^7 He was contemporaneous
therefore
with the great St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
Let us embrace the monastic profession, and give ourselves to God, by making a vow to that effect.
Let us walk, while we enjoy the light of this life, so that the darkness of eternal death may not overtake us.
" These words being pronounced, the family retainers were greatly excited.
These vented their sorrow in loud complaints and shed tears, as if bewailing the dead.
Doubtless in this resolution of the young noblemen, they foresaw their own dismissal from service, as a necessary consequence.
Thosehigh-bombarons3^weresoontobeobservedbound, as it were, with iron chains, and prostrate before the tomb of St.
Deicolus.
When they had there supplicated Divine clemency for a long while, and had acknowledged with tears that they had sinned and deserved punishment, which they now experienced ; owing to the merits and intervention of our holy saint, they were restored to their pristine health.
To crown their penitence, the father and his sons agreed, by common vow and mutual consent, to give themselves up wholly to God, and to His saint Deicolus,
an apprehension of displeasing some power* fill persons at or adjoining Lure.
3° The eldest was named Eberhard, the second eldest was Hugh, and the third was called Guntramni
^ The wtlter remarks, that he was then an old man.
'^ They are said to have been a little while before swifter than eagles and stronger than lions*
replied,
Father, you
given
us a advice. good
3i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i8.
not by military service, but rather in monastic subjection. Having put such
a resolution in practice, they unanimously vowed, and in a solemn manner, at his tomb, that whatever had been heretofore taken unjustly from the
monastery should instantly be restored. They also bound themselves by
vow, to subject themselves to his rule, tonsure, habit, profession, and obedience. Besides, they secured without reserve Lure itself for the order of the holy father St. Benedict. 33 Having again and again confirmed this binding covenant, by a solemn oath, they called St. Deicolus to witness from this day forward, that so long as the planets moved in their spheres, the place itself and its dependencies, with all claimed by their family or derived antecedently as an inheritance by descent, should be granted to the monks of St. Benedict. They declared, that not even a single foot of this land should remain as a lawful heir-loom in their family. With great satisfaction expressed, they embraced their respective professions, having completed this solemn compact, in the presence of many witnesses. 34
It is said, that after the lapse of some ages from the death of St. Deicolus,
when Hildegardes, Countess of Alsace,35 wished to have his sepulchre opened, in order to possess herself of some reHc belonging to the saint, this
attemptwasfollowedbyamiraculouspunishment. Morethroughcuriosity than devotion, Hildergardes entered St. DichuFs oratory with the priests and a great multitude of faithful. She designed bearing to Alsace this relic ; but when an attempt had been made to lift the covering over St. Dichul's sarcophagus, an earthquake shook the whole edifice. Fearful thunder and
lightning accompanied this shock. All engaged in the previous labour were rendered frantic, and they were struck with sudden blindness, to such a
degree, that almost for the space of two hours, no person present could see his next neighbour. The countess then felt compunction of heart for her rash act, having thus experienced the efficacy of St. Dichul's merits in God's sight. Afterwards his bones were allowed to remain undisturbed.
Mabillon passed through Lure, at one time, on the occasion of visiting Germany. He describes it as being fortified with strong towers and walls, while surrounded by water, after the manner of a citadel. The church, at that time, had every appearance of great antiquity. Two monuments of
one of these contained the remains
of the holy abbot, St. Deicolus, while the other held those of his disciple and
successor, St. Columbin. A short time previous to this visit, the neighbour-
ing church of St. Deicolus had been destroyed, and the relics of both saints
had been removed therefrom, to their subsequent place of deposition. 3^ What is not a little remarkable, the remains of both saints indicated that theymusthavebeenofcommandingstatureduringlife; andthecircumstance of St. Deicolus being a tall man is related by the anonymous writer of his acts. 37
We are filled with admiration and Christian joy, when we consider the
considerable size were to be seen there
;
33 This shows that the monks of Lure
to the order of St. Benedict in the tenth centUty. It seems singular, this tes- timony has been overlooked oral least not noticed by Mabillon, in his account of St. Deicolus in " Annales Ordinis S. Bene- dicti. " How long before the tenth century the monks of this house had embraced the Benedictine rule cannot with certainty be determined, but it is probable during his life-time, Deicolus followed the rule of his brother and spiritual superior, St. Colum-
banus.
34 See " Acta Sanctorum Hi« Colgan's
bernice," xviii. Janiiajii. Vita S. Deicoli, cap. vii. , pp. I2i, 122.
3S Xhis lady was wife to Count Hugh.
3* A few monks were then residing in the
monastery at Lure. They had been sent
from the Abbey Murbacensis, to which the house at Lure was then subject,
belonged
"
BeneJicti," lib. xi. , sec. 45, p. 326.
37 See Mabillon's
Annales Ordinis S.
JANUARY 1 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 31$
lives of the glorious ones that have gone by. Cheered with the eternity of bliss, their bodies are " buried in peace. " Their fame and their glorious deeds deserve to live generation after generation, until far into the future theirbrightexamplesmayinfluencethecoursesofmenyetunborn. Godper- mits the temporal afflictions and trials of His servants, but in His own good timereliefandrewardmustcome. ThepiousDeicoluspossessedahappy disposition in youth, with a mind calm and strong amidst the infirmities and decrepitude of age. Raised and sustained by the Almighty's power, he early enlisted the faculties of his soul, to spread the empire of faith and charity among sinners, while he closed life fortified by the sacraments, and reasonably assured of everlasting happiness.
Article II. —St. Ninnidh, or Nennius, Bishop of Inismacsaint, County of Fermanagh. \Sixth Century? \ A very capable writer' has re-
marked, that places which were before comparatively insignificant rise into unforeseen importance, through their association with the history of God's elect. Their names, formerly little known, float about the wide globe and throughout centuries of time, upon the tide of that fame, which the saints themselveswouldhaveshrunkfromcontemplating,iftheyhadforeseenit in theirdays. Yet,theChurchdelightstoacknowledgeandtospreadaftertheir departure from earth, the memory of her sainted children. Inismacsaint, on the beautiful Lough Erne, in the county of Fermanagh, still contains a
Inismacsaint, on Loch Erne.
ruined church, and a venerable antique stone-cross. * The name of this
"
island is said to be a corruption of Inis-muighe-samh, or
the island of the
plainoftheSorrel. "3 Judgingfromtheremainsofearth-works,andofthose
foundations, which may be traced, the monastery founded there in an early
age must have been one of great extent and importance. The church ap- pears to have been a small, oblong structure. A considerable portion of the
Article it. —' Rev. C. B. Garside, in
" The Rosary Magazine. "
^ The site of the " old church" and "stone
cross" are noted on the ishmd of Inishmac-
These objects are situated towards the south-eastern angle of the island.
3 See Dr. P. W. Joyce's "Origin and History of Irish Names of Places. " Part
iv. , chap, iii. , p. 427.
"
the County of Fermanagh," Sheet 15.
saint. See
Ordnance Survey Maps for
320 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i8.
masonry is characteristic of a remote period. But there is evidence of the
building having been greatly remodelled, about the close of the twelfth cen-
tury. One window is in a tolerably perfect state. -* The angles of the in-
terior jambs are rounded off in pillar-like fashion, with plain Norman-look-
ing capitals and bases. The eastern and western gables have fallen. s The
very situation of Inismacsaint^ seems at one time to have puzzled our ever-
to-be-remembered and our justly-renowned Irish topographer, John O'Dono-
van. 7 Our most celebrated Irish hagiologist^ has also confounded the local
patron, with a saint bearing a like name f although a difference of denomina-
tion and of ecclesiastical rank, applied to either, should mark sufficiently a
distinction of ^° we do not find allusion to St. persons. Although any
Nennidh," in the Feilire of St. -^ngus, at the i8th of Januarys yet, at this
date, both in the published" and in the unpublished'^ copies of the Tallagh Martyrology,heisdulycommemorated. HoweverMarianusO'Gormanand
Cathal Maguire place the festival of St. Nennius or Nennidh of Inis-mhuighe samh,atthei6thofOctober. '* Otherwritersofsaints'livesalsoadoptthis
arrangement. In the Martyrology of Donegal,'? on this day, occurs the feast ofNinnidh,BishopofInis-MuigheSamh,inLochEime. '^ Thecalendarist
adds, that he was Ninnidh Laebhruise, or Laobruise,'^ who belonged to the race of Enda, son to Niall. Usually he was called Nmnidh Laimhiodhan,'^
as O'Clery states. The book of hymns says, also, that Ninnidh, son of Eochaidh,wasNinnidhLaimhiodhan. Hisactsaregivenatsomelength, by Colgan, in his great collection of Irish saints j'^ but on the mistaken
* The accompanying sketch of those ruin- ous objects at Inismacsaint has been taken on the spot, by Wilham F. Wakeman, and drawn by him on wood for the engraver, William Oldham of Dublin.
tannia Sancta," part i. , January xvi. , pp.
*'
50, 5 1 ; and Rev. Alban Butler in
of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , xvii. January.
" This name is also written Nainnidh,
5 See W. F. Wakeman's "
and sometimes
the —mo particle
Lough Erne,
Enniskillen, Belleek, Ballyshannon, and being prefixed to denote affection or
Bundoran," &c. Third Excursion, pp. 78, 79-
Moneen—thus contracted. It is Latinized under these various forms, Nennidius,
Nennius, Nennio, Nennethus, Nannius, Nannidius and Monennius. Colgan refers
us to an appendix, chapter i. , for a list of
*
It is about half a mile from the shore,
in Magheraboy barony. See Archdall's "Monasticon Hibemicum," p. 262.
^ Nor has he more than the briefest al-
''
lusion to it, in the
formation relative to the Antiquities of the County of Fermanagh, collected during the
Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1834-5. "
various saints
this name. But we
See pp. 39, 102.
Yet, he refers for further
to Mr.
count of Inishmacsaint. "
^
" Statistical Ac-
'3 After the insertion of
foreign saints in it, we find first among the Irish entries, t1inr»it> Inp fAmh ):o|\ LocVi
e^ni.
'* These also add, that he was surnamed
Laoibh-dhearc.
'5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
'7 See pp. 458, 459, of the index to the
" of Martyrology Donegal. "
'* The compiler of the Martyrology adds,
"
particulars
Taylor's
twenty-five
Letters Containing In-
bearing
do not find the appendix postfixed, in the
place indicated in his "Acta Sanctorum
Hibernise. " See at xviii. Januarii, n. i,
pp. 114, 115.
" By Rev. Dr. Kelly, see p. xii.
Father John Colgan.
5 See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xviii.
Januarii. Vita S. Nennidhii seu Nennii, Ab. et Ep. , pp. Ill to 115.
•°
Their surnames, which were applied to distinguish the present holy man from St. Nennidh, Lamh-ghlan, or "the Clean hand," who was a priest and chaplain to the great St. Brigid, of Kildare, have caused
of Sir Ware's James
20, 21. '* See
to hold erroneous and impressions,
Colgan
he has in a great measure, however uncon- sciously, contributed to the misleading of other writers, such as Harris, in his edition
He quotes, likewise, the Life of St. Brigid, cap. 41.
vol. "Writers of Ireland," book i. , chap, iii. ,
'' " xviii. See ActaSanctorumHibernise,"
works,
p. 13; Bishop Challoner, in his "Bri- pp. Ill to 113.
ii. ,
Monennidh,
Colgan's
nise," xviii. Januarii, n. 22, p. 115.
' ' to my own knowledge.
Januarii. Vita S. Nennidhii seu Nennii,
Lives
January i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 321
supposition, that the Bishop and Abbot of Inismacsaint, sometimes de-
nominated Laobh-dearc, was the same as Ninnidh, the priest/" who acted
as chaplain to the holy St. Brigid,^' first Abbess of Kildare,^^ and who is
sometimes called Xinnidh Lamhghlan, and sometimes Xinnidh Laoim-
hiodan. ^3 Under the head of Inis-]Muighe-Samh,^'^ Duald Mac Firbis
enters Xinnidh, bishop, at January i8th. This holy man would seem to
have been the son of Ethach,^5 and he was distinguished likewise by
the denomination of Laobh-dhearc. "^^ It is incorrect to state, that he
flourished so early as the fifth century, when possibly he was not then born.
He came into the world, it seems likely, either towards its close, or early
in the sixth century, for he is reputed as having been a disciple to St. Finian, of Clonard.
^7 He was contemporaneous therefore with the great St.
Columkille,^^ and he may have preceded by a little time, at the school of Clonard, St. Kieran of Clonmacnoise. -? Indeed it appears not improbable that both may have studied together under St. Finian. 3° The present St. Nennidh was a descendant of King Leogaire,^^ having been his great grand- son by the fathers side. This Colgan collects from old genealogical tables. Soon after this saint left St. Finian's religious estabHshment, he seems to have selected the Island of Inis-muighe-Samh, in Lough Erne, for the foundation of a monastery, with the governnaent of which he was charged. Here, at an early period of the sixth century, he was joined by St. Kieran of Clonmac- noise. 3^ It is not improbable, St. X'ennidh invited him to spend some time there, and to assist in managing that institution. Afterwards St. Kieran left this place, and went to live with St. Endeus,33 on the island of Arran. The holy founder of Inis-muighe-Samh34 was highly respected, and he is reckoned among the chief founders of our great Irish monasteries. That his religious establishment was in the island already mentioned is generally admitted. In an old Irish distich,35 he is called a doctor : and he is even distinguished as havmg been a bishop. 3^ The Abbot X'^ennidhius, having governed for some time his monastery in the island, was probably raised to the episcopal dignity,
tory 451.
463, by I'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan. He was killed by
°'
His feast i-eems referable rather to the
'^ See his Life at the 9th of September.
3: St. Kieran is generally said to have
been born about a. d. 507. We must allow
many subsequent years, before he began a course of studies,
2nd of April, at which day his hfe may be
found.
''
See her Life at the ist of Februar}-. '^ "
454-
"•• See
His- I'lrlande, moderne,"
See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical Ilis-
of
Ireland,"
vol.
-'i Jiis death is at A. o. placed
i. , chap, ix. , § v. , p. ^3 See ibid. , nn. 79, 80, 81, pp. 453,
lightning, at Greallach-Dabhuill, near the
"
of the Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. ,
Irish part
Proceedings
Eoyal
i. , pp. 114, 115.
'5 So his father is named in an Irish dis-
tome i. , partie ii. , chap. ii. , p. 263.
3= Ussher states, tliat >. 'innid was then dwelling, about the year 530, in a certain
tich, cited by Colgan. The latter also
names him Eochad or Euthicius, the son of
Aid, son to Laogaire. The name bears a
variety of inflections, in the Irish language.
The district and family of Huibh-Eathach,
corruptly denominated, Ibhechia, "race of
Euthic," is derived from a similar name, I'lrlande," tome i. , partie ii. , chap, ii. , p. but not from our saint's father. The name
Eochaidh or Eachuidh has been Latinized
Euchadius, Eochaduis, Euchidius, Euthy- chius ; sometimes it is found written Euthy-
chis, Equitius, Echo and Echu.
-* Sometimes written Lamh
^^ See his Life at the 12th of December. '^ See his Life a—t the of
9th June. Vol. I. No. 6.
" An an
tsaoi, teaspac,
an ri Ninnidh mhac y
dhearg.
Liffey, in the plain of Kildare. See
toire d6 ancienne et
"
"
wood of Lough Erne. See Britanni-
carum Ecclesiarum Anliquitates. " Index
Chronologicus, p. 52S.
'' See his Life at the 21st of March.
>'• \X. was " fonde par S. Nennidius. "
"
January, and taken from Marianus O'Gor- man, or his Connncntator, at the l6th of this same month.
3^ it is thus — with a Latin transla- given,
See I'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's
Histoire de
2S9.
33 Quoted by Colgan, at the 18th of
tion by Colgan
:
322 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i8.
and entrusted with the care of that district, lying along the southern bank of Lough Erne, and thence extending towards the west. It does not appear, that he could have been a bishop so early as 522. This is a mistake, and it is founded on the supposition of Colgan,37 that this holy man was the same as Nennidhius Lamh-glan, who was the contemporary of St. Brigid. There are some amongst our calendarists who place his episcopal residence at Domnach-mor in Magh-ene. s^ This was a plain south of the River Erne, andstretchingbetweenthelakeandthebayofDonegal. Theredoesnot appear to have been a monastery at this spot, although Archdall lias made such a statement, 39 St. Nennid is said to have been living in the island of Inismacsaint, about the year 529 or 530. '«° Incorrectly has Archdall as- signed his death to 523,4^ or 530. '*^ The exact date of his death has not been ascertained ,'>^ but, most probably, it occurred about or after the middle of the sixth century. This holy abbot's bell was preserved long after his decease, as a precious relic. It was ornamented with gold and silver, serving to show the advanced state of the metallic arts in Ireland, at a very early period. 44 It was often judicially tendered to the people, the better to con- firm the trustworthiness of their sworn evidence, and by them it was held in great veneration. 4s In process of time, the ancient abbey was converted into a parish church. With a large district attached, it was regarded as a rectory and vicarage in the diocese of Clogher. -K^ Soon afterwards the old ruins and cemetery must have lapsed into a state of nearly total decay. The stone cross on Inismacsaint is of a form rarely met with in Ireland. 47 The arms are not connected with the shaft by a circle ; neither is there any trace of panelling or scroll work. It was possibly erected at a time when the church was restored ; but it may be old as the days of St. Nennidh. *^ To the west and north of the church extend mounds of earth, which indicate the forms and positions of ancient community dwellings. There was a rampart of mixed earth and stones, and this probably formed a rath or Cashel. 49 Upon the highest part of this island, there is a mound having all the appearance of a
«<
The fact is that the year of his death huibh dho dua Eachach mhaith mhic is unknown ; but it must have been long
ua Laogairii Teid neamh, gona mhanc *3
Aodha. " Id est.
•'Doctor et Antistes, rex, stirps Laogaria,
—, cum Monachis Nennius proles Ethach
astra petit. " See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xviii. Januarii, n. 19, p. 115.
after 530. In some calendars his festival is assigned to the x6th, in others to the i8th
3' See Index Chronologicus ad "Acta
SanctorumHibernise. " thissubjectbyRichardRoltBrash,M. R. I. A. ,
territory
is said to be unknown.
39 In his " Monasticon Hibemicum," p.
261, and n. (zz).
Historical and Archaeological Association
of Ireland. " Fourth Series, A. D. 1 87 1, vol.
i. , part ii. , pp. 509 to 534.
4s See Ward's "Vita S. Rumoldi," p.
1 60.
<« Archdall tells us, that the situation of
4° See Ussher's "Index Chronologicus. " ''"
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum p. 528.
Antiquitates,
of January. " Dr. Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , §xi. ,
n. 173, pp. 55, 56.
^^ gee an admirable article referring to
are the ruins of on "The Preciou—s Metals and Ancient Min-
38 Within this
several churches, although Domhnach-Mor ing in Ireland. " "Journal of the Royal
4' For 523, there is no authority whatever,
except a conjecture of Colgan, that Lamh- reign of Queen Anne, it was removed to glan died in said year. But he was a Drumenagh, on the mainland and in the
different person altogether from the present saint.
43 As to 530, the foundation for this date
is still mere pitiful. Colgan quoted Ussher as stating that Nennidhius was living in the island about 530. Archdall seems to have
understood Colgan's words, as if these meant, that he died in said year.
same parish. See "Monasticon Hibemi- cum," pp. 262, 263.
*^ There is an interesting wood-engraving of this cross, in Mr. Wakeman's work already
quoted. See ibid. , p. 79.
48 guch is the opinion of Mr. Wakeman. 49 This enclosed church, cross and do-
mestic buildings.
the church being highly inconvenient, in the
January i8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 323
sepulchre, belonging to the Tuatha de Danann era. 5° Few traces of the ancient monastic establishment remain : all now is a scene of ruin and desola- tion:—
"The sacred tapers' lights are gone, Grey moss hath clad the altar-stone, The holy image is o'er-thrown,
The bell has ceased to toll.
The long-ribbed aisles are burnt and shrunk, The holy shrines to ruin sunk,
Departed is the pious monk,
God's blessing on his soul. "S'
Article III. —Saints Scoth, Feammor, Blath and Ana, Four Virgins of Cluain-Greanach. While unable to identify the place where these virgins Hved, it seems equally difficult to determine their period. It is
notlikely,however,thatallwerecontemporaries. InreadingtheMartyrology of Donegal,' we find mentioned, as having festivals celebrated on this day,
Scoth,= Feammor, Blath, and Ana, four virgins of Cluain-greanach. In the table this place is printed Cluain-grencha. An entry of these saints is found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 at the i8th of January ; but the two foremost ones, Scoth and Femmair, are united in- one passage, without mention of any locality, while after the entry of two other saints, the names of Blath and Ana of Cluain Grenaich follow. However separated during life's days or by residence they may have been, in heaven they are united, and their charity for sojourners yet on earth is exerted in joint intercession on this their common festival.
Article IV. —St. Coppa or Cobba, Virgin, Daughter of Baedan.
\Possibly in the Fifth Century. ] The silence of history has obscured many a career,whichifbetterknownmustcommandtherespectofthegood. A
festival in honour of Cobba, daughter toBaetan, is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the i8th of January. Nor do we find further notices of her inthelatercalendars. Coppa,virgin,andadaughterofBaedan,isentered intheMartyrologyofDonegal,^onthisdayofthemonth. Intheactsof
it is said he left a
the mother of
—at the Bishop Bite,
holy
Article V. —St. Mochua. In the Martyrology of Donegal,* Mochua is simply recorded, as being venerated on this day. Chua was probably the
St.
Patrick,
Cipia,3
churchofElphin. '* Colganseemstodoubtwhe
woman whom
—therthis
he classed among those veiled by St. Patrick was not identical with the present St. Coppa or Cobba. s
s° See tdtd. , pp. 79, 80.
S' Rediriva. Quoted by O'Shea in his "Guide to Spain. "
Art. III. —'Edited by Drs. Todd and
Reeves, pp.
an apprehension of displeasing some power* fill persons at or adjoining Lure.
3° The eldest was named Eberhard, the second eldest was Hugh, and the third was called Guntramni
^ The wtlter remarks, that he was then an old man.
'^ They are said to have been a little while before swifter than eagles and stronger than lions*
replied,
Father, you
given
us a advice. good
3i8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i8.
not by military service, but rather in monastic subjection. Having put such
a resolution in practice, they unanimously vowed, and in a solemn manner, at his tomb, that whatever had been heretofore taken unjustly from the
monastery should instantly be restored. They also bound themselves by
vow, to subject themselves to his rule, tonsure, habit, profession, and obedience. Besides, they secured without reserve Lure itself for the order of the holy father St. Benedict. 33 Having again and again confirmed this binding covenant, by a solemn oath, they called St. Deicolus to witness from this day forward, that so long as the planets moved in their spheres, the place itself and its dependencies, with all claimed by their family or derived antecedently as an inheritance by descent, should be granted to the monks of St. Benedict. They declared, that not even a single foot of this land should remain as a lawful heir-loom in their family. With great satisfaction expressed, they embraced their respective professions, having completed this solemn compact, in the presence of many witnesses. 34
It is said, that after the lapse of some ages from the death of St. Deicolus,
when Hildegardes, Countess of Alsace,35 wished to have his sepulchre opened, in order to possess herself of some reHc belonging to the saint, this
attemptwasfollowedbyamiraculouspunishment. Morethroughcuriosity than devotion, Hildergardes entered St. DichuFs oratory with the priests and a great multitude of faithful. She designed bearing to Alsace this relic ; but when an attempt had been made to lift the covering over St. Dichul's sarcophagus, an earthquake shook the whole edifice. Fearful thunder and
lightning accompanied this shock. All engaged in the previous labour were rendered frantic, and they were struck with sudden blindness, to such a
degree, that almost for the space of two hours, no person present could see his next neighbour. The countess then felt compunction of heart for her rash act, having thus experienced the efficacy of St. Dichul's merits in God's sight. Afterwards his bones were allowed to remain undisturbed.
Mabillon passed through Lure, at one time, on the occasion of visiting Germany. He describes it as being fortified with strong towers and walls, while surrounded by water, after the manner of a citadel. The church, at that time, had every appearance of great antiquity. Two monuments of
one of these contained the remains
of the holy abbot, St. Deicolus, while the other held those of his disciple and
successor, St. Columbin. A short time previous to this visit, the neighbour-
ing church of St. Deicolus had been destroyed, and the relics of both saints
had been removed therefrom, to their subsequent place of deposition. 3^ What is not a little remarkable, the remains of both saints indicated that theymusthavebeenofcommandingstatureduringlife; andthecircumstance of St. Deicolus being a tall man is related by the anonymous writer of his acts. 37
We are filled with admiration and Christian joy, when we consider the
considerable size were to be seen there
;
33 This shows that the monks of Lure
to the order of St. Benedict in the tenth centUty. It seems singular, this tes- timony has been overlooked oral least not noticed by Mabillon, in his account of St. Deicolus in " Annales Ordinis S. Bene- dicti. " How long before the tenth century the monks of this house had embraced the Benedictine rule cannot with certainty be determined, but it is probable during his life-time, Deicolus followed the rule of his brother and spiritual superior, St. Colum-
banus.
34 See " Acta Sanctorum Hi« Colgan's
bernice," xviii. Janiiajii. Vita S. Deicoli, cap. vii. , pp. I2i, 122.
3S Xhis lady was wife to Count Hugh.
3* A few monks were then residing in the
monastery at Lure. They had been sent
from the Abbey Murbacensis, to which the house at Lure was then subject,
belonged
"
BeneJicti," lib. xi. , sec. 45, p. 326.
37 See Mabillon's
Annales Ordinis S.
JANUARY 1 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 31$
lives of the glorious ones that have gone by. Cheered with the eternity of bliss, their bodies are " buried in peace. " Their fame and their glorious deeds deserve to live generation after generation, until far into the future theirbrightexamplesmayinfluencethecoursesofmenyetunborn. Godper- mits the temporal afflictions and trials of His servants, but in His own good timereliefandrewardmustcome. ThepiousDeicoluspossessedahappy disposition in youth, with a mind calm and strong amidst the infirmities and decrepitude of age. Raised and sustained by the Almighty's power, he early enlisted the faculties of his soul, to spread the empire of faith and charity among sinners, while he closed life fortified by the sacraments, and reasonably assured of everlasting happiness.
Article II. —St. Ninnidh, or Nennius, Bishop of Inismacsaint, County of Fermanagh. \Sixth Century? \ A very capable writer' has re-
marked, that places which were before comparatively insignificant rise into unforeseen importance, through their association with the history of God's elect. Their names, formerly little known, float about the wide globe and throughout centuries of time, upon the tide of that fame, which the saints themselveswouldhaveshrunkfromcontemplating,iftheyhadforeseenit in theirdays. Yet,theChurchdelightstoacknowledgeandtospreadaftertheir departure from earth, the memory of her sainted children. Inismacsaint, on the beautiful Lough Erne, in the county of Fermanagh, still contains a
Inismacsaint, on Loch Erne.
ruined church, and a venerable antique stone-cross. * The name of this
"
island is said to be a corruption of Inis-muighe-samh, or
the island of the
plainoftheSorrel. "3 Judgingfromtheremainsofearth-works,andofthose
foundations, which may be traced, the monastery founded there in an early
age must have been one of great extent and importance. The church ap- pears to have been a small, oblong structure. A considerable portion of the
Article it. —' Rev. C. B. Garside, in
" The Rosary Magazine. "
^ The site of the " old church" and "stone
cross" are noted on the ishmd of Inishmac-
These objects are situated towards the south-eastern angle of the island.
3 See Dr. P. W. Joyce's "Origin and History of Irish Names of Places. " Part
iv. , chap, iii. , p. 427.
"
the County of Fermanagh," Sheet 15.
saint. See
Ordnance Survey Maps for
320 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i8.
masonry is characteristic of a remote period. But there is evidence of the
building having been greatly remodelled, about the close of the twelfth cen-
tury. One window is in a tolerably perfect state. -* The angles of the in-
terior jambs are rounded off in pillar-like fashion, with plain Norman-look-
ing capitals and bases. The eastern and western gables have fallen. s The
very situation of Inismacsaint^ seems at one time to have puzzled our ever-
to-be-remembered and our justly-renowned Irish topographer, John O'Dono-
van. 7 Our most celebrated Irish hagiologist^ has also confounded the local
patron, with a saint bearing a like name f although a difference of denomina-
tion and of ecclesiastical rank, applied to either, should mark sufficiently a
distinction of ^° we do not find allusion to St. persons. Although any
Nennidh," in the Feilire of St. -^ngus, at the i8th of Januarys yet, at this
date, both in the published" and in the unpublished'^ copies of the Tallagh Martyrology,heisdulycommemorated. HoweverMarianusO'Gormanand
Cathal Maguire place the festival of St. Nennius or Nennidh of Inis-mhuighe samh,atthei6thofOctober. '* Otherwritersofsaints'livesalsoadoptthis
arrangement. In the Martyrology of Donegal,'? on this day, occurs the feast ofNinnidh,BishopofInis-MuigheSamh,inLochEime. '^ Thecalendarist
adds, that he was Ninnidh Laebhruise, or Laobruise,'^ who belonged to the race of Enda, son to Niall. Usually he was called Nmnidh Laimhiodhan,'^
as O'Clery states. The book of hymns says, also, that Ninnidh, son of Eochaidh,wasNinnidhLaimhiodhan. Hisactsaregivenatsomelength, by Colgan, in his great collection of Irish saints j'^ but on the mistaken
* The accompanying sketch of those ruin- ous objects at Inismacsaint has been taken on the spot, by Wilham F. Wakeman, and drawn by him on wood for the engraver, William Oldham of Dublin.
tannia Sancta," part i. , January xvi. , pp.
*'
50, 5 1 ; and Rev. Alban Butler in
of the Fathers, Martyrs and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , xvii. January.
" This name is also written Nainnidh,
5 See W. F. Wakeman's "
and sometimes
the —mo particle
Lough Erne,
Enniskillen, Belleek, Ballyshannon, and being prefixed to denote affection or
Bundoran," &c. Third Excursion, pp. 78, 79-
Moneen—thus contracted. It is Latinized under these various forms, Nennidius,
Nennius, Nennio, Nennethus, Nannius, Nannidius and Monennius. Colgan refers
us to an appendix, chapter i. , for a list of
*
It is about half a mile from the shore,
in Magheraboy barony. See Archdall's "Monasticon Hibemicum," p. 262.
^ Nor has he more than the briefest al-
''
lusion to it, in the
formation relative to the Antiquities of the County of Fermanagh, collected during the
Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1834-5. "
various saints
this name. But we
See pp. 39, 102.
Yet, he refers for further
to Mr.
count of Inishmacsaint. "
^
" Statistical Ac-
'3 After the insertion of
foreign saints in it, we find first among the Irish entries, t1inr»it> Inp fAmh ):o|\ LocVi
e^ni.
'* These also add, that he was surnamed
Laoibh-dhearc.
'5 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
'7 See pp. 458, 459, of the index to the
" of Martyrology Donegal. "
'* The compiler of the Martyrology adds,
"
particulars
Taylor's
twenty-five
Letters Containing In-
bearing
do not find the appendix postfixed, in the
place indicated in his "Acta Sanctorum
Hibernise. " See at xviii. Januarii, n. i,
pp. 114, 115.
" By Rev. Dr. Kelly, see p. xii.
Father John Colgan.
5 See " Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xviii.
Januarii. Vita S. Nennidhii seu Nennii, Ab. et Ep. , pp. Ill to 115.
•°
Their surnames, which were applied to distinguish the present holy man from St. Nennidh, Lamh-ghlan, or "the Clean hand," who was a priest and chaplain to the great St. Brigid, of Kildare, have caused
of Sir Ware's James
20, 21. '* See
to hold erroneous and impressions,
Colgan
he has in a great measure, however uncon- sciously, contributed to the misleading of other writers, such as Harris, in his edition
He quotes, likewise, the Life of St. Brigid, cap. 41.
vol. "Writers of Ireland," book i. , chap, iii. ,
'' " xviii. See ActaSanctorumHibernise,"
works,
p. 13; Bishop Challoner, in his "Bri- pp. Ill to 113.
ii. ,
Monennidh,
Colgan's
nise," xviii. Januarii, n. 22, p. 115.
' ' to my own knowledge.
Januarii. Vita S. Nennidhii seu Nennii,
Lives
January i8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 321
supposition, that the Bishop and Abbot of Inismacsaint, sometimes de-
nominated Laobh-dearc, was the same as Ninnidh, the priest/" who acted
as chaplain to the holy St. Brigid,^' first Abbess of Kildare,^^ and who is
sometimes called Xinnidh Lamhghlan, and sometimes Xinnidh Laoim-
hiodan. ^3 Under the head of Inis-]Muighe-Samh,^'^ Duald Mac Firbis
enters Xinnidh, bishop, at January i8th. This holy man would seem to
have been the son of Ethach,^5 and he was distinguished likewise by
the denomination of Laobh-dhearc. "^^ It is incorrect to state, that he
flourished so early as the fifth century, when possibly he was not then born.
He came into the world, it seems likely, either towards its close, or early
in the sixth century, for he is reputed as having been a disciple to St. Finian, of Clonard.
^7 He was contemporaneous therefore with the great St.
Columkille,^^ and he may have preceded by a little time, at the school of Clonard, St. Kieran of Clonmacnoise. -? Indeed it appears not improbable that both may have studied together under St. Finian. 3° The present St. Nennidh was a descendant of King Leogaire,^^ having been his great grand- son by the fathers side. This Colgan collects from old genealogical tables. Soon after this saint left St. Finian's religious estabHshment, he seems to have selected the Island of Inis-muighe-Samh, in Lough Erne, for the foundation of a monastery, with the governnaent of which he was charged. Here, at an early period of the sixth century, he was joined by St. Kieran of Clonmac- noise. 3^ It is not improbable, St. X'ennidh invited him to spend some time there, and to assist in managing that institution. Afterwards St. Kieran left this place, and went to live with St. Endeus,33 on the island of Arran. The holy founder of Inis-muighe-Samh34 was highly respected, and he is reckoned among the chief founders of our great Irish monasteries. That his religious establishment was in the island already mentioned is generally admitted. In an old Irish distich,35 he is called a doctor : and he is even distinguished as havmg been a bishop. 3^ The Abbot X'^ennidhius, having governed for some time his monastery in the island, was probably raised to the episcopal dignity,
tory 451.
463, by I'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan. He was killed by
°'
His feast i-eems referable rather to the
'^ See his Life at the 9th of September.
3: St. Kieran is generally said to have
been born about a. d. 507. We must allow
many subsequent years, before he began a course of studies,
2nd of April, at which day his hfe may be
found.
''
See her Life at the ist of Februar}-. '^ "
454-
"•• See
His- I'lrlande, moderne,"
See Dr. Lanigan's Ecclesiastical Ilis-
of
Ireland,"
vol.
-'i Jiis death is at A. o. placed
i. , chap, ix. , § v. , p. ^3 See ibid. , nn. 79, 80, 81, pp. 453,
lightning, at Greallach-Dabhuill, near the
"
of the Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. ,
Irish part
Proceedings
Eoyal
i. , pp. 114, 115.
'5 So his father is named in an Irish dis-
tome i. , partie ii. , chap. ii. , p. 263.
3= Ussher states, tliat >. 'innid was then dwelling, about the year 530, in a certain
tich, cited by Colgan. The latter also
names him Eochad or Euthicius, the son of
Aid, son to Laogaire. The name bears a
variety of inflections, in the Irish language.
The district and family of Huibh-Eathach,
corruptly denominated, Ibhechia, "race of
Euthic," is derived from a similar name, I'lrlande," tome i. , partie ii. , chap, ii. , p. but not from our saint's father. The name
Eochaidh or Eachuidh has been Latinized
Euchadius, Eochaduis, Euchidius, Euthy- chius ; sometimes it is found written Euthy-
chis, Equitius, Echo and Echu.
-* Sometimes written Lamh
^^ See his Life at the 12th of December. '^ See his Life a—t the of
9th June. Vol. I. No. 6.
" An an
tsaoi, teaspac,
an ri Ninnidh mhac y
dhearg.
Liffey, in the plain of Kildare. See
toire d6 ancienne et
"
"
wood of Lough Erne. See Britanni-
carum Ecclesiarum Anliquitates. " Index
Chronologicus, p. 52S.
'' See his Life at the 21st of March.
>'• \X. was " fonde par S. Nennidius. "
"
January, and taken from Marianus O'Gor- man, or his Connncntator, at the l6th of this same month.
3^ it is thus — with a Latin transla- given,
See I'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's
Histoire de
2S9.
33 Quoted by Colgan, at the 18th of
tion by Colgan
:
322 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i8.
and entrusted with the care of that district, lying along the southern bank of Lough Erne, and thence extending towards the west. It does not appear, that he could have been a bishop so early as 522. This is a mistake, and it is founded on the supposition of Colgan,37 that this holy man was the same as Nennidhius Lamh-glan, who was the contemporary of St. Brigid. There are some amongst our calendarists who place his episcopal residence at Domnach-mor in Magh-ene. s^ This was a plain south of the River Erne, andstretchingbetweenthelakeandthebayofDonegal. Theredoesnot appear to have been a monastery at this spot, although Archdall lias made such a statement, 39 St. Nennid is said to have been living in the island of Inismacsaint, about the year 529 or 530. '«° Incorrectly has Archdall as- signed his death to 523,4^ or 530. '*^ The exact date of his death has not been ascertained ,'>^ but, most probably, it occurred about or after the middle of the sixth century. This holy abbot's bell was preserved long after his decease, as a precious relic. It was ornamented with gold and silver, serving to show the advanced state of the metallic arts in Ireland, at a very early period. 44 It was often judicially tendered to the people, the better to con- firm the trustworthiness of their sworn evidence, and by them it was held in great veneration. 4s In process of time, the ancient abbey was converted into a parish church. With a large district attached, it was regarded as a rectory and vicarage in the diocese of Clogher. -K^ Soon afterwards the old ruins and cemetery must have lapsed into a state of nearly total decay. The stone cross on Inismacsaint is of a form rarely met with in Ireland. 47 The arms are not connected with the shaft by a circle ; neither is there any trace of panelling or scroll work. It was possibly erected at a time when the church was restored ; but it may be old as the days of St. Nennidh. *^ To the west and north of the church extend mounds of earth, which indicate the forms and positions of ancient community dwellings. There was a rampart of mixed earth and stones, and this probably formed a rath or Cashel. 49 Upon the highest part of this island, there is a mound having all the appearance of a
«<
The fact is that the year of his death huibh dho dua Eachach mhaith mhic is unknown ; but it must have been long
ua Laogairii Teid neamh, gona mhanc *3
Aodha. " Id est.
•'Doctor et Antistes, rex, stirps Laogaria,
—, cum Monachis Nennius proles Ethach
astra petit. " See "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," xviii. Januarii, n. 19, p. 115.
after 530. In some calendars his festival is assigned to the x6th, in others to the i8th
3' See Index Chronologicus ad "Acta
SanctorumHibernise. " thissubjectbyRichardRoltBrash,M. R. I. A. ,
territory
is said to be unknown.
39 In his " Monasticon Hibemicum," p.
261, and n. (zz).
Historical and Archaeological Association
of Ireland. " Fourth Series, A. D. 1 87 1, vol.
i. , part ii. , pp. 509 to 534.
4s See Ward's "Vita S. Rumoldi," p.
1 60.
<« Archdall tells us, that the situation of
4° See Ussher's "Index Chronologicus. " ''"
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum p. 528.
Antiquitates,
of January. " Dr. Lanigan's
"
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. , §xi. ,
n. 173, pp. 55, 56.
^^ gee an admirable article referring to
are the ruins of on "The Preciou—s Metals and Ancient Min-
38 Within this
several churches, although Domhnach-Mor ing in Ireland. " "Journal of the Royal
4' For 523, there is no authority whatever,
except a conjecture of Colgan, that Lamh- reign of Queen Anne, it was removed to glan died in said year. But he was a Drumenagh, on the mainland and in the
different person altogether from the present saint.
43 As to 530, the foundation for this date
is still mere pitiful. Colgan quoted Ussher as stating that Nennidhius was living in the island about 530. Archdall seems to have
understood Colgan's words, as if these meant, that he died in said year.
same parish. See "Monasticon Hibemi- cum," pp. 262, 263.
*^ There is an interesting wood-engraving of this cross, in Mr. Wakeman's work already
quoted. See ibid. , p. 79.
48 guch is the opinion of Mr. Wakeman. 49 This enclosed church, cross and do-
mestic buildings.
the church being highly inconvenient, in the
January i8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 323
sepulchre, belonging to the Tuatha de Danann era. 5° Few traces of the ancient monastic establishment remain : all now is a scene of ruin and desola- tion:—
"The sacred tapers' lights are gone, Grey moss hath clad the altar-stone, The holy image is o'er-thrown,
The bell has ceased to toll.
The long-ribbed aisles are burnt and shrunk, The holy shrines to ruin sunk,
Departed is the pious monk,
God's blessing on his soul. "S'
Article III. —Saints Scoth, Feammor, Blath and Ana, Four Virgins of Cluain-Greanach. While unable to identify the place where these virgins Hved, it seems equally difficult to determine their period. It is
notlikely,however,thatallwerecontemporaries. InreadingtheMartyrology of Donegal,' we find mentioned, as having festivals celebrated on this day,
Scoth,= Feammor, Blath, and Ana, four virgins of Cluain-greanach. In the table this place is printed Cluain-grencha. An entry of these saints is found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,3 at the i8th of January ; but the two foremost ones, Scoth and Femmair, are united in- one passage, without mention of any locality, while after the entry of two other saints, the names of Blath and Ana of Cluain Grenaich follow. However separated during life's days or by residence they may have been, in heaven they are united, and their charity for sojourners yet on earth is exerted in joint intercession on this their common festival.
Article IV. —St. Coppa or Cobba, Virgin, Daughter of Baedan.
\Possibly in the Fifth Century. ] The silence of history has obscured many a career,whichifbetterknownmustcommandtherespectofthegood. A
festival in honour of Cobba, daughter toBaetan, is recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the i8th of January. Nor do we find further notices of her inthelatercalendars. Coppa,virgin,andadaughterofBaedan,isentered intheMartyrologyofDonegal,^onthisdayofthemonth. Intheactsof
it is said he left a
the mother of
—at the Bishop Bite,
holy
Article V. —St. Mochua. In the Martyrology of Donegal,* Mochua is simply recorded, as being venerated on this day. Chua was probably the
St.
Patrick,
Cipia,3
churchofElphin. '* Colganseemstodoubtwhe
woman whom
—therthis
he classed among those veiled by St. Patrick was not identical with the present St. Coppa or Cobba. s
s° See tdtd. , pp. 79, 80.
S' Rediriva. Quoted by O'Shea in his "Guide to Spain. "
Art. III. —'Edited by Drs. Todd and
Reeves, pp.
