629
read in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of S.
read in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of S.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
"
" rounds "
on the
part
February iS. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 627
Yet, notwithstanding tlie veneration paid to St. Ben, in this district, his well is disgracefully neglected. It is choke full of weeds, and as there is no fence of any kind around it, cattle have always free access to what certainly ought to be at least kept clean. Every male child, born on St. Berechert's day, is called by his name, which is regarded as the Irish for Benjamin. We are told, that from remote times, tlie saint's day has been unaccountably trans- ferred from the 6th of December to the i8th of February-^^-* At the former date, we shall have more to state, in reference to St. Berechert.
Article IV. —St. Libba, or Molibea, of Annahilt, County of
Down. Some notices, regarding this saint, have been entered in his great
hagiographical work, by Colgan, at the i8th of February. ^ Elsewhere,^ he considers, that the saint was Libeus, of Arann Island, the brother of St.
End3eus. 3 Originally called Liobba, or Libba, his name is' variously but most usually written, Molibba, Molibseus, and Molibius ; the term mo being an affectionate prefix. + Very little is known regarding him. It is stated, he was a son to Aradius. s Yet respecting his parentage, some doubts exist. He is regarded, likewise, as having been descended from the Dalaradian race.
His assumed father, Aradius, was not, however, the founder of that family. Molibba, it is said, was born in Ulster, but the year of his birth, or even the period at which he flourished, has not been found recorded. However, it is thought, he built a church, at a place, called Enach-elte,^ in the territory of Hibh-etach, situated in the province of Ulster. 7 Here he was formerly vene- rated. Hisvirtuesandmiraclesrankedhimamongthesaintsofourcountry; while his feast is celebrated on the i8th of February, according to the testi-
moniesofourancientMartyrologies. ^ Thus,St. iEngus,andtheMartyrology of Tallagh,9 register him as Molibba "in h. Eochach Uladh, no in h. Garr-
chon," on the 18th of February. Thus, this latter authority seems to doubt, whether his connexion was with the district in Uladh, or had been with a
distinct part of Ireland, known as Hy-Garchon,'° now part of Wicklow
"
on St. Ben's Day. " In this respect, it
differs much from " St. Ita's Day," in the
Dagan, son of Colniad ; St. Mobi, son of Cohnad ; St. Menocof Glennfaedhle, and of Ros-Menoc : and St. Molibba was the son of Aradius of Dalaradia. Yet, Colgan thinks the latter was that Bishop of Glenda- lough, who was venerated at the 8th of
parish of Killedy. There, as he remarks, ''
"when St. Ita's Day comes round, all the Catholic clergy, for miles around, flock into
Raheenagh, in the sm^U country chapel of
which a solemn High Mass is offered up and
a sermon or a panegyric on the life and The reader may further consider our account
virtues of St. Ita is preacTied by one of the assembled priests. "
^^ See Rev, W. Reeves'- paper "St. Berechert of Tullylease," in "The Ulster
^
" The patron saint of ^ See ibid. , xxi, Martii. Appendix ad this church is thus commemorated at the
the diocese of Dromore, bearing date 1422, we find this church of Enaceilte, set down
"
Ecclesias- tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro- Hibernice," xviii. Februarii. Vita S. Mo- more. Appendix, pp. 315, 316. In note
of — vol.
Journal Archaeology," vi. , p. 271.
at one mark. See Dr. Reeves'
Article IV.
See "Acta Sanctorum
libbas, p. 368. (y), p. 316, he adds
Acta S, Endaei. , cap. iv. , p. 713.
3 See his Life, at the 2ist of March.
4 This was in accordance with the ancient
Irish custom, to express reverence and affec- tion towards the person thus characterized by name.
s This supposition Colgan derives from the Tract of St. ^ngus, "On the Mothers of the Irish Saints," num. 88. There it is said : Coemaca, sister to St. Coemgin, was motherofthesonsofColmad; namely,St,
:
i8th of February, in the Calendars of ^ngus and the O'Clerys: "moiiobA o eAriAc-
January. See ibid,, nn. 2, 3, 4, 5, p. 368. of him, at the 8th day of January, Art. viii.
^
From an old valuation of parishes within
eibce b ntlib eACA6 uIax),"
now called Annahilt.
^ See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus iii,, Februarii xviii. Among the pre- termitted saints, p. 52.
^ Such as the Calendar of Cashel, Maria* nus O'Gorman, Cathal Maguire, &c.
»EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,p. xvi,
Molibba of Eanach-eilte in Iveagh of Ulidia. " It is
"
"
628 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryi8.
County. In the Martyrology of Donegal," we read, that this day was vene- rated, MoHoba, of Enach Elti, in Ui Eachadh Uladh. " The place is now
known as Annahilt,^3 in the county of Down. ^-* The burial-ground, about
the church of Annahilt, is of great antiquity ; and, the fort, in which it stands,
is of extreme antiquity. It is the innermost of four enclosures ; the outer one
of which includes, at least, an extent of nine acres. It slopes towards the
east, in a regular glads. There are numerous forts on the hills around, and
inviewofeachother; whilemanyremainsofantiquityhavebeendiscovered
near the old grave-yard. ^5 The veneration of this saint even extended to
Scotland. Weareinformed,intheKalendarofDrummond,atthexii. of
the March Kalends—corresponding with the present date—that Molipa de-
^6
Article V. —St. Daniel, Bishop of Ceann-garad, now Kingarth, INBute,Scotland. {Sei^enthCentury^ Thisholymanwasbornprobably
parted to Christ.
in Ireland before or about the
beginning
of the seventh —
century. Daniel,
inAlbaorScotland asstatedin
ofCenn —in
Bishop, Garadh, Gallgaedhela,
""^
the Feilire Aenguis is registered in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ as
having a festival, on this day, which was that of his death. The year was A. D. 659, according to the Annals of Ulster. 3 Daniel, Bishop, is the only
entry concerning him, as found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,-* at the 18th of February. His place is known as Kingarth, in Bute, Kingdom of Scotland. s
The parish of Kingarth occupies the southern part of Bute Island, and the land in general rises considerably above the sea-level. St. Catan or Cath- anus is said to have been born here, and to have been the original founder
of — church. ^ We are Kingarth told,
had
abbots before
this
allusion being made, probably, to this present
episcopal
660,7
of Cind Garad,^ Duald Mac Firbis enters, Daniel, Bishop of this place, in A. D. 659. His festival is fixed, at i8th of February. 9 The Four Masters
""
place his death, at a. d. 659,'° while the Chronicon Scotorum has it
entered, at a. d. 660. He is called Dainie, in the Annals of Ulster.
Article VI. —St. Lassair, or Lasera, or Laisre, Virgin, of Ghlionn-meadhoin, County of Antrim. On the i8th of February, we
" This was probably the country of St. Molibba, venerated on the 8th of January.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52, 53.
" Its position is marked in Dr. O'Dono-
van's ** Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of
Rights,. " n. (h), pp. 165, 166.
'3 This parish is situated, partly in the
barony of Kinelarty, and partly in that of Lower Iveagh. See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down. " Sheets 15, 21, 22.
'4 MS. annotation of William M. Hen- nessy. Also, Rev. William Reeves' "Ec- clesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix EE. , p. 316, and n. (y). Calendar LL. , p. 376.
'S See William Shaw Mason's " Statis- tical Account or Parochial Survey of Ire- land," vol. ii. . No. II, parish of Annahilt. BytheRev. JohnDubourdieu,Rector,sect. iv. , pp. 12 to 14. See also Map of the parish annexed, at p. 7.
"^ See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
place
Scottish Saints," p. 5. ^
**
saint. the head Under
Article v. — At the loth of August.
"" Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. by
52, 53.
3 '« Dainie Episcopus Cinngarad "—" An-
nales Ultonienses," A. D. DCLIX. Dr.
O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip-
tores," tomus iv,, p. 53.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi.
s See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. " Additional Notes
(O), n. (z),
" See "The New Statistical Account of
Scotland," vol. v. , Bute. Account of the parish of Kingarth, by the Rev. John Buchanan, Minister, pp. 82, ? >t^^ 84.
p. 375.
7 See Mackenzie E. C. Walcott's " Scoti- Monasticon, p. 231.
^
Ci—nd-Garad is identified with Cill-
Garad nowKingarth,Bute,Scotland, cording to William M. Henessey.
5 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
ac-
February i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
629
read in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of S. Lasrae, Virgin, of Glinn-medhoin. The Bollandists have a few brief notices of her, at this
date. ^ Her period is not well known ; for, although Colg'an asserts, that she lived a contemporary with St. Brigid,3 Abbess of Kidare, and that she had been venerated on this day, he here omits any notice of her. -* We are informed, that there is a Lassair, daughter of Fergus, son of Fethlemid, son to King Laeghaire, son of Niall the Great. It has been conjectured, that she may have been the St. Lasrea, of the church of St. Lasrea, or Kill-Laisre, mentioned in the old Acts of St. Brigid. This St. Lasrea was possibly the ward of St. Finian of Clonard,^ and if so, she flourished early in the sixth century. Marianus O'Gorman and Cathal Maguire mention her at this date. ^ She is classed too among the nuns veiled by St. Patrick. ^ According to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ we find, that a festival was celebrated on this day, inhonourofLassar,Virgin,ofGlenn-medhdin. Thisplaceseemstohave obtained other denominations, viz. , Gleann-meadonaghe and Glendo-nena-
ghie,
English supposed
mean,
middle-glen. "
among
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part I, pp. 98, 99.
tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro-
^°
See Dr. O'Donovan's vol. Edition, i. .
more. " Calendar
Appendix FF. , pp. 332, 333, and LL. , p. 376.
pp. 268 to 270, and nn. (p, q), ibid. Article vi. —^ Edited by Rev. Dr.
Article vii.
See
Bishop
Forbes'
xvi. ^ See "Acta
Kelly, p.
279.
Feb- ruariixviii. Among the pretermitted saints,
p. 52.
3 For special allusions to the present
Lassair, the reader is referred to our Life of
St. Brigid, chap. V.
4 Yet, this omission, he somewhat incon-
sistentlysupplies,in "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," at xxix. Martii, where he treats " De
S. Lassara Virgine," pp. 786, 787.
s Allusion is made to her, in " Vita S.
Finiani," cap. xxii. , and in "Vita S. Ki- erani Cluanensi," cap. xvi.
^See "Trias " Colgan's Thaumaturga.
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 21, p. 543.
7 See Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patri-
cii, cap. xxiii. , p. 270, ibid.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52, 53.
9 See Rev. William Reeves'
"
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268.
2 Heis said to be in the Life of noticed,
Sanctorum," tomusiii,,
Ecclesias-
St. Kiaran of
Saigir.
"
It was situated
to
Article VII. —St. Berach. At the i8th of February, St. Berach is said to have been venerated, in Scotland. The Latin equivalent for his name is Verutus. ^ From him Kilberry, in Argyleshire, takes its name. "* It was probably dedicated to St. Berach, Abbot of Cluain-Cairpthe, in Ros- common, or to some saint, who was named Barr. 3 St. Barry's bell, with the saint's name inscribed, was preserved ;'» but, where it now is the writer has not ascertained. Near Alyth, there is a Barryhill. s
Article VIII. —St. Uidhrin or Huidhrin of Druim-dresna or Drum-dresa. This saint is found classed, as Ordius, (? Odrinus), among the disciples of St. Patrick, by Tirechan ;' while, his feast is assigned to the i8th of February, or to the 2nd of October. ^ Uidhrin, of Drumdresa, is entered in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 on this day. This place is difficult
in
the glens of Antrim County. 5 If so, it seems impracticable to find Kill- Laisre, in this district.
—
" Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 278,
'
^ See " Parochiales Scotise," Origines
vol. ii. , parti. , p. 37.
3 See ibid. , n. 8. Also, Trans. Camb.
Camd. Soc, p. ^Zy ^. nd the Scottish Saints. "
"
Kalendars of
* See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae," part i. , vol. ii. , p. 37. Also, "Old Statis- tical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 55, vol. xix. , p. 318.
s Thither was brought, in Angus, accord- ing to a Scottish legend, Guanora, spouse of King Arthur, " to a castle callet Dunbarre, of whilk nothing remains now bot the
of the wallis. "—Bellenden's "
prent Boece,"
vol. ii. , Book ix. , p. 86. Edition, 1821. ^
Article viiL— See Colgan's "Trias
630 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February18.
for identification. We find a nearly similar entry, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,"^ at the i8th of February. Here, however, the saint is called Huidhrin,ofDruim-dresna. Littleofapositivenaturehasbeenelicited,re-
garding him, or his place in history.
Article IX. —St. Aengus, or CEngus, Bishop of Drum-Rathe. The
simple name, CEngus, occurs, at the 1 8th of February, in the Martyrology of Tallagii. ^ Something in addition is found in a later calendar. On this day,
in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ is recorded Aenghas, Bishop, of Drum- Ratha. 3 There is a Drumrath or Drumrany^ in the county of Westmeath. s He descends from the race of Eoghan, son to Niall, add the O'Clerys. In a long Irish note, found in the table to this Martyrology, as translated into
"
Aengus himself has nothing at this day, but only at March 1 1 and January
English, the writer says :
I think this is the son of Aongabhann, because
20. " The writer then adds
:
" This is the author of the Festilogium. " Such,
however, is only an unfounded conjecture. According to some accounts, he was a disciple to the great Irish Apostle. When St. Patrick was in the
northern parts of Ireland, he journeyed to a place called Bredach, in the land ofOlild,sonofEugene. TherehecelebratedtheHolySacrificeonSunday, and set apart a place for building a church. It was called Domnach bile, afterwards called Moville,^ in the county of Donegal. In this, he initiated St. ^ngus, the son of Oilild, to sacred orders. Here, also, were met three Deacons, nephews to St. Patrick, by one of his sisters. 7 In a place called Druim Bearta,^ where there was an old church near the O'Dogherty's Castle, in Colgan's time, St. ^ngus was venerated on the i8th of FebrLiary. 9 We
"
find the following commentary added to the O'Clerys' notices.
Aongus,
son of Aongobhann, son of Oblein, says the prefatory gloss on the Felire, was
the ^° who was of the of he is the same as
person, family Cluain-h-Eidhneach,
Aongus Ua<h Oiblein. The matter is, therefore, to be thus reconciled by
putting Aongus ua h Oiblein at the 18th of February; although this is against the authority of Marian O'Gorman, who says, at the nth March,
*
Aongus ard 6 h Eblen,' [Aongus the noble, grandson of Oiblen. ] Other-
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the County of Donegal," Sheets, 12, 13, 21,
22 ; that of in the while, Upper Moville,
$2, 53.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi, 4—
Article ix. ^Edited by Rev. Dr. same barony and county, will be found on
Kelly, p. xvi.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52,53.
3 Dr. O'Donovan asserts, that this proper
name must be rendered "Church of the
Sheets 12, 20, 21, 30, 31. The town of Moville is shown on Sheets 21, 22, ibid.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. cxxii. , p. 145. Also, Quinta Appendix ad Acta
S. Patricii, caj). xxiii. , p. 267.
^ Duald Mac Firbis enters Aengus, Bishop
of Druim Bertach, at February the i8th, and Mr. William M. Hcnnessy says, it is Burt, in the barony of Inishov\'en West and
Fort.
" rounds "
on the
part
February iS. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 627
Yet, notwithstanding tlie veneration paid to St. Ben, in this district, his well is disgracefully neglected. It is choke full of weeds, and as there is no fence of any kind around it, cattle have always free access to what certainly ought to be at least kept clean. Every male child, born on St. Berechert's day, is called by his name, which is regarded as the Irish for Benjamin. We are told, that from remote times, tlie saint's day has been unaccountably trans- ferred from the 6th of December to the i8th of February-^^-* At the former date, we shall have more to state, in reference to St. Berechert.
Article IV. —St. Libba, or Molibea, of Annahilt, County of
Down. Some notices, regarding this saint, have been entered in his great
hagiographical work, by Colgan, at the i8th of February. ^ Elsewhere,^ he considers, that the saint was Libeus, of Arann Island, the brother of St.
End3eus. 3 Originally called Liobba, or Libba, his name is' variously but most usually written, Molibba, Molibseus, and Molibius ; the term mo being an affectionate prefix. + Very little is known regarding him. It is stated, he was a son to Aradius. s Yet respecting his parentage, some doubts exist. He is regarded, likewise, as having been descended from the Dalaradian race.
His assumed father, Aradius, was not, however, the founder of that family. Molibba, it is said, was born in Ulster, but the year of his birth, or even the period at which he flourished, has not been found recorded. However, it is thought, he built a church, at a place, called Enach-elte,^ in the territory of Hibh-etach, situated in the province of Ulster. 7 Here he was formerly vene- rated. Hisvirtuesandmiraclesrankedhimamongthesaintsofourcountry; while his feast is celebrated on the i8th of February, according to the testi-
moniesofourancientMartyrologies. ^ Thus,St. iEngus,andtheMartyrology of Tallagh,9 register him as Molibba "in h. Eochach Uladh, no in h. Garr-
chon," on the 18th of February. Thus, this latter authority seems to doubt, whether his connexion was with the district in Uladh, or had been with a
distinct part of Ireland, known as Hy-Garchon,'° now part of Wicklow
"
on St. Ben's Day. " In this respect, it
differs much from " St. Ita's Day," in the
Dagan, son of Colniad ; St. Mobi, son of Cohnad ; St. Menocof Glennfaedhle, and of Ros-Menoc : and St. Molibba was the son of Aradius of Dalaradia. Yet, Colgan thinks the latter was that Bishop of Glenda- lough, who was venerated at the 8th of
parish of Killedy. There, as he remarks, ''
"when St. Ita's Day comes round, all the Catholic clergy, for miles around, flock into
Raheenagh, in the sm^U country chapel of
which a solemn High Mass is offered up and
a sermon or a panegyric on the life and The reader may further consider our account
virtues of St. Ita is preacTied by one of the assembled priests. "
^^ See Rev, W. Reeves'- paper "St. Berechert of Tullylease," in "The Ulster
^
" The patron saint of ^ See ibid. , xxi, Martii. Appendix ad this church is thus commemorated at the
the diocese of Dromore, bearing date 1422, we find this church of Enaceilte, set down
"
Ecclesias- tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro- Hibernice," xviii. Februarii. Vita S. Mo- more. Appendix, pp. 315, 316. In note
of — vol.
Journal Archaeology," vi. , p. 271.
at one mark. See Dr. Reeves'
Article IV.
See "Acta Sanctorum
libbas, p. 368. (y), p. 316, he adds
Acta S, Endaei. , cap. iv. , p. 713.
3 See his Life, at the 2ist of March.
4 This was in accordance with the ancient
Irish custom, to express reverence and affec- tion towards the person thus characterized by name.
s This supposition Colgan derives from the Tract of St. ^ngus, "On the Mothers of the Irish Saints," num. 88. There it is said : Coemaca, sister to St. Coemgin, was motherofthesonsofColmad; namely,St,
:
i8th of February, in the Calendars of ^ngus and the O'Clerys: "moiiobA o eAriAc-
January. See ibid,, nn. 2, 3, 4, 5, p. 368. of him, at the 8th day of January, Art. viii.
^
From an old valuation of parishes within
eibce b ntlib eACA6 uIax),"
now called Annahilt.
^ See the Bollandists' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus iii,, Februarii xviii. Among the pre- termitted saints, p. 52.
^ Such as the Calendar of Cashel, Maria* nus O'Gorman, Cathal Maguire, &c.
»EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly,p. xvi,
Molibba of Eanach-eilte in Iveagh of Ulidia. " It is
"
"
628 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [Februaryi8.
County. In the Martyrology of Donegal," we read, that this day was vene- rated, MoHoba, of Enach Elti, in Ui Eachadh Uladh. " The place is now
known as Annahilt,^3 in the county of Down. ^-* The burial-ground, about
the church of Annahilt, is of great antiquity ; and, the fort, in which it stands,
is of extreme antiquity. It is the innermost of four enclosures ; the outer one
of which includes, at least, an extent of nine acres. It slopes towards the
east, in a regular glads. There are numerous forts on the hills around, and
inviewofeachother; whilemanyremainsofantiquityhavebeendiscovered
near the old grave-yard. ^5 The veneration of this saint even extended to
Scotland. Weareinformed,intheKalendarofDrummond,atthexii. of
the March Kalends—corresponding with the present date—that Molipa de-
^6
Article V. —St. Daniel, Bishop of Ceann-garad, now Kingarth, INBute,Scotland. {Sei^enthCentury^ Thisholymanwasbornprobably
parted to Christ.
in Ireland before or about the
beginning
of the seventh —
century. Daniel,
inAlbaorScotland asstatedin
ofCenn —in
Bishop, Garadh, Gallgaedhela,
""^
the Feilire Aenguis is registered in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ as
having a festival, on this day, which was that of his death. The year was A. D. 659, according to the Annals of Ulster. 3 Daniel, Bishop, is the only
entry concerning him, as found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,-* at the 18th of February. His place is known as Kingarth, in Bute, Kingdom of Scotland. s
The parish of Kingarth occupies the southern part of Bute Island, and the land in general rises considerably above the sea-level. St. Catan or Cath- anus is said to have been born here, and to have been the original founder
of — church. ^ We are Kingarth told,
had
abbots before
this
allusion being made, probably, to this present
episcopal
660,7
of Cind Garad,^ Duald Mac Firbis enters, Daniel, Bishop of this place, in A. D. 659. His festival is fixed, at i8th of February. 9 The Four Masters
""
place his death, at a. d. 659,'° while the Chronicon Scotorum has it
entered, at a. d. 660. He is called Dainie, in the Annals of Ulster.
Article VI. —St. Lassair, or Lasera, or Laisre, Virgin, of Ghlionn-meadhoin, County of Antrim. On the i8th of February, we
" This was probably the country of St. Molibba, venerated on the 8th of January.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52, 53.
" Its position is marked in Dr. O'Dono-
van's ** Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of
Rights,. " n. (h), pp. 165, 166.
'3 This parish is situated, partly in the
barony of Kinelarty, and partly in that of Lower Iveagh. See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down. " Sheets 15, 21, 22.
'4 MS. annotation of William M. Hen- nessy. Also, Rev. William Reeves' "Ec- clesiastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore. " Appendix EE. , p. 316, and n. (y). Calendar LL. , p. 376.
'S See William Shaw Mason's " Statis- tical Account or Parochial Survey of Ire- land," vol. ii. . No. II, parish of Annahilt. BytheRev. JohnDubourdieu,Rector,sect. iv. , pp. 12 to 14. See also Map of the parish annexed, at p. 7.
"^ See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
place
Scottish Saints," p. 5. ^
**
saint. the head Under
Article v. — At the loth of August.
"" Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. by
52, 53.
3 '« Dainie Episcopus Cinngarad "—" An-
nales Ultonienses," A. D. DCLIX. Dr.
O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip-
tores," tomus iv,, p. 53.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi.
s See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba. " Additional Notes
(O), n. (z),
" See "The New Statistical Account of
Scotland," vol. v. , Bute. Account of the parish of Kingarth, by the Rev. John Buchanan, Minister, pp. 82, ? >t^^ 84.
p. 375.
7 See Mackenzie E. C. Walcott's " Scoti- Monasticon, p. 231.
^
Ci—nd-Garad is identified with Cill-
Garad nowKingarth,Bute,Scotland, cording to William M. Henessey.
5 See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish
ac-
February i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
629
read in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ the name of S. Lasrae, Virgin, of Glinn-medhoin. The Bollandists have a few brief notices of her, at this
date. ^ Her period is not well known ; for, although Colg'an asserts, that she lived a contemporary with St. Brigid,3 Abbess of Kidare, and that she had been venerated on this day, he here omits any notice of her. -* We are informed, that there is a Lassair, daughter of Fergus, son of Fethlemid, son to King Laeghaire, son of Niall the Great. It has been conjectured, that she may have been the St. Lasrea, of the church of St. Lasrea, or Kill-Laisre, mentioned in the old Acts of St. Brigid. This St. Lasrea was possibly the ward of St. Finian of Clonard,^ and if so, she flourished early in the sixth century. Marianus O'Gorman and Cathal Maguire mention her at this date. ^ She is classed too among the nuns veiled by St. Patrick. ^ According to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ we find, that a festival was celebrated on this day, inhonourofLassar,Virgin,ofGlenn-medhdin. Thisplaceseemstohave obtained other denominations, viz. , Gleann-meadonaghe and Glendo-nena-
ghie,
English supposed
mean,
middle-glen. "
among
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part I, pp. 98, 99.
tical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro-
^°
See Dr. O'Donovan's vol. Edition, i. .
more. " Calendar
Appendix FF. , pp. 332, 333, and LL. , p. 376.
pp. 268 to 270, and nn. (p, q), ibid. Article vi. —^ Edited by Rev. Dr.
Article vii.
See
Bishop
Forbes'
xvi. ^ See "Acta
Kelly, p.
279.
Feb- ruariixviii. Among the pretermitted saints,
p. 52.
3 For special allusions to the present
Lassair, the reader is referred to our Life of
St. Brigid, chap. V.
4 Yet, this omission, he somewhat incon-
sistentlysupplies,in "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," at xxix. Martii, where he treats " De
S. Lassara Virgine," pp. 786, 787.
s Allusion is made to her, in " Vita S.
Finiani," cap. xxii. , and in "Vita S. Ki- erani Cluanensi," cap. xvi.
^See "Trias " Colgan's Thaumaturga.
Tertia Vita S. Brigidse, n. 21, p. 543.
7 See Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patri-
cii, cap. xxiii. , p. 270, ibid.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52, 53.
9 See Rev. William Reeves'
"
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 268.
2 Heis said to be in the Life of noticed,
Sanctorum," tomusiii,,
Ecclesias-
St. Kiaran of
Saigir.
"
It was situated
to
Article VII. —St. Berach. At the i8th of February, St. Berach is said to have been venerated, in Scotland. The Latin equivalent for his name is Verutus. ^ From him Kilberry, in Argyleshire, takes its name. "* It was probably dedicated to St. Berach, Abbot of Cluain-Cairpthe, in Ros- common, or to some saint, who was named Barr. 3 St. Barry's bell, with the saint's name inscribed, was preserved ;'» but, where it now is the writer has not ascertained. Near Alyth, there is a Barryhill. s
Article VIII. —St. Uidhrin or Huidhrin of Druim-dresna or Drum-dresa. This saint is found classed, as Ordius, (? Odrinus), among the disciples of St. Patrick, by Tirechan ;' while, his feast is assigned to the i8th of February, or to the 2nd of October. ^ Uidhrin, of Drumdresa, is entered in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 on this day. This place is difficult
in
the glens of Antrim County. 5 If so, it seems impracticable to find Kill- Laisre, in this district.
—
" Kalendars of Scottish Saints," pp. 278,
'
^ See " Parochiales Scotise," Origines
vol. ii. , parti. , p. 37.
3 See ibid. , n. 8. Also, Trans. Camb.
Camd. Soc, p. ^Zy ^. nd the Scottish Saints. "
"
Kalendars of
* See "Origines Parochiales Scotiae," part i. , vol. ii. , p. 37. Also, "Old Statis- tical Account of Scotland," vol. x. , p. 55, vol. xix. , p. 318.
s Thither was brought, in Angus, accord- ing to a Scottish legend, Guanora, spouse of King Arthur, " to a castle callet Dunbarre, of whilk nothing remains now bot the
of the wallis. "—Bellenden's "
prent Boece,"
vol. ii. , Book ix. , p. 86. Edition, 1821. ^
Article viiL— See Colgan's "Trias
630 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [February18.
for identification. We find a nearly similar entry, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,"^ at the i8th of February. Here, however, the saint is called Huidhrin,ofDruim-dresna. Littleofapositivenaturehasbeenelicited,re-
garding him, or his place in history.
Article IX. —St. Aengus, or CEngus, Bishop of Drum-Rathe. The
simple name, CEngus, occurs, at the 1 8th of February, in the Martyrology of Tallagii. ^ Something in addition is found in a later calendar. On this day,
in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ is recorded Aenghas, Bishop, of Drum- Ratha. 3 There is a Drumrath or Drumrany^ in the county of Westmeath. s He descends from the race of Eoghan, son to Niall, add the O'Clerys. In a long Irish note, found in the table to this Martyrology, as translated into
"
Aengus himself has nothing at this day, but only at March 1 1 and January
English, the writer says :
I think this is the son of Aongabhann, because
20. " The writer then adds
:
" This is the author of the Festilogium. " Such,
however, is only an unfounded conjecture. According to some accounts, he was a disciple to the great Irish Apostle. When St. Patrick was in the
northern parts of Ireland, he journeyed to a place called Bredach, in the land ofOlild,sonofEugene. TherehecelebratedtheHolySacrificeonSunday, and set apart a place for building a church. It was called Domnach bile, afterwards called Moville,^ in the county of Donegal. In this, he initiated St. ^ngus, the son of Oilild, to sacred orders. Here, also, were met three Deacons, nephews to St. Patrick, by one of his sisters. 7 In a place called Druim Bearta,^ where there was an old church near the O'Dogherty's Castle, in Colgan's time, St. ^ngus was venerated on the i8th of FebrLiary. 9 We
"
find the following commentary added to the O'Clerys' notices.
Aongus,
son of Aongobhann, son of Oblein, says the prefatory gloss on the Felire, was
the ^° who was of the of he is the same as
person, family Cluain-h-Eidhneach,
Aongus Ua<h Oiblein. The matter is, therefore, to be thus reconciled by
putting Aongus ua h Oiblein at the 18th of February; although this is against the authority of Marian O'Gorman, who says, at the nth March,
*
Aongus ard 6 h Eblen,' [Aongus the noble, grandson of Oiblen. ] Other-
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the County of Donegal," Sheets, 12, 13, 21,
22 ; that of in the while, Upper Moville,
$2, 53.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvi, 4—
Article ix. ^Edited by Rev. Dr. same barony and county, will be found on
Kelly, p. xvi.
" Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
52,53.
3 Dr. O'Donovan asserts, that this proper
name must be rendered "Church of the
Sheets 12, 20, 21, 30, 31. The town of Moville is shown on Sheets 21, 22, ibid.
7 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. cxxii. , p. 145. Also, Quinta Appendix ad Acta
S. Patricii, caj). xxiii. , p. 267.
^ Duald Mac Firbis enters Aengus, Bishop
of Druim Bertach, at February the i8th, and Mr. William M. Hcnnessy says, it is Burt, in the barony of Inishov\'en West and
Fort.
