This marks the spot where Columba is said to have ascended, for the purpose of
ascertaining
if he could discern from it the dis- tant shores of his beloved Erin.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
" to nus ii.
Annales Tigernachi, at A.
D.
563, p.
143.
371
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
Heis
8 fromIrelandto
as
Hy, together with twelve of his disciples,5? at the time he first left our Island
for Britain. 60 It can scarcely be imagined, that St. Columba would have
directed his course, with such a number of followers, to a stranger country, without his being previously allowed to inhabit some specified portion. The
1
following are said to have been their names f although these have often been
62viz. twosonsofBrenden 6*alsocalled printed very inaccurately, : fi Baithene,
Conin,6s the holy successor ofSt. Columba, at Iona his brother Cobthach 66 ;;
Ernaan,
6 ? the uncle of St. 8 his steward Rus 6° and Columba; Diarmitius,° ;
generally represented,
having
sailed
straights
Fechno,7° two sons ot Rodain
; Scandal,?
1 son of Breasal 2
;? Lugid
Mocut-
hemne Echoid Tochannu ? 5 Mocufir-cetea
6 7 son of Bran- ;? Cairnaan,?
;73 ;W
dubh 8 and Grillaan. 70 ;7
80 8l
license, Dempster perverts
his usual
almost every one of the foregoing names, making each individual an author
Following
as well as a saint. 82 To the foregoing has been added Constantine, King of
56 In his Second Preface to St. Columba's Life.
63 Boece and Dempster distinguish him
" Trias
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. ix. ,
p. 410.
s8 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect,
xiii. , p. 154.
59 Adamnan states, " cum duodecimcom-
molitonibus discipulis. " Vita S. Columbse, lib. iii. , cap. iv. Their names are given by
Archbishop Ussher, from an Appendix found in a Cottonian Manuscript. See"Biitan- nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xv. PP- 363» 364.
60 Colgun has pointed out various mistakes
regarding their names, in "Trias Thauma-
turga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. ix. De Sociis peregrina- tionis S. Columbse in Britanniam, pp. 486, 487.
be seen in the
Camerarius assigns him a feast at Au-
57 See
Colgan's
however, as Thaumaturga," may
sequel.
Colgan make this a distinct name, while it 61 These are taken from a Codex of is only a surname. See " Trias Thauma-
Adamnan's Life, and appear to have been
an addition, drawn from authentic sources,
probably from records preserved at Hy.
"
There is no counterpart to be found among our Irish manuscripts," says Rev. Dr. Reeves, " but some of the particulars appear in a tract ascribed to ^Engus the Culdee, who flourished about a century after Adam- nan; whileothersca—nbeverifiedbyinde- pendent authorities. " Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes A, n. (a), P- 245-
62SeeWilliamF. Skene'seditionofFor-
dun's " Scotichronicon," vol. i. , lib. iii. , cap. XxvL, p, 113, and Boece "Scotorum Histo- rian," lib. , ix. , fol. 166. Pinkerton has printed them correctly in "Vitae Antiquse Sancto-
turga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , num, 92, p. 492.
74 Otherwise not specially noticed.
75 Another form of Dochonna. This is Mochonna, otherwise Mauricius or Macha- rius, whose feast is set down at November 1 2th, in the Scotch Calendar.
76 This is but a surname, while Fordun and others make it a separate name.
77
78HewassonofMeilgi. Thenamesof Brandubh and Melge occur in the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
79 Corresponding with Greallan, as found in the Calendars.
Archbishop Ussher, who epitomizes what Dempster states. See "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates. " cap. xv. , p. 364. 81 "
rum habitaveiunt in ea qui
80 Such is the observation of
parte Britannise, nunc vocata Scotia vel in ejus Insulis," p. 186. They are transferred, with a few altera-
tions from him, into
"
Origines Parochiales
Scotioe," vol. ii. , part i. , p. 285.
63 He was brother to St. Columba's father
In his Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Fedhlimidh.
64 His feast occurs on this
ing.
82 See Rev. Dr Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," Additional Notes A, pp. 245, 246, with notes.
day, June 9th, and notices of him will succeed this Life of
St. Columkille.
from Baithene ;
it being only an alias name,
66
gust 7th, in his Calendar of Scottish Saints,
at p. 166. For this, however, he shows no
authority.
67 He was of and brother superior Hinba,
to Ethnea, St. Columba's mother.
68 He is often alluded to, in Adamnan's
Life of St. Columba.
69 Possibly he was Ruisein of Inis Picht,
venerated at the 7th of April.
70 The same as Fiachna of the Calen-
dars.
71 A festival has been assigned to him, at
the 3rd of May.
72 He is called son of Endeus, son of
Neil.
73 Archbishop Ussher and after him
There is a St. Caornan, in the Calendars, at January 31st, and another so called, at April 28th.
Scotorum," at the names respective
preced-
June 9. ] LI VES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 375
Cornubia, who is stated 8^ to have left his terrene kingdom, and to have gone to Scotland with Columba, to preach the Faith among the Scots and Picts.
The holy man did not long remain, after landing on the shore of Ulidia, but
he went on board, and then leaving the green Island of Erin, he coasted
along the rocky promontories of Antrim. Then, he must have first sighted Islay ; but, although he desired an Island home for his place of exile, and for religious seclusion, as also for the better enforcement of his early monas- tic discipline, that was probably too large, and too near his native land. 84 At the period of St. Columba's voyage to Scotland, Conall, son of Comgall, King of Dalriada, seems to have been living on the west coast of Knapdale, ataplacecalledDelgonorCindelgendinCantire. 85 Itseemsveryprobable, that the holy voyager, with his companions, spent some time with his royal relative. This is almost indicated, by Adamnan, who tells us, that Columba gave Conall an account of the battle fought in Ireland, and two years after the engagement at Cuil Dreimhne. 86 Tradition states, that before he left that part of the country for Iona, his first church in Scotland was in the curious cave
at on 8? ThedestinationofColumbaandhiscom- chapel Cove, LochCaolisport.
panions,however,wasmoretotheNorth. AftercoastingalongIslay,Jura came next into view, as they set out on their voyage. Yet this was found to be a place, not suited for his residence. Next Colonsay was passed by unheeded. NeitherhadOronsaytherequiredadvantages. Onwardthevoyagerssailed, through a labyrinth of rocks, and at last they touched at Iona. As we have already seen, St. Mochta, Bishop of Louth, is said to have been at one time on that Island, and to have predicted, that one hundred years later, it was reserved as St. Columba's special inheritance. 88 The prophecy of Maucteus is related, by Adamnan, in another fashion ; and, by him it was slated, that Columba's fame should be widely divulged through all the provinces and islands of the ocean, while he should be deemed illustrious in future times. This is declared to have been a tradition, derived from persons having a com-
84 See "Good
" Life of St. Prcefacio Columba,"
Secunda,
88
"Trias Thaumaturga," by Prince O'Don-
; pillar, up- right stone, formerly stood at each end. "
Thus is the matter related, in Colgan's
Henry Davenport Graham's "Antiquities of
nell. See Vita S. Quinta
Iona," p. 5.
92 See William F. Skene's
"
Celtic Scot-
Columbre,
lib.
i. ,
89 St. Columba and his arrived companions
of
after a short passage, and as stated, on the vigil of Pentecost. Nothing very particular is recorded of that memorable voyage; so that we may infer, the winds were propitious, and that Iona was reached in safety. However, according to old legends, Druids are said to have then been residents, and to have practised their incantations to deceive the Christian missionaries. They pretended to be bishops of the Church, by assuming episcopal habits ; but, the servant of God readily knew them to be wolves in sheeps' clothing, and he warned them to leave that Island, which had been long destined for religious observances and practices of monastic discipline. Fearing the holy man's denunciations, the Druids deserted his Island. ^
petent knowledge
antiquity.
According to a tradition, that has long prevailed on the Island of his selec- tion, Columba first landed in a creek, which to the present days bears a name
83 In Fordun's"Schotichronicon,"lib. iii. , cap. 14.
Words," September 1st, 1869, Second Paper, p. 617.
85 See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot-
land : a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. ,
book ii. , chap, iii. , pp. 85, 86.
86 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 7, pp. 31, 32. 87 See " New Statistical Account of Scot-
land," vol. vii. , Argyle, p. 263.
cap. iii. , pp. 389, 390.
89
See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
pp. 6, 7.
5° See this account, given in O'Donnell's
Life of our Saint, lib. ii. , cap. xi. , p. 411.
9I "There is amound here about fifty feet long, which is supposed to be a model ot St. Columba's currach, built by him in com- memoration of his landing a or —
376
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
x or " Port of the Coracle "—a
cipitous rocks of gneiss, and marked by a beach of brilliantly-coloured peb- bles, of green serpentine, of green quartz, and of the reddest felspar. On the highest point oflona, and overlooking the expanse of the western sea, is the cairn called Cul ri Erin.
This marks the spot where Columba is said to have ascended, for the purpose of ascertaining if he could discern from it the dis- tant shores of his beloved Erin. 92 But, the southern horizon was only a line of sea, stretching away to a limitless view, with no land appearing, Among the several poems attributed to him, there is one which so remarkably de- scribes the scene from this spot, and the emotions it was calculated to excite in one of his temperament, we learn, it is hardly possible to avoid the conclu- sion, that it contains the genuine expression of his feelings. 93 And so this hill has ever since been marked by a cairn, which is known to the Gael as " Cairn cul ri Erin,"9+ or the " Cairn with the back turned upon Erin. "95 ThetractnearitiscalledinGaelictheMachar,orSandyPlain. Aftersome
little exploration, the immigrants must have found, that the eastern was the most sheltered side of the Island, and presenting those conditions best suit- ingtherequirementsofancienthusbandry. Thereforewasit selectedasa permanent site, for the foundation of their religious establishment.
While Roman cities stood in Britain, and while the ancient Christianized Celts of that province maintained a doubtful contest with Teutonic heathenism, and before the Saxon heptarchy had been formed, the illustrious St. Columkille
Port a
Churaich,9
port guarded
round
by pre-
land," vol. ii. , p. 91.
93 The original ot this very interesting
poem is among the Irish Manuscripts in the Royal Library at Brussels, the keeper of
"
"
"
"
And all the many ills I've done I weeping would deplore.
The Godhead then would I bless,
M. Alen, — the which, kindly supplied
from which the text is given :
" Sweet is to me in Uchd Aluinn,
On a peaked crag to be, That I might often behold
The face of the boundless sea.
11 To look on the heaving waves, While in their Father's ear
Music for ever they chant, Hymning the world's career.
" The level and star-bright strand No sorrow it were to see,
And to hear the wondrous birds, Sailing on happily.
" The thunder of crowding waves To hear on the rocky shore,
copy
Him who doth all Heaven with its orders
And down by the church to hear The sounding surges roar.
To see the swift-flying flocks Overthewateryplain,
And, greatest of wonders all, The monsters of the main.
" To see the ebb and the flood
In power upon the sea, And Cul-ri-Erin there, I say My secret name would be.
" And grief would come to my heart, While gazing to her shore,
" Best counsel in the sight of God, To me there hath been given,
From error He shall keep me free, My King, the Lord of Heaven ! "
Macmillan's Magazine for November, 1878.
—
And earth and shore and deep.
I would search in all the books
That good to my soul would bring,
Now to beloved Heaven I'd kneel, And now a Psalm I'd sing.
Heaven's high one, the holy Chief,
My thoughts would now employ, Anon to work without constraint
Would be to me a joy.
Dulse from the rocks I would pluck,
At times I'd fishing go,
At times I would feed the poor,
Now in the cell bend low.
94 Cul ri Erin earn is still visible and re- tains its name. The position is shown on the Map of Iona, prefixed to Henry Daven- port Graham's "Antiquities of Iona. "
95 See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll,
chap, ii. , pp. 79, 80.
96 Four years after he first landed there,
and twenty years before his death, Ceawlin, King of Wessex, about a. d. 577, destroyed
things keep, bright untold,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 377
landed on Iona. Thence he was destined to spread the lights of religion and civilization, on the adjoining shores of Scotland. ^6 During the whole of Columba's long life, the conquest of Britain was being carried on, by the
Angles, Jutes and Saxons ; while it was only finally completed, as nearly as possible, about the period of his death. Before the end of the sixth century, the Saxon or the Teutonic dominion had been established, from the German Ocean to the Severn, and from the English Channel to the Frith of Forth, while the northern part of the Island was still held by the Picts and Scots. 97 We have only to remember, that Columba was the contemporary of Jus- tinian ° 8 and of Belisarius ;°° the first being that great Emperor, whose genius, or whose fortune restored for a time, the splendour of the Roman govern- ment; and the latter being that great general, who re-established the supre- macy of the Roman arms. These events seem to belong altogether to the ancientworld. '00 Thepresenceofgreatmen,inanyparticularplace,issure to create an interest for posterity, and this seems even to increase, as time the
or to one set of
day. philosophers ;
in the mind
101 102
Nor is this to one coun- feeling peculiar
intervals through the green turf, is fertile, abeunding in good pasturage. 3 Heath, wild thyme, and flowers, grow there abundantly in the summer season. The soil is light, for the most part, and formed of shelly sand, yet on the eastern or sheltered side, the slopes are favourable for tillage. It is stated, in an old Irish Life of St. Columba, that before he took possession of this Island, he addressed those companions, who landed with him, and he said to them, that it should be well if one of them consecrated Iona with his mortal remains,
before their community began to spread their roots, while he signified, like-
the old Roman city, known as Uriconium, mind from all local emotion would be im- the foundations of which curious antiquaries possible, if it were endeavoured ; and would have lately uncovered. See John Hill be foolish, if it were possible. Whatever
more removes us from their
it is a sentiment
of every enlightened student of the world's history and of man's immortal
destiny.
try,
but,
deep
The Island of Iona, although rocky and with cliffs protruding at frequent io
Burton's "History of Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , p. 33, 34.
withdraws us from the power of our senses,
whatever makes the past, the distant, or the
future, over the ad- predominate present,
vances us to the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me and my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us unmoved and indifferent over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery, or virtue. That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warm among the ruins of Iona. " —Works of Samuel A.
w See Edward A. Freeman's "
of
History the Norman Conquest of England, its Causes and its Results," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,
sect, i. , p. 14.
9s He was born about the year 484, and
he survived to the 14th November, 565. See Michaud's "Biographie Universelle An- cienne et Moderne," tome xxi. , pp. 368 to
375.
99 He died March 13th, A. D. 565. See a
very complete account of him in Gibbon's
"History of the Decline and Fall of the Murphy, vol. vi. , p. 391. London, 1806,
Roman Empire," vol. v. , chap, xli. , xlii. , xliii. , pp. 99 to 247. Dr. William Smith's edition.
100 See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, p. 10.
101 The celebrated Dr. Samuel Johnson,
"
thus writes of Iona, in his
Hebrides, 1773": "At last we came to I-columkill. We were now treading that illustrious island, which was once the lumi-
8vo.
I02 See "The Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol. ii. A Day at Iona : Recollections of
St. Columba, p. 108.
I03 '* Iona is about three miles long, from
north-north-east to south-south-west, about a mile broad, and about 1,300 Scottish acres in area. It lies three quarters of a mile west of the south-western extremity of Mull, nine miles south-south-west of Staffa, and about
of the Caledonian
whence barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge. To abstract the
west of the nearest of the
nary savage
regions
part
clans and
roving
"
of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 139.
Gazetteer
Tour to the
;
thirty-six Scottish
— Imperial
mainland. "
Johnson, LL. D. , by
378 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June9.
wise, that it was permitted some one of them to volunteer as a sacrifice—if in- deed such it might be called —since the departed should be received into Hea- ven. Then Odhran IO* immediately declared, that he desired to leave this life
to obtain an reward. 105 Columkille everlasting
replied :
receive another return for this, because whosoever shall visit my tomb, at a
future day, must first ask his request from thee, before it shall be granted to him. " Odhran there died, and went to Heaven. 106 His sacred remains were deposited in that place, afterwards known as Reilig Odhran. 10?
Among the Ebudean group of the Hebrides, this now celebrated island,
whence spread Christianity so soon in Scotland, is separated from the coast of Mull, by a narrow but deep strait. Still dangerous sunken rocks in this Sound of Iona have to be avoided by the navigator, and a heavy swell of the sea usually rolls towards it from the north. During the months of summer and of early autumn, crowds of tourists take advantage of those excellent arrangements, by which they are now enabled from Oban, the Highland head- quarters, to visit Staffa and Iona, by means of a well-appointed steamer, which proceeds northwards, keeping the romantic headlands and bays of the Scot- tish mainland to the right, and rounding the dark and towering heights on theIslandofMullontheleft. 108 AfterlandingtoviewthecelebratedFingal's cave IO° on Staffa, the steamer is turned southward to approach the shores of Iona. The traveller may observe, as he is coasting along, the principal fea- tures of that Island, at once so famous and so secluded. The scenery in its
foreground is low and rocky ; the background presents naked and craggy hills, with barren and heathy moor. , Nearer are seme small cottages, and sloping towards the coast are to be seen a large expanse of rich green pas- ture, a few fields of waving corn, and an occasional garden of potatoes. The highest object, which first marks this island in the distance, is the rounded hill Dunii, in the northern part, but it has only an elevation of 330 feet, above the sea-level. 110 land at Columba's own the
Passengers harbour, creek now called Port na Muintir, or " the harbour of the community. " A scattered village of fifty to sixty humble huts IIX is grouped around the land- ing-place, on the eastern side of the Island ;" and here, too, are to be found the traces and relics of St. Columba's early settlement. The antiquities there
104 His feast is assigned to the 27th of the solemn music of its waves. This is a
October.
105 It seems strange, however, that Odh-
ran's name is omitted, in the list of those
twelve companions, who left Ireland with
St. Columba.
scene which appeals to every eye, which all can underst—and, and which none are likely to forget. " "Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, chap, i. , p. 2.
,10 An admirable description of the ancient and modern features of Iona may be found,
106
Yet, this matter seems to be differently
107 This is also related in Prince
O'Donnell's Life of St. Columba, lib. ii. ,
cap. xii. , p. 411.
I0ii It was our
this excursion with a travelling companion, Rev. William Purcell, C. C. , Cathedral, Dublin, during the month of Auyust, 1864, when we landed on the Island of Iona, and
"
St. Columba," Additional Notes P, Topo-
grapia Hyensis, pp. 413 to 433.
K1 When Dr. Samuel Johnson visited this
related or alluded
Adamnan's "Life ot St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap, 6, and notes.
good
fortune to have made
Island over one hundred years ago, about 250 inhabitants were on it. At present, that number will be found in the or its
to,
in Rev. Dr. Reeves'
in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
had but a brief opportunity for examining its
chief objects of antiquarian interest. — nan's
"
Lite of St. Columba," edited by Dr.
"
109 There are many larger caverns there
are many more lofty cliffs. But there is no-
thing anywhere like that great Hall of Columns standing round their ocean floor, and sending forth in ceaseless reverberations
Reeves, for the Irish Archaeological and Cel-
tic Society.
"3 An illustration of Iona, taken from Port
Sliganach or the Shelly Bay, is in the Frontispiece to the present volume. This
" shall Odhran, you
village environs ; the whole population of the Island
numbers about 450 souls.
*"
For a good map of this famous Island
of Iona, and a compendium of its long and flourishing ecclesiastical history, see Adam-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 379
existing have been frequently described and delineated. "3 Of these, the
oldest now standing is St. Oran's chapel, which is twenty-nine feet in length, by fifteen feet, ten inches, in width, and it is said to be standing on the site of that spot, where his mortal remains were deposited. This oratory, which belongs to the eleventh century, is characteristically Irish in style. It is entered through a recessed doorway, surmounted by a circular arch. 11 * The walls are somewhat ruined, and they stand among the tombs of Relig Orain, so called after the holy companion of St. Columba, and to whose self-sacrifice we
Relig Orain, Island of Iona.
havealreadyalluded. Thenextbuildinginageis theBenedictineAbbeyChurch
—usually called the Cathedral, or St. Mary's Church—which was built in the
thirteenth century. 115 After landing on Iona, we pass up the ancient cause-
way, leaving the old nunnery chapel to our left, and we are at the mediaeval
so-called which stands on the site of Columba's 6 The cathedral, abbey. "
most striking ruin on the Island is the Nunnery. The date of this readies
back probably to 1250. Its chapel is nearly perfect. The east window in the Gothic style is particularly admired. As you coast along in the
steamer towards the landing-place, you can just descry a thin line of green grass, through which water trickles down to the ocean. Near it were grouped
point on its eastern coast and south of the cathedral presents a view of the village close to the sea-side, and on the left is the Sliabh or Rocky Hill, behind which appears the schoolhouse, with the cathedral and its sur- roundings in the middle distance.
*** The accompanying illustration is from
remains adjoining it on I-columkill, in "Pro- ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 7-
1x6 It is asserted, that in 1873, a discovery of considerable interest to antiquaries had been made in Iona, where an ancient bury- ingground—supposedbysometob—ethe place where St. Columba was interred had
an approved picture, and drawn by William
F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by been found. The "Limerick Reporter" of
Mrs. Millard.
"s There is a beautiful tinted lithograph
illustration of the cathedral and of the ancient
September 26th, 1873, contains such a no- tice.
"i An anonymous writer of 1693, accounts
380 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
the early monastic cells. The key to the whole position of the Columbian family is that little mill-stream, immediately to the north of the cathedral boundary. Wecrossthemill-stream,almostattheoldkiln,whereoatsfor the brotherhood were formerly dried. We leave to the left a swamp which they embanked into Lochan Mor, to feed the stream and the mill. In the chief cemetery of Iona are buried many Scottish and Irish chieftains. It is said, also, that one King of France and eight Norwegian princes are there en- tombed. The remains of crosses are not met with so often as might be expected, from the tradition regarding their number in past times. *** Two large crosses are standing still, one sixteen feet high, the other ten ; these are notable even now, for their graceful proportions and excellent workman- ship. Having purified the Island by removing therefrom the old Druidic occupants and their superstitions, St. Colum erected the Cross of Christ, under which standard his disciples were thenceforth to contend. Then it was necessary to erect rude huts, and of very primitive construction, at first ; for such was usually the practice, during the earlier stages of missionary enterprise.
371
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
Heis
8 fromIrelandto
as
Hy, together with twelve of his disciples,5? at the time he first left our Island
for Britain. 60 It can scarcely be imagined, that St. Columba would have
directed his course, with such a number of followers, to a stranger country, without his being previously allowed to inhabit some specified portion. The
1
following are said to have been their names f although these have often been
62viz. twosonsofBrenden 6*alsocalled printed very inaccurately, : fi Baithene,
Conin,6s the holy successor ofSt. Columba, at Iona his brother Cobthach 66 ;;
Ernaan,
6 ? the uncle of St. 8 his steward Rus 6° and Columba; Diarmitius,° ;
generally represented,
having
sailed
straights
Fechno,7° two sons ot Rodain
; Scandal,?
1 son of Breasal 2
;? Lugid
Mocut-
hemne Echoid Tochannu ? 5 Mocufir-cetea
6 7 son of Bran- ;? Cairnaan,?
;73 ;W
dubh 8 and Grillaan. 70 ;7
80 8l
license, Dempster perverts
his usual
almost every one of the foregoing names, making each individual an author
Following
as well as a saint. 82 To the foregoing has been added Constantine, King of
56 In his Second Preface to St. Columba's Life.
63 Boece and Dempster distinguish him
" Trias
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. ii. , cap. ix. ,
p. 410.
s8 See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical
History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect,
xiii. , p. 154.
59 Adamnan states, " cum duodecimcom-
molitonibus discipulis. " Vita S. Columbse, lib. iii. , cap. iv. Their names are given by
Archbishop Ussher, from an Appendix found in a Cottonian Manuscript. See"Biitan- nicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xv. PP- 363» 364.
60 Colgun has pointed out various mistakes
regarding their names, in "Trias Thauma-
turga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. ix. De Sociis peregrina- tionis S. Columbse in Britanniam, pp. 486, 487.
be seen in the
Camerarius assigns him a feast at Au-
57 See
Colgan's
however, as Thaumaturga," may
sequel.
Colgan make this a distinct name, while it 61 These are taken from a Codex of is only a surname. See " Trias Thauma-
Adamnan's Life, and appear to have been
an addition, drawn from authentic sources,
probably from records preserved at Hy.
"
There is no counterpart to be found among our Irish manuscripts," says Rev. Dr. Reeves, " but some of the particulars appear in a tract ascribed to ^Engus the Culdee, who flourished about a century after Adam- nan; whileothersca—nbeverifiedbyinde- pendent authorities. " Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes A, n. (a), P- 245-
62SeeWilliamF. Skene'seditionofFor-
dun's " Scotichronicon," vol. i. , lib. iii. , cap. XxvL, p, 113, and Boece "Scotorum Histo- rian," lib. , ix. , fol. 166. Pinkerton has printed them correctly in "Vitae Antiquse Sancto-
turga," Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , num, 92, p. 492.
74 Otherwise not specially noticed.
75 Another form of Dochonna. This is Mochonna, otherwise Mauricius or Macha- rius, whose feast is set down at November 1 2th, in the Scotch Calendar.
76 This is but a surname, while Fordun and others make it a separate name.
77
78HewassonofMeilgi. Thenamesof Brandubh and Melge occur in the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
79 Corresponding with Greallan, as found in the Calendars.
Archbishop Ussher, who epitomizes what Dempster states. See "Britannicarum Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates. " cap. xv. , p. 364. 81 "
rum habitaveiunt in ea qui
80 Such is the observation of
parte Britannise, nunc vocata Scotia vel in ejus Insulis," p. 186. They are transferred, with a few altera-
tions from him, into
"
Origines Parochiales
Scotioe," vol. ii. , part i. , p. 285.
63 He was brother to St. Columba's father
In his Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Fedhlimidh.
64 His feast occurs on this
ing.
82 See Rev. Dr Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," Additional Notes A, pp. 245, 246, with notes.
day, June 9th, and notices of him will succeed this Life of
St. Columkille.
from Baithene ;
it being only an alias name,
66
gust 7th, in his Calendar of Scottish Saints,
at p. 166. For this, however, he shows no
authority.
67 He was of and brother superior Hinba,
to Ethnea, St. Columba's mother.
68 He is often alluded to, in Adamnan's
Life of St. Columba.
69 Possibly he was Ruisein of Inis Picht,
venerated at the 7th of April.
70 The same as Fiachna of the Calen-
dars.
71 A festival has been assigned to him, at
the 3rd of May.
72 He is called son of Endeus, son of
Neil.
73 Archbishop Ussher and after him
There is a St. Caornan, in the Calendars, at January 31st, and another so called, at April 28th.
Scotorum," at the names respective
preced-
June 9. ] LI VES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 375
Cornubia, who is stated 8^ to have left his terrene kingdom, and to have gone to Scotland with Columba, to preach the Faith among the Scots and Picts.
The holy man did not long remain, after landing on the shore of Ulidia, but
he went on board, and then leaving the green Island of Erin, he coasted
along the rocky promontories of Antrim. Then, he must have first sighted Islay ; but, although he desired an Island home for his place of exile, and for religious seclusion, as also for the better enforcement of his early monas- tic discipline, that was probably too large, and too near his native land. 84 At the period of St. Columba's voyage to Scotland, Conall, son of Comgall, King of Dalriada, seems to have been living on the west coast of Knapdale, ataplacecalledDelgonorCindelgendinCantire. 85 Itseemsveryprobable, that the holy voyager, with his companions, spent some time with his royal relative. This is almost indicated, by Adamnan, who tells us, that Columba gave Conall an account of the battle fought in Ireland, and two years after the engagement at Cuil Dreimhne. 86 Tradition states, that before he left that part of the country for Iona, his first church in Scotland was in the curious cave
at on 8? ThedestinationofColumbaandhiscom- chapel Cove, LochCaolisport.
panions,however,wasmoretotheNorth. AftercoastingalongIslay,Jura came next into view, as they set out on their voyage. Yet this was found to be a place, not suited for his residence. Next Colonsay was passed by unheeded. NeitherhadOronsaytherequiredadvantages. Onwardthevoyagerssailed, through a labyrinth of rocks, and at last they touched at Iona. As we have already seen, St. Mochta, Bishop of Louth, is said to have been at one time on that Island, and to have predicted, that one hundred years later, it was reserved as St. Columba's special inheritance. 88 The prophecy of Maucteus is related, by Adamnan, in another fashion ; and, by him it was slated, that Columba's fame should be widely divulged through all the provinces and islands of the ocean, while he should be deemed illustrious in future times. This is declared to have been a tradition, derived from persons having a com-
84 See "Good
" Life of St. Prcefacio Columba,"
Secunda,
88
"Trias Thaumaturga," by Prince O'Don-
; pillar, up- right stone, formerly stood at each end. "
Thus is the matter related, in Colgan's
Henry Davenport Graham's "Antiquities of
nell. See Vita S. Quinta
Iona," p. 5.
92 See William F. Skene's
"
Celtic Scot-
Columbre,
lib.
i. ,
89 St. Columba and his arrived companions
of
after a short passage, and as stated, on the vigil of Pentecost. Nothing very particular is recorded of that memorable voyage; so that we may infer, the winds were propitious, and that Iona was reached in safety. However, according to old legends, Druids are said to have then been residents, and to have practised their incantations to deceive the Christian missionaries. They pretended to be bishops of the Church, by assuming episcopal habits ; but, the servant of God readily knew them to be wolves in sheeps' clothing, and he warned them to leave that Island, which had been long destined for religious observances and practices of monastic discipline. Fearing the holy man's denunciations, the Druids deserted his Island. ^
petent knowledge
antiquity.
According to a tradition, that has long prevailed on the Island of his selec- tion, Columba first landed in a creek, which to the present days bears a name
83 In Fordun's"Schotichronicon,"lib. iii. , cap. 14.
Words," September 1st, 1869, Second Paper, p. 617.
85 See William F. Skene's "Celtic Scot-
land : a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii. ,
book ii. , chap, iii. , pp. 85, 86.
86 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life
of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 7, pp. 31, 32. 87 See " New Statistical Account of Scot-
land," vol. vii. , Argyle, p. 263.
cap. iii. , pp. 389, 390.
89
See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's
pp. 6, 7.
5° See this account, given in O'Donnell's
Life of our Saint, lib. ii. , cap. xi. , p. 411.
9I "There is amound here about fifty feet long, which is supposed to be a model ot St. Columba's currach, built by him in com- memoration of his landing a or —
376
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
x or " Port of the Coracle "—a
cipitous rocks of gneiss, and marked by a beach of brilliantly-coloured peb- bles, of green serpentine, of green quartz, and of the reddest felspar. On the highest point oflona, and overlooking the expanse of the western sea, is the cairn called Cul ri Erin.
This marks the spot where Columba is said to have ascended, for the purpose of ascertaining if he could discern from it the dis- tant shores of his beloved Erin. 92 But, the southern horizon was only a line of sea, stretching away to a limitless view, with no land appearing, Among the several poems attributed to him, there is one which so remarkably de- scribes the scene from this spot, and the emotions it was calculated to excite in one of his temperament, we learn, it is hardly possible to avoid the conclu- sion, that it contains the genuine expression of his feelings. 93 And so this hill has ever since been marked by a cairn, which is known to the Gael as " Cairn cul ri Erin,"9+ or the " Cairn with the back turned upon Erin. "95 ThetractnearitiscalledinGaelictheMachar,orSandyPlain. Aftersome
little exploration, the immigrants must have found, that the eastern was the most sheltered side of the Island, and presenting those conditions best suit- ingtherequirementsofancienthusbandry. Thereforewasit selectedasa permanent site, for the foundation of their religious establishment.
While Roman cities stood in Britain, and while the ancient Christianized Celts of that province maintained a doubtful contest with Teutonic heathenism, and before the Saxon heptarchy had been formed, the illustrious St. Columkille
Port a
Churaich,9
port guarded
round
by pre-
land," vol. ii. , p. 91.
93 The original ot this very interesting
poem is among the Irish Manuscripts in the Royal Library at Brussels, the keeper of
"
"
"
"
And all the many ills I've done I weeping would deplore.
The Godhead then would I bless,
M. Alen, — the which, kindly supplied
from which the text is given :
" Sweet is to me in Uchd Aluinn,
On a peaked crag to be, That I might often behold
The face of the boundless sea.
11 To look on the heaving waves, While in their Father's ear
Music for ever they chant, Hymning the world's career.
" The level and star-bright strand No sorrow it were to see,
And to hear the wondrous birds, Sailing on happily.
" The thunder of crowding waves To hear on the rocky shore,
copy
Him who doth all Heaven with its orders
And down by the church to hear The sounding surges roar.
To see the swift-flying flocks Overthewateryplain,
And, greatest of wonders all, The monsters of the main.
" To see the ebb and the flood
In power upon the sea, And Cul-ri-Erin there, I say My secret name would be.
" And grief would come to my heart, While gazing to her shore,
" Best counsel in the sight of God, To me there hath been given,
From error He shall keep me free, My King, the Lord of Heaven ! "
Macmillan's Magazine for November, 1878.
—
And earth and shore and deep.
I would search in all the books
That good to my soul would bring,
Now to beloved Heaven I'd kneel, And now a Psalm I'd sing.
Heaven's high one, the holy Chief,
My thoughts would now employ, Anon to work without constraint
Would be to me a joy.
Dulse from the rocks I would pluck,
At times I'd fishing go,
At times I would feed the poor,
Now in the cell bend low.
94 Cul ri Erin earn is still visible and re- tains its name. The position is shown on the Map of Iona, prefixed to Henry Daven- port Graham's "Antiquities of Iona. "
95 See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll,
chap, ii. , pp. 79, 80.
96 Four years after he first landed there,
and twenty years before his death, Ceawlin, King of Wessex, about a. d. 577, destroyed
things keep, bright untold,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 377
landed on Iona. Thence he was destined to spread the lights of religion and civilization, on the adjoining shores of Scotland. ^6 During the whole of Columba's long life, the conquest of Britain was being carried on, by the
Angles, Jutes and Saxons ; while it was only finally completed, as nearly as possible, about the period of his death. Before the end of the sixth century, the Saxon or the Teutonic dominion had been established, from the German Ocean to the Severn, and from the English Channel to the Frith of Forth, while the northern part of the Island was still held by the Picts and Scots. 97 We have only to remember, that Columba was the contemporary of Jus- tinian ° 8 and of Belisarius ;°° the first being that great Emperor, whose genius, or whose fortune restored for a time, the splendour of the Roman govern- ment; and the latter being that great general, who re-established the supre- macy of the Roman arms. These events seem to belong altogether to the ancientworld. '00 Thepresenceofgreatmen,inanyparticularplace,issure to create an interest for posterity, and this seems even to increase, as time the
or to one set of
day. philosophers ;
in the mind
101 102
Nor is this to one coun- feeling peculiar
intervals through the green turf, is fertile, abeunding in good pasturage. 3 Heath, wild thyme, and flowers, grow there abundantly in the summer season. The soil is light, for the most part, and formed of shelly sand, yet on the eastern or sheltered side, the slopes are favourable for tillage. It is stated, in an old Irish Life of St. Columba, that before he took possession of this Island, he addressed those companions, who landed with him, and he said to them, that it should be well if one of them consecrated Iona with his mortal remains,
before their community began to spread their roots, while he signified, like-
the old Roman city, known as Uriconium, mind from all local emotion would be im- the foundations of which curious antiquaries possible, if it were endeavoured ; and would have lately uncovered. See John Hill be foolish, if it were possible. Whatever
more removes us from their
it is a sentiment
of every enlightened student of the world's history and of man's immortal
destiny.
try,
but,
deep
The Island of Iona, although rocky and with cliffs protruding at frequent io
Burton's "History of Scotland," vol. i. , chap, i. , p. 33, 34.
withdraws us from the power of our senses,
whatever makes the past, the distant, or the
future, over the ad- predominate present,
vances us to the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me and my friends be such frigid philosophy as may conduct us unmoved and indifferent over any ground which has been dignified by wisdom, bravery, or virtue. That man is little to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow warm among the ruins of Iona. " —Works of Samuel A.
w See Edward A. Freeman's "
of
History the Norman Conquest of England, its Causes and its Results," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,
sect, i. , p. 14.
9s He was born about the year 484, and
he survived to the 14th November, 565. See Michaud's "Biographie Universelle An- cienne et Moderne," tome xxi. , pp. 368 to
375.
99 He died March 13th, A. D. 565. See a
very complete account of him in Gibbon's
"History of the Decline and Fall of the Murphy, vol. vi. , p. 391. London, 1806,
Roman Empire," vol. v. , chap, xli. , xlii. , xliii. , pp. 99 to 247. Dr. William Smith's edition.
100 See " Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, p. 10.
101 The celebrated Dr. Samuel Johnson,
"
thus writes of Iona, in his
Hebrides, 1773": "At last we came to I-columkill. We were now treading that illustrious island, which was once the lumi-
8vo.
I02 See "The Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol. ii. A Day at Iona : Recollections of
St. Columba, p. 108.
I03 '* Iona is about three miles long, from
north-north-east to south-south-west, about a mile broad, and about 1,300 Scottish acres in area. It lies three quarters of a mile west of the south-western extremity of Mull, nine miles south-south-west of Staffa, and about
of the Caledonian
whence barbarians derived the benefits of knowledge. To abstract the
west of the nearest of the
nary savage
regions
part
clans and
roving
"
of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 139.
Gazetteer
Tour to the
;
thirty-six Scottish
— Imperial
mainland. "
Johnson, LL. D. , by
378 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June9.
wise, that it was permitted some one of them to volunteer as a sacrifice—if in- deed such it might be called —since the departed should be received into Hea- ven. Then Odhran IO* immediately declared, that he desired to leave this life
to obtain an reward. 105 Columkille everlasting
replied :
receive another return for this, because whosoever shall visit my tomb, at a
future day, must first ask his request from thee, before it shall be granted to him. " Odhran there died, and went to Heaven. 106 His sacred remains were deposited in that place, afterwards known as Reilig Odhran. 10?
Among the Ebudean group of the Hebrides, this now celebrated island,
whence spread Christianity so soon in Scotland, is separated from the coast of Mull, by a narrow but deep strait. Still dangerous sunken rocks in this Sound of Iona have to be avoided by the navigator, and a heavy swell of the sea usually rolls towards it from the north. During the months of summer and of early autumn, crowds of tourists take advantage of those excellent arrangements, by which they are now enabled from Oban, the Highland head- quarters, to visit Staffa and Iona, by means of a well-appointed steamer, which proceeds northwards, keeping the romantic headlands and bays of the Scot- tish mainland to the right, and rounding the dark and towering heights on theIslandofMullontheleft. 108 AfterlandingtoviewthecelebratedFingal's cave IO° on Staffa, the steamer is turned southward to approach the shores of Iona. The traveller may observe, as he is coasting along, the principal fea- tures of that Island, at once so famous and so secluded. The scenery in its
foreground is low and rocky ; the background presents naked and craggy hills, with barren and heathy moor. , Nearer are seme small cottages, and sloping towards the coast are to be seen a large expanse of rich green pas- ture, a few fields of waving corn, and an occasional garden of potatoes. The highest object, which first marks this island in the distance, is the rounded hill Dunii, in the northern part, but it has only an elevation of 330 feet, above the sea-level. 110 land at Columba's own the
Passengers harbour, creek now called Port na Muintir, or " the harbour of the community. " A scattered village of fifty to sixty humble huts IIX is grouped around the land- ing-place, on the eastern side of the Island ;" and here, too, are to be found the traces and relics of St. Columba's early settlement. The antiquities there
104 His feast is assigned to the 27th of the solemn music of its waves. This is a
October.
105 It seems strange, however, that Odh-
ran's name is omitted, in the list of those
twelve companions, who left Ireland with
St. Columba.
scene which appeals to every eye, which all can underst—and, and which none are likely to forget. " "Iona," by the Duke of Argyll, chap, i. , p. 2.
,10 An admirable description of the ancient and modern features of Iona may be found,
106
Yet, this matter seems to be differently
107 This is also related in Prince
O'Donnell's Life of St. Columba, lib. ii. ,
cap. xii. , p. 411.
I0ii It was our
this excursion with a travelling companion, Rev. William Purcell, C. C. , Cathedral, Dublin, during the month of Auyust, 1864, when we landed on the Island of Iona, and
"
St. Columba," Additional Notes P, Topo-
grapia Hyensis, pp. 413 to 433.
K1 When Dr. Samuel Johnson visited this
related or alluded
Adamnan's "Life ot St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap, 6, and notes.
good
fortune to have made
Island over one hundred years ago, about 250 inhabitants were on it. At present, that number will be found in the or its
to,
in Rev. Dr. Reeves'
in Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
Life of
had but a brief opportunity for examining its
chief objects of antiquarian interest. — nan's
"
Lite of St. Columba," edited by Dr.
"
109 There are many larger caverns there
are many more lofty cliffs. But there is no-
thing anywhere like that great Hall of Columns standing round their ocean floor, and sending forth in ceaseless reverberations
Reeves, for the Irish Archaeological and Cel-
tic Society.
"3 An illustration of Iona, taken from Port
Sliganach or the Shelly Bay, is in the Frontispiece to the present volume. This
" shall Odhran, you
village environs ; the whole population of the Island
numbers about 450 souls.
*"
For a good map of this famous Island
of Iona, and a compendium of its long and flourishing ecclesiastical history, see Adam-
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 379
existing have been frequently described and delineated. "3 Of these, the
oldest now standing is St. Oran's chapel, which is twenty-nine feet in length, by fifteen feet, ten inches, in width, and it is said to be standing on the site of that spot, where his mortal remains were deposited. This oratory, which belongs to the eleventh century, is characteristically Irish in style. It is entered through a recessed doorway, surmounted by a circular arch. 11 * The walls are somewhat ruined, and they stand among the tombs of Relig Orain, so called after the holy companion of St. Columba, and to whose self-sacrifice we
Relig Orain, Island of Iona.
havealreadyalluded. Thenextbuildinginageis theBenedictineAbbeyChurch
—usually called the Cathedral, or St. Mary's Church—which was built in the
thirteenth century. 115 After landing on Iona, we pass up the ancient cause-
way, leaving the old nunnery chapel to our left, and we are at the mediaeval
so-called which stands on the site of Columba's 6 The cathedral, abbey. "
most striking ruin on the Island is the Nunnery. The date of this readies
back probably to 1250. Its chapel is nearly perfect. The east window in the Gothic style is particularly admired. As you coast along in the
steamer towards the landing-place, you can just descry a thin line of green grass, through which water trickles down to the ocean. Near it were grouped
point on its eastern coast and south of the cathedral presents a view of the village close to the sea-side, and on the left is the Sliabh or Rocky Hill, behind which appears the schoolhouse, with the cathedral and its sur- roundings in the middle distance.
*** The accompanying illustration is from
remains adjoining it on I-columkill, in "Pro- ceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland," vol. ii. , p. 7-
1x6 It is asserted, that in 1873, a discovery of considerable interest to antiquaries had been made in Iona, where an ancient bury- ingground—supposedbysometob—ethe place where St. Columba was interred had
an approved picture, and drawn by William
F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by been found. The "Limerick Reporter" of
Mrs. Millard.
"s There is a beautiful tinted lithograph
illustration of the cathedral and of the ancient
September 26th, 1873, contains such a no- tice.
"i An anonymous writer of 1693, accounts
380 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
the early monastic cells. The key to the whole position of the Columbian family is that little mill-stream, immediately to the north of the cathedral boundary. Wecrossthemill-stream,almostattheoldkiln,whereoatsfor the brotherhood were formerly dried. We leave to the left a swamp which they embanked into Lochan Mor, to feed the stream and the mill. In the chief cemetery of Iona are buried many Scottish and Irish chieftains. It is said, also, that one King of France and eight Norwegian princes are there en- tombed. The remains of crosses are not met with so often as might be expected, from the tradition regarding their number in past times. *** Two large crosses are standing still, one sixteen feet high, the other ten ; these are notable even now, for their graceful proportions and excellent workman- ship. Having purified the Island by removing therefrom the old Druidic occupants and their superstitions, St. Colum erected the Cross of Christ, under which standard his disciples were thenceforth to contend. Then it was necessary to erect rude huts, and of very primitive construction, at first ; for such was usually the practice, during the earlier stages of missionary enterprise.
