Columba felt a great reverence for the saints, and
especially
for
St.
St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
Columba," Additional Notes
'6l
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. c, p.
405, and n. 83, p. 451.
l6a
See ibid. , cap. cxi. , p. 407.
l63 The Irish equivalent is Uirge-cAom,
said to have been the burial-place of Eoghan, son of Niall. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum tomus
350 LIVES OF THE IRISH SA1N1S. [June 9.
At Eskaheen,l63 in the parish ofMuff, north-north-east ofthe city of Derry, are the ruins of an old church, near the Catholic chapel. This is said to have been one of the places dedicated to St. Columkille. 10* Once a man, named Sensenach, as St. Comgall relates,'65 led a wicked life, but having been a companion of St. Columba, on a certain occasion, he humbly accepted the office of carrying his sacred books. For this courteous and obliging disposi- tion, he was fully rewarded ; for, not only did his worldly wealth increase from that day forward, but he conceived a hearty sorrow for his sins. Of his
own accord, too, he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, and thither he brought
great pain
in
and —of consequence, despaired any
human
of travel and of
he 166 defrayed.
whose
The parish of Desertoghill, in the barony of Coleraine, and county of London-
fifty poor pilgrims,
charges
living
16? At one on the eastern time, being
had St. Columba for its
side of Lough Foyle, he met a person in whose foot a thorn had been deeply
derry,
buried. He felt
patron.
a former fountain was near others Columb then produced it at least he blessed it, and that afflicted person he
to — remedy. According some,
say
St.
"
bishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation
of Derry, A. D. , mcccxcvii," p. 80, and n. (x).
163 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba, lib. i. , cap. cxii. , pp. 407, 408.
169 It was so called in memory of St.
Acts of Arch-
On obeying his injunction, the thorn fell out
wished to be immersed in it. fromthefootaffected,andthepainwasremoved. Itwasbelieved,thatany- one, similarly circumstanced, should be relieved, by bathing thus in that foun-
tain. 168 Fathen-Mura,,69 formerly a noble Monastery, and now a parish church in the diocese of Derry, and in the peninsula of Inishowen, is num-
1
bered among the foundations of Columba. ? Cluain-Loadh, or Clonleigh,
formerly a Monastery and now a parochial church in the diocese of Derry in 11
Tyrconnell, had for its patron St. Lughaidh or St. Lugadius, ? the disciple and colleague of St. Columba in the conversion of the Picts. At a certain
time, St. Columba and St. Comgall were in the territory of Kiermacht, near
some pleasant hills and declivities, when they were secretly engaged in reciting the canonical hours. Water was brought from an adjoining well to wash their
:
hands. Looking intently at it, Columba said to Comgall " A time will come,
when it shall be deemed a horrible thing to wash one's hands in or to drink the water of this well. " St. Comgall asked why this should be so, and he was told, that a battle should there be fought between their respective clans, and that the dead body of one should fall within the well, while most of the other slain must fall near it, so that the water should be filled with blood, and thenceforth men ought to loathe its use. Columba added, that Donald, son to Aedh, son of Ainmrech, should lead his people, and there become victor.
G, p. 285. '7° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," l6s This saint's feast occurs, at the 10th of Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse,
May ; and, it would seem from this nana- cap. ii. , p. 495.
tive, he was one among the writers of St. Columba's Acts. He died, a. d. 600.
166 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba-, lib. i. , cap. xciv. ,
p. 404, and n. 79, p. 451. 167 See Rev. Dr. Reeves'
I? I His feast occurs, at the 24th of March, where notices of him and of his place may be found, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. v.
,72 This seems to have been the saint men- tioned by Adamnan, in his Life of St. Co- lumba, Book i. , chap. 49. Vet, there, it is said, he led an eremitical life at Durrow in Meath, and not at Magcosgain.
I? 3 This was in the diocese of Derry, in Ulster. While St. Finan, as he is called by Adamnan, might have been at Durrow, he could also have led an eremitical life in suc-
cession at Magh-Cosgain. Perhaps, he was founder of this church. See Acts of Arch- the St. Finnanus, venerated at the 2nd of
Mura, who is reputed to have been the real "
bishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation
of Derry, A. n. , mcccxcvii. ," &c, edited by Rev. William Reeves, n. (s), p. 66.
March, or at 29th December, says Colgan,
in "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbce, n. 80, p. 451.
June 9. ]
LIVES 01 THE IRISH SAINTS. 351
1? 2 whowasahermitattachedto
relates, that he was present at the future battle, and saw with his own eyes the dead body of a man in the well, which was filled with blood. Again, he stated, that there were some holy men and aged monks, who inhabited the
St.
church of I 74 who related their Camas-Comgaill,
Magh-Cosgain Monastery,^
Finnen,
moreover, they were present when St. Columba had predicted such a thing to
St. 1 " or 6 a in Kiennacht ter- Comgall. Boith-medhbha, Bovevagh,'7 monastery
ritory, diocese and county of Derry, is held to have been one of his erections. 1 " St. Aidan, nephew of St. Columba, and son of his sister Sinecha, was set over it, and he was reverenced there. To St. Columba is ascribed, likewise, a monas- tery in Ciennacht, known asTamlacht-Fionlugain, now a parish church in the Diocese of Derry ; and over it presided St. Finlugh or St. Finnlugan, 178 his dis- ciple, as Abbot. He is also its patron. Again, Desert or Disert Hi Thua- chuill in Oireacht Hi Chathan, in the same Diocese ; Dunboe formerly a Monastery, and now a parish church in the same Diocese ; besides Aregal, where there was a Monastery, and now it has become a parish church, in the
1 same territory and diocese. ?
In addition to the churches and religious houses already enumerated,
as of St. Columba's foundation in Ireland, it is probability, that Inis Muredaich lSl
supposed,
l83 in
Erne, may be regarded as having been under his direction, while a complete
list of all his erections cannot now be pious
Tegh-Ernain
Meath, Derrybrusk
Airiodh-molt,
l8s near
Lough
compiled.
that the saint possessed a certain black and milk-giving heifer, which was
stolen from him by thieves. However, the legend states, that the cow im- pressed tracks in the rocky ground over which she travelled, and the saint
"M It obtained this name, because St. Com-
gaill was the patron saint, and perhaps the founder. In the ancient Abbey of Cambos or Camus, nothing now remains but the ceme- tery and the shaft of a sculptured cross. This had been removed from its socket and it lay neglected, until it was used for a barbarous purpose, by being converted into a gate-post, in which position it was to be seen on the right as you enter the churchyard. See " Acts of Archishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of mcccxcvii," &c, edited by Rev. William Reeves, n. (j), p. 83.
panied with profuse illustrations of antiqui- ties, describing 1 11 ismurray, an Island off the coast of Sligo, by William F. Wakeman, in the "Journal of the Royal Historical and Archceological Association of Ireland," Fourth Series, vol. vii. , No. 64, October, 1885, pp. 175 to 332.
lB*
Near Lough Owel, in the county of Westmeath.
l8i Now Tifarnan or Tyfarnham, in the county of Westmeath.
l8* This in the of parish, partly barony
Magherastephana and partly in the barony of Tirkennedy, is shown, on the "Ordnance
175 See "Trias Colgan's
Townland
Maps
for the of County
p. 404.
176 A parish, in the barony of Keenaght.
It is described on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of London-
derry," sheets 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 30. The towr. land proper is on sheets 16, 24.
177 SeeCoigan's"TriasThaumaturga,"
cap. ii. , p. 495.
178 His feast occurs, at the 3rd of January,
where a notice of him and of his church will be found, in vol. i. of this work, Art. ii.
Sperin Mountains, on the boundary of the county of Tyrone, and there it flows north-
westward through the County Londonderry, and not far from the city of that name, when it runs parallel with the Foyle River to the head of Longh Foyle, where it enters the sea.
Derry, A. D. ,
Survey
Fermanagh," sheets 16, 17, 22, 23, 27. The townland proper is on sheet 27.
l8s Here Diochuill, son of Maoldubh, was venerated, on the 28th of February.
l86 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. ii. , p. 495.
l8? ThiswastheIrishnameofthepresent Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, Faughan River, which rises among the
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xcv. ,
179 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, Several picturesque and charming views
cap. ii. , p. 495.
181
alternate along its course. See a fine de-
in the " Gazet- Parliamentary
180 Father £y
of
teer of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 197.
John Colgan.
There is an admirable paper, accom-
scription
it,
witnessing
this and tragedy,
180 and with some in Connaught, Port Domain l8z and
,8* and
186 A is told, story
352
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
was thus able to trace her into a wood, near the river Fochaoin, l8 7 where she had been left tied to a tree. There, a well burst forth, and in after time it was called Tobar na Duibhe, " the well of the black one. " 188 From the time of St. Patrick, to that of St. Columba, three possessions of the former had
lay hidden.
Columba felt a great reverence for the saints, and especially for
St. Patrick ; hence, with great joy, he ordered the ground to be dug up, when he found the buried treasures. With the Angel's advice, he sent the Bell to
Armagh, he sent the Phial to Down, or Dun-da-'leathglas, and the Book of Gospels was in his own keeping. He received this latter from the Angel's
his Book of
and his Bell. 1 ? 1 An Angel of the Lord showed our saint the place where those
been hidden under the earth thes^ ;
were,
Gospels,
hands,sothatinaftertimes,it wentbythenameoftheAngel's
CHAPTER VII.
Gospel.
1? 2
RESOLUTION OF ST. COLUMBA TO SPREAD THE FAITH IN SCOTLAND—ALLEGED CAUSES LEADING TO THE BATTLE OF CUL-DREIMHE—ITS RESULTS SAID TO HAVE CAUSED THE DEPARTURE OF ST. COLUMBA FROM IRELAND—ACCOUNT OF THE PICTS AND SCOTS—IONA GRANTED TO ST. COLUMBA.
Besides the saint's exertions for establishing religious communities and
churches, several other circumstances are related, as forming part of his history.
For a long time, Columba had been revolving in mind the condition of a people
in the territories of Alban,1 and he now desired to effect to a adjoining give
great project he had in view, to extend the kingdom of Christ among them.
As Ireland hastened to share the treasure of Divine Faith with other nations,
and as in return she has preserved it still ; so her Dove of the Churches
hungered to share with all other men, that joy and happiness, which he
zealously possessed, and yet would not selfishly monopolize. St. Columba
heard the summons of God, who called upon him to do the work of an
Apostle. He deemed it just to obey. With the spirit of an Apostle, there- fore, he resolved to abandon all that was most near and dear to him. Like a
true missioner, his great object was to save souls, and to revive a religious
spirit, where it had languished. A high and holy ambition possessed him, like- wise, to lead wild and savage mountaineers into the fold of Christ, and to
bend down under the yoke of the Gospel their haughty spirits. He hoped,
188 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. i. , cap, cxiii. ,
p. 408.
189 Whether this was the Domhnach Air-
gid, now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca- demy, or not, it is difficult to say; but re-
garding this interesting and venerable Codex,
with its ornamental and precious cover, Dr.
George Petrie has written a valuable Paper,
published in "Transactions of the Royal
Irish Academy," vol. xviii. Antiquities, plenda ad peregrinationis videlicet proposi- Art. ii. . pp. 14 to 24. dm, et ad convertendos ad fidem Pictos op-
190 This object of former veneration now portunum tempus adesse videret, patriam
seems to be lost.
191 The Bell of St. Patrick, belonging to
the Royal Irish Academy, and presented by Rev. Dr. Todd, is now one of the most in-
teresting objects of antiquity in its Museum. Another Bell, thought to have been once in
suam reliquit, et ad insulam Ionam, quae in Septentrionali Oceano inter Hiberniam et
Bri—tanniam sitaest. prosperonavigavitcursu," &c. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Columbse, cap. vi. . . p. 326.
possession of St. Patrick, was in Dr. George
Petrie's collection of antiquities. See Eugene "
O'Curry's Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect.
xv. , p. 337.
192 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. cxiv. ,
p. 408. —* " Chapter vii.
Postquam vir sanctus ad ea, quae quondam mente proposuerat, im-
See Rev. P. J. Carew's
"
Ecclesiastical
l89 his '9° Phial,
Tune 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 353 also, to introduce religious institutions into those regions, and such as he had
2
established in his native country.
Nearly all ancient writers—especially those of highest authority—agree, that missionary zeal was the chief motive for St. Columba's expedition, to spread the Faith in Scotland. Thus, Adamnan,3 Venerable Bede,4 and the various writers of Acts, relating to other Irish saints,* concur. The most
of modern writers also
mediator to obtain it wherever broils seemed imminent, Columba's best efforts were exerted to promote harmony and concord, both in his own and in his adopted country. To carry out his project, and to accomplish the great en-
judicious
resolved on, his zeal had — to contend terprise manydisadvantages
St. Columba's removal to S—
8
7 with; yet,
be called a
cotland
though
it could
hardly
agree,
changeofcountryinhisday hasproved,nevertheless,afruitfulsubjectfor
strange legendary speculation. 9 A story frequently repeated, regarding the
cause for his exile, may be regarded as a mere fable, inconsistent in itself, and destitute of historical evidence. 10 The occasion assigned for his leaving Ireland is largely mingled with fictitious circumstances. An improbable romance is relative to this
11 and it abounds in
unbecoming the conduct of holy men, and even the gravity of common his- tory. Moreover, it has served to obscure Columba's real character and
told,
subject,
statements, quite
6 that as a lover of and as a peace
12 We well that this narrative was the invention of may suspect,
dispositions.
later bards and romancists ; for, it is not to be found in the Acts of our saint, and which were earliest written. In an abridged shape, it has been intro- duced to our notice, by Archbishop Ussher,^ who acknowledges, however, that it is not in the edited Life by Adamnan, although he met with it in a Manuscript Life of St. Columba, 1 * by an anonymous writer. 1 * In our own times, Dr. John O'Donovan l6 has lent this story the weight of his authority, but without any valid argument to sustain his opinion. Likewise, the Rev. Dr. Reeves,17 and following him Le Comte de Montalembert,18 have attributed
History of Ireland," chap, vi. , pp. 187, 188.
pro Christo peregrinari volens enavigavit. "
Prefatio Secunda.
* He states " Venit de Hibernia
: presby-
ter et Abbas, hahitu et vita monachi, insig- nis nominis, nomine Columba, Britan- niam,praedicaturusverbumDe—iprovinciis septentrionalium Pictorum,&c. " "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv. , p. 16S, Ed. Camabrigiae, 1644.
s This is especially stated, in Vita S. FarannaniConfessoris, translated in Colgan's work from an Irish tract, ascribed by him to after a. d. 1200. There we read how St. Columba "zelo animarum flagrantem, ex Hibernia nativa suo solo, in Albionem trans- fretasse, ut incrcdulae Pictorum genti salu- tare Christi Evangelium prsedicaret, et erra- b—undam ad ejusdem aggregaret ouile," &c.
"Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xv. Feb-
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. i. to
3"
He writes —
ruarii, cap. iii. , p. 336,
and n.
land," vol. i. , chap, xii. , pp. 243, 244.
" The P'ifth Life of St. Columba, written
byPrinceO'Donnell,hasalengthenedac- count of this spurious narrative. See
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," lib. ii. , cap. i. to viii. , pp. 408 to 410.
I2 These are pleasingly set forth in Dalian Forgaill's "Amra Choluim Chilli," edited by O'Beirne Crowe, with the original Irish and an English literal Translation. Dublin, 1871, 8vo.
I3 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xv. , p. 563.
I4 See ibid. , cap. xvii. , pp. 467 to 469.
I5 This was obtained, by Ussher, from
Father Stephen White,
l5 See '"Annals of the Four Masters,"
:
x. , pp. 408 9
410. "
De Scotia Britanniam
to See Ussher's
1, p. 338. See Right Rev. Patrick F. Moran's
6 ""
IrishSaintsinGreat
vol. i. , pp. 192 to 195, nn. (r, s). I7SeeAdamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
lib. i. , cap. 7, n. (a), p. 31.
l8 See " Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. ,
liv. xi. , pp. 124 to 141.
»9 See " Annals of Clonmacnoise," at
Britain," chap, iii. ,
PP- 58, 59-
7 Rev. Robert King's "Primer of the
Church History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap.
ix. , pp. 78, 79.
8
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
A. D. 569.
rum Antiquitates,
"
cap. xv. , pp. 359 to 373.
Britannicarum
Ecclesia-
I0 See Thomas Moore's " of Ire- History
z
354 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
to St. Columba a combination directed against King Deirmait, and which culminated in war. This is quite inconsistent with the fact, that allegiance was due by our saint to the King of all Ireland, and who was worthy, moreover, of special honour. Besides, we have the account of Columba feeling greatly indignant, because Aedh, the murderer of King Deirmait, had been advanced to ecclesiastical orders, after the perpetration of such a crime. *9 Nay more, instead of promoting discord on the occasion alluded to, the great Christian hero laboured hard, but in vain, to effect peace between King Diermaid and his relatives. Finding his remonstrances to be disregarded by the latter, he even conceived a disgust at their conduct, and to mark his disapprobation, he resolved to leave them, and to quit his native country, with the purpose of never again returning to it. 20 This, of course, was only a secondary motive.
Notwithstanding its absurdities, as we have included many other undoubted legends in this biography, we shall proceed to relate the story. It is stated, that Columba happened to be on a visit with St. Finnian,21 Abbot of Magh- bile, at a place called Druimfionn,22 said to be identical with Dromin,23 in the present county of Louth. As the story runs, Columba then borrowed
from him a Manuscript, containing the Gospels of Holy Scripture. These he immediately set about transcribing, while Finnian's consent had not been previously obtained. 2* He laboured at this work, day and night, and in secret, so as to avoid the observation of others, who were living in that monas- tery. It is even stated, that five different jets of light proceeded from the four fingers and thumb of Columba's right hand, while he prosecuted the work of transcription each night. He had nearly finished this celebrated copy —still it is thought in part preserved—when sending a messenger for the original, and apprized of the proceeding, Finian was highly displeased at Columba'sconduct. 25 Hismessengersurprisedthelatter,bylookingthrough a crevice into the church where Columba was at work ; but, astonished at
20 Thus is the matter stated, about St.
Columba, in the Irish Life of St. Farannan,
translated into Latin: "Ad transmarinam
magh.
'6l
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. c, p.
405, and n. 83, p. 451.
l6a
See ibid. , cap. cxi. , p. 407.
l63 The Irish equivalent is Uirge-cAom,
said to have been the burial-place of Eoghan, son of Niall. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum tomus
350 LIVES OF THE IRISH SA1N1S. [June 9.
At Eskaheen,l63 in the parish ofMuff, north-north-east ofthe city of Derry, are the ruins of an old church, near the Catholic chapel. This is said to have been one of the places dedicated to St. Columkille. 10* Once a man, named Sensenach, as St. Comgall relates,'65 led a wicked life, but having been a companion of St. Columba, on a certain occasion, he humbly accepted the office of carrying his sacred books. For this courteous and obliging disposi- tion, he was fully rewarded ; for, not only did his worldly wealth increase from that day forward, but he conceived a hearty sorrow for his sins. Of his
own accord, too, he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome, and thither he brought
great pain
in
and —of consequence, despaired any
human
of travel and of
he 166 defrayed.
whose
The parish of Desertoghill, in the barony of Coleraine, and county of London-
fifty poor pilgrims,
charges
living
16? At one on the eastern time, being
had St. Columba for its
side of Lough Foyle, he met a person in whose foot a thorn had been deeply
derry,
buried. He felt
patron.
a former fountain was near others Columb then produced it at least he blessed it, and that afflicted person he
to — remedy. According some,
say
St.
"
bishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation
of Derry, A. D. , mcccxcvii," p. 80, and n. (x).
163 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba, lib. i. , cap. cxii. , pp. 407, 408.
169 It was so called in memory of St.
Acts of Arch-
On obeying his injunction, the thorn fell out
wished to be immersed in it. fromthefootaffected,andthepainwasremoved. Itwasbelieved,thatany- one, similarly circumstanced, should be relieved, by bathing thus in that foun-
tain. 168 Fathen-Mura,,69 formerly a noble Monastery, and now a parish church in the diocese of Derry, and in the peninsula of Inishowen, is num-
1
bered among the foundations of Columba. ? Cluain-Loadh, or Clonleigh,
formerly a Monastery and now a parochial church in the diocese of Derry in 11
Tyrconnell, had for its patron St. Lughaidh or St. Lugadius, ? the disciple and colleague of St. Columba in the conversion of the Picts. At a certain
time, St. Columba and St. Comgall were in the territory of Kiermacht, near
some pleasant hills and declivities, when they were secretly engaged in reciting the canonical hours. Water was brought from an adjoining well to wash their
:
hands. Looking intently at it, Columba said to Comgall " A time will come,
when it shall be deemed a horrible thing to wash one's hands in or to drink the water of this well. " St. Comgall asked why this should be so, and he was told, that a battle should there be fought between their respective clans, and that the dead body of one should fall within the well, while most of the other slain must fall near it, so that the water should be filled with blood, and thenceforth men ought to loathe its use. Columba added, that Donald, son to Aedh, son of Ainmrech, should lead his people, and there become victor.
G, p. 285. '7° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," l6s This saint's feast occurs, at the 10th of Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse,
May ; and, it would seem from this nana- cap. ii. , p. 495.
tive, he was one among the writers of St. Columba's Acts. He died, a. d. 600.
166 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba-, lib. i. , cap. xciv. ,
p. 404, and n. 79, p. 451. 167 See Rev. Dr. Reeves'
I? I His feast occurs, at the 24th of March, where notices of him and of his place may be found, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. v.
,72 This seems to have been the saint men- tioned by Adamnan, in his Life of St. Co- lumba, Book i. , chap. 49. Vet, there, it is said, he led an eremitical life at Durrow in Meath, and not at Magcosgain.
I? 3 This was in the diocese of Derry, in Ulster. While St. Finan, as he is called by Adamnan, might have been at Durrow, he could also have led an eremitical life in suc-
cession at Magh-Cosgain. Perhaps, he was founder of this church. See Acts of Arch- the St. Finnanus, venerated at the 2nd of
Mura, who is reputed to have been the real "
bishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation
of Derry, A. n. , mcccxcvii. ," &c, edited by Rev. William Reeves, n. (s), p. 66.
March, or at 29th December, says Colgan,
in "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbce, n. 80, p. 451.
June 9. ]
LIVES 01 THE IRISH SAINTS. 351
1? 2 whowasahermitattachedto
relates, that he was present at the future battle, and saw with his own eyes the dead body of a man in the well, which was filled with blood. Again, he stated, that there were some holy men and aged monks, who inhabited the
St.
church of I 74 who related their Camas-Comgaill,
Magh-Cosgain Monastery,^
Finnen,
moreover, they were present when St. Columba had predicted such a thing to
St. 1 " or 6 a in Kiennacht ter- Comgall. Boith-medhbha, Bovevagh,'7 monastery
ritory, diocese and county of Derry, is held to have been one of his erections. 1 " St. Aidan, nephew of St. Columba, and son of his sister Sinecha, was set over it, and he was reverenced there. To St. Columba is ascribed, likewise, a monas- tery in Ciennacht, known asTamlacht-Fionlugain, now a parish church in the Diocese of Derry ; and over it presided St. Finlugh or St. Finnlugan, 178 his dis- ciple, as Abbot. He is also its patron. Again, Desert or Disert Hi Thua- chuill in Oireacht Hi Chathan, in the same Diocese ; Dunboe formerly a Monastery, and now a parish church in the same Diocese ; besides Aregal, where there was a Monastery, and now it has become a parish church, in the
1 same territory and diocese. ?
In addition to the churches and religious houses already enumerated,
as of St. Columba's foundation in Ireland, it is probability, that Inis Muredaich lSl
supposed,
l83 in
Erne, may be regarded as having been under his direction, while a complete
list of all his erections cannot now be pious
Tegh-Ernain
Meath, Derrybrusk
Airiodh-molt,
l8s near
Lough
compiled.
that the saint possessed a certain black and milk-giving heifer, which was
stolen from him by thieves. However, the legend states, that the cow im- pressed tracks in the rocky ground over which she travelled, and the saint
"M It obtained this name, because St. Com-
gaill was the patron saint, and perhaps the founder. In the ancient Abbey of Cambos or Camus, nothing now remains but the ceme- tery and the shaft of a sculptured cross. This had been removed from its socket and it lay neglected, until it was used for a barbarous purpose, by being converted into a gate-post, in which position it was to be seen on the right as you enter the churchyard. See " Acts of Archishop Colton in his Metropolitan Visitation of the Diocese of mcccxcvii," &c, edited by Rev. William Reeves, n. (j), p. 83.
panied with profuse illustrations of antiqui- ties, describing 1 11 ismurray, an Island off the coast of Sligo, by William F. Wakeman, in the "Journal of the Royal Historical and Archceological Association of Ireland," Fourth Series, vol. vii. , No. 64, October, 1885, pp. 175 to 332.
lB*
Near Lough Owel, in the county of Westmeath.
l8i Now Tifarnan or Tyfarnham, in the county of Westmeath.
l8* This in the of parish, partly barony
Magherastephana and partly in the barony of Tirkennedy, is shown, on the "Ordnance
175 See "Trias Colgan's
Townland
Maps
for the of County
p. 404.
176 A parish, in the barony of Keenaght.
It is described on the "Ordnance Survey
Townland Maps for the County of London-
derry," sheets 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 30. The towr. land proper is on sheets 16, 24.
177 SeeCoigan's"TriasThaumaturga,"
cap. ii. , p. 495.
178 His feast occurs, at the 3rd of January,
where a notice of him and of his church will be found, in vol. i. of this work, Art. ii.
Sperin Mountains, on the boundary of the county of Tyrone, and there it flows north-
westward through the County Londonderry, and not far from the city of that name, when it runs parallel with the Foyle River to the head of Longh Foyle, where it enters the sea.
Derry, A. D. ,
Survey
Fermanagh," sheets 16, 17, 22, 23, 27. The townland proper is on sheet 27.
l8s Here Diochuill, son of Maoldubh, was venerated, on the 28th of February.
l86 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. ii. , p. 495.
l8? ThiswastheIrishnameofthepresent Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, Faughan River, which rises among the
Thaumaturga. " Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xcv. ,
179 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, Several picturesque and charming views
cap. ii. , p. 495.
181
alternate along its course. See a fine de-
in the " Gazet- Parliamentary
180 Father £y
of
teer of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 197.
John Colgan.
There is an admirable paper, accom-
scription
it,
witnessing
this and tragedy,
180 and with some in Connaught, Port Domain l8z and
,8* and
186 A is told, story
352
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
was thus able to trace her into a wood, near the river Fochaoin, l8 7 where she had been left tied to a tree. There, a well burst forth, and in after time it was called Tobar na Duibhe, " the well of the black one. " 188 From the time of St. Patrick, to that of St. Columba, three possessions of the former had
lay hidden.
Columba felt a great reverence for the saints, and especially for
St. Patrick ; hence, with great joy, he ordered the ground to be dug up, when he found the buried treasures. With the Angel's advice, he sent the Bell to
Armagh, he sent the Phial to Down, or Dun-da-'leathglas, and the Book of Gospels was in his own keeping. He received this latter from the Angel's
his Book of
and his Bell. 1 ? 1 An Angel of the Lord showed our saint the place where those
been hidden under the earth thes^ ;
were,
Gospels,
hands,sothatinaftertimes,it wentbythenameoftheAngel's
CHAPTER VII.
Gospel.
1? 2
RESOLUTION OF ST. COLUMBA TO SPREAD THE FAITH IN SCOTLAND—ALLEGED CAUSES LEADING TO THE BATTLE OF CUL-DREIMHE—ITS RESULTS SAID TO HAVE CAUSED THE DEPARTURE OF ST. COLUMBA FROM IRELAND—ACCOUNT OF THE PICTS AND SCOTS—IONA GRANTED TO ST. COLUMBA.
Besides the saint's exertions for establishing religious communities and
churches, several other circumstances are related, as forming part of his history.
For a long time, Columba had been revolving in mind the condition of a people
in the territories of Alban,1 and he now desired to effect to a adjoining give
great project he had in view, to extend the kingdom of Christ among them.
As Ireland hastened to share the treasure of Divine Faith with other nations,
and as in return she has preserved it still ; so her Dove of the Churches
hungered to share with all other men, that joy and happiness, which he
zealously possessed, and yet would not selfishly monopolize. St. Columba
heard the summons of God, who called upon him to do the work of an
Apostle. He deemed it just to obey. With the spirit of an Apostle, there- fore, he resolved to abandon all that was most near and dear to him. Like a
true missioner, his great object was to save souls, and to revive a religious
spirit, where it had languished. A high and holy ambition possessed him, like- wise, to lead wild and savage mountaineers into the fold of Christ, and to
bend down under the yoke of the Gospel their haughty spirits. He hoped,
188 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. i. , cap, cxiii. ,
p. 408.
189 Whether this was the Domhnach Air-
gid, now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca- demy, or not, it is difficult to say; but re-
garding this interesting and venerable Codex,
with its ornamental and precious cover, Dr.
George Petrie has written a valuable Paper,
published in "Transactions of the Royal
Irish Academy," vol. xviii. Antiquities, plenda ad peregrinationis videlicet proposi- Art. ii. . pp. 14 to 24. dm, et ad convertendos ad fidem Pictos op-
190 This object of former veneration now portunum tempus adesse videret, patriam
seems to be lost.
191 The Bell of St. Patrick, belonging to
the Royal Irish Academy, and presented by Rev. Dr. Todd, is now one of the most in-
teresting objects of antiquity in its Museum. Another Bell, thought to have been once in
suam reliquit, et ad insulam Ionam, quae in Septentrionali Oceano inter Hiberniam et
Bri—tanniam sitaest. prosperonavigavitcursu," &c. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Secunda Vita S. Columbse, cap. vi. . . p. 326.
possession of St. Patrick, was in Dr. George
Petrie's collection of antiquities. See Eugene "
O'Curry's Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect.
xv. , p. 337.
192 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. cxiv. ,
p. 408. —* " Chapter vii.
Postquam vir sanctus ad ea, quae quondam mente proposuerat, im-
See Rev. P. J. Carew's
"
Ecclesiastical
l89 his '9° Phial,
Tune 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 353 also, to introduce religious institutions into those regions, and such as he had
2
established in his native country.
Nearly all ancient writers—especially those of highest authority—agree, that missionary zeal was the chief motive for St. Columba's expedition, to spread the Faith in Scotland. Thus, Adamnan,3 Venerable Bede,4 and the various writers of Acts, relating to other Irish saints,* concur. The most
of modern writers also
mediator to obtain it wherever broils seemed imminent, Columba's best efforts were exerted to promote harmony and concord, both in his own and in his adopted country. To carry out his project, and to accomplish the great en-
judicious
resolved on, his zeal had — to contend terprise manydisadvantages
St. Columba's removal to S—
8
7 with; yet,
be called a
cotland
though
it could
hardly
agree,
changeofcountryinhisday hasproved,nevertheless,afruitfulsubjectfor
strange legendary speculation. 9 A story frequently repeated, regarding the
cause for his exile, may be regarded as a mere fable, inconsistent in itself, and destitute of historical evidence. 10 The occasion assigned for his leaving Ireland is largely mingled with fictitious circumstances. An improbable romance is relative to this
11 and it abounds in
unbecoming the conduct of holy men, and even the gravity of common his- tory. Moreover, it has served to obscure Columba's real character and
told,
subject,
statements, quite
6 that as a lover of and as a peace
12 We well that this narrative was the invention of may suspect,
dispositions.
later bards and romancists ; for, it is not to be found in the Acts of our saint, and which were earliest written. In an abridged shape, it has been intro- duced to our notice, by Archbishop Ussher,^ who acknowledges, however, that it is not in the edited Life by Adamnan, although he met with it in a Manuscript Life of St. Columba, 1 * by an anonymous writer. 1 * In our own times, Dr. John O'Donovan l6 has lent this story the weight of his authority, but without any valid argument to sustain his opinion. Likewise, the Rev. Dr. Reeves,17 and following him Le Comte de Montalembert,18 have attributed
History of Ireland," chap, vi. , pp. 187, 188.
pro Christo peregrinari volens enavigavit. "
Prefatio Secunda.
* He states " Venit de Hibernia
: presby-
ter et Abbas, hahitu et vita monachi, insig- nis nominis, nomine Columba, Britan- niam,praedicaturusverbumDe—iprovinciis septentrionalium Pictorum,&c. " "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. iv. , p. 16S, Ed. Camabrigiae, 1644.
s This is especially stated, in Vita S. FarannaniConfessoris, translated in Colgan's work from an Irish tract, ascribed by him to after a. d. 1200. There we read how St. Columba "zelo animarum flagrantem, ex Hibernia nativa suo solo, in Albionem trans- fretasse, ut incrcdulae Pictorum genti salu- tare Christi Evangelium prsedicaret, et erra- b—undam ad ejusdem aggregaret ouile," &c.
"Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xv. Feb-
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. i. to
3"
He writes —
ruarii, cap. iii. , p. 336,
and n.
land," vol. i. , chap, xii. , pp. 243, 244.
" The P'ifth Life of St. Columba, written
byPrinceO'Donnell,hasalengthenedac- count of this spurious narrative. See
Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," lib. ii. , cap. i. to viii. , pp. 408 to 410.
I2 These are pleasingly set forth in Dalian Forgaill's "Amra Choluim Chilli," edited by O'Beirne Crowe, with the original Irish and an English literal Translation. Dublin, 1871, 8vo.
I3 See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xv. , p. 563.
I4 See ibid. , cap. xvii. , pp. 467 to 469.
I5 This was obtained, by Ussher, from
Father Stephen White,
l5 See '"Annals of the Four Masters,"
:
x. , pp. 408 9
410. "
De Scotia Britanniam
to See Ussher's
1, p. 338. See Right Rev. Patrick F. Moran's
6 ""
IrishSaintsinGreat
vol. i. , pp. 192 to 195, nn. (r, s). I7SeeAdamnan's LifeofSt. Columba,"
lib. i. , cap. 7, n. (a), p. 31.
l8 See " Les Moines d'Occident," tome iii. ,
liv. xi. , pp. 124 to 141.
»9 See " Annals of Clonmacnoise," at
Britain," chap, iii. ,
PP- 58, 59-
7 Rev. Robert King's "Primer of the
Church History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap.
ix. , pp. 78, 79.
8
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
A. D. 569.
rum Antiquitates,
"
cap. xv. , pp. 359 to 373.
Britannicarum
Ecclesia-
I0 See Thomas Moore's " of Ire- History
z
354 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
to St. Columba a combination directed against King Deirmait, and which culminated in war. This is quite inconsistent with the fact, that allegiance was due by our saint to the King of all Ireland, and who was worthy, moreover, of special honour. Besides, we have the account of Columba feeling greatly indignant, because Aedh, the murderer of King Deirmait, had been advanced to ecclesiastical orders, after the perpetration of such a crime. *9 Nay more, instead of promoting discord on the occasion alluded to, the great Christian hero laboured hard, but in vain, to effect peace between King Diermaid and his relatives. Finding his remonstrances to be disregarded by the latter, he even conceived a disgust at their conduct, and to mark his disapprobation, he resolved to leave them, and to quit his native country, with the purpose of never again returning to it. 20 This, of course, was only a secondary motive.
Notwithstanding its absurdities, as we have included many other undoubted legends in this biography, we shall proceed to relate the story. It is stated, that Columba happened to be on a visit with St. Finnian,21 Abbot of Magh- bile, at a place called Druimfionn,22 said to be identical with Dromin,23 in the present county of Louth. As the story runs, Columba then borrowed
from him a Manuscript, containing the Gospels of Holy Scripture. These he immediately set about transcribing, while Finnian's consent had not been previously obtained. 2* He laboured at this work, day and night, and in secret, so as to avoid the observation of others, who were living in that monas- tery. It is even stated, that five different jets of light proceeded from the four fingers and thumb of Columba's right hand, while he prosecuted the work of transcription each night. He had nearly finished this celebrated copy —still it is thought in part preserved—when sending a messenger for the original, and apprized of the proceeding, Finian was highly displeased at Columba'sconduct. 25 Hismessengersurprisedthelatter,bylookingthrough a crevice into the church where Columba was at work ; but, astonished at
20 Thus is the matter stated, about St.
Columba, in the Irish Life of St. Farannan,
translated into Latin: "Ad transmarinam
magh.
