*' The writer was told by a young man,
;
living near the place, that in digging a deep trench, which runs along one of the four sides, he uncovered a vast quantity of human skulls and other bones.
;
living near the place, that in digging a deep trench, which runs along one of the four sides, he uncovered a vast quantity of human skulls and other bones.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
463 to 466.
^ yee Rev. Dr. Reeves' edition, lib. iii. , cap. i. , p. 104.
" See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco- 7 See the Life of St. Columbanus, at the toium," tomus ii. , lib. xix. , num. 1166,
2lst of November.
* An interesting account of him will be
found, in the "Dictionary of Christian Bio- graphy," edited by WiJliaJTi Smith, LL. D. , and Henry Wace, D. D. , vol. iii. , ])p. 430,
p. 649,
Article ix. —' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxv.
"See "Acta . Sanctorum," tomus vi. ,
Maii xxviii. Among the prclcrmitted feasts,
P- 733- —
Artici. k viii. ' See "Acta . Sancto- -VKricl. F. x. ' Edited by Rev. Dr.
43»- —
rum. tomus vi. , Mnii xxviii. Among the Kelly, p. xxv.
May 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
589
CtDentp-'Umtl) IBa^ of i^ap*
ARTICLE I. —ST. BRUNSECHA, VIRGIN, OF MAGH-TREA, AND OF KILLYON PARISH, KING'S COUNTY.
[FIFTH OR SIXTH CENTURY. ]
NO matter how oppressed the innocent ma} be, or how much injustice
they may suffer, at the hands of evil-disposed persons yet, the ;
Almighty, in his own good time, vindicates their innocence and rewards virtue. He also usually chastises the insolent and unjust oppressors, even in this life. The innocent and injured have the consolation of knowing, that if their trials be of long continuance, and if borne in a spirit of patience and re- signation to God's holy will, their future happiness in the kingdom of Heaven will more than compensate them, for those privations they have endured in their hours of trial.
The Martyrology of Tallagh ' simply records this holy woman, at the 29th of May, as Brunsica, Virgin. Allusion is made to her by the BoUandists,^ at this date,relyingontheforegoingstatement,andonotherIrishauthorities. Inthese allusions to her, however, there is no account of any place, where she was spe- ciallyvenerated. Wefind,likewise,onthisday,afestivalsetdown,intheMartyr- ology of Donegal,3 in honour of Briuinseach Ceal, or the Slender ; here, also, sheissaidtohavebeenadaughtertoCrimhthann,ofMaghTrea. Whetherthis was her natal place, however, or that in which her memory had been specially venerated, we cannot determine. From the epithet here applied to this saint, it is probable, she was slender in figure, and this bodily condition may have been partly the result of her well-practised austerities during the conventual state. InthetablepostfixedtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,it isremarked,thataSt. Buriena, a virgin of Ireland, was venerated, at a town bearing her name, in England,onthe29thofMay. 4 Wehavenocertainrecord,elucidatingthe Acts of this saint ; but, to adopt a conjecture of Colgan,s she was identical with St. Brunechia, or Bruinecha, alluded to in the Lives of St. Kieran of Saigir. ^ An English translation of the Irish Life of this latter holy Patriarch had been lent ^ to the present writer, which varies in some few particulars from one of those published in Latin, by Father John Colgan. ^ This writer had promised to say more aboat her, than he had furnished, in the Acts of St. Kieran,9 at that day.
Article i. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr. "^ See ibid. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice
Kelly, XXV.
= See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. ,
Maii xxix. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 3.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 140, 141.
* The writer then puts the query, " Is
she this Bruinseach ? " See ilnd. , pp. 368,
369.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae,"
V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani Episcopi et Confessoris, n. 18, p. 464.
Kilkenniensi, cap. x. , xi. , xii. , p. 459. Also, Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, and Officium, Lect. iv. , v. , pp. 467, 468.
7 By Mr. John O'Daly, formerly of 9 Anglesea-street, Dublin, and an excellent Irish scholar, as also the editor of many such texts,
* See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernian," v. Martii. Vita S. Kierani Episcopi et Con- fessoris, n. 17, p. 464.
^ See his Life, in the Third Volume of this work, at the Sth of March, Art. i.
S90
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 29.
The holy virgin St. Brunsecha or Briuinseach Ceal is said to have been
the daughter of a Munster chieftain, and to have embraced a religious
life, under direction of St. Liadan or Lidania,'° mother to St, Kieran,
in the Monastery of Kill-Liadhuin," now Killion or Killyon, in the parish
of Drumcullen, and barony of Eglish, in the King's County. According
to one statement, Killiadhuin was founded, about the beginning of the lifth
century ;'=^ but, this is too early a date for its erection. The feast of St.
Liedania has been referred to the nth of August, in the Martyrologies of
Marianus O'Gorman, of Cathal Maguire, and of Donegal,'3 By this pious
matron Liadania,'^ the devout novice Bruinseach was trained to the practice of
everyvirtue yet,wecannotascertain,atwhatexactperiodsheenteredupon ;
;
a religious state and profession. The hamlet of Killion has only a small popu- lation, '5 but it isplacedin the midst of a picturesque neighbouringcountry. The site of St. Liadhain's former convent lies close to the high road—on the south side—leading from Birr to Kinnetty. There can be no doubt, but that a celebrated religious establishment was here, and at a very early period. Two round towers on a small scale, about 1 7 feet high, and of rude masonry, stood in the graveyards of Seir-Kieran and of Killion, the places of St. Kieran and of his mother St. Liedhain. They seem to have been attached to other buildings,andtohavebeenusedassacristiesorDearthachs. '^ Thereareno remains of St. Liadhane's primitive convent now existing
yet, fragments of walls, belonging to a more modern foundation, are yet standing. '? Some curious antiquarian discoveries have been made, in this locality,'^ about 1S46 and 1847, such as an underground apartment, which evidently served for a cellar, and which contained quantities of broken pint bottles of dark-coloured glass, with various fragments of tall and narrow drinking-glasses. In the
beginning of this century, a gate-house,'9 with a wall about twelve feet in height, was standing ; and, it enclosed one side of a courtyard, while there was a small flanking tower, at one of the corners of a quadrangle. The ex- terior side on the wall of this last-mentioned tower had two loop-holes, com- manding two faces of the enclosure. It would seem, therefore, that during the mediaeval times, the former nunnery had changed its character, from being a religious establishment to becoming a baronial or military habitation. At present, there appears a large quadrangular space, in a field, rising imme- diately beside the stream, which passes through Killyon, to join the River
»° This holy widow's feast was observed, it
is said, on the 14th (? nth) of August, at the
church of Kill-Liadhain, near tlie monastery
of Saiglr. See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum
Hihernix," v. Martii. Vita S, Kierani, Ordnance Survey in 1837-S," vol. ii. John Episcopi et Confessoris, n. 17, p. 464.
" This is said to have been one of the first
convents, and founded in the sixth century,
for Irish " religieuses. "—See I'Abbe Ma- Augustus Prim's " History, Architecture and Geoghegan's " Histoire de I'lrlande, An- Antiquities of tiie Cathedral Church of St. cienneet Moderne," tome i. Seconde Partie,
chap, ii. , p. 280.
_" See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiber- nicum," p. 401.
'3 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nix," Martii v. Appendix ad Acta S. Kierani Episcopi ct Confessoris, cap. ii. , P- 472.
'* Of whom she was "a foster child," ac- cording to the English MS. Life of St. Ciaran of Saighir.
's See " Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
"*See a communication of T. L. Cooke, Esq. , intituled "Discovery in the Ruins of Killyon," in " Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society," vol. i. , pp. 215 to 217.
'' " The gate-house was square," says Mr. Cooke, "and the gate itself was capable of being very firmly secured, for there were diagonal holes remaining through the masonry on each side, apparently in-
land," vol. ii. , p. 482,
"See "Letters containing Information
relative to the Antiquities of the King's County, collected during the Progress of the
O' Donovan's Letter, dated Birr, February 3rd, 1838.
'? See Rev. James Graves' and John G.
Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i,, chap, i. , n. (c), p. 5.
—
May 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 591
Brosna, in Lord Rosse's demesne, at Birr. That space seems to have had an enclosing wall, in former times ; and, according to local tradition, the re- mains of a fine old convent for nuns were to be seen there, by persons yet living. But, as the cemetery has been long since disused, the former houses and walls have been nearly altogether removed ; and, the stones have been taken away by the people, to build houses and out-offices, throughout that neighbour- hood. Only a few fragments of those extensive ruins are now left f° and, in some cases, all the fine building stones, which had been well dressed, have been torn from the face of many dismantled walls yet standing. Innumerable human bones have been turned up, in the immediate vicinity of the walls, thus showing, that a cemetery extended around them, for a considerable space. '''
Killyon Remains, King's County.
Being exceedingly beautiful, a chieftain, named Dymma, of the HuaFiach or Ui Fiachach district,^^ conceived an unlawful desire of taking Brunsecha away by force, from the convent where she lived ; and, he accomplished such apurpose,withtheassistanceofhisretainers. Hethendetainedherforsome time, in his castle. During this period, he extorted from her the rights of a husband. Hearing of this violence, St. Kieran went to Dymma, to remon- stratewithhim,onbehalfofBrunsecha but,thechieftainrefusedtorestore
tended for the reception of chains. " Thomas Lalor Cooke's " Early History of the Town of Birr or Parsonstown," &c. , chap. X. , p. 179.
^° One of these here figured was sketched by the writer, in June 1885 ; it has been transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it has been engraved, by Mrs. Millard.
*' The writer was told by a young man,
;
living near the place, that in digging a deep trench, which runs along one of the four sides, he uncovered a vast quantity of human skulls and other bones.
" This extended from Birr to the Hill of Uisneach, in Westmeath. See Rev. James Graves' and John G. Augustus Prim's " His- tory, Architecture, and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i. , chap, i. , p. 5, n. (d).
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 29.
her to liberty. He even derisively told the saint, he would not release the lady, unless it should happen, on the following morning, that the heron's note awoke him from sleep. At this time, which appears to have been in the winter season, although a great fall of snow covered the ground, yet, it did not obstruct the place, where Kieran and his companions were. On the following morning, the piping of a heron was heard in the castle, contrary to a usual natural course. Surprised and moved by this miraculous occurrence, Dymma prostrated himself in penitence, at the feet of St. Kieran, and he released Brunechia, although she had been already pregnant. ^3 On her release, St. Kieran conducted his spiritual daughter back to Kill-Liadhuin,^+ now Killyon,^5 and left her, as before, under the charge of his mother.
However, Dymma appears to have felt regret, after separation of that lady from his home. He then went towards the monastery, in which she lived, to re- peat his former violence. When Brunechia heard of his approach, she became terrified, to such a degree, that her sudden death ensued. Seeing what had occurred, Dymma demanded of St. Kieran—who it appears was present how he had dared to kill his wife ; for such, he declared Brunechia to be, and he had determined she should so continue. He threatened, at the same tim. e, to expel the saint, from this part of the country. Then, Kieran replied : "Thou hastnopoweroverme; for,theomnipotentGod,solongasHewillsit,hath given thee only a shadow of earthly power ; therefore, I shall remain in this my place, contrary to thy will. " Shortly afterwards, the chiefain was chastised for this insolence, towards God's servant. On returning to his castle, he found it enveloped in flames. A very dear son, named Dunchad, had been left, at this time, sleeping in one of its apartments, when a nurse, despairing of his preservation, cried out with a loud voice : " I commend thee, my child, to the protection of St. Kieran of Saigir. " This boy was found alive and unharmed, after the castle had been entirely consumed. Dymma felt moved by such a miraculous preservation of his son ; and, in company with a saint, named Aidus,^^ he went to St. Kieran, promising to perform whatever should be required of him, as a proof of his penitence. He presented Dun- chad '7 and another son, saying, as he had been absolved from his sins, through the holy bishop, that henceforth he and his posterity should be sub-
ject to St. Kieran. =^ Having received the blessing of the saint, he departed ;
592
=^3 However, the birth of a child did not succeed. In two lives of the holy Bishop, it is expressly stated, at that time, the fatus viz. s inanimate. In a note on this portion of St. Kieran's Life, Colgan observes, that a mira- cle of his may have been wrought, by the Almighty, for a double purpose ; namely, to repress the violence of sacrilegious trans- gressors, by removing in such manner a wicked parent's offspring, and to consult for the mother's good fame and modesty, by obviating any scandal that might arise in the Church, and in the person of a spouse of Christ. See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia:," v. Martii. Vita S. Kierani Episcopi et Confessoris, n. 19, p. 464.
"* A town'. and near Seir-Keiran, in the King's County.
^5 See iliid. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilkennicnsi, caj). x. , ]). 459. Also, Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, and Officium, Lect. iv. , p. 467.
'* According to Colgan, this holy man appears to have been either, St. ^Edus, son
of Brec, Bishop of Rath-Aedh and Kill-air, within the confines of Meath, who lived in St. Kieran's time, his feast occurring on the loth of November, and he died A. D. 5S8, ac- cording to the " Annals of the Four Mas- ters ;" or, St. . -Edus, Bishop, son of Mured, son of Fortchern, relative to St. Declan, of whom and of his six brothers, who were saints and bishops, the Sanctilogium Genea- logicum, at cap. xvi. treats. The Martyr- ologies of Tamlacht and of Marianus O'Gorman, with other writers, state, that the latter had been venerated, on the l6th of February. jn the church of Rathnanepscop. See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia:," v. Martii, n. 20, p. 464.
'' Who had been rescued from the flames. It is probable, that the apartment in which he had been sleeping, if not the whole house, had been built with wood.
'-"^ The English MS. Life of S. Ciaran states, tiiat the chief presented him " also the monastery, rents, and profits, arising from burials. "
—
——
May 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
593
while sorrowful on account of the death of Brunecha, Kieran went to that
place, where her body lay. He prayed with great earnestness, for her restora-
tion to life. ^9 This prayer was heard, for the virgin arose from the sleep of
death. 3° She subsequently lived, in her state of religious profession, for many
3'
years.
It is supposed, that if not the first nunnery erected, at least Kill-Liadhain
must have been among the very early nunneries, in Ireland. This appella- tion which it received is said to have been derived from Kill, or Ceall, mean- ing "a place of retirement," or "a cell," joined to Liadana, or Liadhain, the name of its foundress. Again, the latter proper name, pronounced Leean, gave rise to the modern denomination of Killyon. The little river, called Comcor,runsbesidethatplace,whereherreligioushousewasfounded; and, while St. Kieran had his monastery at Seir-Kyran, within the territory of Ely,32 yet was his mother's nunnery within the territory of Fearcall,33 in the king- dom of Meath ; for, that stream, to which allusion has been made, was re- garded as the boundary between both districts. When tiie curious discoveries of 1846 and 1847 there came to light ; about the middle of the courtyard was foundahearth,whichdidnotappeartobeshelteredfromtheweather. 34 This indication serves to illustrate, what is known to have been an ancient practice of cooking in Ireland, 35 as elsewhere. 3^ Only a few years have passed, since many interesting material vestiges of Killyon's former celebrity have passed away ;37 and now, little seems to be known about its earlier history . 3^ How
^ For this lioly woman may well be appro- priated the following poetic lines, indited by a distinguished American poet :
"ThanksgivingtotheLordofLife to ;
Him all praises be,
Who from the hands of evil men hath
set His handmaid free. "
—Whittier's "Legendary Poems," p. 76.
3° "The legend of the Bollandists says no more ; but, who will believe that Kieran did not restore to the contrite prince, son, and city, and palace ? The name of the saint was invoked ; the castle, the child and city were
savetl ; the Legend of Kilkenny affirms it —; itought toknowbest. " "Legendary History
of Ireland," byL. Tachet De Barneval, trans- lated by John Gilmary . Shea, chap, xi. , p. 88. 3' See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii v. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilkenniensi, cap. xi. , xii. , p. 459. Also, Vila S. Kierani ex MS. Salmanticensi, and
Officium, Lect. v. , pp. 467, 468.
3- The O'Carrolls are represented as having
"castrnm ant villam in Elycarwyll," by the Friar John Clyn, which was attacked by John Bermingham and Thomas Butler, A. D. 1325. See "AnnalesHiberni3e,"editedbythe Very Rev. Dean Richard Butler, A. B. , p. 17.
translated from the Irish by Dudley Fir- bisse, or, as he is more usually called, Duald Mac Firbis, for Sir James Ware, in the year 1666, edited by John O'Donovan, n. p. 289.
^'S " The hearth was a circular basin of about ten feet diameter, and two and a-half feet deep, the bottom and sides being lined with granite rocks, each containing about one or two cubic feet. Close by the edges of this pit, on the surface of the ground around it, were several similar rocks, which, as well as the lining of the basin, exhibited marks of having been subjected to intense heat. There was a considerable quantity of charcoal, mixed with ashes, all around. " Thomas Lalor Cooke's " Early Histoiy of the Town of Birr," &c. , chap, x. , p. 180. Second edition.
35 It is stated, that the Fiana Eirion or or Irish militia were accustomed to roast or stew the raw flesh of animals, in pits paved with hot stones. The meat was covered with sedge or bull-rushes, and over these was placed another layer of hot stones. Some- times, they preferred to roast it before the fire, to make it palatable and wholesome. See Dermod O'Connor's Keating's "Gene- ral History of Ireland," Book i. , pp. 282, 283. Duffy's edition.
3* At the end of the fourteenth century, this modeof cooking was used in Scotland. Sir Walter Scott refers to it, in his novel, " St. Valentine's Day; or the Pair Maid of Perth," chap, xxviii.
35 It is comprised in the baronies of Fircall,
Ballycowan, and Ballyboy, Kmg's County.
" It was the most southern territory in the
ancient Meath, and its southern boundary is
still preserved in that of the diocese of
Meath. "—" Miscellany of the Irish Archaeo-
logical Society," vol. i. , Art. xiv. The 3' A person of some consequence, named reader is referred here, to the Annals Nicholas Herbert or Harbert, resided at of Ireland, from the year 1443 to 1468, Killyon ; for, by a Deed, made on the ist of
IP
———
594 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 29.
long St. Brunsecha lived, under the rule of St. Liadania, is not known, nor whether she succeeded as superioress over that nunnery, founded by her and by her celebrated son St. Kieran. It seems likely, however, that she sur- vived both of these holy contemporaries.
The year of our saint's death is not recorded ; but, it happened, most probably, witliin the sixth century. The festival of St. Brunsecha occurs, on the 29th of May, according to the Mart)rologies of Tamlacht,39 of Marianus O'Corman,-*"ofMaguire,andofDonegal. InanotherIrishCalendar,'*'at the iv. of the Calends of June—May 29th—her feast is recorded. She was venerated, also, at Magh-trea, according to various accounts. This place we may assume to be identical with Magh Treagha,-*^ in Teathbha territory said to be the same as Moytra,'*^ in the barony and county of Longford.
We cannot doubt, that many of our native chiefs abused their authority, in a veryunhappymanner; but,oursainthadcompassionfortheweaknessoftheir nature, especially when their state or vocation did not incline them to exalted perfection. Sincere contrition for sin pleaded effectively for their absolution, and it is to be hoped, that after grievous offences, they were mindful of God's mercies towards them. If frequently they yielded to violent assaults of temp- tation,andtowildimpulsesofpassion; theirfaithinatonementwasamotive always urging them to bewail their past transgressions, knowing there was joy in Heaven fur one sinner doing penance, more than for ninety-nine just who needed not penance.
Article II. St. Commain, Virgin, of Dal-Buinne, and of Derry, Parish of Ballyphillip, County of Down. In the "FeiHre" of St. . ^ngus,' at the 29th of May, a festival is entered for Cummain, who is characterizedas"thepureandgood. " Fromtheway,inwhichthisholy
January, 1634, Daniel M'Guilfoyle conveyed to him and to others, incUiding Robert Sweetman of Birr, the Manor of . Shinrone, &c. In the reign of James II. , Killyon and other lands in that neighbourhood were the property of Terence and John Coghlan. These appear to have sided with that king, and to have been attainted; for, when William III. succeeded to the throne, those lands were forfeited, and subsequently sold to John Asgill of Ross Castle, by the Com- missioners for the sale of forfeited Estates. The conveyance describes them as " the Manor of Killyon, with the castles towns and lands of Rathiire," &c. In 1704, one Daniel Pritchett, of Killyon. gentleman, and Hugh Conraghee of Ballinahown, gentleman, were sureties for the Rev. John Kennedy, resident Roman Catholic Parish Priest of " Seir Keran, Roscomroe, and Kinnitty. "
3* See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "Early HistoryoftheTownofBirr,"&c. Second edition, and edited by his . son William Antisell Cooke, chap, x. , pp. 17810 183.
39 In the Rev. Dr. Kelly's is>ue of the Martyrology ofTallagh, at the iv. of the Ka- lends ofjune (May 29th). we find the entry of this fea-t, " BrunseciaVir. " See " Calen- dar of Irish Saints," &c. , p. xxv.
^ yee Rev. Dr. Reeves' edition, lib. iii. , cap. i. , p. 104.
" See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco- 7 See the Life of St. Columbanus, at the toium," tomus ii. , lib. xix. , num. 1166,
2lst of November.
* An interesting account of him will be
found, in the "Dictionary of Christian Bio- graphy," edited by WiJliaJTi Smith, LL. D. , and Henry Wace, D. D. , vol. iii. , ])p. 430,
p. 649,
Article ix. —' Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxv.
"See "Acta . Sanctorum," tomus vi. ,
Maii xxviii. Among the prclcrmitted feasts,
P- 733- —
Artici. k viii. ' See "Acta . Sancto- -VKricl. F. x. ' Edited by Rev. Dr.
43»- —
rum. tomus vi. , Mnii xxviii. Among the Kelly, p. xxv.
May 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
589
CtDentp-'Umtl) IBa^ of i^ap*
ARTICLE I. —ST. BRUNSECHA, VIRGIN, OF MAGH-TREA, AND OF KILLYON PARISH, KING'S COUNTY.
[FIFTH OR SIXTH CENTURY. ]
NO matter how oppressed the innocent ma} be, or how much injustice
they may suffer, at the hands of evil-disposed persons yet, the ;
Almighty, in his own good time, vindicates their innocence and rewards virtue. He also usually chastises the insolent and unjust oppressors, even in this life. The innocent and injured have the consolation of knowing, that if their trials be of long continuance, and if borne in a spirit of patience and re- signation to God's holy will, their future happiness in the kingdom of Heaven will more than compensate them, for those privations they have endured in their hours of trial.
The Martyrology of Tallagh ' simply records this holy woman, at the 29th of May, as Brunsica, Virgin. Allusion is made to her by the BoUandists,^ at this date,relyingontheforegoingstatement,andonotherIrishauthorities. Inthese allusions to her, however, there is no account of any place, where she was spe- ciallyvenerated. Wefind,likewise,onthisday,afestivalsetdown,intheMartyr- ology of Donegal,3 in honour of Briuinseach Ceal, or the Slender ; here, also, sheissaidtohavebeenadaughtertoCrimhthann,ofMaghTrea. Whetherthis was her natal place, however, or that in which her memory had been specially venerated, we cannot determine. From the epithet here applied to this saint, it is probable, she was slender in figure, and this bodily condition may have been partly the result of her well-practised austerities during the conventual state. InthetablepostfixedtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,it isremarked,thataSt. Buriena, a virgin of Ireland, was venerated, at a town bearing her name, in England,onthe29thofMay. 4 Wehavenocertainrecord,elucidatingthe Acts of this saint ; but, to adopt a conjecture of Colgan,s she was identical with St. Brunechia, or Bruinecha, alluded to in the Lives of St. Kieran of Saigir. ^ An English translation of the Irish Life of this latter holy Patriarch had been lent ^ to the present writer, which varies in some few particulars from one of those published in Latin, by Father John Colgan. ^ This writer had promised to say more aboat her, than he had furnished, in the Acts of St. Kieran,9 at that day.
Article i. — ' Edited by Rev. Dr. "^ See ibid. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice
Kelly, XXV.
= See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. ,
Maii xxix. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 3.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 140, 141.
* The writer then puts the query, " Is
she this Bruinseach ? " See ilnd. , pp. 368,
369.
5 See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae,"
V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani Episcopi et Confessoris, n. 18, p. 464.
Kilkenniensi, cap. x. , xi. , xii. , p. 459. Also, Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, and Officium, Lect. iv. , v. , pp. 467, 468.
7 By Mr. John O'Daly, formerly of 9 Anglesea-street, Dublin, and an excellent Irish scholar, as also the editor of many such texts,
* See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernian," v. Martii. Vita S. Kierani Episcopi et Con- fessoris, n. 17, p. 464.
^ See his Life, in the Third Volume of this work, at the Sth of March, Art. i.
S90
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 29.
The holy virgin St. Brunsecha or Briuinseach Ceal is said to have been
the daughter of a Munster chieftain, and to have embraced a religious
life, under direction of St. Liadan or Lidania,'° mother to St, Kieran,
in the Monastery of Kill-Liadhuin," now Killion or Killyon, in the parish
of Drumcullen, and barony of Eglish, in the King's County. According
to one statement, Killiadhuin was founded, about the beginning of the lifth
century ;'=^ but, this is too early a date for its erection. The feast of St.
Liedania has been referred to the nth of August, in the Martyrologies of
Marianus O'Gorman, of Cathal Maguire, and of Donegal,'3 By this pious
matron Liadania,'^ the devout novice Bruinseach was trained to the practice of
everyvirtue yet,wecannotascertain,atwhatexactperiodsheenteredupon ;
;
a religious state and profession. The hamlet of Killion has only a small popu- lation, '5 but it isplacedin the midst of a picturesque neighbouringcountry. The site of St. Liadhain's former convent lies close to the high road—on the south side—leading from Birr to Kinnetty. There can be no doubt, but that a celebrated religious establishment was here, and at a very early period. Two round towers on a small scale, about 1 7 feet high, and of rude masonry, stood in the graveyards of Seir-Kieran and of Killion, the places of St. Kieran and of his mother St. Liedhain. They seem to have been attached to other buildings,andtohavebeenusedassacristiesorDearthachs. '^ Thereareno remains of St. Liadhane's primitive convent now existing
yet, fragments of walls, belonging to a more modern foundation, are yet standing. '? Some curious antiquarian discoveries have been made, in this locality,'^ about 1S46 and 1847, such as an underground apartment, which evidently served for a cellar, and which contained quantities of broken pint bottles of dark-coloured glass, with various fragments of tall and narrow drinking-glasses. In the
beginning of this century, a gate-house,'9 with a wall about twelve feet in height, was standing ; and, it enclosed one side of a courtyard, while there was a small flanking tower, at one of the corners of a quadrangle. The ex- terior side on the wall of this last-mentioned tower had two loop-holes, com- manding two faces of the enclosure. It would seem, therefore, that during the mediaeval times, the former nunnery had changed its character, from being a religious establishment to becoming a baronial or military habitation. At present, there appears a large quadrangular space, in a field, rising imme- diately beside the stream, which passes through Killyon, to join the River
»° This holy widow's feast was observed, it
is said, on the 14th (? nth) of August, at the
church of Kill-Liadhain, near tlie monastery
of Saiglr. See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum
Hihernix," v. Martii. Vita S, Kierani, Ordnance Survey in 1837-S," vol. ii. John Episcopi et Confessoris, n. 17, p. 464.
" This is said to have been one of the first
convents, and founded in the sixth century,
for Irish " religieuses. "—See I'Abbe Ma- Augustus Prim's " History, Architecture and Geoghegan's " Histoire de I'lrlande, An- Antiquities of tiie Cathedral Church of St. cienneet Moderne," tome i. Seconde Partie,
chap, ii. , p. 280.
_" See Archdall's " Monasticon Hiber- nicum," p. 401.
'3 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nix," Martii v. Appendix ad Acta S. Kierani Episcopi ct Confessoris, cap. ii. , P- 472.
'* Of whom she was "a foster child," ac- cording to the English MS. Life of St. Ciaran of Saighir.
's See " Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
"*See a communication of T. L. Cooke, Esq. , intituled "Discovery in the Ruins of Killyon," in " Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society," vol. i. , pp. 215 to 217.
'' " The gate-house was square," says Mr. Cooke, "and the gate itself was capable of being very firmly secured, for there were diagonal holes remaining through the masonry on each side, apparently in-
land," vol. ii. , p. 482,
"See "Letters containing Information
relative to the Antiquities of the King's County, collected during the Progress of the
O' Donovan's Letter, dated Birr, February 3rd, 1838.
'? See Rev. James Graves' and John G.
Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i,, chap, i. , n. (c), p. 5.
—
May 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 591
Brosna, in Lord Rosse's demesne, at Birr. That space seems to have had an enclosing wall, in former times ; and, according to local tradition, the re- mains of a fine old convent for nuns were to be seen there, by persons yet living. But, as the cemetery has been long since disused, the former houses and walls have been nearly altogether removed ; and, the stones have been taken away by the people, to build houses and out-offices, throughout that neighbour- hood. Only a few fragments of those extensive ruins are now left f° and, in some cases, all the fine building stones, which had been well dressed, have been torn from the face of many dismantled walls yet standing. Innumerable human bones have been turned up, in the immediate vicinity of the walls, thus showing, that a cemetery extended around them, for a considerable space. '''
Killyon Remains, King's County.
Being exceedingly beautiful, a chieftain, named Dymma, of the HuaFiach or Ui Fiachach district,^^ conceived an unlawful desire of taking Brunsecha away by force, from the convent where she lived ; and, he accomplished such apurpose,withtheassistanceofhisretainers. Hethendetainedherforsome time, in his castle. During this period, he extorted from her the rights of a husband. Hearing of this violence, St. Kieran went to Dymma, to remon- stratewithhim,onbehalfofBrunsecha but,thechieftainrefusedtorestore
tended for the reception of chains. " Thomas Lalor Cooke's " Early History of the Town of Birr or Parsonstown," &c. , chap. X. , p. 179.
^° One of these here figured was sketched by the writer, in June 1885 ; it has been transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it has been engraved, by Mrs. Millard.
*' The writer was told by a young man,
;
living near the place, that in digging a deep trench, which runs along one of the four sides, he uncovered a vast quantity of human skulls and other bones.
" This extended from Birr to the Hill of Uisneach, in Westmeath. See Rev. James Graves' and John G. Augustus Prim's " His- tory, Architecture, and Antiquities of the Cathedral Church of St. Canice, Kilkenny," sect, i. , chap, i. , p. 5, n. (d).
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 29.
her to liberty. He even derisively told the saint, he would not release the lady, unless it should happen, on the following morning, that the heron's note awoke him from sleep. At this time, which appears to have been in the winter season, although a great fall of snow covered the ground, yet, it did not obstruct the place, where Kieran and his companions were. On the following morning, the piping of a heron was heard in the castle, contrary to a usual natural course. Surprised and moved by this miraculous occurrence, Dymma prostrated himself in penitence, at the feet of St. Kieran, and he released Brunechia, although she had been already pregnant. ^3 On her release, St. Kieran conducted his spiritual daughter back to Kill-Liadhuin,^+ now Killyon,^5 and left her, as before, under the charge of his mother.
However, Dymma appears to have felt regret, after separation of that lady from his home. He then went towards the monastery, in which she lived, to re- peat his former violence. When Brunechia heard of his approach, she became terrified, to such a degree, that her sudden death ensued. Seeing what had occurred, Dymma demanded of St. Kieran—who it appears was present how he had dared to kill his wife ; for such, he declared Brunechia to be, and he had determined she should so continue. He threatened, at the same tim. e, to expel the saint, from this part of the country. Then, Kieran replied : "Thou hastnopoweroverme; for,theomnipotentGod,solongasHewillsit,hath given thee only a shadow of earthly power ; therefore, I shall remain in this my place, contrary to thy will. " Shortly afterwards, the chiefain was chastised for this insolence, towards God's servant. On returning to his castle, he found it enveloped in flames. A very dear son, named Dunchad, had been left, at this time, sleeping in one of its apartments, when a nurse, despairing of his preservation, cried out with a loud voice : " I commend thee, my child, to the protection of St. Kieran of Saigir. " This boy was found alive and unharmed, after the castle had been entirely consumed. Dymma felt moved by such a miraculous preservation of his son ; and, in company with a saint, named Aidus,^^ he went to St. Kieran, promising to perform whatever should be required of him, as a proof of his penitence. He presented Dun- chad '7 and another son, saying, as he had been absolved from his sins, through the holy bishop, that henceforth he and his posterity should be sub-
ject to St. Kieran. =^ Having received the blessing of the saint, he departed ;
592
=^3 However, the birth of a child did not succeed. In two lives of the holy Bishop, it is expressly stated, at that time, the fatus viz. s inanimate. In a note on this portion of St. Kieran's Life, Colgan observes, that a mira- cle of his may have been wrought, by the Almighty, for a double purpose ; namely, to repress the violence of sacrilegious trans- gressors, by removing in such manner a wicked parent's offspring, and to consult for the mother's good fame and modesty, by obviating any scandal that might arise in the Church, and in the person of a spouse of Christ. See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia:," v. Martii. Vita S. Kierani Episcopi et Confessoris, n. 19, p. 464.
"* A town'. and near Seir-Keiran, in the King's County.
^5 See iliid. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilkennicnsi, caj). x. , ]). 459. Also, Vita S. Kierani, ex MS. Salmanticensi, and Officium, Lect. iv. , p. 467.
'* According to Colgan, this holy man appears to have been either, St. ^Edus, son
of Brec, Bishop of Rath-Aedh and Kill-air, within the confines of Meath, who lived in St. Kieran's time, his feast occurring on the loth of November, and he died A. D. 5S8, ac- cording to the " Annals of the Four Mas- ters ;" or, St. . -Edus, Bishop, son of Mured, son of Fortchern, relative to St. Declan, of whom and of his six brothers, who were saints and bishops, the Sanctilogium Genea- logicum, at cap. xvi. treats. The Martyr- ologies of Tamlacht and of Marianus O'Gorman, with other writers, state, that the latter had been venerated, on the l6th of February. jn the church of Rathnanepscop. See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernia:," v. Martii, n. 20, p. 464.
'' Who had been rescued from the flames. It is probable, that the apartment in which he had been sleeping, if not the whole house, had been built with wood.
'-"^ The English MS. Life of S. Ciaran states, tiiat the chief presented him " also the monastery, rents, and profits, arising from burials. "
—
——
May 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
593
while sorrowful on account of the death of Brunecha, Kieran went to that
place, where her body lay. He prayed with great earnestness, for her restora-
tion to life. ^9 This prayer was heard, for the virgin arose from the sleep of
death. 3° She subsequently lived, in her state of religious profession, for many
3'
years.
It is supposed, that if not the first nunnery erected, at least Kill-Liadhain
must have been among the very early nunneries, in Ireland. This appella- tion which it received is said to have been derived from Kill, or Ceall, mean- ing "a place of retirement," or "a cell," joined to Liadana, or Liadhain, the name of its foundress. Again, the latter proper name, pronounced Leean, gave rise to the modern denomination of Killyon. The little river, called Comcor,runsbesidethatplace,whereherreligioushousewasfounded; and, while St. Kieran had his monastery at Seir-Kyran, within the territory of Ely,32 yet was his mother's nunnery within the territory of Fearcall,33 in the king- dom of Meath ; for, that stream, to which allusion has been made, was re- garded as the boundary between both districts. When tiie curious discoveries of 1846 and 1847 there came to light ; about the middle of the courtyard was foundahearth,whichdidnotappeartobeshelteredfromtheweather. 34 This indication serves to illustrate, what is known to have been an ancient practice of cooking in Ireland, 35 as elsewhere. 3^ Only a few years have passed, since many interesting material vestiges of Killyon's former celebrity have passed away ;37 and now, little seems to be known about its earlier history . 3^ How
^ For this lioly woman may well be appro- priated the following poetic lines, indited by a distinguished American poet :
"ThanksgivingtotheLordofLife to ;
Him all praises be,
Who from the hands of evil men hath
set His handmaid free. "
—Whittier's "Legendary Poems," p. 76.
3° "The legend of the Bollandists says no more ; but, who will believe that Kieran did not restore to the contrite prince, son, and city, and palace ? The name of the saint was invoked ; the castle, the child and city were
savetl ; the Legend of Kilkenny affirms it —; itought toknowbest. " "Legendary History
of Ireland," byL. Tachet De Barneval, trans- lated by John Gilmary . Shea, chap, xi. , p. 88. 3' See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii v. Vita S. Kierani, ex Codice Kilkenniensi, cap. xi. , xii. , p. 459. Also, Vila S. Kierani ex MS. Salmanticensi, and
Officium, Lect. v. , pp. 467, 468.
3- The O'Carrolls are represented as having
"castrnm ant villam in Elycarwyll," by the Friar John Clyn, which was attacked by John Bermingham and Thomas Butler, A. D. 1325. See "AnnalesHiberni3e,"editedbythe Very Rev. Dean Richard Butler, A. B. , p. 17.
translated from the Irish by Dudley Fir- bisse, or, as he is more usually called, Duald Mac Firbis, for Sir James Ware, in the year 1666, edited by John O'Donovan, n. p. 289.
^'S " The hearth was a circular basin of about ten feet diameter, and two and a-half feet deep, the bottom and sides being lined with granite rocks, each containing about one or two cubic feet. Close by the edges of this pit, on the surface of the ground around it, were several similar rocks, which, as well as the lining of the basin, exhibited marks of having been subjected to intense heat. There was a considerable quantity of charcoal, mixed with ashes, all around. " Thomas Lalor Cooke's " Early Histoiy of the Town of Birr," &c. , chap, x. , p. 180. Second edition.
35 It is stated, that the Fiana Eirion or or Irish militia were accustomed to roast or stew the raw flesh of animals, in pits paved with hot stones. The meat was covered with sedge or bull-rushes, and over these was placed another layer of hot stones. Some- times, they preferred to roast it before the fire, to make it palatable and wholesome. See Dermod O'Connor's Keating's "Gene- ral History of Ireland," Book i. , pp. 282, 283. Duffy's edition.
3* At the end of the fourteenth century, this modeof cooking was used in Scotland. Sir Walter Scott refers to it, in his novel, " St. Valentine's Day; or the Pair Maid of Perth," chap, xxviii.
35 It is comprised in the baronies of Fircall,
Ballycowan, and Ballyboy, Kmg's County.
" It was the most southern territory in the
ancient Meath, and its southern boundary is
still preserved in that of the diocese of
Meath. "—" Miscellany of the Irish Archaeo-
logical Society," vol. i. , Art. xiv. The 3' A person of some consequence, named reader is referred here, to the Annals Nicholas Herbert or Harbert, resided at of Ireland, from the year 1443 to 1468, Killyon ; for, by a Deed, made on the ist of
IP
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594 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 29.
long St. Brunsecha lived, under the rule of St. Liadania, is not known, nor whether she succeeded as superioress over that nunnery, founded by her and by her celebrated son St. Kieran. It seems likely, however, that she sur- vived both of these holy contemporaries.
The year of our saint's death is not recorded ; but, it happened, most probably, witliin the sixth century. The festival of St. Brunsecha occurs, on the 29th of May, according to the Mart)rologies of Tamlacht,39 of Marianus O'Corman,-*"ofMaguire,andofDonegal. InanotherIrishCalendar,'*'at the iv. of the Calends of June—May 29th—her feast is recorded. She was venerated, also, at Magh-trea, according to various accounts. This place we may assume to be identical with Magh Treagha,-*^ in Teathbha territory said to be the same as Moytra,'*^ in the barony and county of Longford.
We cannot doubt, that many of our native chiefs abused their authority, in a veryunhappymanner; but,oursainthadcompassionfortheweaknessoftheir nature, especially when their state or vocation did not incline them to exalted perfection. Sincere contrition for sin pleaded effectively for their absolution, and it is to be hoped, that after grievous offences, they were mindful of God's mercies towards them. If frequently they yielded to violent assaults of temp- tation,andtowildimpulsesofpassion; theirfaithinatonementwasamotive always urging them to bewail their past transgressions, knowing there was joy in Heaven fur one sinner doing penance, more than for ninety-nine just who needed not penance.
Article II. St. Commain, Virgin, of Dal-Buinne, and of Derry, Parish of Ballyphillip, County of Down. In the "FeiHre" of St. . ^ngus,' at the 29th of May, a festival is entered for Cummain, who is characterizedas"thepureandgood. " Fromtheway,inwhichthisholy
January, 1634, Daniel M'Guilfoyle conveyed to him and to others, incUiding Robert Sweetman of Birr, the Manor of . Shinrone, &c. In the reign of James II. , Killyon and other lands in that neighbourhood were the property of Terence and John Coghlan. These appear to have sided with that king, and to have been attainted; for, when William III. succeeded to the throne, those lands were forfeited, and subsequently sold to John Asgill of Ross Castle, by the Com- missioners for the sale of forfeited Estates. The conveyance describes them as " the Manor of Killyon, with the castles towns and lands of Rathiire," &c. In 1704, one Daniel Pritchett, of Killyon. gentleman, and Hugh Conraghee of Ballinahown, gentleman, were sureties for the Rev. John Kennedy, resident Roman Catholic Parish Priest of " Seir Keran, Roscomroe, and Kinnitty. "
3* See Thomas Lalor Cooke's "Early HistoryoftheTownofBirr,"&c. Second edition, and edited by his . son William Antisell Cooke, chap, x. , pp. 17810 183.
39 In the Rev. Dr. Kelly's is>ue of the Martyrology ofTallagh, at the iv. of the Ka- lends ofjune (May 29th). we find the entry of this fea-t, " BrunseciaVir. " See " Calen- dar of Irish Saints," &c. , p. xxv.
