It is also stated, that he fed the builders and paid their
rightful
wages.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
See Dr.
Charles O Conor's " Rerum Hibernicanun
Scriptores,"tomusii. , pp. 3,4.
3' In the " Annales Ultonienses," at A. D.
482, the battle of Ocha is placed, and in the following year 483 we have an account
ibid. f tomus iv. , p. 7.
3' Ussher places it at this year. See
accompanying notes. The
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates,"
February i. ] LIVES OP THE IRISH SAINTS. 97
is related to have killed Oilioll Molt in this battle. 33 Moreover, in the Acts of St. Kieran,34 it would appear to be stated, that this Crimthann ob- tained supreme sovereignty over the country after the fight of Ocha. 35
Doubtless, his power was great, and his influence was respected by the supreme monarch who succeeded ; but, Crimthann himself does not seem to have aspired to the sovereignty of Ireland. He survived this battle of Ocha, as we might infer, only one year ; for, it is said, he received a mortal wound in the battle ofGranaird, fought in the year 478,3^ yet, most strangely, the very same authority defers his death to 480. 37 Perhaps, he was instru- mental in aiding St. Brigid to found her nunnery and church at Kildare, while he was chief ruler over the Leinster province. 3^ His daughter Ethnea, surnamed Huathach,39 is said to have been married to the religious -^ngus, Prince of Munster, who had been baptized by St. Patrick.
When the illustrious lady reached the Leinster province, its chiefs and people welcomed her with the liveliest demonstrations of respect and re-
She sought a spot, but slightly elevated over the surrounding ex- plain of the Liffy. ''4o There the ground was gently undulating and
or " the
33 This is stated, in the old historical tract, was victor in this battle, while others have
"" *' called Borumha-Laighean. It must be Coirpre as victor. See Dr. O'Conors Re-
joicing. tensive
"
it is said to have been — Druim
and, anciently styled, Criadh,
fertile
ridge of clay. ^^i A—t this time, a large oak tree a favourite with our saint, and blessed by her grew upon the spot. Its branches spread around, and it must have been a remarkable natural feature of the landscapc^^ This
;
observed, also, that as Crimthann was pre-
sent at Ocha battle, the " Annals of the
Four Masters" fall into an error, when they
state under A. D. 465, that Crimthann, son
of Enda-Censelach, King of Leinster, was
killed by the son of his own daughter, i. e. ^
Eochaidh Guineach, [one] of the Ui- ing to other accounts in the years 482 or Bairrche. " Again, "The Annals of Clon- 483, might have been buried at or in Kil- macnoise" record, that Crimthann was killed
" nates Inisfalenses" place his death at A. D.
"
dare Monastery, which is supposed to have been founded about, if notbelore, such era.
at the battle of Ard-corran. Yet the
An-
CCCCLXXX. , and afterwards note the
lum Ardacoraind" at ccccxcvii. See Dr. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," nn. Charles O' Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum 8^9, 10, p. 565. Likewise, O'Donovan's
Bel-
Scriptores," tomusii. , pp. 4, 5. Again, the
**
Annals of Ulster" place the battle of Arda Corann or Mount Corann, and the death of Lugdach, son of Laegaire, at A. D. 506 or 507. See z^i'iV/,, tomus iv. , p, 11.
that Crimthaim was not killed in A. D. 465.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
'*
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 146, 147, n. (r), ibid. And pp. 148 to 151, nn. {d, e, f), ibid.
3^ See Colgan's "'Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, cap. xix. , p. 460.
4° In Irish called, V(\a. % lipVii. The river flows through a level country in Kildare.
Hennessy's paper "On the Curragh of Kil- dare, "p. 349.
*'' In one of his many fictions, Dempster asserts, that Kildare derived its name from a St. Daria, the mother of St. Ursula, who brought certain relics to Ireland. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," lib. iv. Colgan remarks, that before Demp- ster's time, no writer ever asserted these relics were brought to Ireland, or that Kil- dare derived its name from them. See " Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Bri- gidse, n. 23, p. 543.
3* See
nise," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, cap. xix. , p. 460.
Colgan's
35 Dubtach
Patrick, who is said to have been present, Academy," vol. ix,. First Series. W. M.
a
and an eye-witness of this battle, in a little work, which he wrote on the Acts of this same Crimthann. and which Colgan had in his possession, bears similar testimony.
3^ According to the" Annals of Inisfallen," which, strangely enough, make two kings of Leinster fall m this battle. One is named Finchad, and the other Crimthann Censelach, who killed Echad, and received himself a
mortal wound. Perhaps, the meaning is, that both were kings or dynasts in Leinster ; or that their supreme power alternated at different times. Some writers state, accord- ing to the same authority, that Meicc Eircc
Vol. II.
H
O'Luguir,
disciple
of St.
Proceedings
of the Irish Royal
rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 4.
37 See ibid. Perhaps he lingered on for two years after being wounded.
3^ This Crimthann, who was present at the battle of Ocha, in A. D. 478, or accord-
And this passage also strengthens the proof
41 See "
9^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
site—now very much denuded of oak43—was chosen by St. Brigid for her projected conventual establishment. The local proprietor of this soil and
people living in the neighbourhood soon helped to provide a habitation for their future patroness and for her religious sisters. It has been asserted, the first church built there was constructed with wattles ;'»4 and, owing to the circumstance of its having nesded under or near the large spreading tree, it got the name Kildare,45 or " the cell of the oak. "'*^ When the author of St. Brigid's Fourth Life lived, the roots, or part of the trunk, belonging to this venerable tree, remained--^? The adjoining plain of the Curragh is tradi- tionally held to have been St. Brigid's pasture ground,-*^ to which she never prevented the neighbouring people from sending their cattle. 49 This is thought to have been the origin of what still constitutes the popular right of commonage. Various legendary stories connect St. Brigid and her nans with its former proprietorship ; while, these are stated to have been engaged in the pastoral occupation of tending herds and flocks on its plains. Portions of the surface had probably been subjected to tillage, and this tract of land afforded means for enabling the community to procure a subsistence. 5° The Round Tower at Kildare and the adjoining ruins probably represent the exact site of St. Brigid's early conventual establishment and of the church connected with it The round tower is considered to be one of the finest specimens of its class, as well as one of the most highly ornamented in Ireland. 51 The castellated top of the tower is modern. It is said there are sundry vestiges of ancient work about the site of Kildare, but that these are so incorporated with the buildings of Christian times, it is now difficult to distinguishthem. s^ AtwhatparticularperiodSt. Brigid'sestablishmentwas
*3ln Miss Harriet Martineau's "Letters
47 The same writer tells us, such was the veneration in which it was held, that no one dared to cut it with an iron instrument, al- though many persons were accustomed to
from Ireland," the intelligent authoress, la-
menting the want of wood cultivation in the
island, alludes to the fine oaks, elms, ash
and beech, on the properties of LordDownes remove portions of it with their hands.
and of the Duke of Leinster, in the great These portions, however, were preserved as plain of Kildare. See Letter vii. How relics. And, owing to St. Brigid's blessing,
Ireland is to get back its woods, p. 5 1. Lon- don : 1852, 8vo.
44 In Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid, pp. 33, 34, it is said, that while one hundred horse-load of wattles passed
through Kildare, when Bishop Mel and Brigid were there, she sent four of her virgins to ask those wattles as a gift from Ailill, son of Dunlaing. These he gave her, and it was of them the great house of Sancta Brigida in Kildare was made.
45 The derivation of Kildare county is ""
it pleased the Almighty to accomplish mi- racles, through the possession of these lig- neous souvenirs. See Colgan's "Trias Thau- maturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigida, lib. ii. , cap. iii. , p. 550.
^^ In Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of
St. Brigid, she is represented as being with her sheep, on the occasion when Neinidh was first introduced to her notice, pp. 31, 32, and again as herding her sheep, when a thief stole seven of them from her, pp. 41,42.
49 See an interesting paper on " The Cur- ragh of Kildare," by William M. Hennessy, M. R. I. A. , read February 26th, 1866, before the Royal Irish Academy. "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. ix. , First
ciently called Caelan or Galen, i. e. , "the Series, pp. 343 to 355.
from Chille-dara or the wood of oaks,
according to Thomas James Rawson's
"
Sta- tistical Survey of the County of Kildare," In- troduction, p. i. He contends, it was an-
woody country," being formerly almost one continuous wood, " the decay of which
produced the great extent of bogs, which cover so much of the country at this day,
and by the quantity of timber, with which they abound, bear incontestable marks of
their origin. " See ibid. , p. ii.
** " The very oak under which she de-
lighted to pray has given a name to the
of the South
5° This statement is inferred, from the circumstance of her employing reapers, and tending sheep. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ec- clesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , § x. , and nn. 120, 124, pp. 406, 408.
5' A representation of its door-way is given in Marcus Keane's "Towers and Temples of Ancient Ireland," p. 257.
5^ " An ancient cross stands in the church^ yard, and fragments of a second ; but, they
Watkmson's "
of Ireland," Letter ix. , p. 92.
place. "
Survey
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 9$
founded there, has furnished a subject for discordant opinions. 53 From what
has been already stated, it would seem to be not altogether improbable, that it had an earlier origin, than most historians have very generally assumed. She may have commenced her buildings not very many years after a. d. 470. Sir James Ware54 and Harris,55 0'Halloran,56 and Haverty57 refer the founda- tion of her nunnery at Kildare to about the year 480. If we are to credit what appears to be a purely legendary account, when St. Brigid brought Bishop Mel with her to draw out the plan of her city, Ailill, son of Dun- king, was king over Leinster.
It is also stated, that he fed the builders and paid their rightful wages. s^ Colgan was of opinion, that her convent might have been before or about the year 483. Archdall writes, that her nunnery was founded here before a. d. 484. 59 About the latter year, John D'Alton states,^ St. Brigid founded both the nunnery and monastery at Kildare. However, the first institute had undoubtedly the precedence of several years over the latterestablishment. Theyear484isthedategivenforSt. Brigid'sestablish-
ment at Kildare, by William M. Hennessy,^' and by Thomas James Rawson. ^^ Dr. Lanigan assigns it to about a. d. 487,^3 or at least to before the year 49o. *^4 He says, that if we are to believe what is said about St. Brigid having foretold to Illand, King of North Leinster,^5 that he should be victorious in his battles, one of which was that in which Aengus, King of Cashel, was killed, the house at Kildare must have been established before a. d. 490. For, she is spoken of as already settled there, and that was the year in which
Aengus fell.
The nunnery of Kildare, at first humble in size and pretensions,^^ and.
poorly endowed, in a great measure had been supported by eleemosynary
contributions, brought by people living in the neighbourhood. But, by degrees, its reputation and the fame of its holy foundress became better
estabhshed. Many pious ladies desired admission to this house, which, in a shorttime,becameinconvenientlycrowded. ^7 Soontherewasaneedfor
are not very interesting specimens. "—Ibid. , p. 421.
Lewis, precedes this account of Kildare by Mr. D'Alton.
^'See" ofthe Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," vol. ix. First Series. Paper
53See "Trias
Vita S. Brigidae, n. lo, p. 565.
55 See Harris' Ware, vol. " ii. ,
of
x.
^3 This is inferred by him, considering that
Thaumaturga," Quarta
54 SeeWare,"De
tibusejus, Disquisitiones," cap. xxvi. , p. 146.
** Onthe
of
Statistical Survey of the County
Hibernia,
et
Antiquita-
Curragh
Kildare," p. 349.
Antiqui- ties of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 269. There our saint is ranked among the ca-
Kildare," Introduction, p.
nonesses of St. Augustine's order.
she had been in Munster, probably about the year 484, and had spent some time after- wards in Connaught, before she lounded Kildare.
^'» See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. . chap, viii. , sec. x. , p. 405.
*s See n. 116, p. 407, ibid.
*^
Dr. Lanigan justly observes, that in the Fourth Lite of our saint, book ii. , chap. 3, a distinction is made between the first cell, which had been assigned her, imme- diately on arriving at Kildare, and the great monastery, which she afterwards found it
s'
"
St. Bridget founded her famous mo- nastery in Kildare, A. D. 480, for which she formed particular rules, and which was the head of her order. "—O'Halloran's " Ge- neral History of Ireland,'' vol. ii. , chap, vi. , p. 45-
**
The History of Ireland, Ancient
57 See
and Modern," chap, ix. , p. 79.
5* Thus runs the story in Professor O' Loo- ney's Irish Life of St. Brigid. As a reward the holy abbess said the race of Ailill, son
of — should have the Dunlaing,
to in the same sovereignty necessary build, place.
for ever. " pp. 33, 34.
59 See " Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 323. ^See his article in " The Irish Penny
"
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
chap, viii. , sec. x. , and n. 126, pp. 406, 408. ^7 See the statement regarding a vast num- Magazine," vol. i. . No. 35. Illustrations ber of her spiritual daughters contained in of Irish Topography, No. xxxv. , p. 274. A Father Hugh Ward s " Dissertatio Historica spirited wood engraving of the Round de Patria S. Rumoldi," sec. 10, p. 186. Tower and Priory, from a sketch by F. R. Edited by Father Thomas O'Sheerin, O. S. F,
^*See
"
100
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
^ See Rev, S.
" Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February 1st, p. 17.
^ By Cogilosus.
Baring-Gould's
7"= Le Comte de Montalembert observes,
** "
^^ This concourse of devout women was
the
not confined to our saint's native province ; but, as has been remarked,'^^ persons of both sexes came in great numbers, from all the provmces of Ire-
land to her monastery. 70 To those strangers arriving on temporary visits, she was accustomed to exercise the most liberal hospitality ; especially to- wards church dignitaries and religious, who came to confer with her on matters of religious concern. Numbers of persons, in the higher walks of life, souglit her advice, and felt honoured by her notice. These individuals never applied for the favour of her prayers, without obtaining a compliance with their requests. Having, in due course of time laid foundations for a large monastery, she proceeded with the work of its erection ; in which un- dertaking, we may suppose, she met the willing co-operation and assistance of the Leinster king and neighbouring people, who loved and revered this noble virgin for her extraordinary virtues and merits. When completed, this
coenobium furnished accommodation to several pious females, living under
her rule. Afterwards, it became the parent nunnery of many houses, already established by her, and subsequently built throughout our island. 7^^ It would seem, that soon after the erection of her first monastery at Kildare, Crimthann, King of Leinster, died, and obtained the rites of sepulture in or near iu^
Numbers of infirm and poor flocked to Kildare, seeking relief from their various necessities ; and many anecdotes are related, regarding the charities ofSt. Brigid,especiallytowardsthisforlornclassofpersons. Withthecourse of time, several houses began to appear around her religious establishment, as it became necessary to provide for the necessities of those, who came from a distance, or, who were brought from more immediate districts, to assist at the pious exercises and public celebrations of her conventual institute. By degrees, from being merely a village, Kildare became a very considerable town; and,atlength,itshabitationsextendedinnumberandsize,sothatit ranked as a city, at a period somewhat later. 73 St. Brigid traced out a line of demarkation, likewise, around the city, within which boundary refuge was
tobeobtained,byanyfugitive; and,hisclaimtoprotectionwasconsequently allowed, by all those, who respected the ordinances and memory of their lUus-
that she was called Hibernice Doniina, as we find her styled in the Fifth Life (cap. iii. ) And in the Rythm of St. Columba, com-
enlarging
original buildings.
D'innombrables couvents de femmes font remont—er leur ongine a I'abbesse de Kil- dare. " "Les Moines d'Occident," tome ii. , liv. ix. , chap, i. , p. 463.
7' Such had been the reputation of St.
Brigid for eminent sanctity, that Abbot Jo-
annes de Bruxella or Mauburnus Livria-
cenis, in " Venatorio Canonicorum Regu-
larium," tells us, that a great number of
monasteries, and about thirteen thousand
nuns,flourished underthisholysuperior'srule.
So likewise, Benedictus Haeftenus cites this
auvhoriiy, "Disquisition. Monasticarum,"
lib. i. , tract 6. disqu. 3. Colgan thinks we dare so much frequented, that the many must here understand, that if our saint pre-
sided over so many nuns, she must have go- verned them, not in one house, but in dif-
buildings erected about the nunnery, during her life formed a town ; which in time be- came so considerable as to be the place
ferent monasteries, spread throughout Ire-
land, she being superior over all that ob-
served the Rule, which she is said to have book vii. , p. 321. written. Hence, it must have happened,
posed in praise of her, she is called Regina.
See
seu Epilogus Magnalium SanctK Brigida? ,
Trias Thaumaturga. " Anagraphse
sec. xlvii. , p. 639.
72
"
Trias
See Colgan's
Quarta Vita S. Brigidse.
ens sepultus est apud S. Brigidam in suo monasterio,"lib. ii. , cap. xii. ,p. 552- Such is the statement of the author—supposed to be Animosus—and he was well acquainted with the topography, history and traditions of Kildare.
73 " The reputation of her sanctity, and of her power of working miracles, made Kil-
o—f the Cathedral and of the Episcopal See. " "
Warner's History of Ireland,' vol. i. ^
"
Thaumaturga," Et ipse mori-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, loi
trious civic foundress. 7^ It is also remarked, that Kildare was the metropolitan see of Leinster, at two different periods. In the first instance, while St. Brigid lived, in that city ; yet, afterwards during the time of Brandiibh, King of Leinster, and about the year 578, the archiepiscopate is said to have been transferredtoFems. ^s Itisuncertain,whenithadbeenremovedfromthe latter place ; but, it is supposed to be sufficiently established as a fact, that its withdrawal from Ferns did not occur until after St. Moling's death,7^ in the year 696. 77 Again, it is assumed, that this dignity had been restored to
Kildare. before a. d. 1097, according to testimonies derived from our national
Annals. 78 It }^as been inferred,79 Hkewise, that the author of St. — Brigid's
Fourth Life must have flourished, while Kildare was a metropolitan see
not, however, at the first, but during the latter period. For, he adopts a common opinion, that the bodies of Saints Brigid, Columkille and Patrick were deposited in a common tomb, at Down, in Ulster. ^°
Soon did the people living around her convent begin to experience the protection afforded by Brigid's presence among them. On the eve of a
"
certain solemnity, while she lived in the
maiden, who appears to have been her proiei^e, brought an offering for her patroness. On presenting this gift, the maiden remarked, that she should be obliged to return home immediately, to take charge of her parents' house and flocks. Her father and mother desired to spend that holy vigil at Kil- dare. Theabbesstoldtheirdaughtertoremain,andthatherparentsshould come after her, while the Almighty would protect their temporal substance. According to St. Brigid's prediction, the maiden's parents followed her, and
^^
together all the family celebrated this festival.
taking advantage of their absence, came in the middle of the night and stole away their cattle. These they drove towards the Liffey. This river was found to have been so greatly swollen, that the water flowed over its banks. The robbers laboured in vain, during a great part of the night, to urge the terrified cattle through this flood. Then, taking off their garments, which with other effects they tied with cords to the horns of the cattle, those free-
74 See Cogitosus, xiv.
**
Vita S. Brigidas," cap.
Scriptores,"tomusii. , pp. 3,4.
3' In the " Annales Ultonienses," at A. D.
482, the battle of Ocha is placed, and in the following year 483 we have an account
ibid. f tomus iv. , p. 7.
3' Ussher places it at this year. See
accompanying notes. The
Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates,"
February i. ] LIVES OP THE IRISH SAINTS. 97
is related to have killed Oilioll Molt in this battle. 33 Moreover, in the Acts of St. Kieran,34 it would appear to be stated, that this Crimthann ob- tained supreme sovereignty over the country after the fight of Ocha. 35
Doubtless, his power was great, and his influence was respected by the supreme monarch who succeeded ; but, Crimthann himself does not seem to have aspired to the sovereignty of Ireland. He survived this battle of Ocha, as we might infer, only one year ; for, it is said, he received a mortal wound in the battle ofGranaird, fought in the year 478,3^ yet, most strangely, the very same authority defers his death to 480. 37 Perhaps, he was instru- mental in aiding St. Brigid to found her nunnery and church at Kildare, while he was chief ruler over the Leinster province. 3^ His daughter Ethnea, surnamed Huathach,39 is said to have been married to the religious -^ngus, Prince of Munster, who had been baptized by St. Patrick.
When the illustrious lady reached the Leinster province, its chiefs and people welcomed her with the liveliest demonstrations of respect and re-
She sought a spot, but slightly elevated over the surrounding ex- plain of the Liffy. ''4o There the ground was gently undulating and
or " the
33 This is stated, in the old historical tract, was victor in this battle, while others have
"" *' called Borumha-Laighean. It must be Coirpre as victor. See Dr. O'Conors Re-
joicing. tensive
"
it is said to have been — Druim
and, anciently styled, Criadh,
fertile
ridge of clay. ^^i A—t this time, a large oak tree a favourite with our saint, and blessed by her grew upon the spot. Its branches spread around, and it must have been a remarkable natural feature of the landscapc^^ This
;
observed, also, that as Crimthann was pre-
sent at Ocha battle, the " Annals of the
Four Masters" fall into an error, when they
state under A. D. 465, that Crimthann, son
of Enda-Censelach, King of Leinster, was
killed by the son of his own daughter, i. e. ^
Eochaidh Guineach, [one] of the Ui- ing to other accounts in the years 482 or Bairrche. " Again, "The Annals of Clon- 483, might have been buried at or in Kil- macnoise" record, that Crimthann was killed
" nates Inisfalenses" place his death at A. D.
"
dare Monastery, which is supposed to have been founded about, if notbelore, such era.
at the battle of Ard-corran. Yet the
An-
CCCCLXXX. , and afterwards note the
lum Ardacoraind" at ccccxcvii. See Dr. See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," nn. Charles O' Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum 8^9, 10, p. 565. Likewise, O'Donovan's
Bel-
Scriptores," tomusii. , pp. 4, 5. Again, the
**
Annals of Ulster" place the battle of Arda Corann or Mount Corann, and the death of Lugdach, son of Laegaire, at A. D. 506 or 507. See z^i'iV/,, tomus iv. , p, 11.
that Crimthaim was not killed in A. D. 465.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
'*
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 146, 147, n. (r), ibid. And pp. 148 to 151, nn. {d, e, f), ibid.
3^ See Colgan's "'Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, cap. xix. , p. 460.
4° In Irish called, V(\a. % lipVii. The river flows through a level country in Kildare.
Hennessy's paper "On the Curragh of Kil- dare, "p. 349.
*'' In one of his many fictions, Dempster asserts, that Kildare derived its name from a St. Daria, the mother of St. Ursula, who brought certain relics to Ireland. See " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Scotorum," lib. iv. Colgan remarks, that before Demp- ster's time, no writer ever asserted these relics were brought to Ireland, or that Kil- dare derived its name from them. See " Trias Thaumaturga," Tertia Vita S. Bri- gidse, n. 23, p. 543.
3* See
nise," V. Martii. Vita S. Kierani, cap. xix. , p. 460.
Colgan's
35 Dubtach
Patrick, who is said to have been present, Academy," vol. ix,. First Series. W. M.
a
and an eye-witness of this battle, in a little work, which he wrote on the Acts of this same Crimthann. and which Colgan had in his possession, bears similar testimony.
3^ According to the" Annals of Inisfallen," which, strangely enough, make two kings of Leinster fall m this battle. One is named Finchad, and the other Crimthann Censelach, who killed Echad, and received himself a
mortal wound. Perhaps, the meaning is, that both were kings or dynasts in Leinster ; or that their supreme power alternated at different times. Some writers state, accord- ing to the same authority, that Meicc Eircc
Vol. II.
H
O'Luguir,
disciple
of St.
Proceedings
of the Irish Royal
rum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 4.
37 See ibid. Perhaps he lingered on for two years after being wounded.
3^ This Crimthann, who was present at the battle of Ocha, in A. D. 478, or accord-
And this passage also strengthens the proof
41 See "
9^ LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [February i.
site—now very much denuded of oak43—was chosen by St. Brigid for her projected conventual establishment. The local proprietor of this soil and
people living in the neighbourhood soon helped to provide a habitation for their future patroness and for her religious sisters. It has been asserted, the first church built there was constructed with wattles ;'»4 and, owing to the circumstance of its having nesded under or near the large spreading tree, it got the name Kildare,45 or " the cell of the oak. "'*^ When the author of St. Brigid's Fourth Life lived, the roots, or part of the trunk, belonging to this venerable tree, remained--^? The adjoining plain of the Curragh is tradi- tionally held to have been St. Brigid's pasture ground,-*^ to which she never prevented the neighbouring people from sending their cattle. 49 This is thought to have been the origin of what still constitutes the popular right of commonage. Various legendary stories connect St. Brigid and her nans with its former proprietorship ; while, these are stated to have been engaged in the pastoral occupation of tending herds and flocks on its plains. Portions of the surface had probably been subjected to tillage, and this tract of land afforded means for enabling the community to procure a subsistence. 5° The Round Tower at Kildare and the adjoining ruins probably represent the exact site of St. Brigid's early conventual establishment and of the church connected with it The round tower is considered to be one of the finest specimens of its class, as well as one of the most highly ornamented in Ireland. 51 The castellated top of the tower is modern. It is said there are sundry vestiges of ancient work about the site of Kildare, but that these are so incorporated with the buildings of Christian times, it is now difficult to distinguishthem. s^ AtwhatparticularperiodSt. Brigid'sestablishmentwas
*3ln Miss Harriet Martineau's "Letters
47 The same writer tells us, such was the veneration in which it was held, that no one dared to cut it with an iron instrument, al- though many persons were accustomed to
from Ireland," the intelligent authoress, la-
menting the want of wood cultivation in the
island, alludes to the fine oaks, elms, ash
and beech, on the properties of LordDownes remove portions of it with their hands.
and of the Duke of Leinster, in the great These portions, however, were preserved as plain of Kildare. See Letter vii. How relics. And, owing to St. Brigid's blessing,
Ireland is to get back its woods, p. 5 1. Lon- don : 1852, 8vo.
44 In Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of St. Brigid, pp. 33, 34, it is said, that while one hundred horse-load of wattles passed
through Kildare, when Bishop Mel and Brigid were there, she sent four of her virgins to ask those wattles as a gift from Ailill, son of Dunlaing. These he gave her, and it was of them the great house of Sancta Brigida in Kildare was made.
45 The derivation of Kildare county is ""
it pleased the Almighty to accomplish mi- racles, through the possession of these lig- neous souvenirs. See Colgan's "Trias Thau- maturga. " Quarta Vita S. Brigida, lib. ii. , cap. iii. , p. 550.
^^ In Professor O'Looney's Irish Life of
St. Brigid, she is represented as being with her sheep, on the occasion when Neinidh was first introduced to her notice, pp. 31, 32, and again as herding her sheep, when a thief stole seven of them from her, pp. 41,42.
49 See an interesting paper on " The Cur- ragh of Kildare," by William M. Hennessy, M. R. I. A. , read February 26th, 1866, before the Royal Irish Academy. "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. ix. , First
ciently called Caelan or Galen, i. e. , "the Series, pp. 343 to 355.
from Chille-dara or the wood of oaks,
according to Thomas James Rawson's
"
Sta- tistical Survey of the County of Kildare," In- troduction, p. i. He contends, it was an-
woody country," being formerly almost one continuous wood, " the decay of which
produced the great extent of bogs, which cover so much of the country at this day,
and by the quantity of timber, with which they abound, bear incontestable marks of
their origin. " See ibid. , p. ii.
** " The very oak under which she de-
lighted to pray has given a name to the
of the South
5° This statement is inferred, from the circumstance of her employing reapers, and tending sheep. See Dr. Lanigan's "Ec- clesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. , § x. , and nn. 120, 124, pp. 406, 408.
5' A representation of its door-way is given in Marcus Keane's "Towers and Temples of Ancient Ireland," p. 257.
5^ " An ancient cross stands in the church^ yard, and fragments of a second ; but, they
Watkmson's "
of Ireland," Letter ix. , p. 92.
place. "
Survey
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 9$
founded there, has furnished a subject for discordant opinions. 53 From what
has been already stated, it would seem to be not altogether improbable, that it had an earlier origin, than most historians have very generally assumed. She may have commenced her buildings not very many years after a. d. 470. Sir James Ware54 and Harris,55 0'Halloran,56 and Haverty57 refer the founda- tion of her nunnery at Kildare to about the year 480. If we are to credit what appears to be a purely legendary account, when St. Brigid brought Bishop Mel with her to draw out the plan of her city, Ailill, son of Dun- king, was king over Leinster.
It is also stated, that he fed the builders and paid their rightful wages. s^ Colgan was of opinion, that her convent might have been before or about the year 483. Archdall writes, that her nunnery was founded here before a. d. 484. 59 About the latter year, John D'Alton states,^ St. Brigid founded both the nunnery and monastery at Kildare. However, the first institute had undoubtedly the precedence of several years over the latterestablishment. Theyear484isthedategivenforSt. Brigid'sestablish-
ment at Kildare, by William M. Hennessy,^' and by Thomas James Rawson. ^^ Dr. Lanigan assigns it to about a. d. 487,^3 or at least to before the year 49o. *^4 He says, that if we are to believe what is said about St. Brigid having foretold to Illand, King of North Leinster,^5 that he should be victorious in his battles, one of which was that in which Aengus, King of Cashel, was killed, the house at Kildare must have been established before a. d. 490. For, she is spoken of as already settled there, and that was the year in which
Aengus fell.
The nunnery of Kildare, at first humble in size and pretensions,^^ and.
poorly endowed, in a great measure had been supported by eleemosynary
contributions, brought by people living in the neighbourhood. But, by degrees, its reputation and the fame of its holy foundress became better
estabhshed. Many pious ladies desired admission to this house, which, in a shorttime,becameinconvenientlycrowded. ^7 Soontherewasaneedfor
are not very interesting specimens. "—Ibid. , p. 421.
Lewis, precedes this account of Kildare by Mr. D'Alton.
^'See" ofthe Irish Proceedings Royal
Academy," vol. ix. First Series. Paper
53See "Trias
Vita S. Brigidae, n. lo, p. 565.
55 See Harris' Ware, vol. " ii. ,
of
x.
^3 This is inferred by him, considering that
Thaumaturga," Quarta
54 SeeWare,"De
tibusejus, Disquisitiones," cap. xxvi. , p. 146.
** Onthe
of
Statistical Survey of the County
Hibernia,
et
Antiquita-
Curragh
Kildare," p. 349.
Antiqui- ties of Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 269. There our saint is ranked among the ca-
Kildare," Introduction, p.
nonesses of St. Augustine's order.
she had been in Munster, probably about the year 484, and had spent some time after- wards in Connaught, before she lounded Kildare.
^'» See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. . chap, viii. , sec. x. , p. 405.
*s See n. 116, p. 407, ibid.
*^
Dr. Lanigan justly observes, that in the Fourth Lite of our saint, book ii. , chap. 3, a distinction is made between the first cell, which had been assigned her, imme- diately on arriving at Kildare, and the great monastery, which she afterwards found it
s'
"
St. Bridget founded her famous mo- nastery in Kildare, A. D. 480, for which she formed particular rules, and which was the head of her order. "—O'Halloran's " Ge- neral History of Ireland,'' vol. ii. , chap, vi. , p. 45-
**
The History of Ireland, Ancient
57 See
and Modern," chap, ix. , p. 79.
5* Thus runs the story in Professor O' Loo- ney's Irish Life of St. Brigid. As a reward the holy abbess said the race of Ailill, son
of — should have the Dunlaing,
to in the same sovereignty necessary build, place.
for ever. " pp. 33, 34.
59 See " Monasticon Hibernicum," p. 323. ^See his article in " The Irish Penny
"
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. i. ,
chap, viii. , sec. x. , and n. 126, pp. 406, 408. ^7 See the statement regarding a vast num- Magazine," vol. i. . No. 35. Illustrations ber of her spiritual daughters contained in of Irish Topography, No. xxxv. , p. 274. A Father Hugh Ward s " Dissertatio Historica spirited wood engraving of the Round de Patria S. Rumoldi," sec. 10, p. 186. Tower and Priory, from a sketch by F. R. Edited by Father Thomas O'Sheerin, O. S. F,
^*See
"
100
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[February i.
^ See Rev, S.
" Lives of the Saints," vol. ii. , February 1st, p. 17.
^ By Cogilosus.
Baring-Gould's
7"= Le Comte de Montalembert observes,
** "
^^ This concourse of devout women was
the
not confined to our saint's native province ; but, as has been remarked,'^^ persons of both sexes came in great numbers, from all the provmces of Ire-
land to her monastery. 70 To those strangers arriving on temporary visits, she was accustomed to exercise the most liberal hospitality ; especially to- wards church dignitaries and religious, who came to confer with her on matters of religious concern. Numbers of persons, in the higher walks of life, souglit her advice, and felt honoured by her notice. These individuals never applied for the favour of her prayers, without obtaining a compliance with their requests. Having, in due course of time laid foundations for a large monastery, she proceeded with the work of its erection ; in which un- dertaking, we may suppose, she met the willing co-operation and assistance of the Leinster king and neighbouring people, who loved and revered this noble virgin for her extraordinary virtues and merits. When completed, this
coenobium furnished accommodation to several pious females, living under
her rule. Afterwards, it became the parent nunnery of many houses, already established by her, and subsequently built throughout our island. 7^^ It would seem, that soon after the erection of her first monastery at Kildare, Crimthann, King of Leinster, died, and obtained the rites of sepulture in or near iu^
Numbers of infirm and poor flocked to Kildare, seeking relief from their various necessities ; and many anecdotes are related, regarding the charities ofSt. Brigid,especiallytowardsthisforlornclassofpersons. Withthecourse of time, several houses began to appear around her religious establishment, as it became necessary to provide for the necessities of those, who came from a distance, or, who were brought from more immediate districts, to assist at the pious exercises and public celebrations of her conventual institute. By degrees, from being merely a village, Kildare became a very considerable town; and,atlength,itshabitationsextendedinnumberandsize,sothatit ranked as a city, at a period somewhat later. 73 St. Brigid traced out a line of demarkation, likewise, around the city, within which boundary refuge was
tobeobtained,byanyfugitive; and,hisclaimtoprotectionwasconsequently allowed, by all those, who respected the ordinances and memory of their lUus-
that she was called Hibernice Doniina, as we find her styled in the Fifth Life (cap. iii. ) And in the Rythm of St. Columba, com-
enlarging
original buildings.
D'innombrables couvents de femmes font remont—er leur ongine a I'abbesse de Kil- dare. " "Les Moines d'Occident," tome ii. , liv. ix. , chap, i. , p. 463.
7' Such had been the reputation of St.
Brigid for eminent sanctity, that Abbot Jo-
annes de Bruxella or Mauburnus Livria-
cenis, in " Venatorio Canonicorum Regu-
larium," tells us, that a great number of
monasteries, and about thirteen thousand
nuns,flourished underthisholysuperior'srule.
So likewise, Benedictus Haeftenus cites this
auvhoriiy, "Disquisition. Monasticarum,"
lib. i. , tract 6. disqu. 3. Colgan thinks we dare so much frequented, that the many must here understand, that if our saint pre-
sided over so many nuns, she must have go- verned them, not in one house, but in dif-
buildings erected about the nunnery, during her life formed a town ; which in time be- came so considerable as to be the place
ferent monasteries, spread throughout Ire-
land, she being superior over all that ob-
served the Rule, which she is said to have book vii. , p. 321. written. Hence, it must have happened,
posed in praise of her, she is called Regina.
See
seu Epilogus Magnalium SanctK Brigida? ,
Trias Thaumaturga. " Anagraphse
sec. xlvii. , p. 639.
72
"
Trias
See Colgan's
Quarta Vita S. Brigidse.
ens sepultus est apud S. Brigidam in suo monasterio,"lib. ii. , cap. xii. ,p. 552- Such is the statement of the author—supposed to be Animosus—and he was well acquainted with the topography, history and traditions of Kildare.
73 " The reputation of her sanctity, and of her power of working miracles, made Kil-
o—f the Cathedral and of the Episcopal See. " "
Warner's History of Ireland,' vol. i. ^
"
Thaumaturga," Et ipse mori-
February i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, loi
trious civic foundress. 7^ It is also remarked, that Kildare was the metropolitan see of Leinster, at two different periods. In the first instance, while St. Brigid lived, in that city ; yet, afterwards during the time of Brandiibh, King of Leinster, and about the year 578, the archiepiscopate is said to have been transferredtoFems. ^s Itisuncertain,whenithadbeenremovedfromthe latter place ; but, it is supposed to be sufficiently established as a fact, that its withdrawal from Ferns did not occur until after St. Moling's death,7^ in the year 696. 77 Again, it is assumed, that this dignity had been restored to
Kildare. before a. d. 1097, according to testimonies derived from our national
Annals. 78 It }^as been inferred,79 Hkewise, that the author of St. — Brigid's
Fourth Life must have flourished, while Kildare was a metropolitan see
not, however, at the first, but during the latter period. For, he adopts a common opinion, that the bodies of Saints Brigid, Columkille and Patrick were deposited in a common tomb, at Down, in Ulster. ^°
Soon did the people living around her convent begin to experience the protection afforded by Brigid's presence among them. On the eve of a
"
certain solemnity, while she lived in the
maiden, who appears to have been her proiei^e, brought an offering for her patroness. On presenting this gift, the maiden remarked, that she should be obliged to return home immediately, to take charge of her parents' house and flocks. Her father and mother desired to spend that holy vigil at Kil- dare. Theabbesstoldtheirdaughtertoremain,andthatherparentsshould come after her, while the Almighty would protect their temporal substance. According to St. Brigid's prediction, the maiden's parents followed her, and
^^
together all the family celebrated this festival.
taking advantage of their absence, came in the middle of the night and stole away their cattle. These they drove towards the Liffey. This river was found to have been so greatly swollen, that the water flowed over its banks. The robbers laboured in vain, during a great part of the night, to urge the terrified cattle through this flood. Then, taking off their garments, which with other effects they tied with cords to the horns of the cattle, those free-
74 See Cogitosus, xiv.
**
Vita S. Brigidas," cap.
