' Now preserved in the
Burgundian
Li-
brary, Bruxelles, and classed No.
brary, Bruxelles, and classed No.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
57.
Article vi.
'See "Acta Sanctorum
Hibemise," Martii ii. De S. Lugadio Abbate de Cluain-Finchuil sive Cluain-
Fiacul. Ex variis, pp. 452, 453.
3 See " Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta
-'See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii,, p. 266.
'See "Acta
Martii ii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 125.
ad Acta S.
'3 Colgan could not find any Irish place so called,
'• This he states was near Armagh.
'5 The ancient church stood in the town- land of Tullydowey, in a curve of the River Blackwater, on the Tyrone or north side, See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps of the County of Tyrone," Sheet 62. Various references are made to it in old mediaeval records, as Cluain-fiacail, Clonfecyna, Cluain-Fiachna, &c. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (t), p. 749.
Appendix
483, and cap. x. , p. 491.
Sanctorum,"
tomus
* Venerated, on the 2ist of October.
s Possibly venerated, on the 9th of Ja- nuary.
* Venerated, on the 13th of March.
7 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, n. 104, p, 113.
* Called of Kilrush, or of Cloncraff. 9 See vol. i. , art. ii. , n, 13.
Columbae, cap. iii. , p.
'°
rum," tomus i. termited saints, p. 125.
See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
Martii ii. Among the pre-
;
'^ See his at the of
i. , Life, 9th June.
94 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
Lugadiushadbeenelevatedtothedignityofabbot; for,ourCalendarsonly
record his having been a priest. ^? We find a similar entry, in the Martyr-
ology of Tallagh,^^ at the 2nd of March, regarding him. Marianus O'Gor-
man, Cathal Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal'9 register, on this day, a Lughaidh, Priest. As the other saints, bearing his name in our Calendars,
are distinguished, by family or place, Colgan thinks it right to assign this festival for St. Lugadius of Cluain-Finchuil.
ArticleVII. —St. Slebhene,orSlebhine,AbbotofIona. {Eighth Century. '] At this date, likewise, the Irish Church seems to have venerated another abbot of Iona. When or where he was born does not appear to have transpired ; yet, we have sufficient proof, that he was of a well-known Irish
race. ^ The Martyrology of Donegal^ this day registers, Slebhene, son of Conghal. HisfatherwasDubhduin,sontoSlebhine,sonofSeghine,sonto Ronan or Cronan, son of Loam, who was the son of Fergus Cennfada or Duach, and of his wife, Erca, the daughter of Loam Mor. Thus was he in a right line descended from the race of Conall Gulban, son to Niall^ the Great. The holy man Slebhine seems to have lived under the discipline of Cilline Droicteach, who died abbot of Iona,* on the 3rd of July, a. d. 752. s
The virtues and merits of Slebhine, no doubt, singled him out, among his
brother monks, as worthy of succession.
He was the fifteenth ab—bot of la,
and soon after h—
son of
his own brother took place in Hy. During the period of Slebhine's incum-
bency, the Columbian influence in Ireland seems to have been at its height, as may be concluded from the mention of the Lex Coluimcille having been enforced by Domhnall, King of Ireland, in a. d. 753, and also by Sleibene himself, a. d. 757. In the year 754, the Abbot of Iona visited Ireland ; and, in the year 758, he returned thither. After the death of Fedhlimidh or Failbe, who discharged the duties of assistant abbot of Hy, Sleibne passed to the rewards of the just, a. d. 754, according to the Annals of Inisfallen. ^ Those of the Four Masters,^ however, place his demise, at a. d. 762 ; while the Annals of Ulster have the year 766,^ and again, the Rev. William Reeves states, that he died, on the 2nd of March, a. d. 767, after an incum- bency of fifteen years, over the celebrated monastery of Iona. 9
'* St. Columba is generally thought to have died about A. D. 597.
'7 See Colgan's
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
* For a description of some very interest- ing crosses, at Iona, the reader may consult that magnificently illustrated work of the late lamented Dr. the "
niae,"
Martii ii.
De S. Abbate de Lugadio
John Stuart,
tured Stones of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 25 to
is the death of accession,
Cillen,
Congaile probably
Cluain-Finchuil sive Cluain-Fiacul, nn. 8,
9, 10, p. 453.
'8
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvii.
'9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
27. The plates are numbered xl. , xli. , XLii. , XLiii. , XLiv. , XLV. , XLVi. , XLVii. The Irish style of embossing, interlacing
6c, 61. — and sculpture, prevails in their decoration.
nell,
vol. Edition, i. , pp.
Scriptores," tomus iv.
'See his Adamnan's "Life of St. Co-
lumba," Additional Notes (O), pp. 385, 386.
*s
Article vil. See the Genealogical Table of the early abbots of Hy, showing their affinity to one another, and their con- nexion with the chief families of Tircon-
See his Life, at the 3rd of July, *""
in Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"> See O'Donovan's
" Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
60, 61.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbre,
cap. iii. , p. 482. See also Slevinus, p. 502. Ibid.
364, 365.
^See- "Annales
" lor. p.
(N), p. 342.
Ultonienses,
'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemicarum
See Annales Inisfalenses, p. 22. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii.
Sculp-
March 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 95
Article VIII. —St. Suibhne, Abbot of Iona.
The pedigree of this holy man is not recorded ; but, probably, he was born in Ireland, and of the Tirconnellian race. He seems to have discharged the duties of assistant abbot at Iona, during the lifetime of Slebhine,^ and in that
^ or
year, Suibhne succeeded to the full rule of the monastery, which only engaged his care for four years exactly, for he died, on the 2nd day of March, a. d.
772. 3
Article IX. —Dermit O'Mulrony, Martyr, at Gallbally, C—ounty
capacity
he visited Ireland, a. d.
765,
766.
On his
death,
the
succeeding
(O), p. 386. — Article ix. tomus i. , Martii ii.
the only pass into Tippei-ary, from the northern and eastern parts of Cork, and from the western parts of Limerick. See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ire- land," vol. i. , p. 637.
9 This sublime and rugged range has a
deserved celebrity in prose and verse des-
cription. In Joseph Brennan's ballad, "An Ex—ile's Dreams," allusion to it thus
'
See "Acta Sanctorum," Among the pretermitted
— The Bollandists note a festival taken [Sixteenth Century. '\
OF Tipperary.
from the Franciscan Martyrology of Dermitius Mulronius, at the 2nd of
man are to be found in Father
Mooney's Manuscript,^ in Rothe,3 in Wadding,* and in the valuable work
more recently published, by Major Myles O'Reilly. s We know litde more
regarding him, than that he lived in the Franciscan Convent,^ in the town of Galbally,? in the Glen of Aharlow,^ at the foot of the Galty Mountains,? said
to have been in the county of Tipperary. '° This, however, is incorrect, for the place is within the county of Limerick. It was a rural town, in the diocese of
Emly. About the year 1570, while the Viceroy, Sir Henry Sydney," was making an excursion in that part of Ireland, a Franciscan priest, called Dermod O'Mulroney, and two companions, fled from that place, to the town of Clonmel, in order to escape the persecution, which was then vehement. '* When these had remained there for some time, thinl. ing all was safe, they returned to their former house ; but, on a certain da v, the English soldiers suddenly came, and surrounded the place, so that there was no way for those brethren to escape. All three mounted into the bell-tower of the church to
March. ^ The best accounts of this
holy
'
Article viii. — See his Acts, for this
day, in the previous article.
=" See Dr. O'Conor's *' Rerum Hibemica-
rum Scriptores," tomus iv. Annales Ulto-
nienses, p. loi.
3 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
county of Limerick. See it described on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Limericl<," Sheets 41, 49, 50, 57,
58. The town itself is noted on Sheet 49.
Ibid.
saints," p. 125.
' Now preserved in the Burgundian Li-
brary, Bruxelles, and classed No. 3195. " De Provincia Hibernias Ordinis Sancti Francisci, Tractatus a Rev. Donato Money," A. D. 1627.
occurs
" I will go where the Galtees
Are rising bare and high,
With their haggard foreheads fronting
The scowl of clouded sky. "
See Duncathail's "Ballads, Popular Poetry and Household Songs of Ireland," p. 106.
" See Harris' vol. " The Anti- Ware, ii. ,
quities of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 280. '' See an account of him in " Memoirs of the Lives and Actions of the Sydneys. "
Also Moore's " History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xlviii. , xlix. , 1. , pp. 14 to 87.
'^ He had good reason to seek a place of
retreat, from one, whose prejudices against the native clergy, caused him to write to
3 See " Analecta Mira et Nova," part ii.
* See "Scriptores Ordinis Minorum," "
and AnnalesOrdinisMinorum. "
s See "Memorials of those who suffered for the Catholic Faith in Ireland, in the l6th, 17th and i8th Centuries," pp. 18, 19.
London, 1868, 8vo.
^
Excepting the walls, this convent had
been when Father wrote. destroyed, Mooney
In 1204, it is said, Donagh Cairbre O'Brien,
founded here the Abbey for Franciscan or
Grey Friars, which, on the 20th of January,
in the 35th year of King Henry VIII. 's
reign, with its appurtenances, was granted,
in capitt, to John of Desmond. See Arch-
"
' It is a parish, in the barony of Coshlea,
dall's
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 420.
®
This picLuresque and romantic glen is
:
[Eighth Century? ^
96 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
hide, and then they drew up a portable ladder, which was there. The soldiers made a fire to burn the church and tower, and wishing to save both, Father Dermod, having let down the ladder, and signing himself with a sign
" Have Nothing moved, the ruffian soldiers loaded him with At length, they struck ofif his head. But, a marvel was then seen ; for, no drop of blood flowed from his body. The soldiers seeing this, hacked his body to pieces, and still no blood flowed. The names of his two suffering companions have not been preserved, in the locality, where this
outrage happened.
Article X. —St. Villeic or Willeic, Priest, at Kaiserwerth, on THE Rhine. \Seventh and Eighth Ce/ittiries. '] The Acts of this holy missionary have been published, by Colgan,^ by the BoUandists," by Cap- grave,3 by Baronius,^ and by most of the ecclesiastical historians and biogra- phers. Molanus,s Mirseus,^ Hugh Menard,' Surius,^ Rosweyde, and the sixth volume of the " Acta Sanctorum Belgii Selecta "9 record the Acts of St. Willeic, Priest, at the 2nd of March. These are chiefly drawn from the account, contained in Venerable Bede's notices of St. Suitbert. '° Although it may be admitted, that Villeic or Willeic had been an Anglo-Saxon, by birth ; yet, it is supposed, he was educated in Ireland, and that thence he accompanied St. Switbert" and other companions to preach the Gospel to those pagans, then living near the Lower Rhine. Whether or not, the present holy man belonged to the twelve companions of St. Egbert, who, under the guidance of St. Willibrord" and St. Suitbert, set out from Ireland together, is a question for enquiry, in the opinion of Colgan. He adheres to such a view of the case, yet he deems it possible that St. Willeic and St. Adalbert'3 may have followed the earlier pioneers. According to received accounts, St. Willeic was a man of eminent piety and erudition. He was versed, in the Latin and German languages ; and, we may also venture to suppose, he had a knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon and Irish learning. Whether he became a priest,beforeorafterhisleavingIreland,doesnotappear; but,wearetold, he was distinguished for his eloquence, and power, in preaching. '^ By St Suitbert, he was sufficiently instructed in the Sacred Scriptures, so that he was enabled to glean an abundant harvest of souls from idolatry, to embrace the Christian religion. With a pure heart and singleness of purpose, from his youth, St. Willeic imitated the virtues of his master, St. Suitbert. His chastity, love of prayer and meditation ; his meekness and humility ; his care of the sick and poor ; his zeal for souls and his wisdom in the cares of
of the
on me, O Lord. " '3 blows and wounds.
descended. He also the repeated
psalm,
mercy
cross, freely
Queen Elizabeth, about "/m^i? preists, or rather Irishe roges, havinge verye little Lattin, lesse learninge or cyvilitie. " See
"See "De Probatis Sanctorum His-
toriis," tomus ii. , Martius i. De S. Swiberto
Episcopo, cap. 26, p. 24.
Leland's of "History
» His Acts are here
by John BoUandus, in two sections. See tomus vi. , pp. 640 to 645.
Ireland," book iv. , chap, iii. , n. , p. 321.
vol.
ii. ,
in a
given commentary
'3 Psalms 1. , 3.
Article x. —'See Hibemiae," Martii ii. fess. , pp. 447, 448.
"Acta Sanctorum De S. Villeico Con-
" See his Life, already published, at the 1st of this month,
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
' " In Fastis Belgicis et Burgundicis. "
7 In
Martyrology, printed A. D. 1608, John Wil- son states, that he took departure with St. Suibert from England ; but, in the second edition, printed 1640, he has omitted some of his statements, regarding St. Willeic.
De S. Willeico Presbytero Dis-
Martii ii.
cipulo S. Suiberti Ep. Csesaris-Werdse ad Rhenum. , sects, i. , ii. , pp. 148 to 150.
3 In " Nova Legenda Anglise," &c. * See " Annales Ecclesiastici," &c. 5 In " Natalibus Sanctorum Belgii. "
" See his Life, at the 7th of November. '3 His feast occurs, at the 25th of June.
'* See Molanus' " In Natalibus Sanctorum
"
Martyrologium Benedictinum. "
Belgii," at Martii 2.
"
In the first edition of his Anglican
March 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 97
government ; all these rendered him a most useful missionary. Willeic is stated, to have been appointed canon, in a convent of Utrecht. ^s Afterwards, he rendered great assistance to St. Suitbert, as we have already seen, and by the latter he was appointed a sub-prior over the monastery of Werda, where he gave great edification to the monks, while his labours equally profited the pagans around him. He was held in great reverence by Queen Plectrude ; and, at her request, it is stated, while he was in Cologne, the Governor of
this city, Gotebald, labouring under a grievous infirmity, was healed by our saint. ^^ Having entered the house, and offering the Holy Sacrifice of Mass,
Willeic prostrated himself in' prayer, and with tears, he earnestly besought ourLordJesusChrist,onbehalfofthesickman. Thenplacinghishandon
the head of Gotebald, and thrice blessing him, the long-enduring malady left the patient. Then rising from bed, and putting on his garments, Gotebald ordered a grand banquet to be prepared for his guest, who was treated with distinguished honour. Gotebald gave thanks to God for the great favour accorded him, and after it, he lived for many years. On the death of St. Suitbert, the holy Willeic succeeded him as abbot over Kaiserwerth monas-
tery, and he governed it for ten years. His death occurred, a. d. 727, accord- ing to Molanus : the BoUandists have a. d. 728. ^7 Besides these writers, Usuard and his continuator, Herman Greuen, Petrus Canisius, Constantinus Ghinnius, Trithemius, Arnold Wion, Hugh Menard, Benedict Dorgan, Gabriel Bucelin, the Manuscript Florarius, Franciscus Haraeus, and the Calendarists, generally, assign his Natalis, to the 2nd of March. ^^ The remains of St. Willeic were deposed in the same tomb, with those of St. Suit- bert. In the year 1403, the head of St. Willeic was solemnly translated to
Dusseldorp, while Archbishop Frederick Sarwerdan ruled over the see of
Cologne. '^ Intheyear1626,byFerdinandBanar,ArchbishopofCologne, the tomb of St. Suitbert was inspected, and found divided in the middle ; one part containing his remains, and the other those of St. Willeic, both enclosed in red cambric. From a leaden plate, it was discovered, that both relics were laid in this shrine, a. d. 1264, during the Pontificate of Pope Urban IV. ^° Minor portions of the relics of both saints are said, also, to have been kept, in the chapel of St. Margaret, at Cologne. ^' At the tomb of St. Willeic, frequent miracles were wrought, long after his death, and these afforded suffi- cient confirmation of extraordinary sanctity during his life.
Article XI. —St. Finnian. Finnian, is set down thus simply in the
Martyrologies of Tallagh' and of Donegal,^ on this day. Colgan thinks, he may be identical with a St. Finian,3 who is noticed in the Life of St. Berach,4
'5 Molanus calls him " Canonicus Con-
ventusNouellseTrajectensisEcclesise. " This statement, however, is doubted by the Bol- landists.
'*
Yet, the BoUandists call in question this statement, on account of certain contra- dictions they detect in it.
^' This statement is to be found, in ^gi-
dius Gelenius Episcopus Aureliopitanus, "In Fastis Coloniensibus," at the 2nd of
March, while asserting the chief portions are kept at Kaiserwerth and Dusseldorp. See
ibid. , sect, ii. , nu—m. 12, 13, 14, p. 150. Article xi. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xvii.
^Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
60, 61.
3 in the "Trias Thaumaturga," Colgan
enters among the disciples of St. Columkille, a St. Finan or Fenninus of Mag-cosgain, in the diocese of Derry, who he says may have been reverenced on the 2nd day of March, See Quarta Appendix ad Acta S, Columbse, cap. x. , num. 61, p, 490.
' Only in a note, however, as this name is omitted from the body of the text. See
g
^^
This, as they observe, agrees with the
"Annales Francorum," written by a con-
temporary.
'*
See the BoUandists' "Acta Sancto-
rum,"tomusi. , Martiiii,
Presbytero, &c. , sect, i. , num. 2, p. 148,
'' He is said to have been elected A,D.
I370> a»d to have administered its ecciesias-
tical affairs for forty-four jears.
°°
Such is an account, given by Joannes Gelenius, a Vicar-General ol the Archdio-
-
cese of < "oiogiie.
Vol. HI. —No. 2.
De S. Willeico
98 LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
Abbot and Patron of Kilbarry js but, on this he gives no decided opinion. The Bollandists^ record this feast, likewise, but with that uncertainty, war- ranted by the obsciurity of our records, in reference to him.
Article vi.
'See "Acta Sanctorum
Hibemise," Martii ii. De S. Lugadio Abbate de Cluain-Finchuil sive Cluain-
Fiacul. Ex variis, pp. 452, 453.
3 See " Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta
-'See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii,, p. 266.
'See "Acta
Martii ii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 125.
ad Acta S.
'3 Colgan could not find any Irish place so called,
'• This he states was near Armagh.
'5 The ancient church stood in the town- land of Tullydowey, in a curve of the River Blackwater, on the Tyrone or north side, See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps of the County of Tyrone," Sheet 62. Various references are made to it in old mediaeval records, as Cluain-fiacail, Clonfecyna, Cluain-Fiachna, &c. See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (t), p. 749.
Appendix
483, and cap. x. , p. 491.
Sanctorum,"
tomus
* Venerated, on the 2ist of October.
s Possibly venerated, on the 9th of Ja- nuary.
* Venerated, on the 13th of March.
7 See " Trias Thaumaturga," Sexta Vita S. Patricii, n. 104, p, 113.
* Called of Kilrush, or of Cloncraff. 9 See vol. i. , art. ii. , n, 13.
Columbae, cap. iii. , p.
'°
rum," tomus i. termited saints, p. 125.
See the Bollandists' "Acta Sancto-
Martii ii. Among the pre-
;
'^ See his at the of
i. , Life, 9th June.
94 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
Lugadiushadbeenelevatedtothedignityofabbot; for,ourCalendarsonly
record his having been a priest. ^? We find a similar entry, in the Martyr-
ology of Tallagh,^^ at the 2nd of March, regarding him. Marianus O'Gor-
man, Cathal Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal'9 register, on this day, a Lughaidh, Priest. As the other saints, bearing his name in our Calendars,
are distinguished, by family or place, Colgan thinks it right to assign this festival for St. Lugadius of Cluain-Finchuil.
ArticleVII. —St. Slebhene,orSlebhine,AbbotofIona. {Eighth Century. '] At this date, likewise, the Irish Church seems to have venerated another abbot of Iona. When or where he was born does not appear to have transpired ; yet, we have sufficient proof, that he was of a well-known Irish
race. ^ The Martyrology of Donegal^ this day registers, Slebhene, son of Conghal. HisfatherwasDubhduin,sontoSlebhine,sonofSeghine,sonto Ronan or Cronan, son of Loam, who was the son of Fergus Cennfada or Duach, and of his wife, Erca, the daughter of Loam Mor. Thus was he in a right line descended from the race of Conall Gulban, son to Niall^ the Great. The holy man Slebhine seems to have lived under the discipline of Cilline Droicteach, who died abbot of Iona,* on the 3rd of July, a. d. 752. s
The virtues and merits of Slebhine, no doubt, singled him out, among his
brother monks, as worthy of succession.
He was the fifteenth ab—bot of la,
and soon after h—
son of
his own brother took place in Hy. During the period of Slebhine's incum-
bency, the Columbian influence in Ireland seems to have been at its height, as may be concluded from the mention of the Lex Coluimcille having been enforced by Domhnall, King of Ireland, in a. d. 753, and also by Sleibene himself, a. d. 757. In the year 754, the Abbot of Iona visited Ireland ; and, in the year 758, he returned thither. After the death of Fedhlimidh or Failbe, who discharged the duties of assistant abbot of Hy, Sleibne passed to the rewards of the just, a. d. 754, according to the Annals of Inisfallen. ^ Those of the Four Masters,^ however, place his demise, at a. d. 762 ; while the Annals of Ulster have the year 766,^ and again, the Rev. William Reeves states, that he died, on the 2nd of March, a. d. 767, after an incum- bency of fifteen years, over the celebrated monastery of Iona. 9
'* St. Columba is generally thought to have died about A. D. 597.
'7 See Colgan's
"
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
* For a description of some very interest- ing crosses, at Iona, the reader may consult that magnificently illustrated work of the late lamented Dr. the "
niae,"
Martii ii.
De S. Abbate de Lugadio
John Stuart,
tured Stones of Scotland," vol. ii. , pp. 25 to
is the death of accession,
Cillen,
Congaile probably
Cluain-Finchuil sive Cluain-Fiacul, nn. 8,
9, 10, p. 453.
'8
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xvii.
'9 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
27. The plates are numbered xl. , xli. , XLii. , XLiii. , XLiv. , XLV. , XLVi. , XLVii. The Irish style of embossing, interlacing
6c, 61. — and sculpture, prevails in their decoration.
nell,
vol. Edition, i. , pp.
Scriptores," tomus iv.
'See his Adamnan's "Life of St. Co-
lumba," Additional Notes (O), pp. 385, 386.
*s
Article vil. See the Genealogical Table of the early abbots of Hy, showing their affinity to one another, and their con- nexion with the chief families of Tircon-
See his Life, at the 3rd of July, *""
in Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"> See O'Donovan's
" Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
60, 61.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. "
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbre,
cap. iii. , p. 482. See also Slevinus, p. 502. Ibid.
364, 365.
^See- "Annales
" lor. p.
(N), p. 342.
Ultonienses,
'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemicarum
See Annales Inisfalenses, p. 22. Dr. O'Conor's "Rerum Hibemicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii.
Sculp-
March 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 95
Article VIII. —St. Suibhne, Abbot of Iona.
The pedigree of this holy man is not recorded ; but, probably, he was born in Ireland, and of the Tirconnellian race. He seems to have discharged the duties of assistant abbot at Iona, during the lifetime of Slebhine,^ and in that
^ or
year, Suibhne succeeded to the full rule of the monastery, which only engaged his care for four years exactly, for he died, on the 2nd day of March, a. d.
772. 3
Article IX. —Dermit O'Mulrony, Martyr, at Gallbally, C—ounty
capacity
he visited Ireland, a. d.
765,
766.
On his
death,
the
succeeding
(O), p. 386. — Article ix. tomus i. , Martii ii.
the only pass into Tippei-ary, from the northern and eastern parts of Cork, and from the western parts of Limerick. See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ire- land," vol. i. , p. 637.
9 This sublime and rugged range has a
deserved celebrity in prose and verse des-
cription. In Joseph Brennan's ballad, "An Ex—ile's Dreams," allusion to it thus
'
See "Acta Sanctorum," Among the pretermitted
— The Bollandists note a festival taken [Sixteenth Century. '\
OF Tipperary.
from the Franciscan Martyrology of Dermitius Mulronius, at the 2nd of
man are to be found in Father
Mooney's Manuscript,^ in Rothe,3 in Wadding,* and in the valuable work
more recently published, by Major Myles O'Reilly. s We know litde more
regarding him, than that he lived in the Franciscan Convent,^ in the town of Galbally,? in the Glen of Aharlow,^ at the foot of the Galty Mountains,? said
to have been in the county of Tipperary. '° This, however, is incorrect, for the place is within the county of Limerick. It was a rural town, in the diocese of
Emly. About the year 1570, while the Viceroy, Sir Henry Sydney," was making an excursion in that part of Ireland, a Franciscan priest, called Dermod O'Mulroney, and two companions, fled from that place, to the town of Clonmel, in order to escape the persecution, which was then vehement. '* When these had remained there for some time, thinl. ing all was safe, they returned to their former house ; but, on a certain da v, the English soldiers suddenly came, and surrounded the place, so that there was no way for those brethren to escape. All three mounted into the bell-tower of the church to
March. ^ The best accounts of this
holy
'
Article viii. — See his Acts, for this
day, in the previous article.
=" See Dr. O'Conor's *' Rerum Hibemica-
rum Scriptores," tomus iv. Annales Ulto-
nienses, p. loi.
3 See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
"Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
county of Limerick. See it described on the
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Limericl<," Sheets 41, 49, 50, 57,
58. The town itself is noted on Sheet 49.
Ibid.
saints," p. 125.
' Now preserved in the Burgundian Li-
brary, Bruxelles, and classed No. 3195. " De Provincia Hibernias Ordinis Sancti Francisci, Tractatus a Rev. Donato Money," A. D. 1627.
occurs
" I will go where the Galtees
Are rising bare and high,
With their haggard foreheads fronting
The scowl of clouded sky. "
See Duncathail's "Ballads, Popular Poetry and Household Songs of Ireland," p. 106.
" See Harris' vol. " The Anti- Ware, ii. ,
quities of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 280. '' See an account of him in " Memoirs of the Lives and Actions of the Sydneys. "
Also Moore's " History of Ireland," vol. iv. , chap, xlviii. , xlix. , 1. , pp. 14 to 87.
'^ He had good reason to seek a place of
retreat, from one, whose prejudices against the native clergy, caused him to write to
3 See " Analecta Mira et Nova," part ii.
* See "Scriptores Ordinis Minorum," "
and AnnalesOrdinisMinorum. "
s See "Memorials of those who suffered for the Catholic Faith in Ireland, in the l6th, 17th and i8th Centuries," pp. 18, 19.
London, 1868, 8vo.
^
Excepting the walls, this convent had
been when Father wrote. destroyed, Mooney
In 1204, it is said, Donagh Cairbre O'Brien,
founded here the Abbey for Franciscan or
Grey Friars, which, on the 20th of January,
in the 35th year of King Henry VIII. 's
reign, with its appurtenances, was granted,
in capitt, to John of Desmond. See Arch-
"
' It is a parish, in the barony of Coshlea,
dall's
Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 420.
®
This picLuresque and romantic glen is
:
[Eighth Century? ^
96 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
hide, and then they drew up a portable ladder, which was there. The soldiers made a fire to burn the church and tower, and wishing to save both, Father Dermod, having let down the ladder, and signing himself with a sign
" Have Nothing moved, the ruffian soldiers loaded him with At length, they struck ofif his head. But, a marvel was then seen ; for, no drop of blood flowed from his body. The soldiers seeing this, hacked his body to pieces, and still no blood flowed. The names of his two suffering companions have not been preserved, in the locality, where this
outrage happened.
Article X. —St. Villeic or Willeic, Priest, at Kaiserwerth, on THE Rhine. \Seventh and Eighth Ce/ittiries. '] The Acts of this holy missionary have been published, by Colgan,^ by the BoUandists," by Cap- grave,3 by Baronius,^ and by most of the ecclesiastical historians and biogra- phers. Molanus,s Mirseus,^ Hugh Menard,' Surius,^ Rosweyde, and the sixth volume of the " Acta Sanctorum Belgii Selecta "9 record the Acts of St. Willeic, Priest, at the 2nd of March. These are chiefly drawn from the account, contained in Venerable Bede's notices of St. Suitbert. '° Although it may be admitted, that Villeic or Willeic had been an Anglo-Saxon, by birth ; yet, it is supposed, he was educated in Ireland, and that thence he accompanied St. Switbert" and other companions to preach the Gospel to those pagans, then living near the Lower Rhine. Whether or not, the present holy man belonged to the twelve companions of St. Egbert, who, under the guidance of St. Willibrord" and St. Suitbert, set out from Ireland together, is a question for enquiry, in the opinion of Colgan. He adheres to such a view of the case, yet he deems it possible that St. Willeic and St. Adalbert'3 may have followed the earlier pioneers. According to received accounts, St. Willeic was a man of eminent piety and erudition. He was versed, in the Latin and German languages ; and, we may also venture to suppose, he had a knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon and Irish learning. Whether he became a priest,beforeorafterhisleavingIreland,doesnotappear; but,wearetold, he was distinguished for his eloquence, and power, in preaching. '^ By St Suitbert, he was sufficiently instructed in the Sacred Scriptures, so that he was enabled to glean an abundant harvest of souls from idolatry, to embrace the Christian religion. With a pure heart and singleness of purpose, from his youth, St. Willeic imitated the virtues of his master, St. Suitbert. His chastity, love of prayer and meditation ; his meekness and humility ; his care of the sick and poor ; his zeal for souls and his wisdom in the cares of
of the
on me, O Lord. " '3 blows and wounds.
descended. He also the repeated
psalm,
mercy
cross, freely
Queen Elizabeth, about "/m^i? preists, or rather Irishe roges, havinge verye little Lattin, lesse learninge or cyvilitie. " See
"See "De Probatis Sanctorum His-
toriis," tomus ii. , Martius i. De S. Swiberto
Episcopo, cap. 26, p. 24.
Leland's of "History
» His Acts are here
by John BoUandus, in two sections. See tomus vi. , pp. 640 to 645.
Ireland," book iv. , chap, iii. , n. , p. 321.
vol.
ii. ,
in a
given commentary
'3 Psalms 1. , 3.
Article x. —'See Hibemiae," Martii ii. fess. , pp. 447, 448.
"Acta Sanctorum De S. Villeico Con-
" See his Life, already published, at the 1st of this month,
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. ,
' " In Fastis Belgicis et Burgundicis. "
7 In
Martyrology, printed A. D. 1608, John Wil- son states, that he took departure with St. Suibert from England ; but, in the second edition, printed 1640, he has omitted some of his statements, regarding St. Willeic.
De S. Willeico Presbytero Dis-
Martii ii.
cipulo S. Suiberti Ep. Csesaris-Werdse ad Rhenum. , sects, i. , ii. , pp. 148 to 150.
3 In " Nova Legenda Anglise," &c. * See " Annales Ecclesiastici," &c. 5 In " Natalibus Sanctorum Belgii. "
" See his Life, at the 7th of November. '3 His feast occurs, at the 25th of June.
'* See Molanus' " In Natalibus Sanctorum
"
Martyrologium Benedictinum. "
Belgii," at Martii 2.
"
In the first edition of his Anglican
March 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 97
government ; all these rendered him a most useful missionary. Willeic is stated, to have been appointed canon, in a convent of Utrecht. ^s Afterwards, he rendered great assistance to St. Suitbert, as we have already seen, and by the latter he was appointed a sub-prior over the monastery of Werda, where he gave great edification to the monks, while his labours equally profited the pagans around him. He was held in great reverence by Queen Plectrude ; and, at her request, it is stated, while he was in Cologne, the Governor of
this city, Gotebald, labouring under a grievous infirmity, was healed by our saint. ^^ Having entered the house, and offering the Holy Sacrifice of Mass,
Willeic prostrated himself in' prayer, and with tears, he earnestly besought ourLordJesusChrist,onbehalfofthesickman. Thenplacinghishandon
the head of Gotebald, and thrice blessing him, the long-enduring malady left the patient. Then rising from bed, and putting on his garments, Gotebald ordered a grand banquet to be prepared for his guest, who was treated with distinguished honour. Gotebald gave thanks to God for the great favour accorded him, and after it, he lived for many years. On the death of St. Suitbert, the holy Willeic succeeded him as abbot over Kaiserwerth monas-
tery, and he governed it for ten years. His death occurred, a. d. 727, accord- ing to Molanus : the BoUandists have a. d. 728. ^7 Besides these writers, Usuard and his continuator, Herman Greuen, Petrus Canisius, Constantinus Ghinnius, Trithemius, Arnold Wion, Hugh Menard, Benedict Dorgan, Gabriel Bucelin, the Manuscript Florarius, Franciscus Haraeus, and the Calendarists, generally, assign his Natalis, to the 2nd of March. ^^ The remains of St. Willeic were deposed in the same tomb, with those of St. Suit- bert. In the year 1403, the head of St. Willeic was solemnly translated to
Dusseldorp, while Archbishop Frederick Sarwerdan ruled over the see of
Cologne. '^ Intheyear1626,byFerdinandBanar,ArchbishopofCologne, the tomb of St. Suitbert was inspected, and found divided in the middle ; one part containing his remains, and the other those of St. Willeic, both enclosed in red cambric. From a leaden plate, it was discovered, that both relics were laid in this shrine, a. d. 1264, during the Pontificate of Pope Urban IV. ^° Minor portions of the relics of both saints are said, also, to have been kept, in the chapel of St. Margaret, at Cologne. ^' At the tomb of St. Willeic, frequent miracles were wrought, long after his death, and these afforded suffi- cient confirmation of extraordinary sanctity during his life.
Article XI. —St. Finnian. Finnian, is set down thus simply in the
Martyrologies of Tallagh' and of Donegal,^ on this day. Colgan thinks, he may be identical with a St. Finian,3 who is noticed in the Life of St. Berach,4
'5 Molanus calls him " Canonicus Con-
ventusNouellseTrajectensisEcclesise. " This statement, however, is doubted by the Bol- landists.
'*
Yet, the BoUandists call in question this statement, on account of certain contra- dictions they detect in it.
^' This statement is to be found, in ^gi-
dius Gelenius Episcopus Aureliopitanus, "In Fastis Coloniensibus," at the 2nd of
March, while asserting the chief portions are kept at Kaiserwerth and Dusseldorp. See
ibid. , sect, ii. , nu—m. 12, 13, 14, p. 150. Article xi. 'Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xvii.
^Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
60, 61.
3 in the "Trias Thaumaturga," Colgan
enters among the disciples of St. Columkille, a St. Finan or Fenninus of Mag-cosgain, in the diocese of Derry, who he says may have been reverenced on the 2nd day of March, See Quarta Appendix ad Acta S, Columbse, cap. x. , num. 61, p, 490.
' Only in a note, however, as this name is omitted from the body of the text. See
g
^^
This, as they observe, agrees with the
"Annales Francorum," written by a con-
temporary.
'*
See the BoUandists' "Acta Sancto-
rum,"tomusi. , Martiiii,
Presbytero, &c. , sect, i. , num. 2, p. 148,
'' He is said to have been elected A,D.
I370> a»d to have administered its ecciesias-
tical affairs for forty-four jears.
°°
Such is an account, given by Joannes Gelenius, a Vicar-General ol the Archdio-
-
cese of < "oiogiie.
Vol. HI. —No. 2.
De S. Willeico
98 LIVES OE THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 2.
Abbot and Patron of Kilbarry js but, on this he gives no decided opinion. The Bollandists^ record this feast, likewise, but with that uncertainty, war- ranted by the obsciurity of our records, in reference to him.
