According to tradition, the whole valley, extending from
Clonmore
•'s to Aghold,''* in former
was called "
"Meadow;" while a portion of Clonmore townland, to the westward
times,
Mogue's great glen,"
or " lawn," or Mogue's big
" it is to decide, nearly impossible
quities
of Ireland," vol.
was called "
"Meadow;" while a portion of Clonmore townland, to the westward
times,
Mogue's great glen,"
or " lawn," or Mogue's big
" it is to decide, nearly impossible
quities
of Ireland," vol.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
245 ; but, it is remarked, that one or two generations are wanting, in the foregoing
which are the present Memoir.
largely
availed of in
"He "
is noted as, S. MaidocusdeClauin-
mor Moedhoc, filius Eugenii, filii Brudge, de
Acta Sanctonmi Hiberniae," xxxi. Januarii, Vita S. Maidoci. , Appendix, cap. i. , p, 221, and, also, n. 12, p. 277.
"3 At cap. liii. , in the Irish Life, His feast occurs, at the loth of May.
'< See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernis," viii. Februarii. , De S. Onchuone, n. II. , p. 277.
vestigations,
' See "
quae MS. habentur, ordine Mensium et Dierum. "
' See "Acta Sanctorum Hiliemiae," Feb- niriiviii. , De S. Onchuone Confessore, ex variis. , cap. viii. , and n. 11, p. 277. There, Colgan remarks, that he descended from the royal race of l. einster.
" See "Acta Sanctorum,"tomns ii. , Aprilis
Catalogus
Actuum Sanctorum
Bressalii Belach, II. de April. , quo
him. ' TheBollandists'
Maedoc of Ferns. "
enumeration. See
'"
Loca Patriciana," p. 138.
stirpe
Menolog. Geneal. , cap. 20. " See Colgan's
"
:
io6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
and, his family descent is to be found, likewise, in Dudley MacFirbis' Ge- nealogies. '* His genealogy as given here varies a little, from that found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'? which makes Moedoc of Clonmore belong to the race of Dunlaing,'^ who was the son of Enna Nia; but, the difference is not great, as Bressail Belacli and Enna Nia were brothers, and both were the sons of Fiacha Baiceadha, son to Cathair Mor. 's The Martyrology of Donegalconfirmsthisaccount. Brig,daughterofCobthach,sontoCrim- thand, son of Enna Cendselach, is said to have been mother of Segine,^° of
Bishop Aedhan,^' and of Aedh, son to Ainmire, King of Ireland. ^" Maed- hog, and Aedh, son of Ainmire, monarch of Erin, had the same mother,'^ as the Borumha ^t states. Likewise, it is said, that St. Etchen, orjEcian,'^5 -was a
son of Briga,=' the mother of Aedh, son of Ainmire, monarch of Ireland, by Maine Eiges,'? her former husband,''^ and consequently that monarch was halfb—rothertoSt. Etchen. 's Wefind,3°both—MaineEigesandBrigatraced
3'
back but with some discrepancies detected eleven generations to Cucorb,
King of Leinster, the sixteenth in descent from Ugaine Mor. s^ Thus, the present St. Maedhog is said to have been half brother to Aid, son of Ain-
's In the "Naomshancus," at p. 727, is '' Mr. John M'Call has kindly made out written mAO'oos itiac eogAin of Clonmore for me the following pedigree from Dr.
(nth April).
'' See Eugene O'Curry's copy, belonging
to the Royal Irish Academy.
'' The Bdlandists add : As Irish Saints
are recorded, in the Martyrology of Tal- lagh.
'* He was King of Leinster, a. d. 241.
' He was Monarch of Ireland, A. D. 174. °° Venerated, it is thought, atjanuary 21st,
where a notice will be found, but where a difference of conjecture has been hazarded.
' The present saint, it is presumed.
" Letter of William M. Hennessy, to the
writer, and dated 71 Pembroke-road, 24th of September, 1882.
°3 " b|M5 injen chobc^ig, inic Cnitn-
chAinw, inic ent)A Cinj-eAlAig, tnAcliAip Tegine, epf. -AeOAiTi Agujx A. eo&. tnic <Jin-
Book of Lecan, fol.
a. i. , MS. note of William M. Hennessy, at this passage, in his copy of the Donegal
Martyrology.
"< In a note to the Donegal Martyrology,
" The tract so-called, which is a history of the Boromean Tribute. "
'5 The nth of February has been usually assigned for his feast.
'" The pedigree of this noble matron is
thus traced, by Mr. John M'Call, correcting some differences observed by Rev. Dr. Todd, in his "St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," Introduction, Appendix A, Table v. , pp.
Todd's Table, with some added notes of his own. The figures represent the generations
inij\e6, i\i5 ej\enn. "
103,
^* See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
Dr. Todd
says
:
254,255. Thefiguresrepresent—
—
calculated line from Mileadh
:
He was father to 86 Cobtach crom, Oilill, second son, Cobtach, ofArdlatrin, the father of 87 Briga mother of 88 Maidoc or Edan, 88 Bishop of Cluanmor Maedoc, of 88 Etchen, of Cluainfad, A. D. 577, and of 88 Seighan, of
Kilseighan.
the Rev. J. F. Shearman's list, than in Dr.
Todd's, thus occasioning seven missing links in the genealogy of Maidoc mac Maine, on the paternal side, and two more still as com- pared with the different calculations.
Dr. Todd's
84 Enna
the saints were evi- there are two more ICinsellach was father of 85 Crinthann, who generations in Aedan mac ua Dunlaing's, was baptized by St. Patrick, A. D. 448, and than in Briga's line. This latter nobly whose wife was Mell. He was killed 484. born lady was Maedoc's mother. Again, there are two more in Briga's line, in
as removed from Mileadh
:
—60 Mor, Ugaine
King of Ireland, father of 61 Laoghaire Lore,
king from 3649, A. M. to 3665. Here 2$
generations are wanting : O'Flaherty re-
duces them to 15. 76 Cucorb, King of
Leinsier from n3 A. D. to 119, and Ethna
his wife. Their son was 77 Messincorb father
to 78 Eochaid Lamderg, father of 79 Fothad,
father to 80 Eochaid Lamdoit. Some gene-
rations are wanting here, between Garchon, about A. D. 209 and Fincad, slain at the first battle of Graine, A. D. 484. 81 Fothad was father to 82 F'ergus Lamderg, father of 83 Maine Mac Eiges the poet. His sons were 84 Maedoc of Clonmore, 84 Etchen of Cluainlota, and 84 Seighan of Killseighan.
nis," Februarii xi. De S. Etchaenio Epis- copo Cluainfodensi, ex variis, cap. i. , and nn. Ito8,pp. 304to306.
°9 Are Maine Eiges, and Eugene, St. Miadoc of Clonmore 's fatlier, one and the same person, and were the two saints, bro- thers? or was their mother Briga married the third time, and were they only uterine brothers ? is a query proposed by Mr. M'Call.
3° In Rev. Dr. Todd's "Life of St.
Patrick," Appendix A to Introduction, Table
v. , and pp. 253 to 255.
3'
At the best, these genealogies are very
thus, dently contemporaries,
imperfect
though
April ii. ] LIVES QF THE IRISH SAINTS. 107
mire, monarch of Ireland. 33 From this instance, and from otherfcases re- corded, it would seem, that brothers bearing a similar name were to be found
frequently in the same family.
The birth of our saint took place, probably before the middle of the sixth
century,buttheyearisnotknown. Somedifficultieshavearisen,toascer-
Uin, if a St. Aedh,3-» Oengen, or Oilean, called also Maedoc Ua Dunlaing of theIsland,35couldnothavebeenidenticalwiththepresentSt. Maedoc. If resolved in the affirmative, this latter may be considered to have had a spe- cial connexion with Glendalough, and to have had distinct festivals, one at April 7th, the other, at the present date.
11>
Clonmore Cemetery, County of Carlow.
This holy . Abbot's chief house was situated, it is thought, at
the present Clonmore, in the Barony of Rathvilly, and County of Carlow,3* The exact year when it was founded has not been ascer- tained ; and now, there are no vestiges left of the ancient building.
^ He was King of Ireland from A. M. 3619
to 3649.
^^ See Dr. O'Donovan's summarized state-
ment from the Boromha Laighean, in note (h) to "Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland," by the Four Masters, vol. i. , p. 218.
^ His feast has been entered already, at
the 7th of April. According to Rev. John Francis Shearman's "Loca Pairiciana,' No.
7. Cathaoir Mor, King of Lcinster, from A. D. 173 to 177, and the 55th in descent from Mileadh, was his ancestor ; thus is the line
:
the Boromha Tribute to be exacted from the Leinstermen. Me was father of 60 Oilill, father to 61 Faelan, father of 62 Dunlaing K. L. ,whodiedbeforeA. D. 460. Hiswife was Cuach from the Hy-Bairclie. Their son was 63 lollam, baptized at Naas. by St. Patrick. loliam was father to 64 Nadboid, father of 65 Bruighde, father of 66 Eoghan (third son), father to 67 Aedan mac Ua Dun- laing of Glendalough ,vwtns A. D. 598, at the timeoftheBattleofDunbolg. See"The Genealogy of the Ui Dunlaing, the Ui
traced —55
Briuin
138- 35
and
the Ui
of Fiacha Baicheda, father to 57 Bresal Belach,
father of Enna 5S
father to Dun- 59
to have been the Island of Our Saviour, at Glendalough.
Cathaoir Mor, father
56
Cualann,
Mail," &c. , p.
Nia,
laing K. L. 298, who slew the royal maidens at the Claenifert of Tara, and who first caused
Conjectured
3* Mr. M'Call, very doubtful on the sub-
io8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
Its site, near the village, was in, or very near, a much-frequented graveyard,3' whichliesaboutsevenmilessouthfromBaltinglass,countyofWicklow. At
present, near the village of Clonmore,3* in the townland and parish so named, are the graveyard and some interesting remains, which had connexion with our saint's former monastery ;39 although we find it stated, that the traditions of this place rather connect it with St. Maidoc, venerated on the 31st of January. Atpresent,besidethegraveyardrunsapublicroad,leadingfrom the village to the old castle t" of Clonmore,*' and this road was sunk through the very centre of the old graveyard, in a manner most hurtful to the Chris- tian feeling of the old Catholic inhabitants, and very unnecessarily from an engineering point of view. On the south side of this road is the principal cemetery,''^ used by the people, and in the centre appears the broken shaft of an ancient granite cross, nearly six feet in height. Beside it, concealed among thick black-thorn bushes, is the circularly formed head, but rather in a mutilated condition. s On the opposite side of the road, there is another large granite cross, 't't not far from the Protestant church. This monument is shown as St. Mogue's cross.
According to tradition, the whole valley, extending from Clonmore •'s to Aghold,''* in former
was called "
"Meadow;" while a portion of Clonmore townland, to the westward
times,
Mogue's great glen,"
or " lawn," or Mogue's big
" it is to decide, nearly impossible
quities
of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 76. These
ject, says,
whether it was the old Maidoc, son of Maine Eiges, the half-brother to Aedh, son of Ain- mire, or his new rival. Maidoc Ui Dun- laing, son of Eoghan, Bishop of Glendalough, founded this celebrated monastery. But, unless there was some other saint of the name 'of the race of Dunlaing,' there are strong proofs extant of this latter being the true founder ; and, therefore, the two entries
were taken from sketches by Lieutenant
Daniel Grose in 1792 ; nor do the features of
the old castle present much change to the
present time.
*' In St. Broccan's Poem, called l&txM riA techc, or Lay of the Graves, as found in the "Book of Leinster," fol. 24 a 2 ofthe old pagination, the poet says, he had not heard mentioned in any place a cluain like the
in the Martyrologies, the one '
'
Aedh of the
holy cemetery of Aedh Find
— :
of Glendalough, at April 7th, and
Island
the other ' Aedhan of Clonmore,' at April nth, may have reference to the one party, Maedoc of Clonmore. "
3' It was formerly known as the Relic Aingel of the oratory, in Cluain Mor Maedoc, as we learn, from a gloss to the Feilire of St.
^ngus, at the 8lh of February, regarding St. Onchuo, 01 Ternoc (thy Ernoc), in the Leabhar Breac. There, too, we find the comment, Cepnoc cpen Acti<si\bA, meaning
1]" ctuAin itninep niem i\elic -deXJA pnt), ^e^\> A'oj:'ei'Oim
InniAin inAT) ei)-ei\5i 1 ^\X mAi\C|\A fi'oem fi h-efedn
Tloe pchic ci\umchij\e coic tniti moir>A fopx)^,
Ac moe-ooc Vi. fi-tJonlAinge acac & fepcA.
It is thu—s translated, by William M.
" his Ternog, strong
to Hennessy
Whiiley Stokes.
3^ In the barony of Rathvilly. It is shown,
on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," sheet 9.
3' There is a description of this parish, by Patrick O'Keefe, in a letter, da'. ed Tullow,
"
Letters relat- ing to the Antiquities of the County of Car- low, containing Information collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in
1839," pp. 372 to 390.
for a of this old castle. 335, description
August 7th, 1829, among the
"' " See Ryan's
«The accompanying engraving by Mrs.
Millard, from a drawing, taken by the writer,
in was transferred to the wood August, 1882,
by William F. Wakeman.
« An old inhabitant of Clonmore, in 1839,
and
ofthe County of Carlow," chap, xxxi. , p.
profit," according
:
' ' And a cluain like the holy cemetery of Aedh-find, as I relate,
A delightful place of resurrection, in which are the relics of Erin's saints. Nine score presbyters, five thousand
manly nobles,
With Moedoc, descendant of Dun-
History
Antiquities
that she remembered of some remains of an old church near it. Ac- Clonmore Castle, in Francis Grose's " Anti- cording to her account, two gables stood,
*'—
There are two line copperplate engra- O'Keefe,
ings an interior and an exterior
view
— told Patrick
lang,
are their
graves. "
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 109
ofthehighroad,andsouthoftheoldcastleandcemetery-ground,is called, atthepresentday,theBigMeadow. OntheOrdnanceSurveyMaps,itis
even thus designated.
The celebrated ruler of Hy-Kinsellagh, named Brandubh, son to Ethah or
Eochaidh, had killed Cumuscach, son to Aedh, at Dunbucat, now Dunboyke, a townland in Hollywood parish, barony of Lower Talbotstown, and county of Wicklow,<7 about a. d. 596. *' To this event, and to the results which fol- lowed, allusion has been already made, in the Life of St. Maidoc,*' Patron and Bishop of Ferns ;5° yet, the old writer seems to have made some errone- ous historic statements, so that we may doubt, if his sources of information
were accurate in other particulars. Perhaps, even, the St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, may have been mistaken,^' in the course of his biographer's narrative, for St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore. And, the allusion to this latter holy
"
person, as a
warlike kinsman," in the Feilire of St. . ^ngus, appears to
strengthen such supposition.
Our Irish Annals relate, that Aedh, son to Ainmire, who was King of
Ireland, had collected a great army, which he led against Brandubh, more
immediatelytoavengethedeathofhisson,Cuasg,orCumuscach;5» and,in
all likelihood, to curb the power of a provincial king, so great as a warrior,
in his day. To this expedition and its results, we shall more particularly
refer, in the subsequent chapter, since its historic importance gives it a spe- cial celebrity in our Irish Annals.
CHAPTER II.
ST. MAEDOC PLACES DICHOLLA GAIRBH OVER CLONMORE MONASTERY—INVASION OP LEINSTER BY KING AEDH—ST. MAEDOC TAKES SIDES WITH THE LEINSTERMEN AND WITH THEIR KING BRANDUBH—STRATAGEM WHICH DECIDES THE BATTLE OF DUNBOLG, IN THEIR FAVOUR—RESULTS OF AND DATE FOR THIS REMARKABLE EVENT.
OverClonmore,St. MaidochadplacedoneDichoUaGairbh,'asabbot; and,
with his the founder was • at the time of Aedh's invasion. disciple, staying,
the victory for Brandubh, at the battle of Dunbolg, A. D. 594; but, Mr. John M'Call has observed to the writer, that St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore, was the true participant, The Book of the Boru and the Annals of the Four Masters, however, have called the latter a bishop, and this probably led Dr. O'Donovanastray; although,hemighthave noticed, that the former authority distinctly calb the holy man the monarch's "half- brother," and besides, St. Maidoc of Ferns was a Conacian.
s""Pendant I'annfe 593. . . . Ce Cumuscach ^tait un monarque tres-immoral. " Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 216, 217, and —L'Abbe Emmanuel Domenech's " Les notes [d, e, f,]. According to the Four Mas- Gorges du Diable, Voyage et Aventures en ters, this ev^nt occurred, a. d. 593. Irlande, Souvenirs d'un Touriste," chap, ii. ,
<• According to the " Annals of Ulster. " p. 84. —
« ' this
with a door in either, but in a battered con- dition ; perhaps, we should be justified in supposing, that the west gable, at least, had a doorway, as in most old Irish churches. while the other might represent a breached wall or east window.
*5 For the fullest and most interesting ac- count of this place, the reader is referred to
"
Mr. John . M'Call's
of CIuain-mor-Maedhoc," Dublin, 1862, 8vo.
is asa Derry quoted proof.
Antiquities and History
**Mr. M'Call states, that it was formerly «' dense forest, and a local denomination,
*' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
His feast occurs, at the 31st of January. Seevol. i. ofourwork,atthatdate.
Chapter
* See chap, iv. , with illustrative notes.
'"Dr. O'Donovan attributes to him, a dubh succeeded as monarch. He is vene-
son to Aid, King of Leinster, to whom Bran partidpation in the plan, which achieved rated, at the isth of March,
ii. Abbot,tohavebeenDichull,sontoNessan,
Colgan supposes
no LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ir.
While some have thought, this Clonmore was in the barony of Bantry, in the county of Wexford f others assert, that it was Clonmore Maodhog, in the
county of Carlow ; and that, not the patron saint of Ferns, but the patron saint of the latter place, was the person meant in our ancient records. 3 On this threatened invasion of Aedh, many of the inhabitants fled, with their substance,toSt. Maidoc. Theyhopedtoobtainprotectionthroughhim,on account of the extraordinary veneration in which he was held, as also, from the circumstance of his near relationship to the Irish monarch. But, it would appear,'*thatKingAedhwasmovedbyneitheroftheseconsiderations; and, he advanced, to make a spoil of whatever valuables had been collected, at Clonmore. Whereupon,theholyAbbotwentforthtomeetAedh'shosting. With the end of his staff, Maidoc marked the sign of the cross, at a place, beyond which this army should not march. But, a certain soldier who had the presumption to stray from the ranks, with an intention of passing that spot, fell down instantly and died. Terrified by such an example, the other
warriors returned to the king, relating what had occurred, and bearing the dead body of their fellow-soldier, as a testimony of the power, exercised by God's servant. The king immediately replied, that they could no longer presume to contend with God, and he retired with his whole army. s
Yet, a desire of being avenged for the death of his son seems to have
actuated the exasperated monarch. During the following year,'having collected a great number of men, drawn principally from the northern parts of Ireland, and from the territories of Connaught, Munster and Northern Leinster, Aedh marched towards Hy-Kinsellagh, intending to dethrone King Brandubh. The origin and issue of this remarkable expedition is recorded, with very romantic
incidents, in the historical tract, known as the Borumha-Laighean. ? In it, we are informed, that when Aedh, son of Ainmire, heard at his palace of Aileach,* in Ulster, that his son Comascach had been killed at Dun-Buchat,9 he assembled the forces of Leath-Chuinn, or the Northern half of Ireland, and marched at their head to the River Righe, or Rye,'° on the confines of the Meath and Leinster provinces, in order to avenge the death of Cumascach. From the River Rye, Aedh proceeded directly for that place,^where his son had been killed, and pitched his camp at Baeth-Eabha," close to Dun- Buaice. Then, Bran Dubh, King of Leinster, happened to he staying at a place, called Scadhaire, or Skerk," in the south of Ui-Ceinn-sealaigh. '3 Hearing of the monarch's arrival with his army, at the Righe ; the Leinster
° This Clonmore is situated on the banks
of the River Slaney. . Archdall, Dr. Lanigan, and other writers have attributed to this place the historic references, which rather belong to Clonmore, in the^County of Car- low.
3 A letter, dated Dublin, 25 Patrick-street, August 3rd, 1873, and written by Mr. John M'Call, first corrected my own impressions on this matter.
* According to the Life of St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns.
the Rev. John Francis Shearman, C. C. , Howth, has been lent to the author.
* The remarkable old fortress, near the present city of Londonderry,
« Probably Dunboyke, a townland in the parish of Hollywood, barony of Lower Tal- botstown, County of Wicklow. It is re- markable, that the ruins of a church, within it, are shown on the Townland Maps of the latter county, sheet 15.
'" Now dividing the present Counties of Kildare and Meath.
" Many of the ancient names, mentioned in the tract, are now obsolete.
"This place ought to be found in the
southern or south-eastern part of the present
County of Wexford, but it has not yet been identified.
'^
According to Harris' Ware, Hy-Kin- sellagh was a territory, containing a great part of the present County of Wexford, ex-
5 See Colg. in's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. xxiv. , pp. 210, 211.
' A. D. 594, according to the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
_
' It is to be found in the Book of Leinster.
This tract has been translated into English, by the eminent Irish Scholar, William M. Hennessy, and the copy is in possession of
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. Ill
king moved northwards, for his principal fort of Rath-Brian Duibh,'* now Rathbran,'5 near Bealach Conghlais, or the modem town of Baltinglass,'* and he passed over Mointeach, Muinchin, Daimhne, or the Deeps,'' Etar, Ard- Choillidh, and Ard-m Bresta. '^ Crossing the River Slaine, or Slaney, Bran- dubh proceeded over the land of Fe,'9 to Bealach-Dubhthaire, now Bealach- Chonghlais. St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore, is said to have had a little church dedicated to him, between Baltinglass and Hollywood, in the county of Wick- low,andinthevicinityofwhere,thebattleofDunbolghadbeenfought. When Brandubh had hastily repaired from Scadhairce—Anglicised Sherk—in the south of Ui-Ceinn-seallagh, he met the Abbot Maedoc at or near the present Baltinglass, and midway between his two religious establishments, the one in Wicklow, and the other at Cluain-mor-Maedhog, in the County of Carlow. Some presents were made, on this occasion," by Bishop Aidan, the monarch's half brother," who informed Brandubh, that the monarch of Ireland had pitched his camp near Dun Buaice. In the Book of the Boru, an eloquent speech of the Bishop before Bran Dubh is to be found, while an invocation oftheelements,andothermovingtopics,arethereintroduced. BranDubh
tending from the River Barrow to the River SUney, and eastwards of the latter. See
These presents fair for Laighen's king, A dainty fleshfork, sharply steeled,
A sword, a cauldron, and a shield. For cooking or prejjaring food Thou'lt find the fleshfork very good, The cauldron fit for boiling meat
For Christ himself commends the heat. Before thee proudly bear this shield 'Gainst those usurpers in the field. And with this sword now gleaming
bright,
O son of Eochaidh I win the fight.
Twas Condleadh, Bridget's artist, made
The fork, so deftly at his trade.
The cauldron forged without alloy. For Lcaghaire, Mai's own valiant
boy 1
This sw—ord of Crimthann's victories
won — This shield did Enna long defend
vol. ii. ,
sect. i. ,p. 50.
"
Antiquities o( Ireland," chap, vii. ,
'•* This name might well enough indicate the appearance and elevated sites of Rath- iforan and Rathnagree, on a high hill west of Baltinglass town ; the former lying partly within the parish of Rathbran, and the latter wholly so. Both are represented, with dou-
"
ble circumvallations, on the
Survey Townland Maps for the County ot Wicklow," sheet 27.
5 In or near the townland of Rathbran
proper, there were two remarkable Raths,
now partially obliterated, on the west bank of the River Slaney, as the writer has been
informed, by an intelligent and middle-aged resident of Baltinglass. Near Stratford-on- Slaney, the Rev. John Francis Shearman states, the ancient fort of Rathbran was situated.
" It lies east and west of the River Slaney. See " Ordnance Survey TownUuid Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheet 27.
' Probably, some place, on the River Slaney's banks, between the present towns of Newtownbarry and Enniscorthy.
"* The foregoing names of places do not seem to be known, at present, but probably, they should be sought for, somewhere within
the present County of Wexford.
' Probably, Fotharta-Kea, afterwards
Fotherta-Ui Nuallain, now the barony of Forth, in the County of Carlow. See Dr. CDonovan's "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," vol. i. , n. (p) p. 333.
Dubhlind.
Which Laighaire of the woes first
gave
To Dubhthach chief of Erin's bards.
And Dubhthach same to Fiacc did leave
His sister's son, with best regards.
These Fiacc gave Dunlaing the great, Which he to Ailill gave in state ; Ailill the gifts conferred on me.
And I, now Brandubh, give it thee ! These presents proudly bear along, The fleshfork and the cauldron strong. The sword that Crimthann's friend oft
stood. WithEnna'sshieldasredas—bloodI I'm Maedoc of a saintly race
Thou art Brandubh, high Laighen's King—
Whilst I'm engaged in acts of grace, Thy war-shouts make the valleys
ting. "
" According to the Tract, which is num- bered H. 218, among the Trinity College Manuscripts, Dublin. The following is a me- trical English translation, by Mr. John M'Call, in which he very closely follows the Irish original ;—
" To thee, great Eochaidh's son I I bring
Ordnance
— gift poet's
This fork's the of son This, Dubhthach's cauldron from
112 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
haddespatchedhim,torequestanarmisticefromthemonarch. Theobject
held in view was to muster his forces, when the King of Leinster should
come, either upon terms of peace, or to give the invaders battle. The bishop
went on this embassy, but the monarch refused to comply with his request.
Addressing his half brother. Bishop Aidan, with insulting language, the latter resented it, by predicting his doom. The monarch afterwards marched with
his forces to Bealach Dunbolg,''' which evidently extended along Hollywood Glen, and over the great, flat, rocky surface called Lee Comaigh-cnamh, or Flag of the Broken Bones.
which are the present Memoir.
largely
availed of in
"He "
is noted as, S. MaidocusdeClauin-
mor Moedhoc, filius Eugenii, filii Brudge, de
Acta Sanctonmi Hiberniae," xxxi. Januarii, Vita S. Maidoci. , Appendix, cap. i. , p, 221, and, also, n. 12, p. 277.
"3 At cap. liii. , in the Irish Life, His feast occurs, at the loth of May.
'< See " Acta Sanctorum Hibernis," viii. Februarii. , De S. Onchuone, n. II. , p. 277.
vestigations,
' See "
quae MS. habentur, ordine Mensium et Dierum. "
' See "Acta Sanctorum Hiliemiae," Feb- niriiviii. , De S. Onchuone Confessore, ex variis. , cap. viii. , and n. 11, p. 277. There, Colgan remarks, that he descended from the royal race of l. einster.
" See "Acta Sanctorum,"tomns ii. , Aprilis
Catalogus
Actuum Sanctorum
Bressalii Belach, II. de April. , quo
him. ' TheBollandists'
Maedoc of Ferns. "
enumeration. See
'"
Loca Patriciana," p. 138.
stirpe
Menolog. Geneal. , cap. 20. " See Colgan's
"
:
io6 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
and, his family descent is to be found, likewise, in Dudley MacFirbis' Ge- nealogies. '* His genealogy as given here varies a little, from that found in the Martyrology of Tallagh,'? which makes Moedoc of Clonmore belong to the race of Dunlaing,'^ who was the son of Enna Nia; but, the difference is not great, as Bressail Belacli and Enna Nia were brothers, and both were the sons of Fiacha Baiceadha, son to Cathair Mor. 's The Martyrology of Donegalconfirmsthisaccount. Brig,daughterofCobthach,sontoCrim- thand, son of Enna Cendselach, is said to have been mother of Segine,^° of
Bishop Aedhan,^' and of Aedh, son to Ainmire, King of Ireland. ^" Maed- hog, and Aedh, son of Ainmire, monarch of Erin, had the same mother,'^ as the Borumha ^t states. Likewise, it is said, that St. Etchen, orjEcian,'^5 -was a
son of Briga,=' the mother of Aedh, son of Ainmire, monarch of Ireland, by Maine Eiges,'? her former husband,''^ and consequently that monarch was halfb—rothertoSt. Etchen. 's Wefind,3°both—MaineEigesandBrigatraced
3'
back but with some discrepancies detected eleven generations to Cucorb,
King of Leinster, the sixteenth in descent from Ugaine Mor. s^ Thus, the present St. Maedhog is said to have been half brother to Aid, son of Ain-
's In the "Naomshancus," at p. 727, is '' Mr. John M'Call has kindly made out written mAO'oos itiac eogAin of Clonmore for me the following pedigree from Dr.
(nth April).
'' See Eugene O'Curry's copy, belonging
to the Royal Irish Academy.
'' The Bdlandists add : As Irish Saints
are recorded, in the Martyrology of Tal- lagh.
'* He was King of Leinster, a. d. 241.
' He was Monarch of Ireland, A. D. 174. °° Venerated, it is thought, atjanuary 21st,
where a notice will be found, but where a difference of conjecture has been hazarded.
' The present saint, it is presumed.
" Letter of William M. Hennessy, to the
writer, and dated 71 Pembroke-road, 24th of September, 1882.
°3 " b|M5 injen chobc^ig, inic Cnitn-
chAinw, inic ent)A Cinj-eAlAig, tnAcliAip Tegine, epf. -AeOAiTi Agujx A. eo&. tnic <Jin-
Book of Lecan, fol.
a. i. , MS. note of William M. Hennessy, at this passage, in his copy of the Donegal
Martyrology.
"< In a note to the Donegal Martyrology,
" The tract so-called, which is a history of the Boromean Tribute. "
'5 The nth of February has been usually assigned for his feast.
'" The pedigree of this noble matron is
thus traced, by Mr. John M'Call, correcting some differences observed by Rev. Dr. Todd, in his "St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," Introduction, Appendix A, Table v. , pp.
Todd's Table, with some added notes of his own. The figures represent the generations
inij\e6, i\i5 ej\enn. "
103,
^* See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- Colgan's
Dr. Todd
says
:
254,255. Thefiguresrepresent—
—
calculated line from Mileadh
:
He was father to 86 Cobtach crom, Oilill, second son, Cobtach, ofArdlatrin, the father of 87 Briga mother of 88 Maidoc or Edan, 88 Bishop of Cluanmor Maedoc, of 88 Etchen, of Cluainfad, A. D. 577, and of 88 Seighan, of
Kilseighan.
the Rev. J. F. Shearman's list, than in Dr.
Todd's, thus occasioning seven missing links in the genealogy of Maidoc mac Maine, on the paternal side, and two more still as com- pared with the different calculations.
Dr. Todd's
84 Enna
the saints were evi- there are two more ICinsellach was father of 85 Crinthann, who generations in Aedan mac ua Dunlaing's, was baptized by St. Patrick, A. D. 448, and than in Briga's line. This latter nobly whose wife was Mell. He was killed 484. born lady was Maedoc's mother. Again, there are two more in Briga's line, in
as removed from Mileadh
:
—60 Mor, Ugaine
King of Ireland, father of 61 Laoghaire Lore,
king from 3649, A. M. to 3665. Here 2$
generations are wanting : O'Flaherty re-
duces them to 15. 76 Cucorb, King of
Leinsier from n3 A. D. to 119, and Ethna
his wife. Their son was 77 Messincorb father
to 78 Eochaid Lamderg, father of 79 Fothad,
father to 80 Eochaid Lamdoit. Some gene-
rations are wanting here, between Garchon, about A. D. 209 and Fincad, slain at the first battle of Graine, A. D. 484. 81 Fothad was father to 82 F'ergus Lamderg, father of 83 Maine Mac Eiges the poet. His sons were 84 Maedoc of Clonmore, 84 Etchen of Cluainlota, and 84 Seighan of Killseighan.
nis," Februarii xi. De S. Etchaenio Epis- copo Cluainfodensi, ex variis, cap. i. , and nn. Ito8,pp. 304to306.
°9 Are Maine Eiges, and Eugene, St. Miadoc of Clonmore 's fatlier, one and the same person, and were the two saints, bro- thers? or was their mother Briga married the third time, and were they only uterine brothers ? is a query proposed by Mr. M'Call.
3° In Rev. Dr. Todd's "Life of St.
Patrick," Appendix A to Introduction, Table
v. , and pp. 253 to 255.
3'
At the best, these genealogies are very
thus, dently contemporaries,
imperfect
though
April ii. ] LIVES QF THE IRISH SAINTS. 107
mire, monarch of Ireland. 33 From this instance, and from otherfcases re- corded, it would seem, that brothers bearing a similar name were to be found
frequently in the same family.
The birth of our saint took place, probably before the middle of the sixth
century,buttheyearisnotknown. Somedifficultieshavearisen,toascer-
Uin, if a St. Aedh,3-» Oengen, or Oilean, called also Maedoc Ua Dunlaing of theIsland,35couldnothavebeenidenticalwiththepresentSt. Maedoc. If resolved in the affirmative, this latter may be considered to have had a spe- cial connexion with Glendalough, and to have had distinct festivals, one at April 7th, the other, at the present date.
11>
Clonmore Cemetery, County of Carlow.
This holy . Abbot's chief house was situated, it is thought, at
the present Clonmore, in the Barony of Rathvilly, and County of Carlow,3* The exact year when it was founded has not been ascer- tained ; and now, there are no vestiges left of the ancient building.
^ He was King of Ireland from A. M. 3619
to 3649.
^^ See Dr. O'Donovan's summarized state-
ment from the Boromha Laighean, in note (h) to "Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland," by the Four Masters, vol. i. , p. 218.
^ His feast has been entered already, at
the 7th of April. According to Rev. John Francis Shearman's "Loca Pairiciana,' No.
7. Cathaoir Mor, King of Lcinster, from A. D. 173 to 177, and the 55th in descent from Mileadh, was his ancestor ; thus is the line
:
the Boromha Tribute to be exacted from the Leinstermen. Me was father of 60 Oilill, father to 61 Faelan, father of 62 Dunlaing K. L. ,whodiedbeforeA. D. 460. Hiswife was Cuach from the Hy-Bairclie. Their son was 63 lollam, baptized at Naas. by St. Patrick. loliam was father to 64 Nadboid, father of 65 Bruighde, father of 66 Eoghan (third son), father to 67 Aedan mac Ua Dun- laing of Glendalough ,vwtns A. D. 598, at the timeoftheBattleofDunbolg. See"The Genealogy of the Ui Dunlaing, the Ui
traced —55
Briuin
138- 35
and
the Ui
of Fiacha Baicheda, father to 57 Bresal Belach,
father of Enna 5S
father to Dun- 59
to have been the Island of Our Saviour, at Glendalough.
Cathaoir Mor, father
56
Cualann,
Mail," &c. , p.
Nia,
laing K. L. 298, who slew the royal maidens at the Claenifert of Tara, and who first caused
Conjectured
3* Mr. M'Call, very doubtful on the sub-
io8 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
Its site, near the village, was in, or very near, a much-frequented graveyard,3' whichliesaboutsevenmilessouthfromBaltinglass,countyofWicklow. At
present, near the village of Clonmore,3* in the townland and parish so named, are the graveyard and some interesting remains, which had connexion with our saint's former monastery ;39 although we find it stated, that the traditions of this place rather connect it with St. Maidoc, venerated on the 31st of January. Atpresent,besidethegraveyardrunsapublicroad,leadingfrom the village to the old castle t" of Clonmore,*' and this road was sunk through the very centre of the old graveyard, in a manner most hurtful to the Chris- tian feeling of the old Catholic inhabitants, and very unnecessarily from an engineering point of view. On the south side of this road is the principal cemetery,''^ used by the people, and in the centre appears the broken shaft of an ancient granite cross, nearly six feet in height. Beside it, concealed among thick black-thorn bushes, is the circularly formed head, but rather in a mutilated condition. s On the opposite side of the road, there is another large granite cross, 't't not far from the Protestant church. This monument is shown as St. Mogue's cross.
According to tradition, the whole valley, extending from Clonmore •'s to Aghold,''* in former
was called "
"Meadow;" while a portion of Clonmore townland, to the westward
times,
Mogue's great glen,"
or " lawn," or Mogue's big
" it is to decide, nearly impossible
quities
of Ireland," vol. i. , p. 76. These
ject, says,
whether it was the old Maidoc, son of Maine Eiges, the half-brother to Aedh, son of Ain- mire, or his new rival. Maidoc Ui Dun- laing, son of Eoghan, Bishop of Glendalough, founded this celebrated monastery. But, unless there was some other saint of the name 'of the race of Dunlaing,' there are strong proofs extant of this latter being the true founder ; and, therefore, the two entries
were taken from sketches by Lieutenant
Daniel Grose in 1792 ; nor do the features of
the old castle present much change to the
present time.
*' In St. Broccan's Poem, called l&txM riA techc, or Lay of the Graves, as found in the "Book of Leinster," fol. 24 a 2 ofthe old pagination, the poet says, he had not heard mentioned in any place a cluain like the
in the Martyrologies, the one '
'
Aedh of the
holy cemetery of Aedh Find
— :
of Glendalough, at April 7th, and
Island
the other ' Aedhan of Clonmore,' at April nth, may have reference to the one party, Maedoc of Clonmore. "
3' It was formerly known as the Relic Aingel of the oratory, in Cluain Mor Maedoc, as we learn, from a gloss to the Feilire of St.
^ngus, at the 8lh of February, regarding St. Onchuo, 01 Ternoc (thy Ernoc), in the Leabhar Breac. There, too, we find the comment, Cepnoc cpen Acti<si\bA, meaning
1]" ctuAin itninep niem i\elic -deXJA pnt), ^e^\> A'oj:'ei'Oim
InniAin inAT) ei)-ei\5i 1 ^\X mAi\C|\A fi'oem fi h-efedn
Tloe pchic ci\umchij\e coic tniti moir>A fopx)^,
Ac moe-ooc Vi. fi-tJonlAinge acac & fepcA.
It is thu—s translated, by William M.
" his Ternog, strong
to Hennessy
Whiiley Stokes.
3^ In the barony of Rathvilly. It is shown,
on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Carlow," sheet 9.
3' There is a description of this parish, by Patrick O'Keefe, in a letter, da'. ed Tullow,
"
Letters relat- ing to the Antiquities of the County of Car- low, containing Information collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in
1839," pp. 372 to 390.
for a of this old castle. 335, description
August 7th, 1829, among the
"' " See Ryan's
«The accompanying engraving by Mrs.
Millard, from a drawing, taken by the writer,
in was transferred to the wood August, 1882,
by William F. Wakeman.
« An old inhabitant of Clonmore, in 1839,
and
ofthe County of Carlow," chap, xxxi. , p.
profit," according
:
' ' And a cluain like the holy cemetery of Aedh-find, as I relate,
A delightful place of resurrection, in which are the relics of Erin's saints. Nine score presbyters, five thousand
manly nobles,
With Moedoc, descendant of Dun-
History
Antiquities
that she remembered of some remains of an old church near it. Ac- Clonmore Castle, in Francis Grose's " Anti- cording to her account, two gables stood,
*'—
There are two line copperplate engra- O'Keefe,
ings an interior and an exterior
view
— told Patrick
lang,
are their
graves. "
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 109
ofthehighroad,andsouthoftheoldcastleandcemetery-ground,is called, atthepresentday,theBigMeadow. OntheOrdnanceSurveyMaps,itis
even thus designated.
The celebrated ruler of Hy-Kinsellagh, named Brandubh, son to Ethah or
Eochaidh, had killed Cumuscach, son to Aedh, at Dunbucat, now Dunboyke, a townland in Hollywood parish, barony of Lower Talbotstown, and county of Wicklow,<7 about a. d. 596. *' To this event, and to the results which fol- lowed, allusion has been already made, in the Life of St. Maidoc,*' Patron and Bishop of Ferns ;5° yet, the old writer seems to have made some errone- ous historic statements, so that we may doubt, if his sources of information
were accurate in other particulars. Perhaps, even, the St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns, may have been mistaken,^' in the course of his biographer's narrative, for St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore. And, the allusion to this latter holy
"
person, as a
warlike kinsman," in the Feilire of St. . ^ngus, appears to
strengthen such supposition.
Our Irish Annals relate, that Aedh, son to Ainmire, who was King of
Ireland, had collected a great army, which he led against Brandubh, more
immediatelytoavengethedeathofhisson,Cuasg,orCumuscach;5» and,in
all likelihood, to curb the power of a provincial king, so great as a warrior,
in his day. To this expedition and its results, we shall more particularly
refer, in the subsequent chapter, since its historic importance gives it a spe- cial celebrity in our Irish Annals.
CHAPTER II.
ST. MAEDOC PLACES DICHOLLA GAIRBH OVER CLONMORE MONASTERY—INVASION OP LEINSTER BY KING AEDH—ST. MAEDOC TAKES SIDES WITH THE LEINSTERMEN AND WITH THEIR KING BRANDUBH—STRATAGEM WHICH DECIDES THE BATTLE OF DUNBOLG, IN THEIR FAVOUR—RESULTS OF AND DATE FOR THIS REMARKABLE EVENT.
OverClonmore,St. MaidochadplacedoneDichoUaGairbh,'asabbot; and,
with his the founder was • at the time of Aedh's invasion. disciple, staying,
the victory for Brandubh, at the battle of Dunbolg, A. D. 594; but, Mr. John M'Call has observed to the writer, that St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore, was the true participant, The Book of the Boru and the Annals of the Four Masters, however, have called the latter a bishop, and this probably led Dr. O'Donovanastray; although,hemighthave noticed, that the former authority distinctly calb the holy man the monarch's "half- brother," and besides, St. Maidoc of Ferns was a Conacian.
s""Pendant I'annfe 593. . . . Ce Cumuscach ^tait un monarque tres-immoral. " Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 216, 217, and —L'Abbe Emmanuel Domenech's " Les notes [d, e, f,]. According to the Four Mas- Gorges du Diable, Voyage et Aventures en ters, this ev^nt occurred, a. d. 593. Irlande, Souvenirs d'un Touriste," chap, ii. ,
<• According to the " Annals of Ulster. " p. 84. —
« ' this
with a door in either, but in a battered con- dition ; perhaps, we should be justified in supposing, that the west gable, at least, had a doorway, as in most old Irish churches. while the other might represent a breached wall or east window.
*5 For the fullest and most interesting ac- count of this place, the reader is referred to
"
Mr. John . M'Call's
of CIuain-mor-Maedhoc," Dublin, 1862, 8vo.
is asa Derry quoted proof.
Antiquities and History
**Mr. M'Call states, that it was formerly «' dense forest, and a local denomination,
*' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
His feast occurs, at the 31st of January. Seevol. i. ofourwork,atthatdate.
Chapter
* See chap, iv. , with illustrative notes.
'"Dr. O'Donovan attributes to him, a dubh succeeded as monarch. He is vene-
son to Aid, King of Leinster, to whom Bran partidpation in the plan, which achieved rated, at the isth of March,
ii. Abbot,tohavebeenDichull,sontoNessan,
Colgan supposes
no LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ir.
While some have thought, this Clonmore was in the barony of Bantry, in the county of Wexford f others assert, that it was Clonmore Maodhog, in the
county of Carlow ; and that, not the patron saint of Ferns, but the patron saint of the latter place, was the person meant in our ancient records. 3 On this threatened invasion of Aedh, many of the inhabitants fled, with their substance,toSt. Maidoc. Theyhopedtoobtainprotectionthroughhim,on account of the extraordinary veneration in which he was held, as also, from the circumstance of his near relationship to the Irish monarch. But, it would appear,'*thatKingAedhwasmovedbyneitheroftheseconsiderations; and, he advanced, to make a spoil of whatever valuables had been collected, at Clonmore. Whereupon,theholyAbbotwentforthtomeetAedh'shosting. With the end of his staff, Maidoc marked the sign of the cross, at a place, beyond which this army should not march. But, a certain soldier who had the presumption to stray from the ranks, with an intention of passing that spot, fell down instantly and died. Terrified by such an example, the other
warriors returned to the king, relating what had occurred, and bearing the dead body of their fellow-soldier, as a testimony of the power, exercised by God's servant. The king immediately replied, that they could no longer presume to contend with God, and he retired with his whole army. s
Yet, a desire of being avenged for the death of his son seems to have
actuated the exasperated monarch. During the following year,'having collected a great number of men, drawn principally from the northern parts of Ireland, and from the territories of Connaught, Munster and Northern Leinster, Aedh marched towards Hy-Kinsellagh, intending to dethrone King Brandubh. The origin and issue of this remarkable expedition is recorded, with very romantic
incidents, in the historical tract, known as the Borumha-Laighean. ? In it, we are informed, that when Aedh, son of Ainmire, heard at his palace of Aileach,* in Ulster, that his son Comascach had been killed at Dun-Buchat,9 he assembled the forces of Leath-Chuinn, or the Northern half of Ireland, and marched at their head to the River Righe, or Rye,'° on the confines of the Meath and Leinster provinces, in order to avenge the death of Cumascach. From the River Rye, Aedh proceeded directly for that place,^where his son had been killed, and pitched his camp at Baeth-Eabha," close to Dun- Buaice. Then, Bran Dubh, King of Leinster, happened to he staying at a place, called Scadhaire, or Skerk," in the south of Ui-Ceinn-sealaigh. '3 Hearing of the monarch's arrival with his army, at the Righe ; the Leinster
° This Clonmore is situated on the banks
of the River Slaney. . Archdall, Dr. Lanigan, and other writers have attributed to this place the historic references, which rather belong to Clonmore, in the^County of Car- low.
3 A letter, dated Dublin, 25 Patrick-street, August 3rd, 1873, and written by Mr. John M'Call, first corrected my own impressions on this matter.
* According to the Life of St. Maidoc, Bishop of Ferns.
the Rev. John Francis Shearman, C. C. , Howth, has been lent to the author.
* The remarkable old fortress, near the present city of Londonderry,
« Probably Dunboyke, a townland in the parish of Hollywood, barony of Lower Tal- botstown, County of Wicklow. It is re- markable, that the ruins of a church, within it, are shown on the Townland Maps of the latter county, sheet 15.
'" Now dividing the present Counties of Kildare and Meath.
" Many of the ancient names, mentioned in the tract, are now obsolete.
"This place ought to be found in the
southern or south-eastern part of the present
County of Wexford, but it has not yet been identified.
'^
According to Harris' Ware, Hy-Kin- sellagh was a territory, containing a great part of the present County of Wexford, ex-
5 See Colg. in's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," xxxi. Januarii. Vita S. Maidoci, cap. xxiv. , pp. 210, 211.
' A. D. 594, according to the " Annals of the Four Masters. "
_
' It is to be found in the Book of Leinster.
This tract has been translated into English, by the eminent Irish Scholar, William M. Hennessy, and the copy is in possession of
April ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. Ill
king moved northwards, for his principal fort of Rath-Brian Duibh,'* now Rathbran,'5 near Bealach Conghlais, or the modem town of Baltinglass,'* and he passed over Mointeach, Muinchin, Daimhne, or the Deeps,'' Etar, Ard- Choillidh, and Ard-m Bresta. '^ Crossing the River Slaine, or Slaney, Bran- dubh proceeded over the land of Fe,'9 to Bealach-Dubhthaire, now Bealach- Chonghlais. St. Maidoc, Abbot of Clonmore, is said to have had a little church dedicated to him, between Baltinglass and Hollywood, in the county of Wick- low,andinthevicinityofwhere,thebattleofDunbolghadbeenfought. When Brandubh had hastily repaired from Scadhairce—Anglicised Sherk—in the south of Ui-Ceinn-seallagh, he met the Abbot Maedoc at or near the present Baltinglass, and midway between his two religious establishments, the one in Wicklow, and the other at Cluain-mor-Maedhog, in the County of Carlow. Some presents were made, on this occasion," by Bishop Aidan, the monarch's half brother," who informed Brandubh, that the monarch of Ireland had pitched his camp near Dun Buaice. In the Book of the Boru, an eloquent speech of the Bishop before Bran Dubh is to be found, while an invocation oftheelements,andothermovingtopics,arethereintroduced. BranDubh
tending from the River Barrow to the River SUney, and eastwards of the latter. See
These presents fair for Laighen's king, A dainty fleshfork, sharply steeled,
A sword, a cauldron, and a shield. For cooking or prejjaring food Thou'lt find the fleshfork very good, The cauldron fit for boiling meat
For Christ himself commends the heat. Before thee proudly bear this shield 'Gainst those usurpers in the field. And with this sword now gleaming
bright,
O son of Eochaidh I win the fight.
Twas Condleadh, Bridget's artist, made
The fork, so deftly at his trade.
The cauldron forged without alloy. For Lcaghaire, Mai's own valiant
boy 1
This sw—ord of Crimthann's victories
won — This shield did Enna long defend
vol. ii. ,
sect. i. ,p. 50.
"
Antiquities o( Ireland," chap, vii. ,
'•* This name might well enough indicate the appearance and elevated sites of Rath- iforan and Rathnagree, on a high hill west of Baltinglass town ; the former lying partly within the parish of Rathbran, and the latter wholly so. Both are represented, with dou-
"
ble circumvallations, on the
Survey Townland Maps for the County ot Wicklow," sheet 27.
5 In or near the townland of Rathbran
proper, there were two remarkable Raths,
now partially obliterated, on the west bank of the River Slaney, as the writer has been
informed, by an intelligent and middle-aged resident of Baltinglass. Near Stratford-on- Slaney, the Rev. John Francis Shearman states, the ancient fort of Rathbran was situated.
" It lies east and west of the River Slaney. See " Ordnance Survey TownUuid Maps for the County of Wicklow," sheet 27.
' Probably, some place, on the River Slaney's banks, between the present towns of Newtownbarry and Enniscorthy.
"* The foregoing names of places do not seem to be known, at present, but probably, they should be sought for, somewhere within
the present County of Wexford.
' Probably, Fotharta-Kea, afterwards
Fotherta-Ui Nuallain, now the barony of Forth, in the County of Carlow. See Dr. CDonovan's "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," vol. i. , n. (p) p. 333.
Dubhlind.
Which Laighaire of the woes first
gave
To Dubhthach chief of Erin's bards.
And Dubhthach same to Fiacc did leave
His sister's son, with best regards.
These Fiacc gave Dunlaing the great, Which he to Ailill gave in state ; Ailill the gifts conferred on me.
And I, now Brandubh, give it thee ! These presents proudly bear along, The fleshfork and the cauldron strong. The sword that Crimthann's friend oft
stood. WithEnna'sshieldasredas—bloodI I'm Maedoc of a saintly race
Thou art Brandubh, high Laighen's King—
Whilst I'm engaged in acts of grace, Thy war-shouts make the valleys
ting. "
" According to the Tract, which is num- bered H. 218, among the Trinity College Manuscripts, Dublin. The following is a me- trical English translation, by Mr. John M'Call, in which he very closely follows the Irish original ;—
" To thee, great Eochaidh's son I I bring
Ordnance
— gift poet's
This fork's the of son This, Dubhthach's cauldron from
112 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April ii.
haddespatchedhim,torequestanarmisticefromthemonarch. Theobject
held in view was to muster his forces, when the King of Leinster should
come, either upon terms of peace, or to give the invaders battle. The bishop
went on this embassy, but the monarch refused to comply with his request.
Addressing his half brother. Bishop Aidan, with insulting language, the latter resented it, by predicting his doom. The monarch afterwards marched with
his forces to Bealach Dunbolg,''' which evidently extended along Hollywood Glen, and over the great, flat, rocky surface called Lee Comaigh-cnamh, or Flag of the Broken Bones.
