then he was ad- mitted to the king's favour, and it was told him. that every deference should be given
with a alluded to in the Fore speech to the " Amra Choluim Chilli," of Dallon Forgaill, edited by
saint visited Ireland on this occasion bandage over his eyes. This is
O'Beirne Crowe, pp. 8, 9.
June 9 ] LI VES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 483
larandbelovedamongallclasses. Thekingwellknewthepowerfulinfluence of the saint, and naturally feared his strenuous opposition. According to some
accounts, Aedh forbid, under forfeiture of life or property, that any person in the meeting should show any sign of reverence or kindness to the saint. The illustrious Abbot was a Dalriad, and he belonged to that family, which had already colonized Argyle and the south-western part of Scotland, so that his choice of residence in those territories and his sympathies towards their inha- bitants attached him to the adopted country. Columba was distinguished for his golden eloquence, and it was well calculated to sway the council of princes and prelates, several of these belonging to his own kith and kin. His monastic station, combined with his royal birth, gave him reverence and weight with all. In those Christian monasteries and schools, which had suddenly sprung up in every part of Ireland, his great repute as a doctor and a scholar had already been established. Angelic in appearance, elegant in address, holy in work, with talents of the highest order, and of consummate wisdom,10? he was eminently qualified to influence the decisions of this splendid repre-
At that
the fragments of which still move and delight the Gaelic scholar Io8 were
s—entative
assembly.
very time,
his
and —verse glowing soul-inspiring
familiar to the princes, nobles, clerics and people who had assembled.
Such was the man, on whom devolved the noble duty, to defend the cause
oflibertyandlearning; andwhenColumbacametotheassembly,allroseup
toreverenceandwelcomehim. 1? Owingtosomecause,itissaidtheQueen
of Aedh was filled with jealousy, at the veneration manifested towards
Columba and his followers. She secretly ordered her son Connal to insult
and maltreat them, and he obeyed her commands. Now Connal was
regarded as Roydamha or heir-apparent to the sovereignty of Ireland. It so happened, his pavilion was placed near to that of our saint and his com-
panions. The prince urged the boys and subservient persons in his retinue, to deride the strangers, and even to pelt them with sods and stones. Some of Columba's followers sustained severe injuries, and were knocked down to the earth. This was only a subject for sport and laughter among the ill- bred youths. For such an unmerited attack, the saint boldly and unsparingly
110 He also foretold, because of that crime, the prince should be deprived of the
to a and as she had insti- popular legend,
reproached the king's son, and pronounced excommunication against him.
crown and 111 kingdom.
According
gated her son to such acts of violence, the holy abbot asked, that the Queen
might be visited with a temporary affliction, in order to bring her to a true sense of her irreligious conduct. Consequently, she and a maid, who abetted
107 See Rev. Dr.
William Reeves' Adam-
"3 This popular rumour was a sufficient theme for the bards ; one of whom, like another Ovid, produced some Irish—lines,
nan's face, p. 9.
McGee's "
"
Life of St. Columba," Second Pre-
108 See Thomas D'
lar History of Ireland," vol. i. , book i. , chap. V. , \>. 30.
which are thus rendered in
111 See "Trias Colgan's
"4 His father was the sovereign of Ire- land, when the famous Convention was held at Drumceat.
"5 In Irish "OpomA CeAcc or t>|\uim
Arcy
Popu-
English astonished at her feathers
l°9SeeRightRev. PatrickF. Moran's A j . ' ,
«
»o On this occasion, St. Columba ordered his companions to ring their hand-bells against Connall, as part of this solemn cere- monial.
. , . , ,, , And W1 h *er maid transform d fre-
Irish Saint! in Great Britain," chapr, iii. , g7
fl quents the flood ;
Thaumaturga," Quinta Acta S. Columbae, lib. iii. , cap. v. ,
p. 431.
*" See Rev. Jeoffrey Keating's "General
History of Ireland, "book ii. , p. 377. Duffy's Ceacc. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adam-
'"
edition, nan's' Life of St. Columba, lib. i. , cap. 49,
u Tfae ctrwl
But whTM
5 esais
she sees a cominS storm
. J , , , ,, ,,
A1 ov th< C uds and kaVeS the
? <: ; ? lowly vales'
'
:
484 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
her improprieties, were afflicted with a loathsome sickness, which confined
them at this crisis, from public view. 112 It was noticed during that whole
interval, two cranes incessantly hovered over a grotto, near a murmuring cas- cade adjacent to the palace, and whither the queen used always to retire. Hence originated a belief among the credulous country people, that the maid and mistress were metamorphosed into cranes. 113
However, Domnald,114 the son of Ayd, was altogether different in disposi-
tion, and while yet but a child, his guardians had brought him to St.
ColumbaatDorsumCette. "5 WhentheholyAbbotapproached,thatprince
received him with great reverence, and gave him the kiss of peace. Domnall
arose from his seat, insisting on Columba taking possession of it. "6 As a re-
ward for his urbanity and reverence shown to the ecclesiastics there, St.
Columb a 11? and him the and pronounced blessing, promised kingly power
sceptre,
118 ofwhichhisbrotherConnallshouldbe Heaskedthem deprived.
onlookingat theboy "Whosesonisthisyouhavebroughtme? ""9 They
:
told him, he was Domnald, son of Ayd, whom they had brought, to the end he might be enriched with the saint's blessing. When the abbot had blessed
" This child shall outlive I2° all his and adjoined : brethren,
he he shall become a
him, presently
famous 121 neither shall he ever be delivered into king ;
very
the hands of his enemies, but he shall in his old age die a quiet and peace- able death I22 within his own house, and surrounded by a circle of his fami-
12
liar friends. 123 All which in due course was fulfilled,
phecy of the holy Abbot. 125
county of Donegal.
n. (a), p. 91, and lib. ii. , cap. 6, n. (b), p. 113.
116 This interview is thus recorded in the ancient Preface to the Amhra Choluim
*' :
126 was
Aedh's
12? where
* according to the pro- In the parish of Drumhome, and townland of
fort
Domhnalldied. "8 ItisnowcalledRacoon,I29 inthebaronyofTirhugh,and
Ballymagrorty,
King
royal
Ard-Fothadh,
King
The cleric went then to the assem- blage of Domhnall, son of Aedh. And Domhnall rose immediately before him, and bade him welcome, and kissed his cheek, and set him down in his own place. "
near Coleraine—in 629. See Rev. Dr.
'*
Reeves'Adamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
lib. — more i. , cap. 49,n. (i). Healso,gainedthe
one of —Rath now Moira, important Magh
inthe ofDown A. D. Seealso county 637.
lib. hi. , cap. 5, n. (n), pp. 200, 201.
122 A natural death was of rare occurrence among the sovereigns of Ireland at this
period.
123 Of the twelve kingly successions which
took place, between the birth of St. Co-
lumba and the reign of this Domhnall, only two were unattended by violence.
124 See Walter Brower's edition of Fordun's"Scotichronicon,"vol. i. , lib. iii. , cap. xli. , p. 148. In this place, however, Fordun seems to confound the Irish Prince Domhnall, son of Aedh, with Domhnall brecc, King of Albania, who was killed at the battle of Srait Cairinn, A. D. 641. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus iv. , Annales Ulionienses, p. 48.
Cille
117 The same writer thus continues : "And the Cleric left many blessings on him, viz. , to be ten years in the sovereignty of Ireland ; and victory in battle during that time ; and to fulfil one out of seven of his
John
every pro- mises ; to be a year and a-half in the disease of which he should die ; and to receive the Body of Christ every Sunday during that time. " Such is the substance oi what is found in the Manuscript belonging to Trinity Col- lege, Dublin, and classed H. 2, 16, p. 68 1. The same passage occurs, also, in the sequel to the Irish Life of St. Columba contained in the Highland Society's Manuscript, at fol.
"5 See " Trias Colgan's
12a, b.
1,8 These he afterwards enjoyed, as mon-
arch, for thirteen years.
119 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. io, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e), pp. 36 to 38.
120 His death is recorded in Dr. O'Dono- van's "Annals of the Four Masters," at a. d.
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita i>. Columbre, lib. iii. , cap. vi. ,
639, rccte, 642. See vol. i. , pp. 256, 257.
121 He won the battle at Dun Ceithern O'Conor's Rerum Hibernicarum
—"
said to be identical with the Giant's Sconce, res," lomus iv. , p. 48. Tigernach has his
P- 43i-
Ia0 See it shown on the " Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Donegal, sheet 103.
127 Called Ardfothaig, by Tigernach.
'
128
Annals of Ulster, A. D. 641. See Rev. Dr.
At the end of January, according to the
Scripto-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 485
The year in which this assembly was held is variously calculated and
set down, at a. d. 558,,3°572,131 573>132 574,133 575134 587,135 andsgo. ^ This ,
last seems to be the true date, according to the best corrected chronology. *37
Though it is referred to by Adamnan,1 *8 and by nearly all the ancient annalists, with whose writings their authors must have been familiar, the Chronicum Sco- torum and the Four Masters make no mention whatever of this celebrated Con- vention or Parliament. This great representative assembly was opened and conductedwithgreatpompandceremony. '39 Itwasattendedbyallthepro- vincial kings, and by all the great chiefs and nobles of the island, while eccle- siasticswerepresentinveryconsiderablenumbers. Tentsandpavilionswere pitched on or around the sides of the hill. Besides Aedh or Hugh, the mon- arch of Ireland, it is stated, there came thither, 140 Criovhhan or Criomhthan I41 Kear, King of Leinster ; Jollan, son of Scanlan, King of Ossory; Maolduin, 142 son of Aodhna, or Hugh Beannain, 1 ^ King of West Munster ; Guaire, King of ClanFiachadh,northandsouth; FirghinorFlorence,sonofAodhnaorHugh Dubh,andgrandsonofCriovhan,orCriomhthan,KingofMunster; Criovhan or Criomhthan Deilgeneach, KingofWest Ireland; Raghallagh, equivalentto I44
"
death, at the end of January, a. d. 642, and 137 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
Ecclesiasti- in the fourteenth year of his reign. See cal History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xii. ,
ibid. , tomus ii. , p. 194.
sect, xiii. , and n. 202, pp. 236, 239.
138 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 10, pp. 36, 37, site is not noted on the Irish Ordnance also cap. 49, p. 91. Likewise, in lib. ii. ,
"9 Strange to say, under its modern or an- cient form of name, this celebrated historic
1789, 8vo.
131 The Annales Inisfalenses have it at
this year. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's "Re- rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 17.
133 This meeting took place, according to Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," in the year 574. See vol. i. , pp. 208, 209, n. (q). The Annals of Ulster place
"
_
Survey Maps.