Wilde's admirable work,=^° although the ruins at and near this latter town are well described and copiously
illustrated
in it.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
A visible reformation in the manners of most took
place. But, after the death of their saintly abbess, many relapsed into former courses, or even into a state of life still more objectionable. The punish-
mentpredictedbyAdamnanfellupontheirmonastery. Thiswasconsigned to the flames, in the year 679. 75 Venerable Bede obtained his information from a fellow-priest, named Edgils,? ^ who had lived for some time in Cold- ingham, and who died afterwards in that house, to which the illustrious writer was attached. ^? Thus, in the exercise of great austerity and penance, Adamnan spent the remainder of life^^ endeavouring to atone for his youth- ful irregularities. Distinguished, as we have already seen, by the gifts of a prophetic spirit, as also by those merits and virtues which become a saint, he passed out of this life to enjoy the rewards of the just, in Heaven, about or after a. d. 680, and on the last day of January,79 according to the English Martyrology. ^° Thislatterrecordandotherauthoritiesplacehisdemiseat A. D. 690. ^' In his conclusion of the foregoing narrative, the Venerable and pious Bede observes,^^ regarding the terrible and mysterious judgments, visitedsofrequentlybyGodonthechildrenofmen; whilethosedispensa- tions ought to warn us concerning the wrath to come, and the temporal calamities, which often befall persons led away by evil illusions. Above and before all, it is a grievous calamity to pass out of this world, and to meet without sufficient preparation the award of inflexible justice.
Article IV. —St. Sillan of Cill-Deilge, or Kildalkey, County OF Meath. It. has not been at all clearly determined when this holy man flourished. The Martyrology of Tallagh^ mentions, that veneration was given on the 31st of January, to St. Sillan, of Cill Delge. This place was identicalwithKildalkey,intheCountyofMeath. ^ Wefindrecorded,like-
have ah-eady noticed at that day.
**" At this he is set down in the date, also,
''' See Cressy's
Church History of Brit-
tany,"
book
"
xviii. , chap, xv. , p. 456.
75 See Maitland's " and History
of Irish published by O'SuLivan Beare, in " Histo- rise Catholicse Ibernije Compendium," tomus Anno 1437. And from that Period to the i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49. Also in Henry
Antiqui- ties of Scotland, from the earliest account of Time to the Death of James the First,
Accession of the to the Crown James Sixth,
of England, Anno 1603, by another Hand.
The whole compiled from the most authentic nus Abbas. See ibid. , cap. xii. , p. 52.
vouchers," vol. i. , book ii. , chap, xx. , p. 255. 7^ He is called " Reverendissimus meus
conpraesbyterEdgils. " Colganwonderswhy this priest was thus designated, when he was neither an abbot over the Venerable Bede, nor is his name found among English bishops or saints. See "Acta Sanctorum
HibernisE," xxxi. Januarii, n. 7, p. 225.
77 See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Anglorum," lib. iv. , cap. 25, p. 339.
"
Civil and Ecclesi- asticalHistoryofScotland. " Chronological
Memoirs, p. 273.
79 Camerarius, however, gives the date of
his feast, at the 27th of this month, as we Vol. L
There, too, a second festival seems assigned for him, at the 2nd of September. Yet, this may have been intended for St. Adamnaii of lona.
*' The death of St. Ebba is referred to A. D. 683. See Father Innes' " Civil and EcclesiasticalHistoryofScotland. " Chrono- logical Memoirs, p. 270. It is probable, St. Adamnan survived her some
^2
lib. —
Anglorum," iv. , cap. 25, pp. 339, 340.
Articleiv. by Rev. Dr. 'Edited the
Kelly, p. xiv.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (l), pp. 320, 321. 2 ^
7^ See Father Innes'
anonymous "Catalogue
Saints,"
Fitzsimon's " Sancto- Catalogus aliquorum
rum Ibernise," where he is called Adomna-
years.
g^g "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
594 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
wise, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having a festival at this same date, Sillan of Cill Deilge. A commentator on this latter work, in that table
superadded, suggests, his synonymn is possibly Stlvanus, which name occurs in St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians,-* and in the Life of Livinus. s The old church of Cill-Deilge gave name to a parish, situated between the parish of Trim, in East Meath, and the eastern boundary of Westmeath County. ^ It was dedicated to St. Damhnat,? or Dymphna, whose festival wastherecelebratedonthe15thofMay. ^ Nearthechurchsitewasaholy well,calledTober-Damhnata. Itwasnearlydriedup,whenDr. O'Donovan examined this locality. 9 Kildalkey is a parish in the barony of Lune, county of Meath. ^° The earliest historical notice, regarding this place, as found in the Annals of the Four Masters," is at a. d, 721, when Cuanan of Cill-Delge died. Next, Fidhbhadhach, of Cill-Delge, died, a. d. 753 ; Cill-Delge was burned, a. d. 774; Suibhne, of Cill-Delge, died, a. d. 794. " Again, Fedach, Abbot of Cill-Delge, died a. d, 836 ; and Egnech, of Cill-Delge, bishop, abbot, and scribe, was killed, with all his people, by the Gaileanga,^3 in 837^4 Conghal,sonofFeadach,AbbotofCill-Dealga,andadistinguished scribe, died a. d. 866. 'S A battle was gained over Flann, son ofMaelsech- naill, A. D. 885, by the foreigners of Athcliath,'^ when Donnchadh, son of Maelduin, Abbot of Cill-Delge and of other churches,^? was killed, with many people. Amongallthepropernamesinourannals,andconnectedwiththis
that of St. Sillan is ^^ He was a or an abbot place, missing. probably bishop
at Kildalkey. After the year 885, we lose sight of the monastery here, when consulting ancient annals. '9 We do not find any allusion to this old church,
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
32, 33-
* There called Sylvanus.
dently the same place. " See County of
5
adds a note. " We must understand this, not as suggesting that Siollan of Cill Delgge was a contemporary of SL Paul, but that the Latin form Silvanus occurs in 2 Thess. , i. , I, and in the Life of Livinus. " Dr.
See ibid. , pp. 468, 469. Dr.
error, regarding identifica- tion of Westerloo as will be seen in the Life of St. Dympna, at the 15th of May. This latter place was in a more northern
part of Belgium, nor far from Gheel.
Reeves again remarks. "Molanus styles '
9 See
''
Annals of the Four Masters," vol.
S. Livinus Archiepiscopus Scotorum,' and
i. , n. (1), pp. 320, 321.
'" The townland and of
parish Kildalkey,
cum
no fructu administrasset, reliquit Syluano
archidiacono. ' Indiculus Sanctorum
(Lovan, 1573)-"
*The Irish called this church, Cill
TJcaIja. See John O'Donovan's Letter,
" containing Information relative to the An- tiquities of the County of Meath, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey
in 1836," p. 174.
7 John O'Donovan was doubtfiil if the
patroness of this place were or not the same
adds,
Quod munus,
aliquot
mag- Belgii
'
annis
dated Trim, Aug. 6th, 1836, in
Letters
County of Meath," Sheets 29, 30, 35, 36. The site of Kildalkey old church and of its graveyard is marked on Sheet 29, a little to the north of Kildalkey village, shown on Sheet 35.
" See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i.
"See ibid. , pp. 320, 321, 356, 357, 378, 379, 402, 403.
'3 They were seated in the present barony of Morgallion, county of Meath.
as Davnat of Slieve He Beagh.
'< See ibid. ,
'SSee tbid. , pp. 504, 505.
inquires, " Is St. OAmnAC of Gill "OeAljA mentioned
pp. , 454, 455, 456, 457.
in the Calendar, on the 15th of May? " See ibid. To this shrewd guess, on the spot, and founded on the local tradition of her veneration there, George Petrie replies in the affirmative. The latter adds, " Your dis- covery of St. Damhnat in the parish of Kil- dalkey, is very curious and interesting, as it is probable, if not certain, that she, and not St. Damhnat of Tidavnet, is the real martyr, who suffered at Waterloo ! ! ! or, as it is
'*See ibid. , pp. 536, 537.
'7 See ibid. The "Annals of Ulster,"
''
'' In Archdall's " Monasticon Hibemi-
cuni," under the head. County of Meath, there is no notice either of this saint or of
his place.
''See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of
stated in her life, Westerloo, which is evi- "
Meath Extracts," vol. i. , p. 233. Mr. Todd Petriewasin — his
*
See her Life, given at that date.
barony of Lune, are represented on the
" Ordnance' Townland for the Survey Maps
Duncha mac Maeilduin,
however, have it
Prince of Killdelga, et aliarum Civitatum, etc. Codex Clarendon, tom. 49.
"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 595
which is near Trim, in Sir William R.
Wilde's admirable work,=^° although the ruins at and near this latter town are well described and copiously illustrated in it. There was a disciple of the great St. Columkille," and who was known as Silvan," son of Neman^s Don Mucusogoin. ='+ It cannot be asserted, nevertheless, that he must be identified^s with the holy man now under notice. There are the foundations of an old church visible at Kil- dellig,^^ a parish^? in the barony of Clarmallagh,='^ Queen's County. They lie about one mile distant, and towards the east from the Ballybrophy*? station on the Great Southern and Western Railway. On the interior, these ruins measure about thirty feet in length, by eighteen feet in width. The walls, of which only a few fragments remain, are nearly levelled to the ground. They seem to have been nearly four feet in thickness. They are mostly grass-covered, and the graveyard had clearly defined oblong boundaries,
informed,^' that a religious establishment existed here, at a very early period. The last mention of it is supposed to have been at a. d. 885, when its abbot is wrongly said to have been killed by the Danes. 3' This parish is also called Kildellygly. 33 There is a place denominated Deilge or Delliga,34 in the parish of Kilbolane,35 baronies of Orrery and Kilmore, county of Cork. We do not consider, however, that either of the latter places are connected with the present saint's particular veneration.
Article V. —Reputed Festival of St. Eusebius, Monk, at St. Gall, Switzerland. [Nijifk Century. ^ To the previous day, our readers
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , chap. Letters and Papers illustrative of the His- XXV. , p. 142. tory of the Irish Church from the Reforma- *» Allusion is made to " The Beauties of tion to the year 1800. " First Series, ii.
although unenclosed, in that field surrounding it.
covered by graves was very considerable, and interments are not yet wholly discontinued, as the writer learned by inquiries made on the spot. 3° We are
the Boyne, and its Tributary, the Black- Avater. "
^' '^
Patron Saints of the Churches of Ossory,
p. 7.
^^The townland and parish of Kildellig,
barony of Clarmallagh, are represented on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the Queen's County," Sheets 22, 28. There is also a Kildellig townland in the parish of
"son of the posterity of Soghain. " See the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for ibid. , and n. (c), p. 108. See, likewise, the Queen's County," Sheets 22, 28.
See his Life at the 9th of June.
Sometimes called Silnanus. See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 41, and n. (c), p. 77. Also, lib. ii. , cap. 4, p. 108.
*3 In Dr. Reeves' work, just quoted, he
is called " Silnanum, filium Nemanidon Mo-
cusogin. " The latter was a clan name, Sheet 22. Ibid.
formed probably from tTlocu SoJAin, "of ^This townland, in the parish of Agha- the sons of Soghain," or from tn ac u So^Ain, boe, and barony of Clandonagh is shown on
Dr. O'Donovan's "Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many," pp. 72, 73, n. (d. )
^^See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. iv. , p. 351•
=^5 See ibid. , n. 3, p. 381.
^^ To this place Archdall seems to refer
the present vSt. Sillan. See "Monasticon
3° jn the month of May, 1870.
3' By Archdall, in his " Monasticon Hi-
bernicum," p. 594. He assigns St. Sillan and St. [Cuanan to this church, which he
supposes to have merged into a parochial, after it had ceased to be a religious estab- lishment.
3^ This entry clearly refers to Kildalkey, in the County of Meath.
Hibemicum," p. 594.
signed to the ist of January. See the Right
33 See Lewis' "
of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 87.
^^ The saint of patron
in
Kildelgy church, the'deanery of Aghaboe, was St. Ernanusor Senanus, abbot, and whose festival is as-
Topographical Dictionary
" Ossoriense; being a Collection of Original
34 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. v. , pp. 1730, 1731, and n. (b. ) Ibid.
35 This parish is described on the "Ord-
Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's
Spicilegium
The extent of surface
Aghaboe, in the parish of Aghaboe, in the same barony and county. It is shown on
596 LIV^S OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
are referred for details regarding the life of this holy recluse. That appears to have been his proper festival. However, on this day, before the Kalends
of February—January 31st—the Necrology of St. Gall's Monastery,^ in Switzerland, records the death of Blessed Eusebius, a former monk and martyr, born in Scotia. He afterwards embraced a religious life, in the Coenobium of St. Gall. His death occurred about the year of Christ, 884. He was decapitated by some wicked inhabitants, whom he had reproved, and who were living near Mount St. Victor, whither he had retired to a solitary cell. Thither his head was miraculously brought, and afterwards it was preserved there with great religious veneration. The people used to flock in great numbers, to offer their devotions at his shrine. "^
Article VL—St. Oebhnat, Eabhnait, or Eabnait, of Ros-Enche, ORRosNASeanchae. Theholypersonthusnoticedappearstohavestood
a in our national mononymn calendars,
find the less
though in a confused and conflicting form of spelling ought to assist still more in the consummation devoutly to be desired. Yet our searches f—ail
under every head for investigation. The concluding form of this name judging by the general Irish analogies—would seem referable to a female ;
and, therefore, it is probable, we must regard this saint as some pious virgin. A festival in honour of Oebhnat find' of Ros na Seanchae, is entered in the
Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 31st of January. She probably lived before the tenth century. Again, on this day, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 is likewise registered, Eabhnait, or Eabnat, of Ros Eanche. Where Ros-na- Seanche or Ros Eanche was situated, we have not been able to determine.
ArticleVII. —St. Mittan,ofKilmadock,Scotland. AttheKirk
of Kilmadoclj, on the 31st day of January, was held the yearly fair of St. Mittan. ' It was known as St. Mittan's day,* but who the saint in question was does not seem to be ascertained. In Dempster's long hst of Scottish, or presumably Scottish, saints' names,^ no corresponding denomination can be found. Camerarius likewise excludes him. * In a work, containing much valuable topographical information, we are informed that in the parish of Kilmadock,5 and at a place, known as Kilmadock proper, the ancient church stood. ^ Here, in remote times, it is said, St. Madoc, a Culdee Evangelist,
or 1:101111, signifying
"
white," or "fair," in
See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints. " Auctaria, p. 468.
3 In " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco-
torum," and in "Menologium Scotorum," this feast is not to be met with.
^ In his work, "De Statu Hominis Veteris simul ac nova; Ecclesiae, et Infidelium Con- versione. "
s Nearly in the middle of the southern border of Perthshire,
^
Itcontinuedtobeuseduntil1746. For- merly, Kilmadock had six sub-chapels.
difficulty
locality
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Cork," Sheets i, 2, 6, 7, East Riding; while a portion of it lies in the
barony of Upper Connello, and this is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Limerick," Sheet 54. The townland of Deliga, proper, is noted on Sheets l, 6, in—the former county.
Article v. 'The extract, on this sub-
ject, published by the Bollandists, was ob- tained from the Jesuit, Daniel Feldner, of Constance.
* See the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , xxxi. Januarii. DeB. EusebioMonachoS. Galli, Martyre,—pp. 1130, 1 131.
'
Article vi. This term is probably in-
tended to express the Irish attribute of pnn
allusion to hair or complexion.
in identification.
l clue of al-
and therefore we —to might expect
The additiona—
"
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiv.
32, 33. — Article vii.
'
"Acts of the Scottish
Parliament," vol. vii. , p. 663. *"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 597
had a mission. 7 That he is to be identified with St. Mittan seems sufficiently
probable—although as yet undetermined. If the identification could be
solved in the affirmative, this holy-man does not appear to be distinguishable
from St. Maidoc, the patron of Ferns, who, as we have already seen, was venerated here, and in other parts of Scotland, on this day.
Article VIII. —St. Molanfide, or Maolanfaidh, Abbot of Dairinis
OR MoLANA, County of Waterford. \_Sixth Cenhiry? \ From the sea-
beach at Ardmore, we find Gospel messengers speeding their way inland, and ascending the open course of the Blackwater River. The missionary
made his halt, at the picturesque little isle of Dair Inis, or Molana,'' and this, too, at an early period of our Christian annals and social civilization. The
entry of Maolon faidh, Dairinsi, without any further description, is recorded intheMartyrologyofTallagh,^atthe31stofJanuar}^ Besidesthis,weread. in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having been venerated on this day, Mae- lanfaidh. Abbot of Dairinis, at Lis-mor-Mochuda. '» The River Blackwater
formerly encompassed
the
called Dar Inis or — which is now island, Molana,
—and. s The
of Molafinde
touriststoYoughal isinthesuperbdemesneofRichardSmith,Esq. ,whose
mansion of Ballintra is contiguous. ^ This saint belonged to the race of Connla, son to Breasal of Laeghaire Lore's line. ? This latter was son to Ugaine Mor, King of Ireland. ^ The saint's abbey or monastery is said to have been erected, in the sixth century,^ on an island of the River Black- water, and no more truly delightful spot could have been selected. The monastery, however, was enlarged, at a subsequent period. A statue, presumed to represent this saint, in the flowing robes of his order, has been placed on a pedestal within the cloister. ^" An inscription bears the name of that lady, whose good taste and piety so appropriately introduced this ex- cellent representation of the monk of old. " Near Ballynatray, on the Black- water, where it widens very considerably, there rises a small island, on the west side of the river. " It was anciently called Dar-Inis, or the island of
united to the mainl Abbey
visited frequently by
7 See Fullarton's
"
Imperial Gazetteer of
son of Trecim, son to Rectaire, son of Eire, son of Cullend, son to Drodai, son of Buain, son to Laeghaire Birn Buadach, son of jEngus Osraighe.
^ to Dr. Mor According Keating, Ugaine
ascended the throne A. M. 3586, and lived to a. m.
place. But, after the death of their saintly abbess, many relapsed into former courses, or even into a state of life still more objectionable. The punish-
mentpredictedbyAdamnanfellupontheirmonastery. Thiswasconsigned to the flames, in the year 679. 75 Venerable Bede obtained his information from a fellow-priest, named Edgils,? ^ who had lived for some time in Cold- ingham, and who died afterwards in that house, to which the illustrious writer was attached. ^? Thus, in the exercise of great austerity and penance, Adamnan spent the remainder of life^^ endeavouring to atone for his youth- ful irregularities. Distinguished, as we have already seen, by the gifts of a prophetic spirit, as also by those merits and virtues which become a saint, he passed out of this life to enjoy the rewards of the just, in Heaven, about or after a. d. 680, and on the last day of January,79 according to the English Martyrology. ^° Thislatterrecordandotherauthoritiesplacehisdemiseat A. D. 690. ^' In his conclusion of the foregoing narrative, the Venerable and pious Bede observes,^^ regarding the terrible and mysterious judgments, visitedsofrequentlybyGodonthechildrenofmen; whilethosedispensa- tions ought to warn us concerning the wrath to come, and the temporal calamities, which often befall persons led away by evil illusions. Above and before all, it is a grievous calamity to pass out of this world, and to meet without sufficient preparation the award of inflexible justice.
Article IV. —St. Sillan of Cill-Deilge, or Kildalkey, County OF Meath. It. has not been at all clearly determined when this holy man flourished. The Martyrology of Tallagh^ mentions, that veneration was given on the 31st of January, to St. Sillan, of Cill Delge. This place was identicalwithKildalkey,intheCountyofMeath. ^ Wefindrecorded,like-
have ah-eady noticed at that day.
**" At this he is set down in the date, also,
''' See Cressy's
Church History of Brit-
tany,"
book
"
xviii. , chap, xv. , p. 456.
75 See Maitland's " and History
of Irish published by O'SuLivan Beare, in " Histo- rise Catholicse Ibernije Compendium," tomus Anno 1437. And from that Period to the i. , lib. iv. , cap. xi. , p. 49. Also in Henry
Antiqui- ties of Scotland, from the earliest account of Time to the Death of James the First,
Accession of the to the Crown James Sixth,
of England, Anno 1603, by another Hand.
The whole compiled from the most authentic nus Abbas. See ibid. , cap. xii. , p. 52.
vouchers," vol. i. , book ii. , chap, xx. , p. 255. 7^ He is called " Reverendissimus meus
conpraesbyterEdgils. " Colganwonderswhy this priest was thus designated, when he was neither an abbot over the Venerable Bede, nor is his name found among English bishops or saints. See "Acta Sanctorum
HibernisE," xxxi. Januarii, n. 7, p. 225.
77 See "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
Anglorum," lib. iv. , cap. 25, p. 339.
"
Civil and Ecclesi- asticalHistoryofScotland. " Chronological
Memoirs, p. 273.
79 Camerarius, however, gives the date of
his feast, at the 27th of this month, as we Vol. L
There, too, a second festival seems assigned for him, at the 2nd of September. Yet, this may have been intended for St. Adamnaii of lona.
*' The death of St. Ebba is referred to A. D. 683. See Father Innes' " Civil and EcclesiasticalHistoryofScotland. " Chrono- logical Memoirs, p. 270. It is probable, St. Adamnan survived her some
^2
lib. —
Anglorum," iv. , cap. 25, pp. 339, 340.
Articleiv. by Rev. Dr. 'Edited the
Kelly, p. xiv.
* See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (l), pp. 320, 321. 2 ^
7^ See Father Innes'
anonymous "Catalogue
Saints,"
Fitzsimon's " Sancto- Catalogus aliquorum
rum Ibernise," where he is called Adomna-
years.
g^g "Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
594 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
wise, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having a festival at this same date, Sillan of Cill Deilge. A commentator on this latter work, in that table
superadded, suggests, his synonymn is possibly Stlvanus, which name occurs in St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians,-* and in the Life of Livinus. s The old church of Cill-Deilge gave name to a parish, situated between the parish of Trim, in East Meath, and the eastern boundary of Westmeath County. ^ It was dedicated to St. Damhnat,? or Dymphna, whose festival wastherecelebratedonthe15thofMay. ^ Nearthechurchsitewasaholy well,calledTober-Damhnata. Itwasnearlydriedup,whenDr. O'Donovan examined this locality. 9 Kildalkey is a parish in the barony of Lune, county of Meath. ^° The earliest historical notice, regarding this place, as found in the Annals of the Four Masters," is at a. d, 721, when Cuanan of Cill-Delge died. Next, Fidhbhadhach, of Cill-Delge, died, a. d. 753 ; Cill-Delge was burned, a. d. 774; Suibhne, of Cill-Delge, died, a. d. 794. " Again, Fedach, Abbot of Cill-Delge, died a. d, 836 ; and Egnech, of Cill-Delge, bishop, abbot, and scribe, was killed, with all his people, by the Gaileanga,^3 in 837^4 Conghal,sonofFeadach,AbbotofCill-Dealga,andadistinguished scribe, died a. d. 866. 'S A battle was gained over Flann, son ofMaelsech- naill, A. D. 885, by the foreigners of Athcliath,'^ when Donnchadh, son of Maelduin, Abbot of Cill-Delge and of other churches,^? was killed, with many people. Amongallthepropernamesinourannals,andconnectedwiththis
that of St. Sillan is ^^ He was a or an abbot place, missing. probably bishop
at Kildalkey. After the year 885, we lose sight of the monastery here, when consulting ancient annals. '9 We do not find any allusion to this old church,
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
32, 33-
* There called Sylvanus.
dently the same place. " See County of
5
adds a note. " We must understand this, not as suggesting that Siollan of Cill Delgge was a contemporary of SL Paul, but that the Latin form Silvanus occurs in 2 Thess. , i. , I, and in the Life of Livinus. " Dr.
See ibid. , pp. 468, 469. Dr.
error, regarding identifica- tion of Westerloo as will be seen in the Life of St. Dympna, at the 15th of May. This latter place was in a more northern
part of Belgium, nor far from Gheel.
Reeves again remarks. "Molanus styles '
9 See
''
Annals of the Four Masters," vol.
S. Livinus Archiepiscopus Scotorum,' and
i. , n. (1), pp. 320, 321.
'" The townland and of
parish Kildalkey,
cum
no fructu administrasset, reliquit Syluano
archidiacono. ' Indiculus Sanctorum
(Lovan, 1573)-"
*The Irish called this church, Cill
TJcaIja. See John O'Donovan's Letter,
" containing Information relative to the An- tiquities of the County of Meath, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey
in 1836," p. 174.
7 John O'Donovan was doubtfiil if the
patroness of this place were or not the same
adds,
Quod munus,
aliquot
mag- Belgii
'
annis
dated Trim, Aug. 6th, 1836, in
Letters
County of Meath," Sheets 29, 30, 35, 36. The site of Kildalkey old church and of its graveyard is marked on Sheet 29, a little to the north of Kildalkey village, shown on Sheet 35.
" See Dr. O'Donovan's edition, vol. i.
"See ibid. , pp. 320, 321, 356, 357, 378, 379, 402, 403.
'3 They were seated in the present barony of Morgallion, county of Meath.
as Davnat of Slieve He Beagh.
'< See ibid. ,
'SSee tbid. , pp. 504, 505.
inquires, " Is St. OAmnAC of Gill "OeAljA mentioned
pp. , 454, 455, 456, 457.
in the Calendar, on the 15th of May? " See ibid. To this shrewd guess, on the spot, and founded on the local tradition of her veneration there, George Petrie replies in the affirmative. The latter adds, " Your dis- covery of St. Damhnat in the parish of Kil- dalkey, is very curious and interesting, as it is probable, if not certain, that she, and not St. Damhnat of Tidavnet, is the real martyr, who suffered at Waterloo ! ! ! or, as it is
'*See ibid. , pp. 536, 537.
'7 See ibid. The "Annals of Ulster,"
''
'' In Archdall's " Monasticon Hibemi-
cuni," under the head. County of Meath, there is no notice either of this saint or of
his place.
''See Rev. A. Cogan's "Diocese of
stated in her life, Westerloo, which is evi- "
Meath Extracts," vol. i. , p. 233. Mr. Todd Petriewasin — his
*
See her Life, given at that date.
barony of Lune, are represented on the
" Ordnance' Townland for the Survey Maps
Duncha mac Maeilduin,
however, have it
Prince of Killdelga, et aliarum Civitatum, etc. Codex Clarendon, tom. 49.
"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 595
which is near Trim, in Sir William R.
Wilde's admirable work,=^° although the ruins at and near this latter town are well described and copiously illustrated in it. There was a disciple of the great St. Columkille," and who was known as Silvan," son of Neman^s Don Mucusogoin. ='+ It cannot be asserted, nevertheless, that he must be identified^s with the holy man now under notice. There are the foundations of an old church visible at Kil- dellig,^^ a parish^? in the barony of Clarmallagh,='^ Queen's County. They lie about one mile distant, and towards the east from the Ballybrophy*? station on the Great Southern and Western Railway. On the interior, these ruins measure about thirty feet in length, by eighteen feet in width. The walls, of which only a few fragments remain, are nearly levelled to the ground. They seem to have been nearly four feet in thickness. They are mostly grass-covered, and the graveyard had clearly defined oblong boundaries,
informed,^' that a religious establishment existed here, at a very early period. The last mention of it is supposed to have been at a. d. 885, when its abbot is wrongly said to have been killed by the Danes. 3' This parish is also called Kildellygly. 33 There is a place denominated Deilge or Delliga,34 in the parish of Kilbolane,35 baronies of Orrery and Kilmore, county of Cork. We do not consider, however, that either of the latter places are connected with the present saint's particular veneration.
Article V. —Reputed Festival of St. Eusebius, Monk, at St. Gall, Switzerland. [Nijifk Century. ^ To the previous day, our readers
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. i. , chap. Letters and Papers illustrative of the His- XXV. , p. 142. tory of the Irish Church from the Reforma- *» Allusion is made to " The Beauties of tion to the year 1800. " First Series, ii.
although unenclosed, in that field surrounding it.
covered by graves was very considerable, and interments are not yet wholly discontinued, as the writer learned by inquiries made on the spot. 3° We are
the Boyne, and its Tributary, the Black- Avater. "
^' '^
Patron Saints of the Churches of Ossory,
p. 7.
^^The townland and parish of Kildellig,
barony of Clarmallagh, are represented on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for
the Queen's County," Sheets 22, 28. There is also a Kildellig townland in the parish of
"son of the posterity of Soghain. " See the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for ibid. , and n. (c), p. 108. See, likewise, the Queen's County," Sheets 22, 28.
See his Life at the 9th of June.
Sometimes called Silnanus. See Rev. William Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Columba," lib. i. , cap. 41, and n. (c), p. 77. Also, lib. ii. , cap. 4, p. 108.
*3 In Dr. Reeves' work, just quoted, he
is called " Silnanum, filium Nemanidon Mo-
cusogin. " The latter was a clan name, Sheet 22. Ibid.
formed probably from tTlocu SoJAin, "of ^This townland, in the parish of Agha- the sons of Soghain," or from tn ac u So^Ain, boe, and barony of Clandonagh is shown on
Dr. O'Donovan's "Tribes and Customs of Hy-Many," pp. 72, 73, n. (d. )
^^See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S. Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. iv. , p. 351•
=^5 See ibid. , n. 3, p. 381.
^^ To this place Archdall seems to refer
the present vSt. Sillan. See "Monasticon
3° jn the month of May, 1870.
3' By Archdall, in his " Monasticon Hi-
bernicum," p. 594. He assigns St. Sillan and St. [Cuanan to this church, which he
supposes to have merged into a parochial, after it had ceased to be a religious estab- lishment.
3^ This entry clearly refers to Kildalkey, in the County of Meath.
Hibemicum," p. 594.
signed to the ist of January. See the Right
33 See Lewis' "
of Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 87.
^^ The saint of patron
in
Kildelgy church, the'deanery of Aghaboe, was St. Ernanusor Senanus, abbot, and whose festival is as-
Topographical Dictionary
" Ossoriense; being a Collection of Original
34 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. v. , pp. 1730, 1731, and n. (b. ) Ibid.
35 This parish is described on the "Ord-
Rev. Patrick Francis Moran's
Spicilegium
The extent of surface
Aghaboe, in the parish of Aghaboe, in the same barony and county. It is shown on
596 LIV^S OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 31.
are referred for details regarding the life of this holy recluse. That appears to have been his proper festival. However, on this day, before the Kalends
of February—January 31st—the Necrology of St. Gall's Monastery,^ in Switzerland, records the death of Blessed Eusebius, a former monk and martyr, born in Scotia. He afterwards embraced a religious life, in the Coenobium of St. Gall. His death occurred about the year of Christ, 884. He was decapitated by some wicked inhabitants, whom he had reproved, and who were living near Mount St. Victor, whither he had retired to a solitary cell. Thither his head was miraculously brought, and afterwards it was preserved there with great religious veneration. The people used to flock in great numbers, to offer their devotions at his shrine. "^
Article VL—St. Oebhnat, Eabhnait, or Eabnait, of Ros-Enche, ORRosNASeanchae. Theholypersonthusnoticedappearstohavestood
a in our national mononymn calendars,
find the less
though in a confused and conflicting form of spelling ought to assist still more in the consummation devoutly to be desired. Yet our searches f—ail
under every head for investigation. The concluding form of this name judging by the general Irish analogies—would seem referable to a female ;
and, therefore, it is probable, we must regard this saint as some pious virgin. A festival in honour of Oebhnat find' of Ros na Seanchae, is entered in the
Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 31st of January. She probably lived before the tenth century. Again, on this day, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 is likewise registered, Eabhnait, or Eabnat, of Ros Eanche. Where Ros-na- Seanche or Ros Eanche was situated, we have not been able to determine.
ArticleVII. —St. Mittan,ofKilmadock,Scotland. AttheKirk
of Kilmadoclj, on the 31st day of January, was held the yearly fair of St. Mittan. ' It was known as St. Mittan's day,* but who the saint in question was does not seem to be ascertained. In Dempster's long hst of Scottish, or presumably Scottish, saints' names,^ no corresponding denomination can be found. Camerarius likewise excludes him. * In a work, containing much valuable topographical information, we are informed that in the parish of Kilmadock,5 and at a place, known as Kilmadock proper, the ancient church stood. ^ Here, in remote times, it is said, St. Madoc, a Culdee Evangelist,
or 1:101111, signifying
"
white," or "fair," in
See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints. " Auctaria, p. 468.
3 In " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Sco-
torum," and in "Menologium Scotorum," this feast is not to be met with.
^ In his work, "De Statu Hominis Veteris simul ac nova; Ecclesiae, et Infidelium Con- versione. "
s Nearly in the middle of the southern border of Perthshire,
^
Itcontinuedtobeuseduntil1746. For- merly, Kilmadock had six sub-chapels.
difficulty
locality
nance Survey Townland Maps for the
County of Cork," Sheets i, 2, 6, 7, East Riding; while a portion of it lies in the
barony of Upper Connello, and this is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
for the County of Limerick," Sheet 54. The townland of Deliga, proper, is noted on Sheets l, 6, in—the former county.
Article v. 'The extract, on this sub-
ject, published by the Bollandists, was ob- tained from the Jesuit, Daniel Feldner, of Constance.
* See the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus ii. , xxxi. Januarii. DeB. EusebioMonachoS. Galli, Martyre,—pp. 1130, 1 131.
'
Article vi. This term is probably in-
tended to express the Irish attribute of pnn
allusion to hair or complexion.
in identification.
l clue of al-
and therefore we —to might expect
The additiona—
"
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xiv.
32, 33. — Article vii.
'
"Acts of the Scottish
Parliament," vol. vii. , p. 663. *"
January 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 597
had a mission. 7 That he is to be identified with St. Mittan seems sufficiently
probable—although as yet undetermined. If the identification could be
solved in the affirmative, this holy-man does not appear to be distinguishable
from St. Maidoc, the patron of Ferns, who, as we have already seen, was venerated here, and in other parts of Scotland, on this day.
Article VIII. —St. Molanfide, or Maolanfaidh, Abbot of Dairinis
OR MoLANA, County of Waterford. \_Sixth Cenhiry? \ From the sea-
beach at Ardmore, we find Gospel messengers speeding their way inland, and ascending the open course of the Blackwater River. The missionary
made his halt, at the picturesque little isle of Dair Inis, or Molana,'' and this, too, at an early period of our Christian annals and social civilization. The
entry of Maolon faidh, Dairinsi, without any further description, is recorded intheMartyrologyofTallagh,^atthe31stofJanuar}^ Besidesthis,weread. in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 as having been venerated on this day, Mae- lanfaidh. Abbot of Dairinis, at Lis-mor-Mochuda. '» The River Blackwater
formerly encompassed
the
called Dar Inis or — which is now island, Molana,
—and. s The
of Molafinde
touriststoYoughal isinthesuperbdemesneofRichardSmith,Esq. ,whose
mansion of Ballintra is contiguous. ^ This saint belonged to the race of Connla, son to Breasal of Laeghaire Lore's line. ? This latter was son to Ugaine Mor, King of Ireland. ^ The saint's abbey or monastery is said to have been erected, in the sixth century,^ on an island of the River Black- water, and no more truly delightful spot could have been selected. The monastery, however, was enlarged, at a subsequent period. A statue, presumed to represent this saint, in the flowing robes of his order, has been placed on a pedestal within the cloister. ^" An inscription bears the name of that lady, whose good taste and piety so appropriately introduced this ex- cellent representation of the monk of old. " Near Ballynatray, on the Black- water, where it widens very considerably, there rises a small island, on the west side of the river. " It was anciently called Dar-Inis, or the island of
united to the mainl Abbey
visited frequently by
7 See Fullarton's
"
Imperial Gazetteer of
son of Trecim, son to Rectaire, son of Eire, son of Cullend, son to Drodai, son of Buain, son to Laeghaire Birn Buadach, son of jEngus Osraighe.
^ to Dr. Mor According Keating, Ugaine
ascended the throne A. M. 3586, and lived to a. m.
