No More Learning

most
you
lovingtutor,Boisil,
whoaskedme,whetherIknewhim? I
'
said, yes;
are Boisil' He
replied,
' I am come to the answer of bring Egbert
the Lord our Saviour, which neverdieiess must be delivered to him by you.
Tell him, therefore, that he cannot perform the journey he has proposed, for
it is the will of God, that he should rather go to teach in the monasteries of Columba. '"" This illustrious Cenobiarch was the first teacher of the Chris- tian faith to the Picis, beyond the northern mountains ; and, he was the first founder of that celebrated monastery in the Island of Hy, which continued for a long time in great veneration, among the Scots and Picts. Having heard the words of this vision, Egbert ordered the brother that had related it to him, that he should say nothing about it to any other person, lest perhaps it might be an illusion. However, considering within himself, he apprehended the admo- nition was a real one ; and, he did not desist from preparing for his projected journeytoteachthegentiles. Afewdaysafterwards,thesamebrothercame to him again, stating that Boisil that very night, also, had appeared to him after matins, and that he had said, " Why did you communicate to Egbert in so negligent and in so tepid a manner, what I enjoined you to tell him ? Go now, and let him know, that willing or not willing, he must remain in the monas- teries of Columba; because their ploughs do not go straight, and he is to bring themtotherightway. " Hearingthisagain,Egbertcommandedthebrother not to reveal the same to any person ; and though he was assured of the vision, Egbert made another attempt, to begin his intended journey with the brethrenalreadymentioned. Whentheyhadputonboardallthatwasne- cessary for so distant a journey, and while they were waiting some days for favourable winds ; so violent a storm arose one night, that after having lost some part of the cargo, the ship ran aground, and was left upon her side amongthewaves; yet,whateverbelongedtoEgbertandtohiscompanionswas saved. ''^ Whereupon, he dropped the designed voyage, and he quietly remainedathome. However,oneofhiscompanions,namedWicbert,was remarkable for his contempt of this world, and for his great learning, having for many years lived a stranger in Ireland. There, he led an eremitical life in great perfection, and, afterwards, he went abroad. Arriving in Frisia, he preached the word of salvation, for two whole years to that people, and to Rathbod theirking. *' Yet,hedidnotreapanyfruit,fromallhislabouramongthese barbarous auditors. So, returning to the beloved place whence he proceeded, he gave himself up to our Lord, in his accustomed spirit of recollection ; and, since he could not profit those that were without, by bringing them to the
true faith, he laboured to be so much the more serviceable among his own people, by those examples of his virtue, which were given. 5°
When the man of God, Egbert, perceived, that he was neither permitted to preach to the gentiles, being withheld on account of some other advantage to holy Church, and regarding which he was beforehand admonished by the Divine Oracle, nor that Wicbert, who went into those parts, had met with any success, he still attempted to send to this work of the Word some holy and industrious
men. Amongthese,thatgreatmanWillebrordwasmosteniinent,bothasregarded his priestly degree and his merit. Those missionaries, being twelve in num- ber, visited Pippin, Duke of the Franks. s' and they were kindly received by him ; and, whereas, he had lately subdued the hither Frisia, from which he had expelled King Rathbod, the Duke sent them thither to preach. These missionaries are deservedly looked upon, as the Apostles of the northern
*' The great saint, whose Life is given, at
•*See Batavia Sancta," pars. i. . p. 32. « For an account of him, see the Life of
St. Suitbert, at the 1st of March.
5° See Venerable Bede's " Historia Eccle-
siastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. v. , cap. x. , p. 403,
the 9th o( June. "
April 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 471
countriesofEurope; which,underGod,owetheirChristianitytotheApostles' zeal, and to that of St Egbert, the great promoter of this mission. St. Wilfrid,^'
Bishop of York, had laboured successfully to introduce the discipline of the Roman Church into his diocese, in opposition to the Scottish usages ;53 but, still great opposition was manifested to that reform by the monks, who had retained the Irish custom, to the time of Egbert. The holy man next took into hands that other great work, for which he was reserved. His chief task was inducing the monks of Hy, with the other subject monasteries, to observe the canonical celebration of Easter. Coming from Ireland to the monastery of Hy, in 716, Egbert was honourably and with much joy received by the monks. Beingmostpersuasiveinhisteaching,andmostdevoutinpractis- ing what he taught, Egbert was very willingly hearkened to by all ; while, owing to his godly and frequent exhortations, he brought them away from their tenacious adhesion to that tradition of their ancestors. To them might be applied the words of the Apostle, that they had the zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. However, Egbert soon taught them to celebrate the principal solemnity of Easter, after the Catholic and Apostolic manner. This appears to have been the result of a wonderful dispensation in the Divinegoodness; for,sincetheIrishpeoplehadbeencarefultocommunicate to the English, willingly and without envy, the knowledge they had of God's truths, it was even just, that they should afterwards, by means of the English, be brought to a perfect rule of life, and in such things as those, in which they had been defective.
On the death of Conamhail,''* in 7 1 o, Dunchadh,55 became Abbot over lona, which monastery he governed, and his death is recorded, at a. d. 717. 5* Under Abbot Dunchadh, and about eighty years after they had sent Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, to preach the Gospel to the English nation, those monks of Hy adopted that generally received rite, for the mode and time of observing Easter. s? Theyabandoned,inlikemanner,theformerIrishstyleoftonsure, by shaving the head from ear to ear, and they adopted the CV'/vz/a/ shape, on the top of their heads. The man of God, Egbert, remained thirteen years in the aforesaid Island, which he had, as it were, consecrated to Christ, by the light of a new grace. He there promoted ecclesiastical society and peace, among the fraternity. 58 This is the Egbert, so called Abbot of lona, who is men- tioned by Colgan, with a festival for the 24th of April, a. d. 729 ;59 however, he seems to have had no authority, for assigning the holy man so high a posi- tion in the . \bbey. A record of his death, by Tighernach, only styles him, the soldier of Christ. *"
5' Also called Pepin d'Heristal.
5» His feast occurs, at the 24th of April, and his Life, by Eadmar, is published on this day, by the BoUandists, with learned
* See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes (O), pp. 378 to 381.
" The Annals of Ulster, according to Ussher, have this change recorded, at a. d. 716, on Saturday, the fourth daybefore the Kalends of September. However, the date
"
rum," tomus iii. , Aprilis xxiv. De S. Wil-
notes and illustrations. See
Acta Sancto-
frido Primo, Archiepiscopo Eboracense in
Anglia, pp. 292 to 312. A feast for the is 715, as Rev. Dr. O'Conor shows, in the
translation of his relics is placed, at the I2th
"
Apostolatus Benedictinorum in Anglia, sive Disceptatio Historica de Antiquitate Ordinis Congrega- tionis que Monachorum Nigrorum, S. Bene- dicti in Regno Angliae. Tractatus Primus.
Sectio i. , sect. 8, p. 31. Duaci 1626 folio. 5' See notices of him, at the nth of Sep-
tember.
55 See his Life, at the 25th of May.
" Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus
iv. "Annales Ultonienses, p. 74, and n. 2.
58 See Dean Cressy's "Church History
of Brittany," Book xxi. , chap, xxviii. , p.
of October.
5' See Clement Reyner's
552.
59 "
See "Trias Thaumaturga, Quinta
Appendix ad Acta S. Columbje," cap. iii. ,
sect, v. , p. 501.
'"
Thus, liroitxe C]\i]X is the appellation given.
473 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 24.
Egbert had now attained the ninetieth year of his age, and the time for his release approached. In the year 729, Easter Si:nday was celebrated on the 24th of April. Having performed the solemnities of his Mass in memory of the Resurrection of our Lord, Egbert departed thatverysamedayfromthisworld. Hepassedtoheaven,theretocomplete,or rather, there to celebrate, without end, with the Lord, with the Apostles, and with the rest of its happy citizens, the joy of that great festival. This he had begun upon earth, and with those brethren, whom he had converted to the
state of unity. It was a wonderful dispensation of Divine Providence, that this venerable man did not only pass out of this world to the Father on Eas- ter-day ; but, also, while Easter was kept that very day, on which, heretofore it had not been observed, in that place. The brethren, therefore, were glad, because of their having now the assured and Catholic knowledge regarding thetimeforobservingEaster. TheyrejoicedinthepatronageofthatFather, nowgoingtotheLord,andbywhomtheyhadbeencorrected. Herejoiced, likewise, that he had been kept so long in the flesh, until he saw his hearers receive and celebrate Easter with him, on that very day, which before they always avoided. Thus, this most Reverend Father, being assured of their correction, rejoiced to see the day of the Lord. He saw it and was glad. ''
It has been stated, that Egbert was venerated, at Dorn, in Sutherland;'^ and, this is recorded, in the Scottish Menology of Thomas Dempster. "3 His oftice,''' as a semi-double,'s was formerly recited in the Diocese of Utrecht ; because he was regarded, as having been instrumental in bringing the Chris- tian Faith to the Low Countries. In the Irish as in the English Martyrologies, this holy man is commemorated. According to the Martyrology of Tallagh,** veneration was given, at this date, to Echtbricht, a Saxon. '' The Roman Martyrology and Father Stephen White '^ commemorate this saint, at the 24th of . A. pril. Ferarius, in his General Catalogue of Saints, and Ghinius, in his Natal Days of Holy Canons, have a record of his feast. In Henry Fitz- simon's " Catalogus Aliquorum Sanctorum Ibernise," this Abbot Egbert is also classed among our national saints, and Venerable Bede's authority is given, for placing his feast at the 24th of April. Mirseus '9 and Molanus '° have enteredit, amongFestivalsofSaintsbelongingtotheNetherlands,becauseof the interest felt by Egbert, in promoting the establishment of the Gospel in that country. 7' In the Anonymous Catalogue of Irish Saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare, his name likewise occurs,'' and also, in nearly all the an- cient and modern Calendars.
Article II. —St. Fuilen, or Foilanus, of Drommat, or Druim-
FODA. The of Martyrologies Tallagh
' See Venerable Bede's " Historia Eccle-
siastica Gentis Angloium," lib. v. , cap.
'
and of Marianus O'Gorman enter St.
^ Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxii. The
Bollandists, quoting the same authority, at this date, have tcbrictus. See "Acta
xxiii. , p. 481. '=
Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
the pretermitted feasts, p. 260.
to Ferrarius.
'3 He cites Arnold Wion and the Scottish
for the statement but, his refer- Breviary, ;
ence cannot be verified.
'< The Lessons of the Second Nocturn
Aprilisxxiv. Among
According
were contracted.
'5 In it, the following prayer was read
—
'' The Franciscan enters, at this copy,
date ecbiMcci \&x.
"See "Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. iv. ,
p. 39. , cap. v. , pp. 63, 67.
"Deuscujus SpirituBeatusEgbertus, salutera
gentium sitiens, varios fidei praecones in opus
Evangelicum destinavit ; dirijje, quiesumus, ejus intercedentibus mcritis, ad te tuorum corda servorum, ut spiritus lui fervore con- cepto, et in lide inveniantur stabiles et in opere efficaces. "
Acta Sanctorum,"
:
"^ In Fastis
'" InNatalibus Sanctorum Belgii.
"
'' See the Bollandists'
tomus iii. , Aprilis xxiv. De Sancto Egberlo,
Presbytero in Insula Hyensi. Prologomina, num. I, 2, p. 313.
''^ See "Historise Catholics Ibernise Compendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. ,
Belgicis.
April 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 473
Foilan, of Druim-Foda,= at the 24th day of the month, in April. The Bol- landists notice Failenus de Dromata,3 at the same date. There is a parish of
Dromod, in the county of Kerry ; but, we cannot state, that it is the place to whichallusionisheremade. Wishingtoascertain,iftliiscouldbeidentical with Dronimat, the writer applied to the Rev. Eugene Murphy, curate of the former place. He was an erudite and accomplished Irish scholar and anti- quary. His opinions, on this subject, were stated,-* that there was no trace of Fuilen or Foileann, in Dromod; but, he remarked, that there was a Dromatha
—as he had been told—in the adjoining parish
to it, he promised to make further enquiry, and to give the result of any dis- covery he could make. On the River Smearlach, a tributory of Fell, there are two townlands ; one known as Dromfada beg, and the other as Dromfada mor ; yet, he could not discover if a cill, ox patron, had been in either place. On the left bank of the River Inny (County Kerry) were the remains of two
'
old churches, viz. , one was called Killeen liath
the other bore no name, but it stood on the lands of Baile na Cille, and it was overlooked by a fami, called Drom na Cille. Between these, and to the south of them, there is a place on the banks of a s—treamlet, called Caol-Cabi- dil. Beside this latter was Cumar nan Greallach the latter word seems to beapropername. TheCillsatDromodareUlaigCeannaeich,andCillmc Ciarain-Cannig, on the south of the Inny. There is another Cill Canig,' on the side of a mountain, north of Kenmare. There is a Cill falline (Cill allinne) on the upper Mang ab—ove Currens, and four miles west of Castle- island j9 but, there is no Drom except Dromtaiab. The Rev. Mr. Murphy
learned, however, that Dromfada, was an old name for West Cove. '° Near
Article III. —St. Egneach, Son of Cucathrach. This name is entered, in the Martyrology of Tallagh," at the 24lh of April, as Eicneach
of In reference Glennbeith. s
the grey little church,' while
""
Teampul i Choaid," or Tempul Choaid,"
it was the old church of Coad,
but there is no tradition of Faileen. " The name Fuilen, of Drommat," venerated on tliis day, we read, in the Martyrology of I)onegal. '3
p. 50. Article, ii.
twelve inches.
At Baile naCille, hard-by and
at a distance of about six feet, there is a
hugh bile of Cuileami, or a holly wood.
^ Can these names refer to a St. Canice?
enquires the Rev. Mr. Murphy.
'The parish so called is in the barony of
Turghanacmy, and it is shown, on the "Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County
of Kerry," sheets 23, 30, 31, 39, 40, 49.
—'In the Franciscan we read : |:uilen -opum jTora.
104.
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomos iii. ,
Aprilis xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 260.
* In a letter, written towards the close of December, 1871, from Waterville, county of Kerry.
s Or Glanbehy, in the barony of Iveragh, and it is marked, on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of Kerry," sheets 55, 63, 64, 70, 71, 72, 8l, 82.
'At iCilieen liath, there is a small basin, embedded in the earth and grass. It is per- forated, so as to admit water to pass down
through it.
' The remains of Cilleen liath and Baile
" Acta Sanctorum Iliber- niac," xvi. Januarii, Appendix, cap. i. , p.
' See
Colgan's
.
na Cille lie to the left of the road from the
copy,
— "
new Catholic Church of Dromod on the In a note Dr. Todd says, at the word
road from Waterville to Cahirciveen and to Bealach Oisin. On the left bank of the Inny, there is a water It is shallow,
Drommata, "The gloss in Mar. Gorman
reads, t)pom «ca. "
'^ Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves. See by
Appendix to the Introduction, p. xlvii. , and pp. 110, 1 1 1.
holy stoup.
and not more than three or four inches deep.
The width of this basin, at the top, is about
The town of Caslleisland is on sheet ibiJ.
" The Tobar of Cro6an and old Bile are
well known, and a patron was held there, about the end of July, or about the 1st of
August,
In addition to the foregoing interesting local information, the Rev. Eugene Murphy wrote to me, that he had a search-warrant, for books stolen from Dr. Buckley's library, at Gale, near Cashenferry. Among these, there is mention of very old books, such as Deirdre, belonging to his Irish collection.
"
40,
474 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 24.
macConcathrach. TheBollandistshaveitEinchusfilConcathraci. ' There
was an Egnech, also called Eccnech, who was a bishop and an anchorite, as likewise the Comarb,3 or successor to Enda of Ara, or otherwise he was Abbot
of Killeany, in the great Island of Arran, in the Bay of Galway. He died, in the year 916 ; but, on what day, we have not been able to ascertain. * Hence, it is not permitted us to conjecture, that he may be identified with the pre- sent saint. On this day, likewise, the Martyrology of Donegal s registers the nameEgneach,sonofCucathrach,ashavingvenerationpaidhim. Under the head Delga,* Duald Mac Firbis records, the slaying of Egnach, bishop of Delga,7 A. D. 837. *
Article IV. —St. Fincheille, or Fincheall, Virgin. The cloisters and their dwellers are the noblest objects in the ignoble ages. This is even the opinion of generous non-Catholics. They are the living embodiment of a feeling, which existed among the vestals, even before it was purified and consecrated in the holy Catholic church. Among the holy daughters of Erin, in her early day, we find a record of Fincheille, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 24th of April. Her period or place is not given. The Bollandists record her as Fincella Virgo. ^ Her personal history seems to be unknown. This day was dedicated to the veneration of Fincheall, Virgin, as we meet
again recorded, in the Martyrology of Donegal. 3
Article V. —St. Seachtan, Seacht Miosaigh, or Seachtan, of the
SevenReliquaries. Theinsertionfound,intheMartyrologyofTallagh,' at the 24th of April, is Sechtan ocus Sechtmisid. It has evidently been incorrectly entered. The Bollandists note, at this day, Sechtanus Septimes- ter. ^ On this day, we read in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 that a festival was celebrated, in honour of Seachtan, Seacht Miosaigh/ or Seachtan, of the Seven Reliquaries.
- Article VI. —St. Uildbrith, or Hubritan, a Saxo-n-. - L\~Sevmth <"
El("hth Century^ The simple entry, Uildbrithi,' occurs in the Martyrolhogy
Article hi. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxii. In the Franciscan copy is
See ActaSanctorum," tomus iii. , Aprilis xxiv. Among the pretermitted feasts, p. 260.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. no, III.
Article v. — ' Edited Rev. Dr. by
Kelly,p. xxii. IntheFranciscancopywe
read Secern ^-echc niii*«i.
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. ,
Aprilisxxiv. Amongthepretermittedsaints, p. 260.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 108, 109.
xxii. In the Franciscan copy we read : eictiecTi mac, with some contractions
unintelligible to the writer.
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii,,
Aprilis xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints,
irinceiLle. u. °"
Kelly, p.
p. 260.
3
to Duald Mac Firbis. "
According
«SeeDr. O'Donovan's AnnalsoftheFour
Masters," vol. ii. , pp- 592, 593, and (n. ) i. , ibid. Also " Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MS. Series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 86, 87, and n. 4, ibid.
5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
loS, log.
' Dealga is now Kildalkey, in the county
of Meatli, according to William M. Hen-
* Dr. Todd says in a note, at Seacht Afio- "
note.
^ See " Proceedmgs of the Royal Irish
Academy," Irish MSS. Series, vol. i. , part
i. , pp. 104, 105.
''According to the Four Masters.
gloss in Maiianus Gorman reads, feicmip-o, and ihe Mart. Taml. has Secern «5U|- Setc
nnj-it). Or, the epithet may signify, of seven
months in the w—omb. "
In the Franciscan
nessy's
, t • 1.
Article vi. Article iv. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr. is uL'obpechi.
copy
: i. e. , oi ihe seven The saigh reliquaries.
April 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 475
of Tallagh,' at the 24th of April; and, on the same day, Marianus O'Gomian hasrecordedhisfeast. 3 HeissaidtohavebeenthesonofCusperius,aSaxon prince, and of Bernicia, his wife. The brother to St. Gerald of Mayo Hubritan is called Uildbrit, or Huiltbrith. He flourished, probably in the seventh or eighth century. Some account of him will be found, in Colgan's work,4 when
theLifeSt. Gerald,atthe13thofMarch. TheBoUandistsshave Hulbritus,atthe24thofApril; and,theAnnalsofUlsterrecordthedeathof his brother, at a. d. 731. *
Article VII. —St. Coemnat, or Caoinnet, of Cuilciochmagh. We find this name set down in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 24th of April, as Coemnat Cuil Cichmaigh. The BoUandists » write the name simply, as Coenneta, at the same day. It is difficult to identify the place already men- tioned. The name of Caoinnet 3 is entered, likewise, in the Martyrology of Donegal,* as having a festival, and at this same date.
Article VIII. —The Sons of Baethan, or Began. On the 24th of
April,theMartyrologyofTallagh registers,MacBecgani,ashavingbeen venerated. The BoUandists have it Filii Baethani. ' In like manner, we learn,
inhonourofthesonsofBaethan,J wascelebrated,andonthis day, according to the Martyrology of Donegal. *
Article IX. —Reputed Feast of Brecan, Bishop and Abbot of ^IAGH Bile. Under the head of Magh Bile, Duald Mac Firbis enters, Brecan, bishop and abbot of Magh Bile, April 24th. ' But, the Martyr- ology of Tallagh and that of Donegal enter his festival, at the 29th of this month.
Article X. —The Sons of Caelbhadh. The Martyrology of Tallagh
'
noticesthesonsofCoelbad atthe24thofApril; and,quotingit,theBol-
landistshaveFiliiCaelbadii. ' TheMartyrologyofDonegal3mentions,that the sons of Caelbhadh were venerated on this day,
' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxii.
3 See "Ulster Journal of Archxology,'' vol. vi. , where the Rev. Dr. Reeves has a learned article, on St. Beretchert of Tully- lease, pp. 267 to 275.
'See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," Martii xiii. Vita S. Giraldi, Abbatis Elit- herensis et Magioensis, n. 5, p. 602.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum, tomus iii. ,
Aprilis xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 260.
' See Rev. Dr. ©'Conor's " Rerum Hiber-
nicarum — tomus iv. , p. 82. Scriptores,"
'
Article vii.