Theold church, ascribed to the
erection
of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
Fatrick, Apostle and chief Patron of Ireland, chap.
xiv.
as See the account in Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. i. , cap. x. , pp. 390, 391.
36 The conveniences are at present very
abound in a profusion of this succulent little mountain fruit.
*9 It is said to cover an area of 2,140 sta- tute acres.
3° During the Station season. Lough Derg presents from all points of view, amid its dreary solitude of surrounding mountain and moorland, a singularly charming and truly
picturesque prospect.
3I An illustration of Pilgrims' Island and
3; Saint's Island was sometimes designated
St. Fintan's Island, and very often the island
of St. Dabeoc, pronounced Davoc.
a8 How it has come to receive this dis-
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 357
neat churches. 3 1 For ages it was untenanted ; while the waves then as now often beat with angry plashes against its solitary shores. About two miles north of Station Island lies Saint's Island—also called St. Dabheog's or
Daveog's Island—in pre-Reformation times the place of pilgrimage. This Island comprises about seven acres. Its formation is like a ring, and it rises
in gentle acclivity from the lake. Here, there is hardly a doubt, but that the holy man lived, and probably in that cave, which formerly rendered the place so famous. On the mainland, also, is shown, in the townland of Seeavoc, a remarkable artificial mound, on the summit of which is a stone,
Lough Derg and Pilgrims' Island, County of Donegal.
still named St. Dabheoc's seat. *2 locally
in front of it is a
like opening, which measures about three feet in depth, while it is betwe—en
four and five feet in Its sides were bu—
ilt with stone and these
length. flags, probablygivingwayduringthelapseofages havelefttheenclosedspaceat present so confined. In this cave, one can only kneel with some difficulty. Here St. Dabheoc is supposed to have passed some of his time occasionally, for the two-fold purpose of a seat, in a retired spot for meditation, and to
perform penance in the cave. There, too, on the mountain top, holy
Dabheoc detached himself from all from — earthly considerations, apart men,
and
quite likely to be reliable in nearly all such cases
special patron of the present Saints' Island, which for centuries continued to be known as St. Dabheoc's Island. That the penance he practised was of a very austere character may be inferred from the accounts regarding it, and which have come down to us from very remote times. One of the penitential circles
in communion with his Creator. 33 — to local tradition only According
of its buildings is here presented. The view was taken on the spot from Friars' Island
in Lough Derg, by William F. Wakeman, who afterwards tnnsferred it to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
of Seeavoc, in Irish Swohe "OAbheog.
33 See Rev. Daniel O'Connor's "Lough
Derg and its Pilgrimages," chap, vi. , pp. 40 to 42. There is also a woodcut, representing St. Dabheog's seat.
32 This has given name to the townland
34 These are shown, marked on a copper-
Immediately
grave-
he was regarded as the
358 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 24.
or beds, on the Island of St. Patrick's Purgatory, was styled Lectus vel circu- lus SS. Abogi et Molaisei. Quite near it was the larger Lectus vel circulus
"
Patrick of the fort of Macha loves,"35 that Mobheog was in the habit of placing 3 6 his head constantly, in a pit or pool of water. 37 It is somewhat remarkable, that such a penitential act had
been practised for many centuries by the pilgrims who visited the Island of St. Dabheoc. Even yet, on Station Island, it continues to be observed by
8
In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,39 the Apostle is represented as having founded a church in or near thepeninsulaofInnishowen,andonhiswaytotheRiverBann. Overthis he placed a bishop, both in name and in reality Beatus. 40 Another holy man
S. Patricii? * In the poem beginning,
some penitents, but in a modified way. 3
Eugenius
wasalliedwithhimin
Ithasbeen 1 thatthe supposed,*
friendship.
former may have been identical with the present St. Beog, or Mobheog. He
2
says, likewise, Beatus* is rendered into Irish by the words Beoaidh or
Beoadh,orBeoan/3 Theprefixmo,"my,"beingaddedinamannerused among the Irish, the Latin Irish, or Hiberno-Latinized words, Beoadus,
Beatus, Beoanus, Beanus, can likewise be resolved into Mabheoc or Mab-
heoan, in Irish, or as Latinized into Mobheanus or Mobhoecus. 44 However,
this is all purely speculative, and it by no means establishes identity with the
present holy man. A supposition has been made, that St. Dabheoc, who
lived at an early period on Lough Derg, might have introduced or observed
the rule of one of those eight monastic orders that were in the primitive Irish
Church, and that St. Molaisre,4* Abbot of Devenish, perhaps adopted it.
Both holy men appear to have been very nearly, if not altogether, contem-
poraries. 46 Besides, their places were not very far apart, and there are just
grounds for supposing, that the inmates on Lough Derg and those on Lough
Erne, although living in Island homes, had sometimes visited each other.
It is stated, that when St. Kevin 4 ? was —at the school of his relative, Bishop
48
Eoghan, at Ardstra, St. Bioc or Boean wheth present holy
anotherbearingthesamenameisundetermined paidfrequent
when in his extreme old
DabheoclivedatLoughDerg. Theyearinwhichhediedhasnotbeen
plate Map, in Sir James Ware's work, " De Hibernia, et Antiquitatibus ejus, Disquisi- tiones," cap. xxvi. , p. 190.
35 Attributed to St. Cuimin of Condeire or Connor.
36 Thus he says :—
"
seminary,
age.
4? It is not known how St. long
The victorious Mobheog loves, According to the synod of the learned, Often to bow his head
To dip his head into a pit [of water]. "
grimages," chap, vi. , p. 39.
39 See the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, Art. i. Life of St. Patrick, Apostle and chief Patron of Ire- land, chap. xiv.
«° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. cxxv. , p. 146.
*• p, v Father John Colgan.
4a A Latin word, meaning "blessed" in
37 The last line of the foregoing quatrain
reads inthe of as « " or to
differently poem Cuimin, printed in the Rev. Matthew Kelly's Calen- dar of the Irish Saints, at p. 168 :—
" " He
This, according to Professor O'Curry, is a better reading.
3» " Such force, we may well say, has the continuance of a pious usage in the trans-
English.
Signifying vital," referring life.
<s His feast occurs, on the I2th of Septem- ber. He died a. d. 563.
<« see Rev. Daniel O'Connor's u Lough
Derg and its Pilgrimages," pp. 45, 46.
*7 Patron of Glendalough. See his Life in the Sixth Volume of this work, at the 3rd of
June, Art. i.
** jjis feast occurs, on the 23rd of August. « See Rev. John Francis Shearman's
" Loca Patriciana," No. viii. , p. 158.
t)o cuirxeA* 6 fa 6uice. "
plunged it into the pond. "
—er the man or
mission of historical facts. "—Rev. Daniel "
O'Connor's Lough Derg and its Pil-
« See Colgan, ibid. , n. 188, pp. 181, 182.
visits to that
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 359
noted in our Annals, nor has it been ascertained. It appears probable enough, that he departed this life during the first half of the sixth century, and possibly before the birth of St. Columba,50 which took place about the year 520 or 521. That St. Dabheoc has been regarded as the special patron of Lough Derg may be inferred, from the circumstances of his bed, the seat, a cross, the termon-lands, and Saint's Island itself, having been called after him. It would
appear, that St. Mobheog was interred within the circling waters of Lough ""
Derg, and on Saint's Island, probably at the place where his Aherla or bed
was situated. Veneration was given, at the. 2 4th of July, according to the
of 1 to of Termonn, Abbot. Even to the Martyrology Donegal,* Mobheog,
present day, the people living in the neighbourhood of Lough Derg and the pilgrims thither entertain a great traditional reverence for this holy man, about whom such meagre records now exist. After his time, a monastery and churches, together with seven penitential beds, or cells, where the pilgrims knelt in succession, and prayed for the intercession of the seven tutelary saints of the place, were situated on Saint's Island. 53 On the eastern extremity of this island, the Purgatorial Cave,53 which was known as the Cavcrna Purgatorii, appears to have been situated. 5* During the middle ages, pilgrims were attracted thither for penitential exercises, 55 not alone from Ireland, but from the neighbouring Island of Great Britain, and from the most distant countries of Europe. In the seventeenth century, it was uprooted and completely destroyed, by direction of the English Government. Thereligiousmen5<5 livingtherewereexpelledfromtheirconvent. 5? This cave was so completely filled up with stones, by the iconoclasts, who were deputed to utterly demolish this pious retreat, that scarcely a vestige of it now remains. In the year 1703, being the Second of Queen Anne's reign, at a Parliament held in Dublin, an Act was passed to prevent the growth of Popery ; while, in the 26th clause was introduced a special enactment, to pre- vent pilgrimages to Holy Wells, and especially to the place called St. Patrick's
s° See the Life of St. Columkille or Columba, Abbot of Iona, and Apostle of Caledonia, in the Sixth Volume of this work, atthe9thofJune,Art. i. , chap. i.
51 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 200, 201.
53 The soil partakes of the ruin, which ha3
visited and made such havoc of its holy clois-
ters and churches. It isquite overgrown with
coarse grass, with ferns, and with rushes ;
and, in some parts of it, a thick covering of
heather indicates, that it has to some extent
returned to its original state of wildness. tatibus ejus Disquisitiones," cap. xxvi. , The ruins of the sacred enclosures, churches p. 189. Evident traces of their agricultural
_
and cemetery, are filled with rank and labours Still remain,
luxuriant weeds.
53 A small Tract,
57 During the reign of King Charles I.
s8 The Protestant Bishop of Down and Connor, Right Rev. Bishop Mant, quotes
"
" Le toirede Saint Patrice," was printed at Paris.
Ithasno leaves.
" For the more effec- tual preventing and suppressing all such superstitious, dangerous, and unlawful assem-
date,
andit isan8voof
only
16
the clause as follows
:
intituled,
Purga-
s* The Caverna is also marked on the Ord- nance Survey Map of the island.
ss The celebrated Spanish poet Don Pedro Calderon de la Barca, born in Madrid in the beginning of 1600, composed as one of
his dramas "
This has been elegantly rendered into Eng- ment, be publickly whipped ; and persons lish metre, by our own distinguished poet, convicted of building booths, selling ale, Denis Florence MacCarthy. With an Inuo- victuals, or other commodities, shall forfeit
Purgatorio
de San Patricio. "
duction, this version was first published in Duffy's "Irish Catholic Magazine," vol. i. ,
Nos. i. , ii. , in. , iv. , v. , 1847, 4to. Later still, this version was revised and published
as an entirely new translation, by Mr. Mac- Carthy. In its completed form, it may be seen in the latest edition of his works, in
Calderon's Dramas, published in London, 1887, 8vo.
s6 The Canons Regular of St. Augustine were formerly denizens of the place. See Sir James Ware, " De Hibernia et Antiqui-
blies," the statue further enacts
person convicted of meeting or assembling at St. Patrick's Purgatory aforesaid, or at any such well or place contrary to this act, shall forfeit ten shillings, or in default of pay
that every
360 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 24.
of
trees or shrubs, if we except some slender trees of mountain ash, and some
whitethorn bushes, which are really worth observing, as they are hoar with antiquity. These bushes shelter the debris of the buildings, and especially those of the Caverna Purgalorii; and, judging from the gray, dank moss adhering to their branches, they appear to date from a time when the build- ingsweredemolished. Althoughsocelebratedinformerages,theSaint's Island is now rarely visited, even during the season when pilgrimages are most frequent on Station Island.
Article III. —St. Luighbe, of Drumbo, County of Down. In the
of 1 at the of is entered Dromo bo. Martyrology Tallagh, 24th July, Lugbei
This is the present parish of Drumbo, in the county of Down. " On a hill weretheruinsofthisoldchurch,45feetinlength,and20broad.
Theold church, ascribed to the erection of St. Patricks and presided over by a St. Mochumma, Abbot, about the beginning of the seventh century, is now in ruins. * Conjecturally, Colgan classes this saint as the holy disciple of St. Columba, named St. Lugbe Mac-cumin, a monk of Iona. s At the north-west corner of the church, 24 feet distant from it, stood an ancient Round Tower,6 about 35 feet high and 47 feet in circumference. It is 9 feet in diameter, on the clear; it has also an eastern entrance, about 6 feet from the ground. ?
The doorway is quadrangular, and the tower is constructed of spawled rubble masonry. The limestone of the district has been used. The wall is 4 feet in thickness, and the doorway measures 5 feet 8 inches in height ; 2 feet 6 inches in breadth, below the lintel ; and 2 feet 10 inches at the sill-stone,
Purgatory,
in the
county
Donegal. s
Island has very few
which is now 8 to the of destroyed. According Martyrology Donegal,?
ration was given at the 24th of July to Luighbe of Drum-bo.
vene-
Article IV. —St. Comghall, of Cluain Diamhair. It is entered
1
in the Martyrology of Tallagh, that a festival was celebrated at the 24th of
twenty shillings, and in default of paymenty be imprisoned ; and the magistrates are re- quired to demolish all crosses, pictures, and inscriptions, that are anywhere publickly set
quities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"pp. 44, 45, n. (b), and Appendix S, pp. 235 and 236, and Appendix LL, p. 379.
* See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Archi- tecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, hi. , sub-sec. 3, pp. 401,402. There is a beautiful wood engraving of the doorway to this Round Tower, at p. 401.
s See "Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , num. 80, p. 491.
6 In J. B. Doyle's " Tours in Ulster," pp. 99, 100, there is an illustration and a desciip- tion of Drumbo Round Tower.
7 See Harris' "Ancientand Present State of
the County ofDown,"chap. iii. , sect, iv. , p. 73.
8 At it rises about four feet present, only
over the level of the ground, which has been raised considerably by interments. No doubt its elevation was originally some eight or ten feet.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
up, and—are the occasions of Popish supersti- "
tions. " History of the Church of Ireland,
from the Revolution to the Union of the
Churches of England and Ireland, January 1st, 1801 ; with a Catalogue of the Arch- bishops and Bishops, continued to Novem- ber, 1840; and a Notice of the Alterations made in the Hierarchy by the Act of 3 and 4 William IV. , chap. 37. " Vol. ii. , chap, ii. , sect. ii. , pp. 139, 140.
Article hi. — 1
Edited
by
Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxx.
2 See it described on "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down,"
sheets 9, 15.
3 This, however, in the opinion of Rev.
William Reeves is incorrect, as the church of Drumbo, erected by St. Patrick, was near
Downpatrick, and not far from the sea, while the present Drumbo is several miles
distant from it. See
200, 201. — Article iv.
Kelly, p. xxx.
'
Edited
Rev. Dr.
"
by
Ecclesiastical Anti-
8 TheSaint's
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 361
July,inhonourofComgallmacTade,ofCluainDiamar. AcertainCorn-
gall, the disciple of St. Cethech, a Bishop, is mentioned in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. 2 His feast appears to have been kept at Ath-da-laarg. This is said to have been a ford of the River Buellan—now the Boyle—in Connaught. 3 The name Comghall, of Cluain Diamhair, occurs in the Martyr- ology of Donegal,* at this same date.
Article V. —St. Oilleoc, of Cluana Etchen. A festival to honour
1
Oilleoc of Cluana Etchen appears in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 24th
of July. The place of this saint is not recognisable, at present, under the
name here 2 that the saint given. Colganconjectures, present
with a St. Allcecus,3 the brother of St. Gildas the Wise. *
Colgan makes him the brother to five other holy brothers, who were natives of Ireland. 5 It seems probable enough, that the present saint may be iden- tical with Elloc, one of the sons of Bracan, King of Britain, and of Dina,
daughter
King.
6 If he must have flourished in the fifth cen- so,
to a Saxon
tury. Oneofthesesons,CoemanorMochoemoch,issaidtohavecomeover from Britain, or Cambria, and to have founded a church at a place, afterwards known as Kilcavan, in the plain of Geishill, in the present King's County. It must be remarked, too, there is a place called Kilmalogue,? in the imme- diate vicinity, and it seems not improbable, that as a near neighbour to his brother, he may have there settled. After giving name to the place, Elloc or Oilleoc may have been adopted as the local patron.
ArticleVI. —St. Cronan. WefindthenameCronan,withoutfurther
inserted in the of x and of 2 at designation, Martyrologies Tallagh Donegal,
the 24th of July. No less than twenty-nine holy men bearing this name are enumerated in the Irish Calendars. While most of those are distin-
guished by the places with which they were connected, or by a patrony- mic, several are only mentioned simply by name. Among the latter
is the present holy man. There are two places, called Kilcronan, marked on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps ; one of these is a townland
in the parish of Whitechurch, and barony of Cork;* while the other townland, so named,4 is in the parish of Dysartgallen, and barony of Cul- lenagh, in the Queen's County. The old cemetery of the latter Kilcronan
a See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xlviii. , p. 136.
3 See nn. 91, 92, p. 177.
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
5 See what is written at the 31st of
January, the feast of St. Machumma or
Dochumma, Bishop of Inis Mahee.
200,201. Article v.
Kelly, p. xxx.
—
Edited by Rev. Dr.
inthe
Topographical Dictionary
2 Thereisa
called
Clonagheen,
Article vi. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxx.
2
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 200, 201.
3 It is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," sheet 63.
* It is described, on the "Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the Queen's
parish
barony of Maryborough West, and Queen's
County ; but, this denomination does not
approach phonetically to that of Cluana Etchen.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia? ," Januarii xxix. , n. 6, p. 188.
4 See his Life, at the 29th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
6" See Colgan's
nise," Febuarii xi.
to 314. " 7 See Lewis'
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Canoci, pp. 311
of Ireland," vol. —i. , p. 652. x
be identical
may
Yet, elsewhere,
362
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 24.
6onthe right bank of the Owenbeg River. No patron day or tradition remains at present, to connect this place with any particular St. Cronan j notwithstand- ing the many bearing such name as inscribed on the Irish Calendar. The river has now encroached on part of the former burial-ground, and has carried away a considerable portion, not alone of the earth, but even of human
anda ofitsruinedchurchs lienearthetownof
fragment Ballynakill,
u
^m&:::. '. . . ,',,.
Kilcronan, Queen's County.
remains. When the writer last visited the place, layers of human bones and also pieces of coffins were sticking out through the clay on the soft embank- ment, over the rapid course of the Owenbeg River. Its proximity to the town of Ballynakill caused the cemetery of Kilcronan to be greatly over- crowded ; while, by the people of all the surrounding neighbourhood, the place had been constantly held in great veneration, and it was a favourite place for interments.
of
Tallagh,
1 at this
date,
is entered the festival of Blaithmac mac Flainn. tions. Woodsareshownoneithersideofit,
Article VII. —St. Blathmac, Son of Flann. In the Martyrology
County,"sheet30.
s The accompanying illustration is from a
but with openings between, and these ex- tend to the River Greg, as it is called—now
sketch by the writer, taken in July, 1888. This was drawn by William F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
—which Kilcroenen passes by
6 On the old Map of Leix, compiled about
the year 1563, and within the district of great distance, towards the south-west.
Galin, this town is marked. There, it is de-
nominated Balaochillie, and it is represented, in situ, by a tower, with crhuaux indenta-
Ballynakill is situated within the parish of
Dysartgallen, in t—he barony of Cullinagh.
the Owenbeg
—also noted—and thence wends its course on to the River Neuie. This it joins at no
Article vii.
'
Edited Rev. Dr. by
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 363
of 2 at the of the name of Martyrology Donegal, records, 24th July,
The
Blathmac, son of Flann. In the table postfixed to the latter Martyrology, his name is Latinized Florigenius or Florus. 3 From the date at which his death is entered, a. d. 823, in both of the aforesaid Calendars, it should seem, that this saint ought to be identified with that noble martyr of Iona, whose Acts and festival may be found, at the 19th of January. 4
Article VIII. —St. Corodnus or Crodhne. In the Martyrology of
1
Tallagh, Corodnus is recorded at this day. In a somewhat different form,
the name is elsewhere noticed. A festival in honour of Crodhne 2 is set
down in the of 2- at the of Martyrology Donegal, 24th July.
ArticleIX. —St. LateerinofCulltn,CountyofCork. Apatron
was held, near a holy well dedicated to St.
as See the account in Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columba? , lib. i. , cap. x. , pp. 390, 391.
36 The conveniences are at present very
abound in a profusion of this succulent little mountain fruit.
*9 It is said to cover an area of 2,140 sta- tute acres.
3° During the Station season. Lough Derg presents from all points of view, amid its dreary solitude of surrounding mountain and moorland, a singularly charming and truly
picturesque prospect.
3I An illustration of Pilgrims' Island and
3; Saint's Island was sometimes designated
St. Fintan's Island, and very often the island
of St. Dabeoc, pronounced Davoc.
a8 How it has come to receive this dis-
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 357
neat churches. 3 1 For ages it was untenanted ; while the waves then as now often beat with angry plashes against its solitary shores. About two miles north of Station Island lies Saint's Island—also called St. Dabheog's or
Daveog's Island—in pre-Reformation times the place of pilgrimage. This Island comprises about seven acres. Its formation is like a ring, and it rises
in gentle acclivity from the lake. Here, there is hardly a doubt, but that the holy man lived, and probably in that cave, which formerly rendered the place so famous. On the mainland, also, is shown, in the townland of Seeavoc, a remarkable artificial mound, on the summit of which is a stone,
Lough Derg and Pilgrims' Island, County of Donegal.
still named St. Dabheoc's seat. *2 locally
in front of it is a
like opening, which measures about three feet in depth, while it is betwe—en
four and five feet in Its sides were bu—
ilt with stone and these
length. flags, probablygivingwayduringthelapseofages havelefttheenclosedspaceat present so confined. In this cave, one can only kneel with some difficulty. Here St. Dabheoc is supposed to have passed some of his time occasionally, for the two-fold purpose of a seat, in a retired spot for meditation, and to
perform penance in the cave. There, too, on the mountain top, holy
Dabheoc detached himself from all from — earthly considerations, apart men,
and
quite likely to be reliable in nearly all such cases
special patron of the present Saints' Island, which for centuries continued to be known as St. Dabheoc's Island. That the penance he practised was of a very austere character may be inferred from the accounts regarding it, and which have come down to us from very remote times. One of the penitential circles
in communion with his Creator. 33 — to local tradition only According
of its buildings is here presented. The view was taken on the spot from Friars' Island
in Lough Derg, by William F. Wakeman, who afterwards tnnsferred it to the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
of Seeavoc, in Irish Swohe "OAbheog.
33 See Rev. Daniel O'Connor's "Lough
Derg and its Pilgrimages," chap, vi. , pp. 40 to 42. There is also a woodcut, representing St. Dabheog's seat.
32 This has given name to the townland
34 These are shown, marked on a copper-
Immediately
grave-
he was regarded as the
358 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 24.
or beds, on the Island of St. Patrick's Purgatory, was styled Lectus vel circu- lus SS. Abogi et Molaisei. Quite near it was the larger Lectus vel circulus
"
Patrick of the fort of Macha loves,"35 that Mobheog was in the habit of placing 3 6 his head constantly, in a pit or pool of water. 37 It is somewhat remarkable, that such a penitential act had
been practised for many centuries by the pilgrims who visited the Island of St. Dabheoc. Even yet, on Station Island, it continues to be observed by
8
In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick,39 the Apostle is represented as having founded a church in or near thepeninsulaofInnishowen,andonhiswaytotheRiverBann. Overthis he placed a bishop, both in name and in reality Beatus. 40 Another holy man
S. Patricii? * In the poem beginning,
some penitents, but in a modified way. 3
Eugenius
wasalliedwithhimin
Ithasbeen 1 thatthe supposed,*
friendship.
former may have been identical with the present St. Beog, or Mobheog. He
2
says, likewise, Beatus* is rendered into Irish by the words Beoaidh or
Beoadh,orBeoan/3 Theprefixmo,"my,"beingaddedinamannerused among the Irish, the Latin Irish, or Hiberno-Latinized words, Beoadus,
Beatus, Beoanus, Beanus, can likewise be resolved into Mabheoc or Mab-
heoan, in Irish, or as Latinized into Mobheanus or Mobhoecus. 44 However,
this is all purely speculative, and it by no means establishes identity with the
present holy man. A supposition has been made, that St. Dabheoc, who
lived at an early period on Lough Derg, might have introduced or observed
the rule of one of those eight monastic orders that were in the primitive Irish
Church, and that St. Molaisre,4* Abbot of Devenish, perhaps adopted it.
Both holy men appear to have been very nearly, if not altogether, contem-
poraries. 46 Besides, their places were not very far apart, and there are just
grounds for supposing, that the inmates on Lough Derg and those on Lough
Erne, although living in Island homes, had sometimes visited each other.
It is stated, that when St. Kevin 4 ? was —at the school of his relative, Bishop
48
Eoghan, at Ardstra, St. Bioc or Boean wheth present holy
anotherbearingthesamenameisundetermined paidfrequent
when in his extreme old
DabheoclivedatLoughDerg. Theyearinwhichhediedhasnotbeen
plate Map, in Sir James Ware's work, " De Hibernia, et Antiquitatibus ejus, Disquisi- tiones," cap. xxvi. , p. 190.
35 Attributed to St. Cuimin of Condeire or Connor.
36 Thus he says :—
"
seminary,
age.
4? It is not known how St. long
The victorious Mobheog loves, According to the synod of the learned, Often to bow his head
To dip his head into a pit [of water]. "
grimages," chap, vi. , p. 39.
39 See the Third Volume of this work, at
the 17th of March, Art. i. Life of St. Patrick, Apostle and chief Patron of Ire- land, chap. xiv.
«° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. cxxv. , p. 146.
*• p, v Father John Colgan.
4a A Latin word, meaning "blessed" in
37 The last line of the foregoing quatrain
reads inthe of as « " or to
differently poem Cuimin, printed in the Rev. Matthew Kelly's Calen- dar of the Irish Saints, at p. 168 :—
" " He
This, according to Professor O'Curry, is a better reading.
3» " Such force, we may well say, has the continuance of a pious usage in the trans-
English.
Signifying vital," referring life.
<s His feast occurs, on the I2th of Septem- ber. He died a. d. 563.
<« see Rev. Daniel O'Connor's u Lough
Derg and its Pilgrimages," pp. 45, 46.
*7 Patron of Glendalough. See his Life in the Sixth Volume of this work, at the 3rd of
June, Art. i.
** jjis feast occurs, on the 23rd of August. « See Rev. John Francis Shearman's
" Loca Patriciana," No. viii. , p. 158.
t)o cuirxeA* 6 fa 6uice. "
plunged it into the pond. "
—er the man or
mission of historical facts. "—Rev. Daniel "
O'Connor's Lough Derg and its Pil-
« See Colgan, ibid. , n. 188, pp. 181, 182.
visits to that
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 359
noted in our Annals, nor has it been ascertained. It appears probable enough, that he departed this life during the first half of the sixth century, and possibly before the birth of St. Columba,50 which took place about the year 520 or 521. That St. Dabheoc has been regarded as the special patron of Lough Derg may be inferred, from the circumstances of his bed, the seat, a cross, the termon-lands, and Saint's Island itself, having been called after him. It would
appear, that St. Mobheog was interred within the circling waters of Lough ""
Derg, and on Saint's Island, probably at the place where his Aherla or bed
was situated. Veneration was given, at the. 2 4th of July, according to the
of 1 to of Termonn, Abbot. Even to the Martyrology Donegal,* Mobheog,
present day, the people living in the neighbourhood of Lough Derg and the pilgrims thither entertain a great traditional reverence for this holy man, about whom such meagre records now exist. After his time, a monastery and churches, together with seven penitential beds, or cells, where the pilgrims knelt in succession, and prayed for the intercession of the seven tutelary saints of the place, were situated on Saint's Island. 53 On the eastern extremity of this island, the Purgatorial Cave,53 which was known as the Cavcrna Purgatorii, appears to have been situated. 5* During the middle ages, pilgrims were attracted thither for penitential exercises, 55 not alone from Ireland, but from the neighbouring Island of Great Britain, and from the most distant countries of Europe. In the seventeenth century, it was uprooted and completely destroyed, by direction of the English Government. Thereligiousmen5<5 livingtherewereexpelledfromtheirconvent. 5? This cave was so completely filled up with stones, by the iconoclasts, who were deputed to utterly demolish this pious retreat, that scarcely a vestige of it now remains. In the year 1703, being the Second of Queen Anne's reign, at a Parliament held in Dublin, an Act was passed to prevent the growth of Popery ; while, in the 26th clause was introduced a special enactment, to pre- vent pilgrimages to Holy Wells, and especially to the place called St. Patrick's
s° See the Life of St. Columkille or Columba, Abbot of Iona, and Apostle of Caledonia, in the Sixth Volume of this work, atthe9thofJune,Art. i. , chap. i.
51 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 200, 201.
53 The soil partakes of the ruin, which ha3
visited and made such havoc of its holy clois-
ters and churches. It isquite overgrown with
coarse grass, with ferns, and with rushes ;
and, in some parts of it, a thick covering of
heather indicates, that it has to some extent
returned to its original state of wildness. tatibus ejus Disquisitiones," cap. xxvi. , The ruins of the sacred enclosures, churches p. 189. Evident traces of their agricultural
_
and cemetery, are filled with rank and labours Still remain,
luxuriant weeds.
53 A small Tract,
57 During the reign of King Charles I.
s8 The Protestant Bishop of Down and Connor, Right Rev. Bishop Mant, quotes
"
" Le toirede Saint Patrice," was printed at Paris.
Ithasno leaves.
" For the more effec- tual preventing and suppressing all such superstitious, dangerous, and unlawful assem-
date,
andit isan8voof
only
16
the clause as follows
:
intituled,
Purga-
s* The Caverna is also marked on the Ord- nance Survey Map of the island.
ss The celebrated Spanish poet Don Pedro Calderon de la Barca, born in Madrid in the beginning of 1600, composed as one of
his dramas "
This has been elegantly rendered into Eng- ment, be publickly whipped ; and persons lish metre, by our own distinguished poet, convicted of building booths, selling ale, Denis Florence MacCarthy. With an Inuo- victuals, or other commodities, shall forfeit
Purgatorio
de San Patricio. "
duction, this version was first published in Duffy's "Irish Catholic Magazine," vol. i. ,
Nos. i. , ii. , in. , iv. , v. , 1847, 4to. Later still, this version was revised and published
as an entirely new translation, by Mr. Mac- Carthy. In its completed form, it may be seen in the latest edition of his works, in
Calderon's Dramas, published in London, 1887, 8vo.
s6 The Canons Regular of St. Augustine were formerly denizens of the place. See Sir James Ware, " De Hibernia et Antiqui-
blies," the statue further enacts
person convicted of meeting or assembling at St. Patrick's Purgatory aforesaid, or at any such well or place contrary to this act, shall forfeit ten shillings, or in default of pay
that every
360 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 24.
of
trees or shrubs, if we except some slender trees of mountain ash, and some
whitethorn bushes, which are really worth observing, as they are hoar with antiquity. These bushes shelter the debris of the buildings, and especially those of the Caverna Purgalorii; and, judging from the gray, dank moss adhering to their branches, they appear to date from a time when the build- ingsweredemolished. Althoughsocelebratedinformerages,theSaint's Island is now rarely visited, even during the season when pilgrimages are most frequent on Station Island.
Article III. —St. Luighbe, of Drumbo, County of Down. In the
of 1 at the of is entered Dromo bo. Martyrology Tallagh, 24th July, Lugbei
This is the present parish of Drumbo, in the county of Down. " On a hill weretheruinsofthisoldchurch,45feetinlength,and20broad.
Theold church, ascribed to the erection of St. Patricks and presided over by a St. Mochumma, Abbot, about the beginning of the seventh century, is now in ruins. * Conjecturally, Colgan classes this saint as the holy disciple of St. Columba, named St. Lugbe Mac-cumin, a monk of Iona. s At the north-west corner of the church, 24 feet distant from it, stood an ancient Round Tower,6 about 35 feet high and 47 feet in circumference. It is 9 feet in diameter, on the clear; it has also an eastern entrance, about 6 feet from the ground. ?
The doorway is quadrangular, and the tower is constructed of spawled rubble masonry. The limestone of the district has been used. The wall is 4 feet in thickness, and the doorway measures 5 feet 8 inches in height ; 2 feet 6 inches in breadth, below the lintel ; and 2 feet 10 inches at the sill-stone,
Purgatory,
in the
county
Donegal. s
Island has very few
which is now 8 to the of destroyed. According Martyrology Donegal,?
ration was given at the 24th of July to Luighbe of Drum-bo.
vene-
Article IV. —St. Comghall, of Cluain Diamhair. It is entered
1
in the Martyrology of Tallagh, that a festival was celebrated at the 24th of
twenty shillings, and in default of paymenty be imprisoned ; and the magistrates are re- quired to demolish all crosses, pictures, and inscriptions, that are anywhere publickly set
quities of Down, Connor and Dromore,"pp. 44, 45, n. (b), and Appendix S, pp. 235 and 236, and Appendix LL, p. 379.
* See Dr. Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Archi- tecture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, hi. , sub-sec. 3, pp. 401,402. There is a beautiful wood engraving of the doorway to this Round Tower, at p. 401.
s See "Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix Quarta ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , num. 80, p. 491.
6 In J. B. Doyle's " Tours in Ulster," pp. 99, 100, there is an illustration and a desciip- tion of Drumbo Round Tower.
7 See Harris' "Ancientand Present State of
the County ofDown,"chap. iii. , sect, iv. , p. 73.
8 At it rises about four feet present, only
over the level of the ground, which has been raised considerably by interments. No doubt its elevation was originally some eight or ten feet.
» Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
up, and—are the occasions of Popish supersti- "
tions. " History of the Church of Ireland,
from the Revolution to the Union of the
Churches of England and Ireland, January 1st, 1801 ; with a Catalogue of the Arch- bishops and Bishops, continued to Novem- ber, 1840; and a Notice of the Alterations made in the Hierarchy by the Act of 3 and 4 William IV. , chap. 37. " Vol. ii. , chap, ii. , sect. ii. , pp. 139, 140.
Article hi. — 1
Edited
by
Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxx.
2 See it described on "Ordnance
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Down,"
sheets 9, 15.
3 This, however, in the opinion of Rev.
William Reeves is incorrect, as the church of Drumbo, erected by St. Patrick, was near
Downpatrick, and not far from the sea, while the present Drumbo is several miles
distant from it. See
200, 201. — Article iv.
Kelly, p. xxx.
'
Edited
Rev. Dr.
"
by
Ecclesiastical Anti-
8 TheSaint's
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 361
July,inhonourofComgallmacTade,ofCluainDiamar. AcertainCorn-
gall, the disciple of St. Cethech, a Bishop, is mentioned in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. 2 His feast appears to have been kept at Ath-da-laarg. This is said to have been a ford of the River Buellan—now the Boyle—in Connaught. 3 The name Comghall, of Cluain Diamhair, occurs in the Martyr- ology of Donegal,* at this same date.
Article V. —St. Oilleoc, of Cluana Etchen. A festival to honour
1
Oilleoc of Cluana Etchen appears in the Martyrology of Tallagh, at the 24th
of July. The place of this saint is not recognisable, at present, under the
name here 2 that the saint given. Colganconjectures, present
with a St. Allcecus,3 the brother of St. Gildas the Wise. *
Colgan makes him the brother to five other holy brothers, who were natives of Ireland. 5 It seems probable enough, that the present saint may be iden- tical with Elloc, one of the sons of Bracan, King of Britain, and of Dina,
daughter
King.
6 If he must have flourished in the fifth cen- so,
to a Saxon
tury. Oneofthesesons,CoemanorMochoemoch,issaidtohavecomeover from Britain, or Cambria, and to have founded a church at a place, afterwards known as Kilcavan, in the plain of Geishill, in the present King's County. It must be remarked, too, there is a place called Kilmalogue,? in the imme- diate vicinity, and it seems not improbable, that as a near neighbour to his brother, he may have there settled. After giving name to the place, Elloc or Oilleoc may have been adopted as the local patron.
ArticleVI. —St. Cronan. WefindthenameCronan,withoutfurther
inserted in the of x and of 2 at designation, Martyrologies Tallagh Donegal,
the 24th of July. No less than twenty-nine holy men bearing this name are enumerated in the Irish Calendars. While most of those are distin-
guished by the places with which they were connected, or by a patrony- mic, several are only mentioned simply by name. Among the latter
is the present holy man. There are two places, called Kilcronan, marked on the Irish Ordnance Survey Maps ; one of these is a townland
in the parish of Whitechurch, and barony of Cork;* while the other townland, so named,4 is in the parish of Dysartgallen, and barony of Cul- lenagh, in the Queen's County. The old cemetery of the latter Kilcronan
a See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. ii. , cap. xlviii. , p. 136.
3 See nn. 91, 92, p. 177.
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
5 See what is written at the 31st of
January, the feast of St. Machumma or
Dochumma, Bishop of Inis Mahee.
200,201. Article v.
Kelly, p. xxx.
—
Edited by Rev. Dr.
inthe
Topographical Dictionary
2 Thereisa
called
Clonagheen,
Article vi. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xxx.
2
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 200, 201.
3 It is shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," sheet 63.
* It is described, on the "Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the Queen's
parish
barony of Maryborough West, and Queen's
County ; but, this denomination does not
approach phonetically to that of Cluana Etchen.
3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia? ," Januarii xxix. , n. 6, p. 188.
4 See his Life, at the 29th of January, in the First Volume of this work, Art. i.
6" See Colgan's
nise," Febuarii xi.
to 314. " 7 See Lewis'
Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Vita S. Canoci, pp. 311
of Ireland," vol. —i. , p. 652. x
be identical
may
Yet, elsewhere,
362
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 24.
6onthe right bank of the Owenbeg River. No patron day or tradition remains at present, to connect this place with any particular St. Cronan j notwithstand- ing the many bearing such name as inscribed on the Irish Calendar. The river has now encroached on part of the former burial-ground, and has carried away a considerable portion, not alone of the earth, but even of human
anda ofitsruinedchurchs lienearthetownof
fragment Ballynakill,
u
^m&:::. '. . . ,',,.
Kilcronan, Queen's County.
remains. When the writer last visited the place, layers of human bones and also pieces of coffins were sticking out through the clay on the soft embank- ment, over the rapid course of the Owenbeg River. Its proximity to the town of Ballynakill caused the cemetery of Kilcronan to be greatly over- crowded ; while, by the people of all the surrounding neighbourhood, the place had been constantly held in great veneration, and it was a favourite place for interments.
of
Tallagh,
1 at this
date,
is entered the festival of Blaithmac mac Flainn. tions. Woodsareshownoneithersideofit,
Article VII. —St. Blathmac, Son of Flann. In the Martyrology
County,"sheet30.
s The accompanying illustration is from a
but with openings between, and these ex- tend to the River Greg, as it is called—now
sketch by the writer, taken in July, 1888. This was drawn by William F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
—which Kilcroenen passes by
6 On the old Map of Leix, compiled about
the year 1563, and within the district of great distance, towards the south-west.
Galin, this town is marked. There, it is de-
nominated Balaochillie, and it is represented, in situ, by a tower, with crhuaux indenta-
Ballynakill is situated within the parish of
Dysartgallen, in t—he barony of Cullinagh.
the Owenbeg
—also noted—and thence wends its course on to the River Neuie. This it joins at no
Article vii.
'
Edited Rev. Dr. by
July 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 363
of 2 at the of the name of Martyrology Donegal, records, 24th July,
The
Blathmac, son of Flann. In the table postfixed to the latter Martyrology, his name is Latinized Florigenius or Florus. 3 From the date at which his death is entered, a. d. 823, in both of the aforesaid Calendars, it should seem, that this saint ought to be identified with that noble martyr of Iona, whose Acts and festival may be found, at the 19th of January. 4
Article VIII. —St. Corodnus or Crodhne. In the Martyrology of
1
Tallagh, Corodnus is recorded at this day. In a somewhat different form,
the name is elsewhere noticed. A festival in honour of Crodhne 2 is set
down in the of 2- at the of Martyrology Donegal, 24th July.
ArticleIX. —St. LateerinofCulltn,CountyofCork. Apatron
was held, near a holy well dedicated to St.
