One John Gauley,''' in 1845, carefully
examined
about this old ruin, and he could find no trace of any other old parish church.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
xvi.
, p.
412, where we
" Deinde ordinatum ibi Episcopum, ad patriam suam Hibemiam missum fuisse subjicit, triginta annis ante adventum B. Patricii, quern anno Domini ccccxxxii. conti- gisse postea docebimus. Unde inita sub- ductaque ratione, anno ccclii. in lucem editum, ccclxxxii. Romam adiisse, & ccccii. in patriam rediisse Kiaranum comperia-
:
of June 13th, 18—77.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 123
CHAPTER II.
ST. KIERAN'S ordination and consecration—HIS MEETING WITH ST. PATRICK, AND THEIR INTERCOURSE—HE IS RECOMMENDED BY THE LATTER TO PREACH THE GOSPEL IN IRELAND—CONJECTURES REGARDING THE PLACE WHERE HIS MISSION BEGAN.
His fame for eloquence and virtue had preceded him,^ and St. Kieran remained for twenty years at Rome, according to both his Lives, as published
by Colgan ; but, only for a period of fifteen, according to Capgrave. During this time, as we are told, he was diligently employed in studying the Sacred Scriptures, and in collecting copies of them ; whilst, at the same time, he was engaged in acquiring a knowledge of the Church Canons. His wisdom and knowledge, his piety and faith, so far recommended him, that after receiving priesthood, it is said he was promoted to the episcopal rank. ^ Were we to credit some calculations—which we believe to have no better basis to rest on other than ingenious conjecture—St. Kieran may have been living in Italy ; yet, that he received episcopal consecration in Rome, or that he derived a direct commission therefrom, to preach the gospel, as a bishop, in Ireland, may be regarded as doubtful. If in Rome at all, a writer of our saint's life supposes, that he must have left it, before the year 418, and, on his way homewards, he is thought to have visited one of the greatest schools of that age in Italy, where his clerical studies were either commenced or prosecuted. This is conjectured to have been Lerins, now St. Honorat, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, not far from the western coast of Italy. Here, the period of his stay is imagined to have procured St. Kieran's first acquaintance, with the future great Apostle of Ireland. In the second part of Mr. Hogan's book, we are given an account, of how St. Ciaran remained some time in Rome, of how he was ordained bishop, of how on his journey homewards, he met St. Patrick in Italy, and ordained him priest. To the work itself, we must refer the reader for comprehension of the probability of such narrative. Again, Kieran is identified with a St. Senior, to whom St. Patrick was referred by an angel to receive instruction, and who is regarded, as having already
attained to the grade of bishop. Among those Irish saints the Apostle of
Ireland met abroad,3 the sixth was Senex Kieranus de Sagir, according to the
Tripartite Life ; and, from "Senex" to "Senior" the transposition is easy,
while,
when the work in was " S. Senior Ciaranus " question written, episcopus
was our saint's proper designation,5 and it is thought, by accident or design, ""
the word Ciaranus being allowed to drop out of St. Patrick's memoirs, the qualifying adjective was allowed to form the proper name for our bishop. °
After due instruction, at Lerins, Mr. Hogan would have it, that Bishop Ciaran ordained St. Patrick a priest, and afterwards continued to exercise the
relationship of tutor towards the future Apostle, as supposed, for seven years. To this period is assigned St. Patrick's vision, which urged him to labour for the conversion of the Irish, as also his advice to St. Ciaran, pending a pre.
'*
St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, vi. , pp. 69 to 73.
^ See Vita S. Kierani ex Codice Kilken- niensi, cap. iv. , p. 458, also Vita S. Kierani ex MS. Salmanticensi, Officium, lect. 2, p. 467.
p. 130. There, too, our saint is classed among the disciples of St. Patrick. — " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii," cap. xxiii. , p. 266.
s in the JeineAlAc Co]\ca tAi-oe, we
3 See an account of this
notices of St. Meallan, of Kilrush, or of senior of the saints of Eire. " "Miscellany
Cloncraff, at the 28th of January.
* See "Trias/ Colgan's
Phaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii,/ as. ii. , cap. ix. ,
transaction,
in the
e^xenr),
in
English,
Ac\\\ if e Cia|\aii ^inui'qA iiAeni
of the Celtic Society," edited by John
O'Donovan, Esq. , LL. D,, M. R. I. A. , pp. 22, 23.
read :
"And—Ciaran is the
124 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
paration for that mission, to precede him, in prosecution of their joint labours. After these events, as said about 428,7 St. Ciaran was sent on a mission to his native island. It is stated, in our saint's Life, that on his return, in com- pany with St. Declan,^ he met St. Patrick in Italy, when the latter was on his way to Rome. Other accounts represent, that Kieran's meeting with St. Patrick, somewhere out of Ireland, occurred several years after the latter had commenced his apostolical labours in this country. In Colgan's Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the precise place of meeting is not given ;9 but, it is represented, as having occurred, at least twelve years after St. Patrick had began his mission in Ireland. ^" Jocelin places it at an epoch, when St. Patrick was returning from Britain. Thither he had gone some time before, to procure a supply of additional helpers for his mission. " The future Apostle of Ireland had not been consecrated bishop at that time ; as this meeting took place, according to Ussher, about the year 402. " Yet, accord- ing to Dr. Lanigan, so far from being a bishop at Rome, in the year 402, he was not one, until a considerable time after St. Patrick's mission to Ireland, when Kieran, having returned from abroad, was consecrated. '3
At that time they met on the Continent, St. Patrick said to Kieran, " Proceed
to Ireland before me, and go to a fountain, in the middle of Ireland, which is
called Fuaran,'4 on the northern and southern line of division in the island j
build a monastery on that spot,'5 for there thou shalt be held in honour, and it
shall be the of resurrection. " To this St. Kieran " The place thy replied,
place where that fountain springs, I do not know. " Then, St. Patrick
answered, " My dearly-beloved brother, proceed with full confidence, and the Lord will be your guide ; receive this bell, which shall be the companion of your journey, and which shall not sound, until you come to the fountain in- dicated. When you arrive there, the bell shall ring out clearly, and sound sweetly ; and after thirty years, I will meet you in that place. " With the kiss of peace and mutual benedictions, these great saints departed to the respec- tive places of their destination. '^ It is thought most rational to suppose, that St. Patrick directed Kiaran, on landing in Ireland, to visit his own part of the country, and to commence his mission, among the influential persons of his ownfamily,andamonghistribesmen. Now,itseemsprobableenough,that
®
See Mr. John Hogan's "St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, vii. , pp. 74 to 83.
^ According to Mr. Hogan's calculation,
in his "St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part
ii. , chap, ix. , p. 95.
**
See his Life, at the 24th of July.
9 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. ix. , p. 130,
and n. 34, p. 174. Ibid.
'o "
turga. "
" See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xvi. , p. 413, and Index Chronologicus, A. D. ccccii. , p. 513.
'^ See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," vol. i. , chap, i. , sect, xiv. , n. 118, p. 32.
'* According to the English MS. Life,
this fountain is styled Uaran, "in a solitary
place in the north-east part of the country. "
Kieran is stated to have then received directions from the saint concerning the dis-
trict, in which he should erect his monas-
tery. Accordingly Colgan, notwithstanding gan's his credulity elsewhere, reckons—him among
the disciples of St. Patrick. " Dr. Lani-
gan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i. , chap. i. , sect, xiv. , p. 30.
" In addition, he tells us, that Kieran was
then one of six Irish clerics, who were pro-
ceeding to foreign countries for religious improvement. All of these aftenvards be-
came bishops in their own country. See
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciii. , p. 86, and
n. " Trias Thauma- 104, p. 113. Colgan's
Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. ix. , p. 130. Now, Mr. Hogan contends, that under any of the preceding forms, the River Nore, anciently called, Eoir. Eoire, Eoir, Heoir and Feoir, must be understood. See "St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, ix. , pp. 98, 99.
The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick has the
injunction, that St. Ciaran should build his
monastery near the River Huar. See Col-
"
'S To our mind, this seems to indicate the
site of Saighir Ciaran, and nearly all writers
on the subject agree in giving the prophecy
such
interpretation.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 125
he went first to his native place ; and, in point of fact, an ancient tradition prevails, that the Corca Laidhe first ot all other people were believers in Ire- land. Most hkely, St. Ciaran first landed there, and if so, he undoubtedly began, at once, to open his mission. There, too, it is stated, that the chief
or the inhabitants first granted him the site, on which afterwards stood the "
church known as Cill-Chiarain, or St. Ciaran's church," near Fintract-
Clere,'7 now Traigh-Chiarain, on Cape Clear Island. Here, too, it seems probable, his mother's first cousin, Eiderscel,'^ on her father's side, became a
convert, and in consequence, as a reward for his faith, Ciaran predicted for his progeny, reign and chieftainship over their race, while he left to the king of Corca-Laidhe the eniclann of a provincial king. '9 The ruined church of
Temple or Kill-Chiaran, stands, on the north-west point of Cape Clear
Templekieran.
One John Gauley,''' in 1845, carefully examined about this old ruin, and he could find no trace of any other old parish church. There was a stone, of which he presented a handsome pen and ink sketch. It was
"
called, Gallaun-Kieran, which signifies,
was of a circular form, tapering towards the top, and it stood on the sea- shore. It measured lour feet nine inches in height, by six feet in circum-
called
Clear stated, that there never was an old parish church on the island, except
Island,
over the
cove,
Traigh-Chiarain.
Cape
ference ^ nearthe f while,
sunkinthe andsaidto stone,
thereisa
have been cut, by St. Kieran's own hands. There was formerly a cross on
the western side, and on its top. These could hardly be traced in 1845,
being much defaced through the effects of time. =^3 Whether or not, St.
Ciaran remained long among the Corca Laidhe can hardly be known ; but,
Mr. Hogan seems to bring him directly to the Nore, after he landed in Ire-
land, and to the present site of Kilkenny City. ^* To those who have visited
top,
cross,
the lovely valley of ihe Nore, and the territory lying between the Suir and the
Barrow—the accredited scene ot Ciaran's apostolic labours—the topography
of that territory is graphically sketched and historically illustrated by the author, and it forms one of the most attractive features ot his work. ^s In the
ancient territory of Ossory, it is supposed, the missionary met his own people,
and planted his cross, in view of the Ard-Righ's mansion, which occupied the site of the present magnificent casde in Kilkenny. ^^ Here he collected a
" See tlie First Life, as published by Col-
gan, chap. v.
'7 In English "the fair," or "white
strand of Cape Clear Island. "
'*
in Comillane townland, in Clear Island, there is a remarkable group of Gallauns, two of which are standing, and one is lying, on the ground, a fence crossing it. There is a hole, about eight inches in diameter, on the top, getting narrow, as it goes inward,
Not from him, but from his twelfth
descendant, Eiderscel. son ot Finn, the Ui-
Eidersceol, or O'Driscolls took their here- perforated through one of them. It has ditary surnames.
'' See 5eitieAiA6 Co]\CA t. Ai'oe, in " Mis- cellany of the Celtic Society," and nn. (c. f. g), pp. 20 to 23.
""^ See Charles Smith's " Natural and Civil History of the County of Cork," book ii. , chap. iv.
*' To certain queries, addressed to this locality, by Lieutenant Leach, R. E. , we have
the substance of what is related
" We must suppose, at the base.
'3 Being questioned, if St. Cieran's cross were one separate from the Gallaunkieran, Mr. Gauley replies, that " there is no other objest in the island with a cross cut on it save this. " The same writer tells us. that
evidently been made by art, at a remote period. The inhabitants call these stones Gallauns, but nothing more could be learned regardmg them. A handsome pen and ink sketch of them accompanies this account. There are burial grounds, in Clear Island, called Keels, by the inhabitants. Those burial places can hardly be distinguished from surrounding fields. See, pp. 440 to
here, turned by John Gauley, in the May of 1845.
445,
the Royal Irish Academy.
as re-
of the •' Cork Memorandums," now in
^° The inhabitants of
St. Kieran's standing-sione. " It
=* It is marked on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kil- kenny," Sheet 19.
"^ See " St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory,"
part ii. , chap, i. , ii. , iii. , iv. , pp. 42 to 65. '° For a charming engraved illustration,
126 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
band of disciples,, established his first Irish monastery, chaimted his psalms, practised the rule of Lerins, confronted the Druids and their pagan followers, and succeeded in establishing the nucleus of a religious community. Here,
was erected one of the earliest Christian churches, in Ireland. His well
too,
isalsoknown,anditindicatedthesiteofhisoldchurch therepresentative
of which stood to the end of the last century—inside of the present public market, as you enter it from King-street, on the west bank of the River Nora. St. Ciaran's well is still flowing, outside of the market wall, in the adjoining yard,andtothesouth. Here,itissaid,heestablishedaseminary,andfrom the alumni of this primitive school issued eloquent preachers and distin- guished bishops, the first evangelizers of Ossory. ^? For such a conclusion, however, no sufficient evidence is adduced. The saints of his family and school are renowned, notwithstanding, in our Calendars and History. ^^
Mr. Hogan disposes of all that Dr. Todd had urged against the Roman
mission of Saint Patrick,'9 and, he maintains, that Ciaran had a pre-Patrician mission. This latter conclusion seems the most difficult to establish, beyond question ,^° however, traditional and recorded statements have very generally prevailed, in leading to such an inference. The oldest and most intelligent inhabitants of Northern Ossory, as the result of enquiries elicited, appear to hold, and with remarkable unanimity, an old tradition, affirming the pre-Patri- cian mission of St, Kieran. In fact, as we are told, they would not be at all
pleased to have any doubts cast on its authenticity. 3'
CHAPTER III.
FORMER EXTENT OF OSSORY—ACCOUNT OF ST. KIERAN's FIRST MISSION THERE—ST. KIERAN's holy well in TUBBRID—HIS FOUNDATION OF SAIGIR, AND ITS POSITION —HIS MIRACLES.
The name and fame of the founder, ^ngus Osraidhe, gave an early prestige to this ancient territory. He was a renowned warrior. Originally, Ossory included the district of Magh Feimhin, which he had subdued ; and then, it is stated, that from the River Suir to the Barrow, and from the mountains of Slieve Bloom to the meeting of the three waters, in the harbour of Waterford, its boundaries extended. ' But, during the reign of Cormac Mac Art,'' the Desii drove the conqueror from Magh Feimhin, and at Bailie Urluidhe, as
and a letter-press description, the reader is St. Evan. " \. \q then refers to the " Lectures "
referred to W. B. Bartlett's Scenery and on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient
Antiquitiesof Ireland, "vol. i. , pp. 151 to 153. '^^ See John Hogan's "St. Ciaran, Patron
of Ossory," part ii. , chap, ix. , pp. 99, 100.
Irish History,'' and we presume to lect. xvi. , where Mr. O'Curry treats on this sub- ject ; but, where he shows—that if, as Col- gan supposes, St. Eimhin were the author^— interpolations afterwards crept into the tract, as published.
3' See an interesting Paper, read before the Ossory Archaeological Society, and in- tituled, "Vindication of the Claim of St.
^'^ See ibid. , chap. x. , pp. 101 to 114. "
"9 See St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," chap. i.
3° Mr. Plogan, in the Review, writes "The earliest known reference to the 'pre-
'
mission of Ciaran is that found in
Patrician ''"
end of the sixth
was compiled probably as early as A. D. 580. Dr. Lanigan, generally over-sceptical, ob- jects to so early a date ; but the late
Wednesday, 31st, 1877.
century,
:
the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. This Kieran, of Saigher, to the title of Primo-
venerable memoir ot our Apostle is attri- buted to St. Evan, who died towards the
Professor who had
O'Curry, Lanigan'sobjec-
tions on the point before him, unhesitatingly ''
assigns the authorship of the Tripartite to
genitus Sanctorum Hibernia;. " By the Rev. N. Murphy. Published in the Kilkenny yoiinial, of — October
so that the memoir
—
Chapter hi.
" Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (a), pp. 17, 18.
^ He from A. D. reigned
227,
to A. D.
266,
'See Dr. O'Donovan's
according to the Chronology of the Four Masters.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 127
also at Mulloch Aindeonach, he seems to have suffered signal defeats. 3 Gradually, the Ossorians were driven eastwards and northwards ; but, the traditions and records of this period are very obscure, and rather difficult to be reconciled. It is thought, by Mr. Hogan, that when St. Ciaran first began his missionary career in Ossory, its boundaries extended into the county of Tipperary ; and, if so, perhaps, this will afford some clue to the memorials of religion, connected with his name in this part of the country. There is suffi- cient evidence to show, in the opinion of a distinguished authority, that since the introduction of Christianity, the limits of its territory, never extended be- yond the present diocese of Ossory. s
We find it incorrectly stated, that Tubbrid,^ in the county of Tipperary, and the parish to which Dr. Jeoffry Keating had been so long attached, contains a holy well, dedicated to St. Kieran Clearagh,? one of the four bishops, said to have came from Rome to Ireland, before the illustrious St. Patrick's advent. This holy well springs out of a rock, in perpetual abundance ; and, it flows from a hill, on which the Irish historian used to walk, during the days of his
pastoral care. It is popularly said, from it, Dr. Keating^ often viewed the charming scenery of mountain and valley, while therefrom, he was enabled to catch a distant glimpse of persecutors approaching, and so was he enabled to fly for concealment to the woods of Rehill. 9 The old cemetery and chapel of Tubbrid are of special interest to the Irish tourist, as within both repose
Dr. Keating's remains, with a slab inscription, commemorating the circum- stance, over the front entrance of the sacellum. ^° Tubbrid chapel is only 27 feet 4 inches in length, by 18 feet 7 inches in breadth, on the inside :" the side walls are 3 feet in thickness, and, in 1840, about 8 feet in height. The
" a well
guishing epithet, which has long been forgotten. "
name, Tubbrid, signifies
it had some distin-
3SeeDr.
;"
" of History
originally
Not many miles removed
contains a of Dr. Keat« copy
£nglish, by
^ This townland extends through the
parishes of Tubbrid and Shanrahan, and it is marked on the " Ordnance Survey Town-
land Maps for the County of Tipperary," Sheets 80, 81, 86, 87.
'° On a over the and about Tablet, door,
l foot 7)^ inches in width, by 2 feet 3 inches in height, there is an inscription, commemo-
rating P. Eugenius Uuhy and D. Doct. Galf. Keating, founders of this chapel, with the date 1644. An elegant pen and ink drawing of the Tablet is given, in the Tip- perary Letters," O. S. , vol. i. , and this was taken in 1840.
" The accompanying engraving of Tub- brid chapel is by George A. Hanlon, and copied, by the writer, from George V. Du Noyer's sketch. No. 189, of "Tipperary Sketches," vol. iv. , for the Irish Ordnance Survey, and now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy. William F. Wakeman drew it on the wood.
" In a description, given by John O'Dono- van, an interesting account of this parish will be found, in " Letters containing Infor- mation relative to the Antiquities of the
County of Tipperary, collected during the
Geoffrey Keating's Ireland," book i. , pp. 275, 276.
the R. I.
"
* See " St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, xi. , pp. 115 to 123, where an attempt is made to explain this subject.
O'Dubhagain and Gilla na Noamh O'Huidh-
rin," edited by J ohn O'Donovan, LL. D. , p.
Iviii. , n. 482.
ing's
by Andrew MacCurtin, A. D. 1703. Several editions of this popular History have issued from the press, and iheoriginal Irish has been translated into different editors.
s See the " Poems of Topographical John
*
In the barony of Iffa and OfTa West, it is "
described, on the Ordnance Survey Town-
land for the of
Maps County Tipperary,"
Sheets 74, 80, 81, 82, 87, 88. The town- land proper is to be found on Sheets 81, 87.
1 Kiaran Clearagh has been rendered, by Maurice Lenihan, Esq. , "Kiaran of the County Clare. " I should rather think, as
" referring to this saint, it must be Kiaran
of Clear Island," or of " Cape Clear. " Yet,
the real Patron, Ciaran, was venerated, on
the loth of November.
*
The "History of Ireland," by Dr. Jeoffrey Keating, contains much information relative to Irish saints, and various Irish copies of it in MSS. are yet found.
" Deinde ordinatum ibi Episcopum, ad patriam suam Hibemiam missum fuisse subjicit, triginta annis ante adventum B. Patricii, quern anno Domini ccccxxxii. conti- gisse postea docebimus. Unde inita sub- ductaque ratione, anno ccclii. in lucem editum, ccclxxxii. Romam adiisse, & ccccii. in patriam rediisse Kiaranum comperia-
:
of June 13th, 18—77.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 123
CHAPTER II.
ST. KIERAN'S ordination and consecration—HIS MEETING WITH ST. PATRICK, AND THEIR INTERCOURSE—HE IS RECOMMENDED BY THE LATTER TO PREACH THE GOSPEL IN IRELAND—CONJECTURES REGARDING THE PLACE WHERE HIS MISSION BEGAN.
His fame for eloquence and virtue had preceded him,^ and St. Kieran remained for twenty years at Rome, according to both his Lives, as published
by Colgan ; but, only for a period of fifteen, according to Capgrave. During this time, as we are told, he was diligently employed in studying the Sacred Scriptures, and in collecting copies of them ; whilst, at the same time, he was engaged in acquiring a knowledge of the Church Canons. His wisdom and knowledge, his piety and faith, so far recommended him, that after receiving priesthood, it is said he was promoted to the episcopal rank. ^ Were we to credit some calculations—which we believe to have no better basis to rest on other than ingenious conjecture—St. Kieran may have been living in Italy ; yet, that he received episcopal consecration in Rome, or that he derived a direct commission therefrom, to preach the gospel, as a bishop, in Ireland, may be regarded as doubtful. If in Rome at all, a writer of our saint's life supposes, that he must have left it, before the year 418, and, on his way homewards, he is thought to have visited one of the greatest schools of that age in Italy, where his clerical studies were either commenced or prosecuted. This is conjectured to have been Lerins, now St. Honorat, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, not far from the western coast of Italy. Here, the period of his stay is imagined to have procured St. Kieran's first acquaintance, with the future great Apostle of Ireland. In the second part of Mr. Hogan's book, we are given an account, of how St. Ciaran remained some time in Rome, of how he was ordained bishop, of how on his journey homewards, he met St. Patrick in Italy, and ordained him priest. To the work itself, we must refer the reader for comprehension of the probability of such narrative. Again, Kieran is identified with a St. Senior, to whom St. Patrick was referred by an angel to receive instruction, and who is regarded, as having already
attained to the grade of bishop. Among those Irish saints the Apostle of
Ireland met abroad,3 the sixth was Senex Kieranus de Sagir, according to the
Tripartite Life ; and, from "Senex" to "Senior" the transposition is easy,
while,
when the work in was " S. Senior Ciaranus " question written, episcopus
was our saint's proper designation,5 and it is thought, by accident or design, ""
the word Ciaranus being allowed to drop out of St. Patrick's memoirs, the qualifying adjective was allowed to form the proper name for our bishop. °
After due instruction, at Lerins, Mr. Hogan would have it, that Bishop Ciaran ordained St. Patrick a priest, and afterwards continued to exercise the
relationship of tutor towards the future Apostle, as supposed, for seven years. To this period is assigned St. Patrick's vision, which urged him to labour for the conversion of the Irish, as also his advice to St. Ciaran, pending a pre.
'*
St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, vi. , pp. 69 to 73.
^ See Vita S. Kierani ex Codice Kilken- niensi, cap. iv. , p. 458, also Vita S. Kierani ex MS. Salmanticensi, Officium, lect. 2, p. 467.
p. 130. There, too, our saint is classed among the disciples of St. Patrick. — " Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii," cap. xxiii. , p. 266.
s in the JeineAlAc Co]\ca tAi-oe, we
3 See an account of this
notices of St. Meallan, of Kilrush, or of senior of the saints of Eire. " "Miscellany
Cloncraff, at the 28th of January.
* See "Trias/ Colgan's
Phaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii,/ as. ii. , cap. ix. ,
transaction,
in the
e^xenr),
in
English,
Ac\\\ if e Cia|\aii ^inui'qA iiAeni
of the Celtic Society," edited by John
O'Donovan, Esq. , LL. D,, M. R. I. A. , pp. 22, 23.
read :
"And—Ciaran is the
124 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
paration for that mission, to precede him, in prosecution of their joint labours. After these events, as said about 428,7 St. Ciaran was sent on a mission to his native island. It is stated, in our saint's Life, that on his return, in com- pany with St. Declan,^ he met St. Patrick in Italy, when the latter was on his way to Rome. Other accounts represent, that Kieran's meeting with St. Patrick, somewhere out of Ireland, occurred several years after the latter had commenced his apostolical labours in this country. In Colgan's Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the precise place of meeting is not given ;9 but, it is represented, as having occurred, at least twelve years after St. Patrick had began his mission in Ireland. ^" Jocelin places it at an epoch, when St. Patrick was returning from Britain. Thither he had gone some time before, to procure a supply of additional helpers for his mission. " The future Apostle of Ireland had not been consecrated bishop at that time ; as this meeting took place, according to Ussher, about the year 402. " Yet, accord- ing to Dr. Lanigan, so far from being a bishop at Rome, in the year 402, he was not one, until a considerable time after St. Patrick's mission to Ireland, when Kieran, having returned from abroad, was consecrated. '3
At that time they met on the Continent, St. Patrick said to Kieran, " Proceed
to Ireland before me, and go to a fountain, in the middle of Ireland, which is
called Fuaran,'4 on the northern and southern line of division in the island j
build a monastery on that spot,'5 for there thou shalt be held in honour, and it
shall be the of resurrection. " To this St. Kieran " The place thy replied,
place where that fountain springs, I do not know. " Then, St. Patrick
answered, " My dearly-beloved brother, proceed with full confidence, and the Lord will be your guide ; receive this bell, which shall be the companion of your journey, and which shall not sound, until you come to the fountain in- dicated. When you arrive there, the bell shall ring out clearly, and sound sweetly ; and after thirty years, I will meet you in that place. " With the kiss of peace and mutual benedictions, these great saints departed to the respec- tive places of their destination. '^ It is thought most rational to suppose, that St. Patrick directed Kiaran, on landing in Ireland, to visit his own part of the country, and to commence his mission, among the influential persons of his ownfamily,andamonghistribesmen. Now,itseemsprobableenough,that
®
See Mr. John Hogan's "St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, vii. , pp. 74 to 83.
^ According to Mr. Hogan's calculation,
in his "St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part
ii. , chap, ix. , p. 95.
**
See his Life, at the 24th of July.
9 See "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. ix. , p. 130,
and n. 34, p. 174. Ibid.
'o "
turga. "
" See " Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Anti-
quitates," cap. xvi. , p. 413, and Index Chronologicus, A. D. ccccii. , p. 513.
'^ See "Ecclesiastical History of Ire- land," vol. i. , chap, i. , sect, xiv. , n. 118, p. 32.
'* According to the English MS. Life,
this fountain is styled Uaran, "in a solitary
place in the north-east part of the country. "
Kieran is stated to have then received directions from the saint concerning the dis-
trict, in which he should erect his monas-
tery. Accordingly Colgan, notwithstanding gan's his credulity elsewhere, reckons—him among
the disciples of St. Patrick. " Dr. Lani-
gan's "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i. , chap. i. , sect, xiv. , p. 30.
" In addition, he tells us, that Kieran was
then one of six Irish clerics, who were pro-
ceeding to foreign countries for religious improvement. All of these aftenvards be-
came bishops in their own country. See
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. xciii. , p. 86, and
n. " Trias Thauma- 104, p. 113. Colgan's
Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. ix. , p. 130. Now, Mr. Hogan contends, that under any of the preceding forms, the River Nore, anciently called, Eoir. Eoire, Eoir, Heoir and Feoir, must be understood. See "St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, ix. , pp. 98, 99.
The Tripartite Life of St. Patrick has the
injunction, that St. Ciaran should build his
monastery near the River Huar. See Col-
"
'S To our mind, this seems to indicate the
site of Saighir Ciaran, and nearly all writers
on the subject agree in giving the prophecy
such
interpretation.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 125
he went first to his native place ; and, in point of fact, an ancient tradition prevails, that the Corca Laidhe first ot all other people were believers in Ire- land. Most hkely, St. Ciaran first landed there, and if so, he undoubtedly began, at once, to open his mission. There, too, it is stated, that the chief
or the inhabitants first granted him the site, on which afterwards stood the "
church known as Cill-Chiarain, or St. Ciaran's church," near Fintract-
Clere,'7 now Traigh-Chiarain, on Cape Clear Island. Here, too, it seems probable, his mother's first cousin, Eiderscel,'^ on her father's side, became a
convert, and in consequence, as a reward for his faith, Ciaran predicted for his progeny, reign and chieftainship over their race, while he left to the king of Corca-Laidhe the eniclann of a provincial king. '9 The ruined church of
Temple or Kill-Chiaran, stands, on the north-west point of Cape Clear
Templekieran.
One John Gauley,''' in 1845, carefully examined about this old ruin, and he could find no trace of any other old parish church. There was a stone, of which he presented a handsome pen and ink sketch. It was
"
called, Gallaun-Kieran, which signifies,
was of a circular form, tapering towards the top, and it stood on the sea- shore. It measured lour feet nine inches in height, by six feet in circum-
called
Clear stated, that there never was an old parish church on the island, except
Island,
over the
cove,
Traigh-Chiarain.
Cape
ference ^ nearthe f while,
sunkinthe andsaidto stone,
thereisa
have been cut, by St. Kieran's own hands. There was formerly a cross on
the western side, and on its top. These could hardly be traced in 1845,
being much defaced through the effects of time. =^3 Whether or not, St.
Ciaran remained long among the Corca Laidhe can hardly be known ; but,
Mr. Hogan seems to bring him directly to the Nore, after he landed in Ire-
land, and to the present site of Kilkenny City. ^* To those who have visited
top,
cross,
the lovely valley of ihe Nore, and the territory lying between the Suir and the
Barrow—the accredited scene ot Ciaran's apostolic labours—the topography
of that territory is graphically sketched and historically illustrated by the author, and it forms one of the most attractive features ot his work. ^s In the
ancient territory of Ossory, it is supposed, the missionary met his own people,
and planted his cross, in view of the Ard-Righ's mansion, which occupied the site of the present magnificent casde in Kilkenny. ^^ Here he collected a
" See tlie First Life, as published by Col-
gan, chap. v.
'7 In English "the fair," or "white
strand of Cape Clear Island. "
'*
in Comillane townland, in Clear Island, there is a remarkable group of Gallauns, two of which are standing, and one is lying, on the ground, a fence crossing it. There is a hole, about eight inches in diameter, on the top, getting narrow, as it goes inward,
Not from him, but from his twelfth
descendant, Eiderscel. son ot Finn, the Ui-
Eidersceol, or O'Driscolls took their here- perforated through one of them. It has ditary surnames.
'' See 5eitieAiA6 Co]\CA t. Ai'oe, in " Mis- cellany of the Celtic Society," and nn. (c. f. g), pp. 20 to 23.
""^ See Charles Smith's " Natural and Civil History of the County of Cork," book ii. , chap. iv.
*' To certain queries, addressed to this locality, by Lieutenant Leach, R. E. , we have
the substance of what is related
" We must suppose, at the base.
'3 Being questioned, if St. Cieran's cross were one separate from the Gallaunkieran, Mr. Gauley replies, that " there is no other objest in the island with a cross cut on it save this. " The same writer tells us. that
evidently been made by art, at a remote period. The inhabitants call these stones Gallauns, but nothing more could be learned regardmg them. A handsome pen and ink sketch of them accompanies this account. There are burial grounds, in Clear Island, called Keels, by the inhabitants. Those burial places can hardly be distinguished from surrounding fields. See, pp. 440 to
here, turned by John Gauley, in the May of 1845.
445,
the Royal Irish Academy.
as re-
of the •' Cork Memorandums," now in
^° The inhabitants of
St. Kieran's standing-sione. " It
=* It is marked on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kil- kenny," Sheet 19.
"^ See " St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory,"
part ii. , chap, i. , ii. , iii. , iv. , pp. 42 to 65. '° For a charming engraved illustration,
126 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 5.
band of disciples,, established his first Irish monastery, chaimted his psalms, practised the rule of Lerins, confronted the Druids and their pagan followers, and succeeded in establishing the nucleus of a religious community. Here,
was erected one of the earliest Christian churches, in Ireland. His well
too,
isalsoknown,anditindicatedthesiteofhisoldchurch therepresentative
of which stood to the end of the last century—inside of the present public market, as you enter it from King-street, on the west bank of the River Nora. St. Ciaran's well is still flowing, outside of the market wall, in the adjoining yard,andtothesouth. Here,itissaid,heestablishedaseminary,andfrom the alumni of this primitive school issued eloquent preachers and distin- guished bishops, the first evangelizers of Ossory. ^? For such a conclusion, however, no sufficient evidence is adduced. The saints of his family and school are renowned, notwithstanding, in our Calendars and History. ^^
Mr. Hogan disposes of all that Dr. Todd had urged against the Roman
mission of Saint Patrick,'9 and, he maintains, that Ciaran had a pre-Patrician mission. This latter conclusion seems the most difficult to establish, beyond question ,^° however, traditional and recorded statements have very generally prevailed, in leading to such an inference. The oldest and most intelligent inhabitants of Northern Ossory, as the result of enquiries elicited, appear to hold, and with remarkable unanimity, an old tradition, affirming the pre-Patri- cian mission of St, Kieran. In fact, as we are told, they would not be at all
pleased to have any doubts cast on its authenticity. 3'
CHAPTER III.
FORMER EXTENT OF OSSORY—ACCOUNT OF ST. KIERAN's FIRST MISSION THERE—ST. KIERAN's holy well in TUBBRID—HIS FOUNDATION OF SAIGIR, AND ITS POSITION —HIS MIRACLES.
The name and fame of the founder, ^ngus Osraidhe, gave an early prestige to this ancient territory. He was a renowned warrior. Originally, Ossory included the district of Magh Feimhin, which he had subdued ; and then, it is stated, that from the River Suir to the Barrow, and from the mountains of Slieve Bloom to the meeting of the three waters, in the harbour of Waterford, its boundaries extended. ' But, during the reign of Cormac Mac Art,'' the Desii drove the conqueror from Magh Feimhin, and at Bailie Urluidhe, as
and a letter-press description, the reader is St. Evan. " \. \q then refers to the " Lectures "
referred to W. B. Bartlett's Scenery and on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient
Antiquitiesof Ireland, "vol. i. , pp. 151 to 153. '^^ See John Hogan's "St. Ciaran, Patron
of Ossory," part ii. , chap, ix. , pp. 99, 100.
Irish History,'' and we presume to lect. xvi. , where Mr. O'Curry treats on this sub- ject ; but, where he shows—that if, as Col- gan supposes, St. Eimhin were the author^— interpolations afterwards crept into the tract, as published.
3' See an interesting Paper, read before the Ossory Archaeological Society, and in- tituled, "Vindication of the Claim of St.
^'^ See ibid. , chap. x. , pp. 101 to 114. "
"9 See St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," chap. i.
3° Mr. Plogan, in the Review, writes "The earliest known reference to the 'pre-
'
mission of Ciaran is that found in
Patrician ''"
end of the sixth
was compiled probably as early as A. D. 580. Dr. Lanigan, generally over-sceptical, ob- jects to so early a date ; but the late
Wednesday, 31st, 1877.
century,
:
the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick. This Kieran, of Saigher, to the title of Primo-
venerable memoir ot our Apostle is attri- buted to St. Evan, who died towards the
Professor who had
O'Curry, Lanigan'sobjec-
tions on the point before him, unhesitatingly ''
assigns the authorship of the Tripartite to
genitus Sanctorum Hibernia;. " By the Rev. N. Murphy. Published in the Kilkenny yoiinial, of — October
so that the memoir
—
Chapter hi.
" Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (a), pp. 17, 18.
^ He from A. D. reigned
227,
to A. D.
266,
'See Dr. O'Donovan's
according to the Chronology of the Four Masters.
March 5. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 127
also at Mulloch Aindeonach, he seems to have suffered signal defeats. 3 Gradually, the Ossorians were driven eastwards and northwards ; but, the traditions and records of this period are very obscure, and rather difficult to be reconciled. It is thought, by Mr. Hogan, that when St. Ciaran first began his missionary career in Ossory, its boundaries extended into the county of Tipperary ; and, if so, perhaps, this will afford some clue to the memorials of religion, connected with his name in this part of the country. There is suffi- cient evidence to show, in the opinion of a distinguished authority, that since the introduction of Christianity, the limits of its territory, never extended be- yond the present diocese of Ossory. s
We find it incorrectly stated, that Tubbrid,^ in the county of Tipperary, and the parish to which Dr. Jeoffry Keating had been so long attached, contains a holy well, dedicated to St. Kieran Clearagh,? one of the four bishops, said to have came from Rome to Ireland, before the illustrious St. Patrick's advent. This holy well springs out of a rock, in perpetual abundance ; and, it flows from a hill, on which the Irish historian used to walk, during the days of his
pastoral care. It is popularly said, from it, Dr. Keating^ often viewed the charming scenery of mountain and valley, while therefrom, he was enabled to catch a distant glimpse of persecutors approaching, and so was he enabled to fly for concealment to the woods of Rehill. 9 The old cemetery and chapel of Tubbrid are of special interest to the Irish tourist, as within both repose
Dr. Keating's remains, with a slab inscription, commemorating the circum- stance, over the front entrance of the sacellum. ^° Tubbrid chapel is only 27 feet 4 inches in length, by 18 feet 7 inches in breadth, on the inside :" the side walls are 3 feet in thickness, and, in 1840, about 8 feet in height. The
" a well
guishing epithet, which has long been forgotten. "
name, Tubbrid, signifies
it had some distin-
3SeeDr.
;"
" of History
originally
Not many miles removed
contains a of Dr. Keat« copy
£nglish, by
^ This townland extends through the
parishes of Tubbrid and Shanrahan, and it is marked on the " Ordnance Survey Town-
land Maps for the County of Tipperary," Sheets 80, 81, 86, 87.
'° On a over the and about Tablet, door,
l foot 7)^ inches in width, by 2 feet 3 inches in height, there is an inscription, commemo-
rating P. Eugenius Uuhy and D. Doct. Galf. Keating, founders of this chapel, with the date 1644. An elegant pen and ink drawing of the Tablet is given, in the Tip- perary Letters," O. S. , vol. i. , and this was taken in 1840.
" The accompanying engraving of Tub- brid chapel is by George A. Hanlon, and copied, by the writer, from George V. Du Noyer's sketch. No. 189, of "Tipperary Sketches," vol. iv. , for the Irish Ordnance Survey, and now preserved in the Royal Irish Academy. William F. Wakeman drew it on the wood.
" In a description, given by John O'Dono- van, an interesting account of this parish will be found, in " Letters containing Infor- mation relative to the Antiquities of the
County of Tipperary, collected during the
Geoffrey Keating's Ireland," book i. , pp. 275, 276.
the R. I.
"
* See " St. Ciaran, Patron of Ossory," part ii. , chap, xi. , pp. 115 to 123, where an attempt is made to explain this subject.
O'Dubhagain and Gilla na Noamh O'Huidh-
rin," edited by J ohn O'Donovan, LL. D. , p.
Iviii. , n. 482.
ing's
by Andrew MacCurtin, A. D. 1703. Several editions of this popular History have issued from the press, and iheoriginal Irish has been translated into different editors.
s See the " Poems of Topographical John
*
In the barony of Iffa and OfTa West, it is "
described, on the Ordnance Survey Town-
land for the of
Maps County Tipperary,"
Sheets 74, 80, 81, 82, 87, 88. The town- land proper is to be found on Sheets 81, 87.
1 Kiaran Clearagh has been rendered, by Maurice Lenihan, Esq. , "Kiaran of the County Clare. " I should rather think, as
" referring to this saint, it must be Kiaran
of Clear Island," or of " Cape Clear. " Yet,
the real Patron, Ciaran, was venerated, on
the loth of November.
*
The "History of Ireland," by Dr. Jeoffrey Keating, contains much information relative to Irish saints, and various Irish copies of it in MSS. are yet found.
