No More Learning

I05 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
moe, and it is shown on the
Ordnance Sur-
344 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
of May, is stated I04 to have been one of our saint's erections. 10*
[June 9.
He also Besides a church or monastery at Serin in Meath, and also at places so called in the north of Ireland, the O'Clerys will have it, that St. Columba erected one at
10? in
Serin,
Maoile, or Cnoc na Maoili,100 which was granted to St. Columba, by Tiprad, chief of the Hy Fiachrach. 110 Killchuanna was another place bestowed on
travelled into the more remote regions of the western province.
106
reposes Santal,
Jerusalem,
city,
moved the fame by
Quinta Appendix cap. ii. , p. 494.
ad Acta S.
Columbse,
114 See Roderick " Choro- O'Flaherty's
graphical Description of West or H-Iar Connaught," &c, edited by James Hardi- man, p. 63.
215 On Mackensie's chart Moerras is called Murris.
Connaught.
108 This was at a called Cnoc na place, originally
106
period of his life. See the Life of St. Farannen, at the 1 5th of February, in the Second Volume of this work, Art. ii. , chap, ii. , iii.
107 So called, because it contained the shrine of St. Adamnan.
''
Three or four religious houses or churches
This was probably at a more advanced
108 The Rev. Dr.
Lanigan
observes :
" Life of St. Columba," Additional Notes
G, pp. 283, 284.
1. 7 See Roderick " Choro- O'Flaherty's
graphical Description of West or H-Ira
Connaught," &c, edited by James Hardi-
man, p. 63, and n. (c).
1. 8
Doubtless, the future Abbot of Iona, whose feast occurs on this day.
1. 9 His festival is held, on the 21st of March.
120 Several of these, pagan and Christian, have been drawn on the spot, by William F.
Wakeman, and they are yet preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, among the Ordnance Survey Records.
called Skrine or the Shrine ofSt. Columba,
indicate by their very name that they weie
not formed in his time, and that it is a gross
m—istake to ascribe their foundation to liim. "
"
ii. , chap, xi. , sect, x. , p. 132.
,09 This is stated in the Life of St. Faran-
nan, Hermit, which occurs at the 15th of Feb-
ruary, in the Second Vol. of this work,
Art. ii. , chap. iii.
110
See also Colgan's "Trias Thauma-
111
See the Life of St. Farannan, Hermit,
thepreferablereading. AccordingtoPhilip Ferrarius, Sanctulus Presbyter is venerated atNursia,onthe15thofDecember. There is a Satanal, Martyr, venerated at the 20th ofJuly, according to the Martyrologies of Tallaghand O'Gorman.
Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol.
turga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S.
Columbce, cap. ii. , p. 494.
121
Colgan thinks, Sanctulus or Satanal is
at the 15th of February, in the Second Vo-
lume of this work, Art. ii. , chap. iii.
112
His identity does not seem to have been discovered.
"3 See "Trias
Colgan's Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbce, cap. ii. , p. 494.
122 See "Trias Colgan's
as also AU-Farannain, in 111 Over Connaught.
the same
the former, Columba placed St. Cuanna, 112 from whom its name was derived, and over the latter St. Farannan. "3 In the parish of Killannin, barony of
him, by
Tiprad ;
Moycullen and county of Galway, is a townland called Cloghmore, where 11
there was an altar of St. Columkille,"4 near a brook, at Moerras. * There is still an old churchyard bearing his name, and it is within the diocese of Tuam. 110 St. Colum-kille's well is near the sea-shore, and his festival was
11 kept there on the 9th of June. ?
St. Columba and St. Baithen II8 once went over to Aran Island, on a
visittoSt. Endseus,110 andtoholdcommunionwithotherholypersonsthere
living. One day, while a number of religious were examining the antiquities and monuments,120 even then on these Islands, they came upon an ancient stone tomb of extraordinary size. St. Baithen enquired, who was buried underthatmonument. ThedwellersonAranIslanddeclaredtheydidnot
know. Then, having an intuition, St. Columba cried out
an exile in this Island, whence the pilgrim's soul went to heaven. " All were
in admiration, at this announcement, to which implicit faith was attached. Even an Angel appeared, to confirm Endseus and those present, in the truth of St. Columba's statement. 122 As the death of that holy Abbot, who had
121 Abbot of
who left that
of our saints for sublime meditation, great austerity, and piety, and who died
116
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's
:
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbce, lib. i. , cap. cv. ,
p. 407, and n. 89, p. 451.
" Under this tomb
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 345 first established his religious institute on Aranmore, is usually referred to some
about the middle of the sixth I2 3 we are thus enabled to form a century,
year
judgment, that Columba had passed over there, before he left Ireland for the
first time. He was with the delighted
solitude I24 that
place presented to his view, and he had a great desire to obtain a piece of land, in the Aran
123 About A. D. 540, accoiding to the esti-
mate of Rev. Dr. Lanigan, in his " Ecclesi-
astical History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, viii. ,
" Farewell to Aran Isle, farewell !
sect, vii. , and n. p. 396,
;
:
124 Thus he realized from actual
inspec- tion, and for after-thought, what another immortal Irish bard expressed from his —ima-
ginative consciousness, in our own age :
" Oh lov'd
! Aranmore, Aranmore,
How oft I dream of thee,
And of those days when, by thy
shore,
I wander'd young and free. "
—Moore's " Irish Melodies. "
125 Lying out in the Bay of Galway. A
very complete description of the antiquities
" Thus
spoke
! '
on these Islands has been furnished
by John
82, pp. 397, 398.
in " Letters Infor- containing
O'Donovan,
mation relative to the Antiquities of the
County of Galway, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839," vol. iii. Letter dated Taylor's Hill, near
Galway, August 3rd, 1839, pp. 173 to 480.
126
the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
See his Life, at the 21st of March, in
127 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. cvi. . p. 407.
128 From the allusions contained in it, we
should be inclined to infer, that it had been
composed immediately before he left Ire- land for Iona.
129 An English metrical version of this has been given by Aubrey De Vero, in his "Irish Odes and other Poems," at — 274,
The following are the stanzas
pp. 275. :
perfect
I2
Islands, s which were so sacred and so celebrated, that he might there build
a hermitage, or at least leave some religious monument. At first, Endaeus I2b refused this request ; but, at last, he consented to give so much as St. Columba's hood might cover. The latter then spread his cowl on the ground, and it began to expand, until at last it covered an entire acre. At this ex- tension, as the legend relates, St. Endseus felt indignant, and contracted its further progress. He declared, he could not allow even the smallest space on the Islands to be occupied by St. Columba. The latter bore this refusal patiently, but he declared, at the same time, the Islands should be deprived of a great accession and of many benefits, which his disciples should bring it. In memory of the miracle wrought, Gortan Chochaill, or "the little field of the cowl," was afterwards pointed out. 12 ? Traditions yet current among the Araners seem confirmatory of the statement, that St. Columb had visited their distant Islands. When sorrowing, on account of his departure from them,
a Poem in the Irish 128 in which his reli- language,
he is said to have
gious feelings are warmly expressed, and in which their condition is described. ,2 9 When he parted from Aran, it is probable, the saint went to a place, nearKin-
composed
— The breakers burst, the billows swell 'Twixt Aran Isle and Alba's shore.
I steer for Hy
heart is sore
my
II.
the Son of God, De-
part
Aran Isle, God's will be done !
By angels thronged this hour thou
art
1 sit within my bark alone.
III.
" O Modan, well for thee the while ! Fair falls thy lot, and well art thou !
Thy seat is set in Aran Isle : Eastward to Alba turns my prow.
IV.
" O Aran, Sun of all the west !
My heart is thine ! As sweet to
close
Our dying eyes in thee as rest,
Where Peter and where Paul re- pose.
V.
" O Aran, Sun of all the west !
My heart in thee its grave hath
found.
He walks in regions of the blest
The man that hears thy church- bell sound.
;
34^
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
varra, where some remains exist, in a retired and romantic spot, yet bearing his name. Glencolumkille x 3° is a deep valley, in the midst of circling moun- tains, in the barony of Burren, and county of Clare. There is to be seen an
1
Not far removed is the shaft of an old cross, where the country people yet make their rounds.
ancient church, within a much frequented cemetery. ^
Here, it is held, that St. Columba built a church, which afterwards became
in the diocese of Kilfenora. 's3 We are informed, that St. Columba also visited certain places, in the province of Minister. Thus, St. Fintan of Dunblesch '33 had a vision, indicating the arrival of St. Columba "34 with his disciples, at that monastery. At one rime, he went to visit monks living in the monastery of Terryglass,*35 to which he had been previously invited. The monks conducted our saint to the church door, when the keys could not be found. Of this loss the brethren mutually complained ; but, going towards the door, our saint said " Our Lord is able to open the doors of his house
:
forhisservantwithoutanykey. " Suddenly,theboltsofthelockwereforci- bly driven back, and the door opened wide. The saint entered this church, not without admiration expressed, by all the company there present. After- wards, the brethren treated him most hospitably, and exhibited the greatest respect and veneration towards him.
It is not easy to de—termine at what particular period of our sai—nt's life the
us
succeeding incidents which have come down to by tradition occurred.
But, it seems most likely, that they may be predicated chiefly of those years spent in Ireland, before Columba resolved on leaving it for Scotland. We are told, that near the church '36 of Kill-mac-Nenain, and at the place known as
parochial
VI.
"OAranblest ! OAranblest ! Accursed the man that loves not
OAran, near to heaven is he
That hears God's Angels bless thy
coasts I"
thee!
The dead man cradled in thy breast
There are two townlands of this name,
— No demon scares him—well is he.
VII.
" Each Sunday Gabriel from on high (For so did Christ the Lord ordain),
Thy Masses comes to sanctify, With fifty Angels in his train.
VIII.
" Each Monday Michael issues forth To bless anew each sacred fane :
Each Tuesday cometh Raphael,
To bless pure hearth and golden
grain.
IX.
" Each Wednesday cometh Uriel,
Sariel, fresh from
Trias
Each
" Ecclesiastical
land," vol. ii. , chap, x. , sect, xiii. , and nn.
234, 235, 236, 237, pp. 71, 74, 75-
136 The foundation of a church at Cill- mic-Nenain is placed to St. Columba's ac-
count, in the O'Clerys' Calendar.
Thursday God;
Lanigan's
History
of Ire-
Each Friday cometh Ramael
To bless thy stores and bless thy
sod.
" Each Saturday comes Mary,
Comes Babe on arm, 'mid heavenly
hosts !
137 See " Trias Colgan's
130
North and South, on the east side of Carran Parish, in the diocese of Kilfenora.
131 These objects are marked on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Clare," sheet 10.
132 For this statement, Colgan quotes the
"
list of its Diocesan Churches, in Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. ii. , p. 495.
133 See his Life, in the First Volume of
thiswork,atJanuary3rd,Art. i. , chap. iii. 134 Although Colgan assumes him to be identical with our saint, in " Trias Thauma- turga," Appendix Secunda ad Acta S. Co- lumbte, Pars Prima, pp. 461, 462 ; yet, he may have been some other saint, bearing the
same name.
135 Here a monastery was founded by St.
Columba, probably about the year 548. He died on the 13th of December, and as gene-
rally thought a. d. 552.
See Rev. Dr.
Thaumaturga," Quinta VitaS. Columbae, lib. i. ,cap. lxxvi. ,
p. 401.
138 It is also called Inis Tony.
139 There is an interesting description of
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 347
Bunlinne, the saint met some fishermen. He asked, if they had fish, and
they falsely denied having any. "Then," said he, "if you have them not, may the Almighty grant them to you, if you have, may they turn into stones. " Atonce,thosefishestheyconcealedwereturnedintostones. Thepeopleof that locality afterwards pointed out certain similarobjects near Kill-mac-Nenain church. Those fishermen of Muintir Gualan then began to inveigh against the saint, when he threatened and predicted, that two of their family should never be found in the same village or hamlet. Besides, that river, from which theyhadtakenfish, neverafterwardsaboundedwiththem. ^
To the northern and maritime district of Tyrconnell he also went. He was
admonished, by an Angel, to pass over into Torach,^8 now Torry Island,^ and having purged it from heathenism, he was then to erect a church. With some
holy men, he prepared to obey. But, when they came to a mountain, on the sea- shore, and called Belach anadh raidh, because of its precipitous sides, they saw Torach looming obscurely at a distance. Then arose a contest among the holy men, to know who should expiate or exorcise it from evil spirits, and thus acquire a right to its Christian possession ; for, through a love of humility and disinterestedness, each sought to decline the honour and the possession. Hearing all that had been urged, according to the legend, Columba proposed an expedient, that each should direct his staff towards the Island, and whichever should first reach it, the owner was to be con- sidered possessor. This proposal agreed to, the moment Columba's bacillus left his hand, it assumed the shape of a spear, and at once it flew over the Isle. Then Columba sought Alild, son of Baedan, a chief of that place. However, he would not consent to give Columba a site for his church, or per- mit him to purify Torach. At last, the saint asked for as much ground as his cloak might cover. To this request, Ailild consented, supposing the grant should be a very small one. But, when the holy Abbot's cloak was laid on the ground, it began miraculously to expand, until at last it covered the whole Island. Enraged beyond measure, Alild is said to have set a furious dog against the saint, who making a sign of the cross killed the animal. Struck with the double miracle, Alild felt himself moved to kiss the saint's
feet,
and to
askforpardon.
Alild the whole of Torach tohim. I 4° nextgaveover
Then, exorcising he set one of his
thatIsland. Columbabuiltthereafine 1*1 overwhich church,
tract the following descriptive lines
" The war of spirits past, the Isle Firm rests again its rocky pile,
Grim stone ! "
Exhausted from its throes of
disciples,
known as
Email,
1 *2 of Torach. I43 He was
recog-
this remote spot, in the " Illustrated Hand-
book of the Scenery and Antiquities of Southwestern Donegal. "
140 From an interesting Poem, called " St. Columb'sConquest; ortheDruids'Doom," A Tale of Torry Isle, by Diarmud, —we ex-
The earth and heaven, midway from each !
Upon those awful brinks and fells, Whose base indignantly repels
Thesurgingsea'sassaultingswells, Which wage incessant war upon
pain ; Adorning, like some sea-god's fane,
The margin of the western main !
The evening's golden glory laves
Its rocks in rouge, and gilds the
waves. ******
On dark Tormora's
That towers between, and holds in
reach,
dizzying height,
:
Torry's
front and flanks of
—
I41 This is one of his religious foundations
enumerated by the O'Clerys, in their Calen- dar.
U2 Called the son of Colman, in the Sancti-
logic Genealogy.
I43 This account is contained in the old
Irish Life, published in an English version, in William F. Skene's "Celtic Scotland,"
vol. ii. , Appendix I, p. 491.
I44 His feast was held, on the 17th of
August.
I45 See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga"
Sect. xxv.
"
343
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June q.
patron
of that Island. 1" St. Columb gave orders, that thence-
At the present time, some venerable an-
tiquities
shown, and among these are to be seen
an interesting Round Tower,1*6 which
doubtless was con- nected with the old
14? religious institute,
that had been estab- tablished on To-
nised as the
forward no dog should be brought into that Island. 1**
was a celebrated
stone, on which the
saint knelt. Having
became wearied after
his prayers, and placing his hands
over his face, Co-
lumb leaned for-
ward and fell asleep.
On awaking, the
print of his hands
was to be found
impressed on the stone. 14? If water
or any other liquid
had been
women who were pregnant. 150 While St. Columkille was in the Island of Torry,151 he prayed beside a port, while his alumnus Finanus Ratha ,52 felt
poured into the cavities, it was thought to be a cure for sick persons using it, and especially, the inhabitants believed it caused a safe delivery for
Round Tower on Torry Island, County of Donegal.
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. lxxiii. , p. 401.
140 The accompanying illustration, drawn by William F. Wakeman, affords a very correct representation of this structure as it now exists. The engraving is by Mrs. Mil- lard.
,4? There can be no doubt but a church had been erected here in the sixth century ; for at A. D. 612, in Dr. O'Donovan' " Annals of the Four Masters," there is an account of the devastation of Torach by a marine fleet, while at A. D. 616, the re-erection of its church, by the Cinel-Conaill, is recorded. See vol. i. , pp. 236, 237, 240, 241.
148 It was called, likewise, Toir Inis, by the Irish.
Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. lxxiv. , p. 401.
151 "Torry Island lies to the north-west of Horn Head, from which it is distant about eight miles. Should the day be calm, a visit to this island will repay the tourist in search of antiquities. Buried deep in sand are the ruins of dwellings, churches and crosses, indicating, along with the venerable round tower, a—n early colonization of this isolated spot. "
the Giant's Causeway and the North of Ire- land, "p. 407.
'S* This was St. Finan, son of Pipan, and who was venerated at the church of Rathen, in the diocese of Raphoe, on the 25th of No- vember.
This impression
there, century.
in the
relation to St. Columkille.
beginning
154 See
Colgan's
"Trias
Thaumaturga,"
was shown
x " He was a
149
ofthesixteenth
IS° See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Quinta S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. lxxv. ,
18 rach. *
There, too,
Black's "Guide to
Belfast,
are there
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 349
verythirstyandnowaterwasneartodrink. Knowingthis,St. Columbgave threestrokeswithhisbaculus,toanadjoiningrock. Instantly,threedistinct fountains leaped forth, and Finanus J 53 then assuaged his thirst. As these three streams flowed in the form of a waterfall, they afterwards went by the
"
Finan's Cataract. '' By drinking there in after time, several who were sick recovered their health. J 54 At one time, wanting water to mingle with wine at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and for other
religious purposes, Columba blessed a rock, from which flowed a fountain of living water. So great were the merits of our saint, that not only did God hear his prayers, but even the innermost desires of his heart were regarded.
Even those who were favourites of his, or who had obtained his blessing,
were sure, not only to close their days happily, but even they were successful
in this life. This was instanced, in the case of Donnald, son of Aedh,1 ^ who
was monarch of all Ireland, after the convention assembled at Drumceat; in
that of Finnacht,156 son to Dunchadh, King of Ireland; and, in that of
Guaire,^ son to Colman, King of Connaught. 158 A holy man, named Teca
or Tecca, 15 ? lived in a certain part of the country, and at a place called Ath-
Irish name Eas-Finain, or
l6° luga.
shrine.
what he now refused, he should afterwards be certain to give, even if he were unwilling. This prophecy was soon fulfilled, for Teca went to wash his hands, atastream,notfarfromhismonastery. Whilefirstremovinghisglovesfor the purpose, his right thumb fell into the water from his hand. Thence-
"
the ford of the thumb. " Soon recollecting the words of Columba, Teca took up the thumb and followed the saint, then leaving the church. With great humility he pre- sented the thumb to Columba, who reverently placed it in the shrine. Aedh, son to Ainmire, King of Ireland, bestowed Ard-Maggiollagan as an ecclesias- tical appenage for the church of the shrine. There, it was long kept, and various miracles were at the 161 Once, when St. Columkille
St. Columba asked for some memorial from him to in the deposit
Through humility this he declined, but St. Columba predicted, that
forward, that place went by the name of Ath-na-hordige,
wrought place.
was on a journey, he happened to leave a satchel containing books behind
him. He had travelled as far as a country called Fanaind. There, in a place
known as Glen Fanad, a deer overtook him and carrying the lost books on its
back. Reverently approaching the saint, that deer went down on its knees, to presenthisburden. Immediately,awellsprungup,whichtheinhabitantsafter- wards called St. Columkille's well. To commemorate so great a miracle, the people there in course of time erected a great cairn. It seems to have been raised on the declivity of a precipice. From the incident related, it was called Droim na leabar, which means " the monument of the books. "162
p. 401,andn. 71,p. 451.
155 Son of Ainmire. He reigned over Ire-
land for twenty-seven years, when he was slain, by Brandubh, King of Leinster, on the I oth of January, A. D. 594. See"Cambren- sis Eversus," by Gratianus Lucius Hibernus, vol. ii. , pp. 16, 17, Rev. Dr. Kelly's edition.
's6 His death is assigned to A. D. 693.
'57 Known by the designation of the Hos-
pitable. His death is recorded, at A. D.