No More Learning

1
At the 8th of May, which is the date assigned for his chief festival,
copy.
entry
Coppain
co
cuibdi,"
Coppan's
torum.
we have inserted the particulars of his life so for as they are known. 2
Article VIII. —St. Ernin Ua Briuin. The Almighty descends from His supernal delights and glory, to accommodate himself to the weakness
1
Article v. — Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xxxv. 2
at the 8th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i,
9 The Life of St. Senan, chapter 24, is
Thus, pniAtn.
3 Thus is it recorded in his " Felire":— quoted, as authority for the foregoing state-
. ^
Cocbait, pirnum eprcuip
"
ments. See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum
Hiberni*," Manii viii. Secunda Vita S.
,_ -i
cnerWc ,c chtmnne.
Senani> c;p> xxvij> p These lines are thus translated by Dr. n. 21, p. 540, (recte) 536.
Stokes: "Let the Elevation of Articlevi. —1 Edited Rev. Dr. Whitley by
Bishop Finnian the soft-skinned be in thy me- p. xxxv.
It,
mory. "—"Feilire Hui Gormain," pp. 184, 185.
4
See notices of him at the 23rd ot February, in the Second Volume of this work, Art. ix. , and his Life, given more in detail, at the 12th of December, in the Twelfth Volume, Art. i.
5 See his Acts, at the 10th of September,
2
in the present volume, Art. i. 6"
Thus pncAine in Copam.
3 See Dr. Whitley Stokes' " Feilire Hui
Gormain," pp. 184, 185.
4 See " Letters containing Information re-
lative to the Antiquities of the County of Wexford collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey," vol. i.
—
Article VII. 'See the Bollandists'
"Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , Maii viii. De S. Gibriano Presbytero, num. 2. , p. 300. Also, in "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Septembris xxvii. Among the pretermitted saints, p, 375.
See Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," xxiii. Februarii. Appendix ad Acta S. Finniani, cap. i. , p. 402.
7 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 260, 261.
See the Life of St. Senan, which occurs
2
this work, Art.
^ ^^ (rgcU)
See, at that date, in the Fifth Volume of
Kelly,
6iS LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September 27.
of men, confirming them by His graces. The saint called Ernin Ua Briuin, was venerated, at the 27th of September, as we read in the published Martyr-
1 A similar
2
of
Martyrology of Marianus O'Gorman, he is noticed at this date as " Slender Ernin. " 3 If this allusion have reference to his external appearance, we may arrive at the conclusion that he was thin or spare in figure. He is also com- memorated in the Martyrology of Donegal/ at this date.
ology
Tallagh.
entry
is in the Book
of Leinster copy.
In the
Article IX. —St. Orannus, or Oranus, Bishop. The English Martyrology and Henry Fitzsimon have a St. Oranus, Bishop, on their Catalogue for the 27th of September. The Bollandists who note Oranus, Orannus, or Odranus at this date, allude to the St. Odranus, the disciple and charioteer of St. Patrick, 1 who is venerated at of 2 and who
19th February,
sacrificed his own life to save that of his master. Ferrarius states, that the
Orannus venerated on this day in Ireland had been a bishop. 3 But whether he had been a priest or a bishop, or identical with the Odranus, St. Patrick's
servant, the Bollandists promise to examine, possibly at the 27th of October, to which his festival has been assigned by many writers, as also by Ferrarius. 4 In the anonymous Calendar of National Saints, published by O'Sullivan Beare,5 there is a St. Orannus, for this same day.
Article X. —Reputed Feast of Marcellus, Scottish Tutor of Notker Balbulus, St. Gall, Switzerland. At the 27th of September, the Bollandists quote Camerarius as giving a festival to Marcellus, a Scot, and
1
the master of St. Notker Balbulus, the celebrated Abbot of St. Gall, in
Switzerland. Camerarius refers incorrectly to Ekerhardus, who wrote a Life of Notker Balbulus. In this allusion is made to Marcellus, although nothing in it serves to class him among the saints in any of the ancient calendars.
2
However, Dempster and Ferrarius,3 as a Scot, have a feast for him at the
17th of December, when, as the Bollandists state, the question may be again opened/ At the time when Marcellus flourished on the Continent, every Scotus so distinguished was known as a native of Ireland, and notably at St.
Gall's, a monastery of exclusively Irish foundation.
Articlevm. —» Edited
by
Rev. Dr.
feasts, p. 378.
s See " Historic Catholicas Hiberniae Com-
pendium," tomus i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , xii. ,
Kelly, p. xxxv. In this Calendar his name is
wntten Ernen h. Briain.
2
Thus, er»ttaeni h btMum.
3 The Irish is epnm reim, and a Gloss dis-
tinguishes his tribe name as Ui bru'um. See
Dr. Stokes' "Feilire Hui
Whitley Gormain,"
pp. 184, 185.
4 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
pp. 51, 56. — ARTICLE X.
*
Hit feast occurs in the
260, 261. — Article IX.
'
Calendars, at the 6th of April.
'Thus " Marcelli monachi ct Sangalli
scholarchae, sancti Notkeri Balbuli pnecep- toris sanctissimi. '' He adds B. C. , which initials furnish no clue to the verification of his extract. See "Menologium Scoticum," in Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 221.
3 See " Generalis Sanctorum. " Catalogus
Ferrarius always slavishly follows the doubt-
See his Life at the 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work,
Art. i. , and chap. xxi.
3 See at that date an account of
in
4 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Sep- tembris xxvii. Among the pretermitted
him, the Second Volume of this work, Art. i.
» Thus he writes : "In Ilibernia S. Oranni episcopi. "
ful authority of Dempster, -» "
See Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. ,
Septembris xxvii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 379.
September 27. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 619
Article XI. —Festival of St. Barry, in Scotland. Already have
we treated about St. Barr or St. Barry—otherwise known as Finbarr, at the
25th of this month—but in the Isle of Barraand parish of Barray, his feast is
referred to this day. —The parish so named is formed from a cluster of more
than twenty Islands of which the main Island of Barray, properly so called,
is chief—while some of those are considerable in size, about ten being
inhabited, and the rest serve for grazing purposes. The Island of Barray
proper is about 12 miles in length, but varying in breadth from three to six
miles, being much indented by bays and arms of the sea, chiefly on the
1
eastern side.
name from Barr, the patron saint. 2 Killbarr, the chief town on the Island, isspeciallydedicatedtohim,andtheretheCatholicsobservehisfestival. It waskeptintheIslandofBarrayonthe27thofSeptember. Wearetold,* one of the ceremonies was performed by riding on horseback, and that the solemnity was concluded by three turns round St. Barr's church. Several ruined pre-Reformation chapels are still on the Island, besides numerous duns and standing stones, supposed to have been of Scandinavian origin ; but one stone Celtic monument found its way in 1S80 to the Edinburgh
Antiquarian Museum/
Article XII. —Festival of Saints Cosmas and Damian. In the
1
early Irish Church, as we learn from the Feilire of St. ^Engus, Saints Cosmas
and Damian were venerated and invoked, with distinguished eulogy, on the
It has been supposed, that the Island and Parish derive their
At this same date, the Acts of these holy Martyrs have
2 with a
Article XL—* See the " New Statisti- Irish Series, vol. i. , Academy," Manuscript
cal Account of Scotland," vol. xiv. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p.
However, the Rev. Alexander Nicolson, See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Minister, who wrote the foregoing account, Septembris xxvii. De S. Cosma, Damiano, holds, that it is much more probable the Anthimo, Leontio et Euprepio. MM. name of Barray was originally derived from its
27th of September.
been
Father John Stilting, S. J. 4 Those saints were brothers, and born in Arabia. s They became eminent as physicians, but they took no fees for the practice of their profession, through motives of Christian zeal and charity. They lived at Egsea, in Cilicia, but were apprehended by Lysias, governor of that pro- vince, and after enduring various torments, they were beheaded, during the
published by
the
Bollandists,
previous
learned 3 commentary, by
Inverness, Parish of Barray, p. 199. exxxix. 22
particular situation or bearing, i. e. , from Ay or I, an island, near Bar, a point or top ; Barray forming the point or top island of the Hebrides. See ibid. , p. 198.
-<Egis in Cilicia, pp. 428 to 478.
3 Containing fourteen sections and Con-
3 See Martin's " Western Islands," p. 99. Gazetteer of Scotland," vol. i. , p. 131.
sisting of two hundred and twenty-five
paragraphs.
4 The first of these Acts by an anonymous
author is in Greek, and taken from a Vatican 4 See Francis H.
Greome's " Ordnance Manuscript. The second of these Acts is
Articl—exil. —' IntheLeabharBreac
from the edition of Mombritius, and likewise
we read
:
anonymous
author is from the
by Manuscript
Ayo ,ce|wiu chrome Acpocfc nirbo Aintnirr ftonpiAwiJ; t>i^nt>iltir CornertMmiJiurr.
1
JLS5. T^(oTh
th A°tS
S f*b"lous -! l"F
fl
Thus translated into English by Dr. Whitley Stokes :" Our two heart's-champions, their
? "T-n f? ^ Manuscripts. TheseActsarealldlustrated
by critical notes.
5 Their mother is named Theodota. She
cross was not deserved
Leontius and — Euprepius
all of
us to their possession, Cosmas and Damianus. "
may they protect —"Transactions of the Royal Irish day.
;
Anthimus,
an author. Thethird copy by anonymous
an 1'. belonging to the Bollandist Library.
°/
a d Collated a"d coTMPded
T
>
had five sons, named Cosmas, Damian,
whom are noted in ancient Calendars, on this
6io LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[September 27
persecution of Dioclesian. They suffered about the beginning of the fourth century. Their bodies were at first carried into Syria and buried at Cyrus. In course of time, Pope St. Felix built a church in their honour, at Rome, to which their relics were conveyed, and where they are religiously preserved to the present day. Marianus O'Gorman has the festival of Cosmas and Damian, at this same date. 6 The feast of both saints is also to be found in the Scottish Calendars. At the 27th of September, they are entered in the Roman Martyrology,7 and in nearly all the Latin Martyrologies. The
8
Greeks, Russians, and Arabians keep their festivals at various other dates.
Article XIII. —Leoint or Leontius. The Feilire of Marianus
O'Gorman enters Leoint—or, according to another Manuscript copy—
at the of 1 The Latinized form of the name is Leoaint, 27th September.
Leontius. His Acts are included in those of his brothers, St. Cosmas and Damian, as furnished by the Bollandists.
Article XIV. —Antim or Anthimus. Marianus O'Gorman1 has the entry of "Antim ergna" or u Wise Anthimus," at this date. His Acts are included in those of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, his brothers, and as furnished by the Bollandists.
Article XV. —Adulf. The festival of Adulf is set down in the Feilire
1
Adulphus is the Latinized form. This is doubtless the Adulphus Martyr, who with his brother John, suffered at Cordova, in Spain, and whose Acts are recorded by the Bollan-
dists3 at this date. A Commentary3 precedes their Acts* as contained in John Tamayus' Spanish Martyrology.
Article XVI. —Petar. In the Feilire of Marianus O'Gorman at the
of Marianus O'Gorman at the 27th of September.
27th of September is entered Petar's festival,
1
The name, Latinized Petrus,
•In his Feilire we read: —Coym*,
X) Ami An, T>e5 fin
Dr. Whitley Stokes " Cosmas (and) Dami-
:
moration, on Oct. 28. Many versions of the Acts in Greek and Latin exist, but all are fabulous. The original proconsular Acts
It is thus translated by
—" —
anus, good men. " Feilire Hui Gormain," possibly subsist under a gradually growing
pp. 184, 185. accretion of fable. " Rev. S. Baring-Gould's 7 Thus; " JEgex natalis sanctorum "Lives of the Saints," vol. ix. , September
Martyrum Cosmas et DamUni fratium, qui
in persecuti6ne Diocletiani post multa
tormenta, vincula, et carceres, post mare, et
ignes, cruces, lapidationem, et sagittas
27, p. 397. — Article XIII.
divinitus superatas, capite plectuntur : cum
quibus etiam referuntur passi tres eorum " Article xv. See Dr. Whitley Stokes'
ratres — Anthimus, Leontius et FeilireHuiGormain,"pp. 184,185. germdmi,
"a Euprepius. " Martyrologium Komanum," See
"Acta
tomus editio novissima, Quinto Kalendas Octobris. Septembris xxvii, De SS. Adulpho et
vii. ,
Joanne Fratribus Martyribus Cordubae Hispania, pp. 507 to 51 1.
3
It consists of twenty-one paragraphs, edited by Father Constantine Suysken, S. J. * By the Bollandist' editor, they are Russians. In the Arabic Kalendar published characterised as Acta sublestae fidei ex
by Simoni, on July I and Nov. I, and in the
Arabic Martyrology again on Oct. 17. In many Greek Menaeas, also a fourth comme-
pp. 143, 144.
8 " By the Greeks on July I ; again on
October 17 with their brothers Leontius,
Anthimius, and Euprepius ; again on Nov. I, Cosmas and Damian alone. So also the
" "
' See Dr. Whitley Stokes' Feilire Hui Gormain," pp. 184, 185.
ARTICLE xiv.
—'See Dr. Stokes' Whitley
Feilire Hui Gor—main," pp. 184, 185. *
Sanctorum,"
Legendario Ms. A—sturicensi. Article xvi. 'See Dr. Whitley
Stokes' "Feilire Hui Gormain," pp. 184, 185.
September 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 62]
is known as Peter. It seems most probable, that this commemoration refers to Peter, regarded in succession as the twenty-fifth bishop of Metz,2 and who
died during the reign of Tiberius Constantinus,3 while Pelagius II. was Pope/ That bishop flourished in the sixth century. The Bollandistss doubt his claim to be inscribed on the Calendar of the Saints, as he is only comme-
6
morated in the more recent Martyrologies.
in that of Marianus O'Gorman? appears to have escaped their notice, and it is to be inferred, he borrowed this insertion from more ancient Continental records.
Article XVII. —Kupkeip. The name of Eupreip—Latinized Eupre
—occurs in the
and are disfigured with fables by the more modern Greek writers.
Ctoentp'tig&tl) 2Ba{> of September.
ARTICLE L—ST. SINACH MAC DARA, OF INIS CRUACH MAC DARA, COUNTY OF GALWA\.
OFthis holy anchorite little is positively known, and yet his name and veneration have survived for many ages. He is much venerated by inhabitants on the western shores of Galway. He must have flourished at a very early period, however, and most probably at a time, when his remote position secluded him from cognizance of our ancient chroniclers. Tradition asserts,thatthenameofourSaint'sfatherwasDara; andSinach,hisown peculiar name, was placed before Mac Dara, that by which he is now popularly known. 1 However, the St. Mac Dara of the western coasts should be called
of Marianus O'Gorman,1 at this date. He is identical with the Euprepius, who suffered Martyrdom with St. Cosmas and St. Damian, his brothers. Their Acts have been interpolated, however,
pius
Martyrology
2
In a catalogue of the Bishops of Metz, edited by b'Achery, he is thus commemo-
Florarius MS. Maurolycus, Canisius, Felicius, Saussay, and Ferrarius.
7 As seen in the Introduction to already
this work, First Volume, he flourished in the
rated. " Villico successit Petrus
Metensis xxv : sedit annosx Obiit v. Kal.
maxime Benedictinorum, latuerunt, Spicile- Article after October 25th, a. d. 574. See Henry
' I.
episcopus,
Octobris sub Papa Pelagio II. , regnante twelfth century. —
Tiberio Constantino. "—" Veterum aliquot Article xvii. ' See Dr. Whitley Stokes'
Scriptorum, qui in Galliae Bibliothecis, " Feilire Hui G—ormain," pp. 184, 185.
de- gium," tomus vi. , p. 650. rived from the Irish word Sionnac. Aug, 3 The first year of his reign commenced "a fox. " "It is a curious coincidence, that the name of this favourite saint of our Western fishermen, should be that of an animal, which, of all others, they most abhor. So great is their aver-ion to a fox, hare or rabbit, that never so much as
Fynes Clinton's Tables, p. 841.
"
Encyclopedic Catholique,"
Fasti Romani," vol. i. 4 He occupied ihe Papal chair from A. D.
to See " 578 590.
M. fAbbe Glaire et M. le Vte-
Walsh,
5 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. others.
par
tome xv. , p. 514.
*****
Septembrisxxvii. Amongthepretermitted
feasts, p. 376.
they endure even to hear them named by
j h,
t has een
pleasantly remarked by Mr. O'Donovan, that if a man of the name of Fox, Hare, or
Rabbit, wished <o settle amongthe Claddagh
6
Such as the continuators of Usuard, the
However, the fact of his entry
The name Sinach is
they
mention their names themselves, nor can
622 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September28. Sionnach, which was his real name. At the 28th of September, Marianus
O'Gorman sets down Sinach in his Festilogy.
2
His commentator has a note
appended to his name which states, that he was from Cruach mac Daro. 3
From other Irish Martyrologies regarding this saint, we can glean no parti-
culars. On the south-western shore of a peninsula, anciently called Torrasainteach,* and comprising the southern portion of the present Ballyna-
hinch Barony, and in the parish of Moyrus,s lies a small Island, presenting to the sea on all sides rocks which are high and precipitous, except towards the eastern part, where boats can safely touch. The appearance of this Island
Island Oratory of Cruach Mac Dara.
from a distance, coupled with its relation to our saint, gave it the name of Cruach Mac Dara, which when anglicised means, "The Rick of Mac Dara," or '« The Island of Mac Dara. " Near the on this St.
landing place Island, Sinach Mac Dara is supposed to have built a small stone church,
the ruins of which yet remain, and are in a good state of preservation.
6
fishermen, he should change his name to Pike, Coddle, or Salmon, or some such ; for that hi j name would destroy the hick
Conmaicne—meaning " maritime"—terri-
tory, is very fully described by John O* Donovan in " Letters containing Informa- tion relative to tlie Antiquities of the County ot Galway collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. " Vol. iii. , Letter dated Taylor's Hill near Galway, July 22nd, 1839, pp. 112 to 125.
6 An — account of the ruins on interesting
this Island taken chiefly from that given
—
by John O'Donovan and a beautiful
and happiness of this strnnge people. "—
"
Roderick O'Flaherty's
Description of West or H-Iar Connaught,"
edited by James llardiman n. (d. ) pp. ioo, 101.
3 Rendered in Irish o Crvudich nielcDapo.
2 See Dr.
Gorniain," pp. 186, 187.
4 This is
by Tohn O'Donovan.
" the
the stone
may be seen, by referring to Dr. l'etrie's splendid work, " The Round Towers and Ecclesiastical Architecture of Ireland," part
ii. , sect, iii. , subs, i. , pp. 189 to 191.
Whitley
Stokes' "Feilire Ui
interpreted
stormy Irros,"
engraving representing
church,
5 This parish, bounded on the south and south-west by the Atlantic Ocean, forms the southern portion of Conmaicne-mara or
Chorographical
September 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 623
These evince a date of erection, almost coeval with the first establishment of Christianity in Ireland. This church is built with stones of massive size, and in the ancient Cyclopean style of primitive and rude architecture. 7 It has, however, angular projections or plain-faced pilasters, carried up to the apex of its gables, at both ends. It is small in dimensions, only fifteen feet in length by eleven in breadth, and its walls, extending beyond this area, are nearly three feet in thickness. * Besides this ruin, a circular or rather oval stone-house, twenty-four feet by eighteen, with walls seven feet in thick- ness, is yet to be seen, although in a very dilapidated condition. This was probably our saint's usual habitation, and the church might have been chiefly in use, as an oratory. At the distance of 300 feet from this church, and on its northern side, a square altar, surmounted by a cross, and a holy well near it, are pointed out to strangers. 9 Both are dedicated to St. Mac Dara. He seems to have led a secluded life on the Island bearing his name, and one devoted to the practice of most austere religious rules and duties.