No More Learning

'
This is stated, by the old
' Referring to Rev. Dr. Keating's notice of this saint, he also alludes to the account given " ab authore vitas S. Albani ad 26 Martii, supra, et a Martyrologiis communi-
568
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 26.
such a purpose. The BoUandists 3 notice Becanus of Cluain-aird, at this same date ; however, they only give references to the Manuscript Martyr- ology of Tallagh, and to Colgan's allusions, in the Acts of St. Abban. * In the "Felire" of ^ngus, and in O'Clery's Irish Calendar, it is stated, that Beccan of Cluain-ard was otherwise called Mobecoc. 5 Another form of his name was Dabhecog. We read of a Becan, son to Eoghan, son to Mur- chadh, of the race of Fiacha Muillethan, son to Eoghan Mor, son of OilioU Olura. ^ This genealogy agrees with Rev. Dr. Jeoffrey Keating's account of St. Beacan'sstock;althoughwefind,elsewhere,adifferentpedigree. Thescholiast? on St. ^ngus tells us, that the present St. Becan was the son of Lugaid, son to Tuathan, son of Aed, son to Fergus, son of Eoghan, son of Niall of theNine Hostages. Yet, a somewhat different genealogy is made out for him, at the
26th March, where he is called the brother of St. Corbmac. ^ St. Becan, as we read, was the son of Eugene, son of Marchad, son of Muredach, son of Dier- mit, son of Eugene, son of Alild Flanbeg, son of Fiach Muillethain, son to Eugene the Great, who was son to Alild Olum.
Notwithstanding, what has been thus related of his pedigree, the " Sanctilogium Genealogicum " states, that this saint was a son, not of Eugene, but of Marchad ; and, it then gives his genealogy, in the order related, as deduced ^ from a Life of St. Corbmac, one of St. Becan's brothers. '° Our saint had four brothers, who were sons of the same father, and they are thus named—St. Culan," St. Enuines, or Euinus," St. Diermit,'3 and St. Boedan, or Baitan. Two of these saints sought a happy retirement from worldly concerns, in the province of Connaught ; one of them dwelt in Lein- ster ; and the other in Ulster; while our samt, with his brother Culan, re- mained in their native province of Munster, where these became devoted to the practices of a religious life. '* This saint was brother of Cuimin a hermit, according to the title of an Epistle. '^ He was a recluse in Hy, as we learn intheTable,postfixedtotheMartyrologyofDonegal. '^ IntheLifeofSt. Abban,'7 it is stated, that on one occasion, he visited the northern part of that country, where the mountain called Crott was situated. '^ It is now known
3 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vi. , Maii xxvi. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 352.
* At the i6th of March.
5 His alternative name, Mobecoc, signi- fied "my dear Becoc," or "Becan. "
"See his Life, at the 22nd of Deceui- ber.
'^ In the Life of St. Corbmac, chap, iii. , p. 751, in Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nix," it is said, that St. Diermit built the church of Rosredheadh, in the territory of
^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Carbiy, in Connaught. It was afterwards
called Kill-mac-nEoguin, or " the church or cell of the sons of Eugene. It was situated in the Dioceseof Elphin. Colgansayshe doubts, whether this saint be Diermit, Presbyter, who is reverenced on the 15th of January, or another of the name, whose feast occurs on the 12th of October. See iiicf. , xwi. Martii, n. 9, p. 755.
'* See //'/(/. , cap. i. , p. 751.
'5 In Ussher's "Veteruni Epistolarum Hibernicarum Sylloge," p. 24. Dublin Edition, 163, and Ussher's works, by Elrington, vol. iv. , p. 432.
" Tiie A'atal day of St. Culan, bishop, is
observed on the iSthof February, according
to Canisius, Fcrrarius, and the Carthusian
Martyiolcigy. However, Colgan doubts as
to whether or not, this saint is the one, who
is called Da-chualan, by Marianus and nire,'' xvi. Martii. Vila S. Abbani Abbatis otliers, and whose feast is held on the I2th of de Magliarnuidhe, cap. xx. , p. 615.
March. See iiU. , n. 4, p. 755. '» It is in the lownland of Cappa-Uniac,
nise," xvi. Marti, Vita S. Abbani, cap. xx. , p. 615, and n. 23, p. 622.
^See in the "Leabhar Breac" copy. "Transactions of the Roy. d Irish Academy," Irish Manuscrijjt Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, by Whitky Stokes, LL. D. , p. xci.
*See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxvi. Martii, Vita S. Corbmaci, cap. i. , ii. , p. 751, and n. 2, p. 755.
9 By Father Joim Col. i;an.
'° . See " Acta Sanctorum Ilibernise," xxvi. Martii, Vita S. Corbmnci, n. 2. p. 755.
"'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 13S, 139.
'^ His feast was kept, on the i6th of March, and on the 27th of October,
'"See Coli;an's "Acta Sanctorum Hibcr-
May 26. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
569
too as Mount Grud,'9 in the territory of Muscraighe,^° at present Anglicized Muskerry. A legendary story is told about Diarmaid,^' K. i»g of Ireland, who is saidtohavekilledhissonBreasal,inafitofpassion. Thekingafterwardslapsed into a settled melancholy ; and, at last, he sought consolation from St. Colum- kille, who advised him to visit St. Beacan, then living in a poor cell, on the north side of Mount Grott. Kill-Beacain is also a name for the church of our saint, who is reverenced at this place. When King Diarmaid and St. Columkille arrived there, St. Beacan was engaged digging a ditch to surround the graveyard, and working in his wet clothes, for it was a rainy day. Per- ceiving that the King of Ireland approaclied, our saint cried out : " O mur- derer, down to the ground upon your knees. " Instantly, the king dismounted from his horse, and prostrated himself before the saint. Then St. Columkille informed Becan about the object of their visit, ano that the king was almost distracted with grief, reflecting on the barbarous deed he had perpetrated. No solace was left him but prayers to heaven, that God would be pleased to par- don the offence and restore his son to life. Then, St. Columkille presumed, that so religious a person would not refuse to intercede for the king, since his life and happiness were immediately concerned. Moved with compassion, St. Becan prayed with great fervour to heaven three different times. As the legend relates, Breasal was restored to life, and presented to his father, who received him with inexpressible joy. Afterwards, the king held our saint in great esteem and veneration, on account of this miracle he had wrought. "
In the parish of Killardry,^3 or Killaldrifife,^^ Cluain-ard, meaning "the high lawn" or "meadow," was the ancient name of that place, on which Kil- peacan ^s old church now stands. It is in the barony of Clonwilliam, at the foot of Sliabh g Crot. No less than eleven views ^^ of this old church and of its antiquarian features are to be seen. ^7 It lies within Tooreeii townland. The north wall and the western half of the south wall remain, but the east gable is level with the ground. ^^ A small portion of the west gable is joined to the north wall ; the rest is almost level with the ground. ^9 The length of theoldchurchwasabout31feet,andthebreadthabout19feet. Thewallsare about 13 feet high, and about 2 feet, 7 inches in thickness ; they are built with large stones mixed with small ones, and well cemented with lime and mortar. Theywearanappearanceofage,butnowtheyarequitefeatureless. Abreachin the small portion about the middle of Kilpeacon's west gable, seems to point out
in the parish of Killardry, barony of Clan- william, and county of Tipperary. The fort and castle of Dun-gCrot are situated at the foot of this mountain, in the Glen of Aher- lagh. See Dr. John O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (y), p. 874.
Duffy's edition.
^^ See it described, on the "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Tipperary," sheets 67, 68, 75.
^** Accoiding to John O'Donovan, this parish is called in Irish Cill Ap'opAc or Clil A1]\1|\15.
^° Also called Muscraighe Breoghain,
Muscraighe Chuirc, or Muscraighe Trei-
thirne. See " I'opographical Poems of John
O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Noanih generally contractedly Peacawn. O'Huidhrin," edited by John O'Donovan,
LL. D. , p. Ixx. , n. 608.
=' According to Thomas D'Arcy McGee,
this monarch seized the Irish throne in 534, and for twenty eventful years, he bore sway over Erin. He was an oppressor of the clergy, and had a leaven of paganism in his composition. See "A Popular History of Ireland," book i. , chap, iv. , p. 30.
^^ Among these are traces of incised stones.
^5 The accompanying illustration is after an original sketch by George V. Du Noyer, tory of Ireland," book ii. , pp. 364, 365, in the Irish Ordnance Survey Sketches,
*^ See Rev. Dr. Jeoffrey Keating's " His-
^5 This denomination is omitted from the Ordnance Survey Maps of Ireland. The country people call it Peecaion, or more
^^ IntheoblongBookofIrishOrdnance Survey Sketches, preserved in the Royal Irish Academy's Library. Tipperary Sketches,vol. ii. , Nos. 94to104.
^^ The stones of which it was built are scattered about its site.
570
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 26.
theoriginalpositionofitsdoorway. Abouttenyardswestofthechurch,are the pedestal and lower part of what appears to have been a stone cross. A few perches south-east of the church is Tobar Peacaion, or Peacawn's well, having a circular ring of stone work surrounding it. Several scattered frag- ments of flags, evidently tombstones, are in the north-west corner of this church. A few yards from the south-east corner and towards the east, a few stones, fixed in the ground and having the western edge cut or hammered, are called by the people " the Altar. "3° It has an associated legend. Before the year 1830, pilgrims used to visit Peacawn's church from places several miles distant. The patron day here was kept, on the ist of August, as a strict holy day by the people, and devotions were performed, also, on Good Friday. 3' From an entry, in one of our Irish Calendars, it would seem, that
Old Church of Kilpeacon, County of Tipnerary.
some doubt attaches to the exact habitation of our present saint. The ancient territory of Muscraighe Breoghain is comprised, however, in the present baronyofClanwilliam,inthesouth-westofTipperaryCounty. 3' Welearn, that St. Abban had consecrated the church, called Cill-Bhecain, in Mus- craighe-Chuirc,33 on the north side of Siiabh g Crot, during the reign of Diarmada Mac Fearghusa Ceirbheoil. 34 There, it is said,^? a great
transferred to llie wood by William F. Wakeman. It was engraved by Mrs. Mil- lard.
3° These several objects are illustrated by pencil sketches of George V. Du Noyer.
3' See " Letters containin;^ Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Tipper. nry, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. iii. Letter of Patrick O'Keeffe, dated Cashel, September 15th, 1840, pp. 195 to 199.
3' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (n), p. 560.
3' So called, from the i'amily name of O'Cuirc, wiiich is now Anglicized Quirk, without the prefix O', according to Dr. John O'Donovan, in his "Topogra}ihical Poems
of John O'Dubhagain and GioUa na Naomh O'lluidhrin," p. Ixx. , n. 609.
3^ According to William M. Hennessey's "Chronicum Scotorum," he began to reign A. D. 544, and he was slain at Rath Bee A. D.
565. See pp. 48, 49, 56, 57-
'5 In the Life of St. Abban, in Colgan's
May 26. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
571
and most regular monastery was established, by St. Abban ; and, it went by the name of Cluain-aird-Mobhegoc or Mobecoc, having been called after the pre- sent St. Becan, who was venerated, at that place, on the 26th of May. 3^ There St. Abban, also, as we are told, founded the monastery of Cluain. Findglaise. 37 However—according to another and probably a more reliable authority Cluain-aird-MobecocwasbuiltbySt. Becanus,andoveritheruled while,it
;
was called the monastery of Killbecain, after him. ss Even, the compiler of St. Abban's Life seems to have had some idea of this statement ;39 since it is
allowed, that St. Becan resided there until death. -t" The Life of St. Abban states,'*' that Abban himself blessed a church at Cluain-aird Mobecoc, and that he left Becan in it, and that he left the office of the holy Church, in every
4^
church which he blessed.
However this may be explained, at Cluain-aird-Mobecoc St. Becan was
known as a most holy and religious recluse. We are told,'•3 that he lived contemporaneously with St. Columkille and with King Diarmit, son of Cervail. Consequently, we may infer, that he flourished in the sixth century. His whole lifetime was spent in a most penitential manner. He frequently fasted for three whole days. His nights were spent in watching, and his days in constant prayer. With tears, and on bended knees, St, Beccan bewailed his supposed manifold imperfections. He erected a stone cross,^s in the open air,andoutsideofhismonastery. Whethercoldorwarm,stormyorserene, each day he sang the entire Psalter, beside that cross ; on which account, it was afterwards held in great popular veneration. This place was also called, Ceall na nder, or " the cell of tears," by many ; on account of penitential tears shed by persons, seeking God's mercies, through the intercession of St. Becan. 4^ It would appear, also, from O'Clery's Irish Calendar, that this place had been situated, within the ancient territory of Muscraighe Breogain, which nowformspartofMuskerryBarony,inCorkCounty. Amongthelandedde- nominations of the O'Donovan property, at Montpelier, which were furnished to the Irish Ordnance Survey Department, and all of which are in the East Division of West Carberry barony, and county of Cork, we see the names of Loughrott, Upper Loughrott, alias Crott, in the parish of Dromdalyege. *? The writer is unable to state, if these etymons formed any part of the Moun- tain Crott alluded to ; nor, on the modern maps does it seem easy to identify that place, formerly called Cluain-aird-Mobhegoc, or Kilbeacan.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xvi. Martii.
3* See ibid. , n. 22, p. 622.
37 Colgan remarks, that as this lay, within
the territory of Muscraige, it must be distin- guishedfrom the Findglaise, in the diocese of Dublin, also celebrated in connexion with the memory of various saints. See ibid. , n. 24, p. 623.
3^ See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii xxvi. Vita S. Cormaci, cap. ii. , p. 751-
39 See the Twentieth Chapter.
40 The biogra|)her pays him the highest encomiums, for the extraordinary austerity of his life, and for the miracles, wliich he wrought. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. iii. , chap, xvii. , sect, iv. , n. 48. , pp. 20, 21.
"' In chapter xi.
^''See the " Martyrology of Donegal," edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 138, 139.
43 By Rev. Dr. Keating, in his " General
History of Ireland," book ii. , p. 365. Duffy's edition.
•'4 gee his Life, at the 9th of June, in the succeeding volume of this work, Art. i.
^s We can have httle doubt, it was one of that peculiar shape and construction, known as a Celtic or an Irish cross, the models for which are still to be seen in many Irish and Scottish cemeteries,
** See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," xvi. Martii. Vita S. Abbani Abbatis de Magharnuidhe, cap. xx. , p. 615.
''7 in a patent of Charles II. to Murragh Donovan, the foregoing denominations are written Loghciott, and in a deed of 1619, &c. , I find them styled Loughcrotte 1624 and Croattes 1624. —"Memorandums on Antiquities and Local Names of the County of Cork," vol. iv. , p. 570, as arranged while kept in Mountjoy Barracks, the Head- quarters of the Irish Ordnance Survey, Phcenix Park, Dublin. These Records are now in the Royal Irish Academy.
—
—
^^ See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nioe," xvi. Martii. Vita S. Abbani, cap. xx. , p. 615.
*9 Set ibid. , p. 615.
5° See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 294, 295, and nn. (b. f), ibid.
to Leinster, in his time, it was occupied by the O'Cosgraigh septs, who were dispossessed, by the O'Tooles and U'Byrnes, shortly after the English Invasion. See '* Topogr. nphical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Naomh O'lluidhrin," edited by Dr. John
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 26.
572
The author of St. Abban's Life appears to have visited the monastery of Becan; for,thiswritersays,hecouldconfidentlyassert,heneverheardofamore religious community than that of our saint, nor did he ever see a mere beau- tiful and regular monastery. t^ In the Life of Abban published by Colgan, there is a glowing eulogy pronounced on this saint Becan, or Mobecoc. 49 Twice do we find the entry of the death of Beccan of Cluain-Iraird or Ard, in the Annals of the Four Masters. 5° The first entry, at a. d. 687, is evidently a mistake. The second entry, at 689, " Dabhecog, of Cluain-ard, died," agrees with that, in the Annals of Ulster. \w the " Feilire "s" of St. ^ngus, at the 26th of May, it is remarked of St. Beccan, that he loved vigils, and Cluain Ard was his house. However, the scholiast in the " Leabhar Breac " copy of this Metrical ALartyrology states, 5^ that he was of Cluain Mobecoc in Mus- craige Breogain in Munster, or at Tech hui Conaill in Hui-Briuin Chualann.
At this date, the published 53 Martyrology of Tallagh simply enters the name, Becan of Cluana aird ;54 but, his name has been associated with another l)lace, and in quite a different province. In the Martyrology of Donegal,S5 we read, that on the 26th of May was venerated, Becan of Cluain-aird Mobe- cog, in Muscraighe Breoghain, or of Tigh Chonaill, in Ui Brinin Cualann. This territory was called, likewise, Feara Cualann, or Fercuolen, in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and of King James I. Then, it was considered to be co- extensive with the manor of Powerscourt, near Bray, in the county of Wicklow
; but, anciently, it was more extensive. 5^ Its old church is sometimes called
Temi'le Becan,57 after the present saint. It was also denominated Tegh- gumnill, or Tigh-Chonaill, and it is now known as Stagonnell, or Stagonil. The ancient territory of Ui-Bruin Cualaun embraced the greater part of Rath- down barony, in Dublin County, with some of the northern part of Wicklow County. ^^ The former parochial name of Stagonil has now been merged into that of Powerscourt. 59 The church of this place seems to have been of ancient date ; but, we cannot ascertain by whom it had been founded. Hovv-
5' In the "Leabhar Breac" copy we O'Donovan, pp. 74, 75, and o. xlvii. , n.
read :
365-
57 In the Inqui-itions of 38, Henry VIII.
and I, of Edward VI. , as also in Archbishop Alan's ' Repertorium Viride," voce Kil- rothery, it is called Temi. lebeacon. See William Monck Mason's " History and Anti- quities of the Collegiate and Cathedral Cliurch of St. Patrick, near Dublin," &c. , book i. , chap, x. , sect, xvii. , p. 66, n. (u).
5"* See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (n), p. 340.
59 In the barony of Rathdown. It is de- scribed, on the "Ordnance Survey Town- land M. ips for the County of Wicklow," sheets 2, 3, 6, 7, 12.
'° The rank of Stagonil prebendary has
not been distinctly ascertained although in ;
old records, he is more frequently placed be- fore than after the prebendaries of Tipper- kevin and Donoughniore, all of which are styled prebenils of the subdiaconal order, by Archbishop Alan.
^i|Aiciu [clioi]\] ColnuMii SceliAin pLuiiTO ceniATDHAi
1 CluAin Aii\t) [a] A'obAi
It is thus translated into Englisli by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , "The meet reception of Colman and Stellan declare witliout dumb- ness. Beccan who loved vigils, in Cluain Ard (was) his house. "—"Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Iri>h Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. Ixxxi.
5^ See ibid.