^9 Not far from the ruins of
Sheepstown
Church may be traced the site of Sheeps-
**
"^
See the ingenious and learned disserta-
Derrynahinch Old Church, County Kilkenny.
**
"^
See the ingenious and learned disserta-
Derrynahinch Old Church, County Kilkenny.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v2
See
" Transactions of the Kilkenny and South-
East of Ireland Archaeological Society,"
by Ugaine Mor, who thus revenged the death of his foster-mother, Queen Macha. The celebrated ruler of Ireland, known as Ugony the Great, is thought to have carried his conquests to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and he is said to have possessed great powerintheWesternIslesofEurope. He divided Ireland into twenty-five districts, which were apportioned among his twenty-
vol. i. , pars ii. 9 ' '
of the
two sons and three
See Proceedings
Royal
Irish
daughters
it and, is
;
says,
reign
narch Reachtaidh Righdhearg, or
"
from the Calendar of Cashel, was slain a. m. ""
256 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS [February 2.
Raighne. Thisterritorywaseithercalledafterhim,orhegavenametothe territory. It is said, to h. ive been that great central plain of Ossory, which includes the lower valley of the River Nore, and the valley of the King's River. In the first century, ^ngus founded that petty principality, which formed a nucleus for the future kingdom of Ossory. For some centuries, this territory, denominated Laighin deas Gabhair, is thought to have com- prisedtwoancientprovinces,knownasFeimhinandRaighne. Thesecon- tinued united, until the middle of the fifth century, when ^ngus Mac Nad- frach'5 expelled the Ossoronians from Femhin, and annexed it to Munster. Afterwards, the kingdom of Ossory was confined to the sin[;le province of Raighne ; whence, its kings for many centuries were denominated, Righ
stated, that this division of territory lasted Great exacted an oath of allegiance, from for three hundred years, after his time. his subjects, in behalf of his posterity. He The names of these territories and of ruled over Ireland forty years—others state
Ugaine's children, to whom they were al-
lotted, are given, with some variations, in
our ancient manuscripts. The following
seems a fairly correct enumeration. To his Ptolomaeus Lagides. See Dr. O'Gonor's sons—viz. : i. Breagh or Bregia, in Meath " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus or Dublin county, to Cobhtach Gael. 2. i. Prolegomina ad Annales, p. xlviii. Ac- Muirtheimhne, in the present county of cording to their different basis for computa- Louth, to Cobhtach Minn. 3. The lands tion—the Four Masters and Lynch, follow- about the River Liffey, in Leinster, to Lae- ing the septuagint, have his death at A. M. ghaire Lore. 4. Magh-Fea, in the present 4606, O'PUaherty at A. M. 3649, and Keating
county of Carlow, to Fuilne. 5. Magh- at A. M. 3616—proportionately
are the
reigns
Nair, to Nar. 6. Magh-Raighne, in Ossory, of our Irish monarchs dated. O'Flaherty
to Raighne. 7. Magh Nairbh, to Narbh. makes Hugony the Great enter upon his
8. Airgeatross, on the River Nore, to Cinga. reign, that very year when Alexander the
9. Magh Tarra, to Tair. lo, Treitherne, Great began to rule over the Persians. He to Triath. 1 1. Luachair-Deaghaidh, in states, that the year of the world 3619 going Kerry, to Sen. 12. Cluain-Corca-Oiche, out, and 3620 coming from the Autumnal in Ui-Fibhgheinte, to Bard. 13. The Equinox, agree with A. M. 4383, according Southern Deisi, to Fergus Gnoi. 14. to the Julian period. See "Ogygia," pars ii. ,
Aidhne, in the diocese of Kilmacduagh, p. 106. This, he states, on the authority of *'
to Orb. 15. Moenmhagh, in Glanrickard, a native Garmen Ghronographicum :" in the present county of Galway, to Moen.
16. Magh-Aei, in the present county of
Roscommon, to Sanbh. 17. Gliu Mail, in
Coshlea, county of Limerick, to Muiread-
hachMai. 18. Seolmhagh,nowthebarony
of Glare, county of Galway, to Eochaidh.
19. Latharna, in the county of Antrim, to
Latham. 20. Midhe, to Marc. 21. Line,
or Magh-Line, county of Antrim, to Laegh.
22. Corann, in the present county of Sligo,
to Gairbre. To his daughters were allot-
ted—viz. : I. Magh Ailbe, in the present
county of Kildare, to Ailbe. 2. Magh- part i. , chap, vii. , pp. 248 to 250.
Aeife, otherwise called Magh-Feimheann, now the baronies of Iffa and Offa East, in the county of Tipperary, to Aeife or Eva. 3. Magh-Muirisce, in the present county of Mayo,toMuirisc. Fromtheforegoingde- nominations, it would seem, that many of our ancient territories derived their names fromthechildrenofHugotheGreat. Of all his sons, however, only two left issue, namely Gobhthach Gael, and Laeghaire Lore, from whom all of Heremon's race that survive are descended. See Dr.
'S In Michael Kearney's (a. u. 1635) trans- lation of John O'Dugan's Irish poem, Hio§A p'l eibi]A, we hav—e the following account in
"
vol. i. , n. (z), pp. 74 to 77. Hugony the
O'Donovan's
Annals of the Four Masters,"
only thirty—when he was slain by Badh- bhchadh.
**
Triginta Hugonius Rex annos transtulit in se
"» Flam sjmchronizes Ugaine Mor, with
Regni Herimoniades jura, suumquc genus.
Gcepit, Alexander Darium quo vicerat, anno :
Vergiviumque ultra protulit arma sa« lum. "
—
Keating's "History of Ireland," book i. ,
Ibid. , p. 449. See, likewise, O'Mahony's
reference to him
:
•'
—"TheKingsoftheRaceofEibhear. " A
Ghronological Poem. Edited by John O'Daly, p. 15.
And Aongus the sonn of Nadfraoich
raigned. Ofyearsfull36;
And confirmed in faith that Warriour to
Death,
Mac Earca and OilioU did fix. "
February 2. ] LIVES OF THE IJ^/SIT SAINTS. 257
Raighne,or"thekingsofRaighne. " This,itisconjectured,wasneithera tribe,district,norasub-denominationofOssory; but,itwasaprimitivepro- vince, long anterior to the establishment of that kingdom, by ^ngus its
founder. It having formed the principal part of Laighin deas Gabhair, at the end of the ninth century, Cormac Mac Cuilleanan, King of South
Munster,claimedjurisdictionoverRaighne. Ceallachwasthenkingover Ossory ; and, a compromise appears to have been effected, the terms of which guaranteed to Cormac possession of that part, south of the King's River,inthepresentcountyofKilkenny. Mr. JohnHoganwillnotallow, however, that the present saint was either the patron or titular of Killinny,^^ where the old local church^? and a well^^ had been dedicated to St. Lrigid. '? Nor will he admit, the identification of Cill-Finche,=^° with the present town- land of KilHnny,^^ since there is no hill there, or in its neighbourhood, nor in the spacious plain between it and the Killamery ridge, except the one great and remarkable eminence, called Knock-ad-Raighne. =^^ This, he states, beyond all doubt, must have been the place, formerly called Dorn- buidhe,''^ Ath-Duirnbuidhe is considered to have been a pass, over one of the streams, which wash the base of that hill. Either the ancient church on the townland of Sheepstown,=^4 in the parish and barony of Knocktopher, or that of Kilree^s—the latter not a very probable conjectured^—is believed by
''^
In the charter of Henry IV. to the
had a former existence.
=^The hill of Roigne stands out very
boldly, commanding the broad plain be- neath. It affords a very exalted position over the valley, which from this narrows itself into the pass of Bealach-Ele.
^3 Mr. John Hogan thinks, a part of this word may still be found in the termination
of a townland title, Baun-a-Volla-Buidhe, rendered for him "the fallow field," or " the bawn of Buidhe," situated on the side of Knock-ad-Raighne. He renders Ath-
Priory of Kells, this church, called Killinthy, is enumerated among the ecclesiastical houses, affihated to that establishment.
^7 Its ruins existed near Mr. Hutchinson's
house, down to the present century.
^^ The sacred character of wells may pro- bably be traced from the Old Testament, to an ancient Jewish veneration for them, as connected with the holy patriarchs, and otherdistinguishedservantsofGod. Thus, Abraham and Isaac dug several wells. The well of Jacob is hkewise mentioned. (Genesis xxvi. , xxix. , St. John iv,, 12. ) Allusion to their sanative properties and use frequently occurs in the Sacred Scriptures. "In that day, there shall be a fountain open to the
house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem : for the washing of the sinner," &c. (Zacharias xiii. , i. )
^9 Her patron used to be annually ob-
served there, on the 1st of February, and
St. Brigid's Well still preserves, for the place, the name of its ancient patroness.
"
=^4 InDr. Petrie'swork,thereisanengrav-
^°
This church was burned by the fo-
ing, which represents the arched door-way of this church—the ancient name of which
is wholly forgotten in the locality, as well as the name of its patron or founder. The door-way is in the centre of the west wall, and it is composed of sandstone, well chi- selled. It measures seven feet, in height, to the vertex of the arch. It has a torus or bead-moulding,alongitsexternaledges; it is over three feet, in width, and the jambs arethreefeet,inthickness. Ithasimposts, immediately under the curvature of the arch. See "The Ecclesiastical Architec- ture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs. I, p. 178.
P- 57-
=° Kilree Church, with its Cloighteach
and stone cross, seem to have been under
the patronage of St. Brigid. See "Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County
ofKilkenny. " Sheet27.
reigners,A. D. 836. Incourseofsomeyears, Cearbhall or Carroll, Lord of Ossory, be-
came distinguished as a warrior. He gained a great victory over the Port-Lairge or Wa-
at
pirates, Achadh-mic-Erclaighe, A. D. 858. The year succeeding, he renewed the fair of
Roighne, and probably about this period, if not before, the church of Cill-Finche was rebuilt. See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 456, 457, 492 to 495-
^'
There is neither trace, nor tradition of a church, existing there ; yet, it seems pro- bable, the name is, derived from one, which
=^5 This however, does not locality,
terford fleet of the northern
appear to be much insisted on as the probable site. An engraving of its round tower and ancient cross is given in Mr. and Mrs. Hall's "Ire- land : its scenery, character," &c. , vol. ii. ,
Vol. II. —No. 5.
S
Duirnbuidhe,
the ford of the yellow fist. "
258 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS [February 2. Mr. Hogan to have been identical with Cill-Finnche, from the fact that both
"
of these stand at the foot of the
great hill of Raighne. "^' Not only did such
territory embrace that fine tract of country, spreading out in front of this
hill, and extending thence, through Dunnamaggin and Ballytobin, to the
bordersofTipperary; but,itwasofmuchgreaterextent,goingbeyondthe
bounds of the present Kells barony, to the baronies of Shillalogher, Cran- nagh, and Callan. Even the great plain, surrounding the city of Kilkenny
itself, is thought to have been included, within the ancient territory of Raighne,whichwasco-extensivewiththecountryofLowerOssory. Indeed, it has been asserted, that Raighne was not a sub-denomination of Ossory, but,thatitwastheoriginalnameforthislatterkingdom. ^^ Thechurchof Sheepstown,^9—in Irish called Ballynageragh,—down to a verymodem period, stood in the centre of a public common, supposed to be the site of an ancient town. Fromitmaybetracedtheremainsofoldroads,radiatingfromitin various directions. One of these ran directly under the walls of the old
" Butts. " The remains of another old route, about half-a-mile below Knock- topher, wends its way beyond the old paper-mill. There, it intersects the
priory of Knocktopher, and it forms, to the present day, what is called
the
boldly, over the broad plain beneath, and it affords a commanding position over the valley, which from this narrows itself into the pass of Bealach-Ele.
189 to 214, with accompanying map.
^9 Not far from the ruins of Sheepstown Church may be traced the site of Sheeps-
**
"^
See the ingenious and learned disserta-
Derrynahinch Old Church, County Kilkenny.
present high road to Ballyhale, as it runs towards Derrynahinch church,3° not far from the latter place. Several trees now surround Derrynahinch
'7 This, we are told, stands out very year 1864," vol. v. New series, part i. , pp.
"
and Papers of the Kilkenny and South-East
tion of Mr. John Hogan in
of Ireland Archaeological Society for the
of Kilkenny. " Sheet 31.
3° The site of Derrynahinch church and
Proceedings
Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County
town Castle. Both are shown on the
graveyard will be found on the
**
Ordnance
February 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 259
ruins,3^ the walls of which are richly draped with ivy. This church is said to have been dedicated to St. Martin. 32 Here, too, a patron was held on hisday. 33 OneofthefineststretchesoflandinIrelandmaybeviewedfrom this spot. According to the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the Irish Apostle was the primitive founder of Mar-thor-theach, in Mag-Rigne, after he had left Belach-Gaurain, passing through Ossory,34 on his way to the bounds of Munster. 35 AthirdroadmaybetracedtotheprimitivelocalityofAugha- viller. 3^ Here, there is a round tower. 37 That which more immediately belongs to the object of this enquiry is a road, that led to the pass of Bea- lach-Ele,3^ and thence over Sliabh-Branach39 to the valley of the Suir. The course of this ancient way is marked by a regular line of townland villages, ruined castles, and ancient churches, which now lie far away from the public high-roads, concealed in rude bosheens, only surviving segments of the great thoroughfare, that in early times ran through Knockmoylan, Kilkeasy, and Kilcurl^o to Sheepstown, where it finds the stream, under the church at Ath- Duirn-Buidhe. Thence, it runs into the fields, and it is still open, as a neglected by-path, to Danganbeg Castle,^^ through the townland of Tinvaun. Thisroad,atpresent,isnotopenthroughSheepstown; but,fromthecastle of Kilcurl, it is turned out of the old track, and, by a modern line, it con- ductstothevillageofKnocktopher. Asimilarchangewaseffected,inthis road, at the north side of Sheepstown ; for, here, too, the ancient path is turned off by a modern line, to the town of Knocktopher, which proves, that in remote times, the great high-road ran direct through the centre of Sheeps-
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kilkenny," on Sheet 32, between Derryna- hinch House and grounds, and Kiltorcan House and grounds, beside an old road-
way.
3' The accompanying engraving, by Mrs.
Millard, is from a drawing, taken on the spot, by the writer, in March, 1873. Notes,
descriptive of the ruins, he regrets having lost or mislaid ; but, as recollection serves,
titular St. Martin. That pastor abolished some nonsensical ceremonies of the former patron, but, very properly, he had the festi- val restored to its primitive simplicity and
dignity, by inaugurating its observance as a day for solemn and annual worship.
34 St. Patrick founded many other churches in ancient Ossory.
35 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii," pars iii. , cap.
within the ancient church, and under a xxvii,, xxviii. , p. 153.
ruinous east window, were the remains of an old stone-work altar. The view, in the illustration, represents a north or north-
westernaspect.
3^ Until of late years, his "patron" was
observed there, on the nth of November. —Mr. Hogan identifies this with Marthorteach
thinks
which he to be formed from Mar-
3^ Where there is an old church, round tower, graveyard and ruined castle, shown
*'
theen-teach, z>. , Martin's house. " This 639-
also stood within the ancient plain of Magh
Roighne. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals
of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (t), p. 494, at A. D. 859.
33 This was done, towards the close of the
last century, in the churchyard of Derryna- hinch. The patron was afterwards trans-
ferred to the chapel-yard of Ballyhale, where it continued to be kept on the Sunday next
after the I ith of November, f—or many years.
3^ This ancient denomination is said to be preserved, at the present day, in the rather modern village of Ballyhale, midway be- tween Kilkenny and Waterford. It is now a station, on the railroad connecting both cities. This town is within the old parish of Derrynahinch, represented on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kilkenny. " Sheets 31, 32, 35, 36.
39 Now the Walsh Mountains.
grotesque-looking figure possibly A —
4°
and a graveyard, as also a castle. See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
"
around the graveyard. This was intended
to represent the patron saint. Archdeacon
O'Shea, P. P. , on completion of his new Townland Maps for the County of Kil- church at Ballyhale had it dedicated to the kenny. " Sheet 31.
ancient one and carved as a bishop in pon-
tificals, used to be carried in procession
an
Here there is an old church in ruins
''
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
on the
fortheCountyofKilkenny. " Sheet31.
37 A rude engraving of it is presented in Tighe's "Statistical Observations relative to the County of Kilkenny, made in the years 1 800 and 1 801," part iii. , sect. 19, p.
Sheet 3 1 .
4* Shown on the " Ordnance Survey
County of Kilkenny.
26o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS
[February 2.
town. 42 Yet, when in later times, Knocktopher43 had grown up as its suc- cessful rival, the road was curved from the ancient and made to pass through the modem to\vn. Within a few hundred yards of Sheepstown church, the present road curves round to cross a stream, and over a stone bridge, at which place the rivulet spreads over a greater width, and forms a shallow. The old road, forming part of the great highway, that led from Bealach Ele through the plain of Magh Roighna, sank down to the water. Its banks accommodate themselves to the old track, which is yet visible through the fields, from Danganbeg direction. This is thought to have been the exact site of that ford, known as Ath-Duirnbuidhe. About a-quarter of a mile,
beyond this stream, rises the magnificent elevation of Knock-ad-Raighne. 44 Its eastern and southern slopes are covered by the spacious plantations of Flood Hall,4s once the seat of the celebrated Henry Flood ;46 but, its south- western declivities are bare and precipitous. Its proximity to Sheepstown church, and to the ford already mentioned, renders it pretty certain^r that venerable ruin occupies the site of the ancient historical church of Cill- Finnche. Itstandsonaneminence,overthevalley,throughwhichmeanders the mountain stream, which flows thence, through the town of Knocktopher. ^^ The church had no chancel ; it is a rude oblong building. It has a single and rather rude stunted lancet window, in the east gable. The head is rounded out of two single stones, and the jambs are widely splayed internally, in the Hiberno-Romanesque style. Within the present townland of Killinny, every vestige of an old church, or even of a graveyard, appears to have been effaced, as examined on the Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County ofKilkenny. 49 ItliespleasinglysituatednearthetownofKells,butonthe northern bank of King's River, across which possibly was the ancient ford.
42 The old church, at this place, is fast crumbling to decay, while it is both obscure
andneglected.
43 See this parish shown on the "Ordnance
magne in Magh Raighne. Or, it is in Hy Scellain of Sliabh Mairge that Findech DuimBuidheis,utaliiputant. Or,nomen viri a quo nominatur the place. Or, with
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Nindid Duirn Digrais, i. e. , of undefiled
Kilkenny. " Sheets 27, 28, 31, 32, 35. hands. "
Knocktopher town and its surroundings are to be seen on Sheet 31. The chief local
objects of interest are its abbey, its manor, anditscommons.
44 Knockadrina is a denomination due west of Flood Hall. See "Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Kil- kenny. " Sheet 27. In the Leabhar Breac copy of the " Feilire," at & 1111 Nones, fol. 81, there is a marginal note, which Mr. Joseph O'Longan has obligingly transcribed for me, and appended the following English translation. It offers different guesses, re- garding this saint and his place, thus serving to illustrate the present topic :— pn-oech "OuiiMi . 1. 0CI11IL pncVie in Of|\Ai5ib . 1.
o ^cli "Ouipn bin-oe . 1. "Oopn buix)e
nomen colbf iriA^no Ammg tlAigne. no if in ii1o ScebtAin Slebo THaiia^o
ACA pn-oech "Ouitmi btn'oo uc Abi pucAnc. tlo nomen ui^vi a c|uo nomiriA- cu^A in bAti. no bAnnTom Diii|\n . "o. i. bAim iT)Ain. These comments are rendered in the succeeding English trans-
45 The house and beautiful demesne of Flood Hall are represented on the "Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County ofKilkenny. " Sheet27.
4'^ A celebrated political character and orator in the Irish Parliament of the last century, —and to whom Charles Phillips thus alludes
:
" Fancy again the patriot banner sees Wave 'mid the music of the mountain
breeze ;
Again beholds rejoicing commerce ride, Free as the winds that waft her o'er the
tide,
Or sighs, entranced, where once in truth
she hung
On the sweet tone of Flood's harmonious
tongue. "
—"
lation —
:
— Guide Nore. " "The Traveller's New
through Ireland," p. 102. 43 See Sheet 27.
literally
"Findech from Cill Duim, i. e. ,
tributary
stream,
Finche in Ossory, i. e. , from Ath Duim
Buidhe, ? . v. ,
Dom Buidhe nomea collis
The Emerald Isle," pp. 64, 65.
47 In Mr. Hogan's opinion.
48 The rivulet " rolls its
to swell the watery bosom of the majestic
t'EBRUARY 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINlS. 261
Ath Dorn. This latter denomination now appears to have been lost in
popular traditions. Among the names and festivals of the patron saints, in
the diocese of Ossory,5° copied from the manuscript of Right Rev. James
Phelan, bishop of that see, by his successor, the celebrated Bishop De Burgo, it seems strange, that no record of this saint, or of his church, can be found. s^
Whatever may be thought, regarding the exact locality for the present saint's veneration, Mr. Hogan's conjecture,52 that he had been venerated in four different places, and on four distinct days of the year,s3 seems improbable. It is sufficiently apparent, that the several saints named, and thus discon- nected, were not identical in person, as they are distinguished in the forms and attributes of name, of race, of place, and of festival.
Article V. —St. Colman. St. Cohiian is entered, in the Martyrology
of Tallagh,^ under the designation of Colman—then following—Illadhon on
Disert, at the 2nd of February. However, the Donegal Martyrology^ distin-
guishes Illadhon or Jollathan, from Colman. It is possible enough, this festival may have reference to the vigil of St. Colman of Kilmacduagh, who
is venerated on the succeeding day. According to the latter authority, a Colmanwasreverencedonthisparticularday. Hisplaceisnotmentioned.
Article VI. —St. Aithmet, Bishop of Clogher, County of Tyrone.
\Probably m the Sixth, Seuenth or Eighth Century. ^ With such prestige as the Christian pastors left to our early sees, the Irishman's heart must be inspired,hismindmu^beexpanded,andhissoulmustbeimproved. It is mentioned, in the Martyrologies of Tallagh,^ of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Donegal,^ that Aithmet, a Bishop of Clochar, had a festival, at this date. He flourished at rather an early period. The present saint is named Ermedus or Hermetius, by Colgan, and his festival is assigned to the 2nd of February. ReferenceismadetotheTripartiteLifeofSt. Patrick,andto Ussher, for some particulars regarding him. 3 Ermedus,^ Bishop of Clogher, is said to have written a Life of St. Patrick f but, at what particular period
50 See **
Spicilegium
Ossoriense Letters and
xiv.
"^ Edited
36, 37. Article VI.
Kelly, p. xiv.
a collection of
illustrative of the History of the Irish Church from the Reformation to the year 1800. " By Right Rev. Patrick Francis Moran,
by
pp. Rev. Dr.
of
D. D. , Bishop Ossory.
First
series,
No.
"" Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, by
pp.
ciety," vol. iii. **
New series, part ii. , 1861. and Historical Illustrations
Original
ii. , pp. 6 to 10.
5' Yet in the Taxation of Ossory, A. D.
IS37» we find " Vicaria de Killermy," rated
at L 2, 13, 4. See ibid>, No. iii. , p. 11.
5= See " The Journal of the Kilkenny and South- East of Ireland Archaeological So-
36, 37.
3 See "Trias Thaumaturga.
" Transactions of the Kilkenny and South-
East of Ireland Archaeological Society,"
by Ugaine Mor, who thus revenged the death of his foster-mother, Queen Macha. The celebrated ruler of Ireland, known as Ugony the Great, is thought to have carried his conquests to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and he is said to have possessed great powerintheWesternIslesofEurope. He divided Ireland into twenty-five districts, which were apportioned among his twenty-
vol. i. , pars ii. 9 ' '
of the
two sons and three
See Proceedings
Royal
Irish
daughters
it and, is
;
says,
reign
narch Reachtaidh Righdhearg, or
"
from the Calendar of Cashel, was slain a. m. ""
256 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS [February 2.
Raighne. Thisterritorywaseithercalledafterhim,orhegavenametothe territory. It is said, to h. ive been that great central plain of Ossory, which includes the lower valley of the River Nore, and the valley of the King's River. In the first century, ^ngus founded that petty principality, which formed a nucleus for the future kingdom of Ossory. For some centuries, this territory, denominated Laighin deas Gabhair, is thought to have com- prisedtwoancientprovinces,knownasFeimhinandRaighne. Thesecon- tinued united, until the middle of the fifth century, when ^ngus Mac Nad- frach'5 expelled the Ossoronians from Femhin, and annexed it to Munster. Afterwards, the kingdom of Ossory was confined to the sin[;le province of Raighne ; whence, its kings for many centuries were denominated, Righ
stated, that this division of territory lasted Great exacted an oath of allegiance, from for three hundred years, after his time. his subjects, in behalf of his posterity. He The names of these territories and of ruled over Ireland forty years—others state
Ugaine's children, to whom they were al-
lotted, are given, with some variations, in
our ancient manuscripts. The following
seems a fairly correct enumeration. To his Ptolomaeus Lagides. See Dr. O'Gonor's sons—viz. : i. Breagh or Bregia, in Meath " Rerum Hibernicarum Scriptores," tomus or Dublin county, to Cobhtach Gael. 2. i. Prolegomina ad Annales, p. xlviii. Ac- Muirtheimhne, in the present county of cording to their different basis for computa- Louth, to Cobhtach Minn. 3. The lands tion—the Four Masters and Lynch, follow- about the River Liffey, in Leinster, to Lae- ing the septuagint, have his death at A. M. ghaire Lore. 4. Magh-Fea, in the present 4606, O'PUaherty at A. M. 3649, and Keating
county of Carlow, to Fuilne. 5. Magh- at A. M. 3616—proportionately
are the
reigns
Nair, to Nar. 6. Magh-Raighne, in Ossory, of our Irish monarchs dated. O'Flaherty
to Raighne. 7. Magh Nairbh, to Narbh. makes Hugony the Great enter upon his
8. Airgeatross, on the River Nore, to Cinga. reign, that very year when Alexander the
9. Magh Tarra, to Tair. lo, Treitherne, Great began to rule over the Persians. He to Triath. 1 1. Luachair-Deaghaidh, in states, that the year of the world 3619 going Kerry, to Sen. 12. Cluain-Corca-Oiche, out, and 3620 coming from the Autumnal in Ui-Fibhgheinte, to Bard. 13. The Equinox, agree with A. M. 4383, according Southern Deisi, to Fergus Gnoi. 14. to the Julian period. See "Ogygia," pars ii. ,
Aidhne, in the diocese of Kilmacduagh, p. 106. This, he states, on the authority of *'
to Orb. 15. Moenmhagh, in Glanrickard, a native Garmen Ghronographicum :" in the present county of Galway, to Moen.
16. Magh-Aei, in the present county of
Roscommon, to Sanbh. 17. Gliu Mail, in
Coshlea, county of Limerick, to Muiread-
hachMai. 18. Seolmhagh,nowthebarony
of Glare, county of Galway, to Eochaidh.
19. Latharna, in the county of Antrim, to
Latham. 20. Midhe, to Marc. 21. Line,
or Magh-Line, county of Antrim, to Laegh.
22. Corann, in the present county of Sligo,
to Gairbre. To his daughters were allot-
ted—viz. : I. Magh Ailbe, in the present
county of Kildare, to Ailbe. 2. Magh- part i. , chap, vii. , pp. 248 to 250.
Aeife, otherwise called Magh-Feimheann, now the baronies of Iffa and Offa East, in the county of Tipperary, to Aeife or Eva. 3. Magh-Muirisce, in the present county of Mayo,toMuirisc. Fromtheforegoingde- nominations, it would seem, that many of our ancient territories derived their names fromthechildrenofHugotheGreat. Of all his sons, however, only two left issue, namely Gobhthach Gael, and Laeghaire Lore, from whom all of Heremon's race that survive are descended. See Dr.
'S In Michael Kearney's (a. u. 1635) trans- lation of John O'Dugan's Irish poem, Hio§A p'l eibi]A, we hav—e the following account in
"
vol. i. , n. (z), pp. 74 to 77. Hugony the
O'Donovan's
Annals of the Four Masters,"
only thirty—when he was slain by Badh- bhchadh.
**
Triginta Hugonius Rex annos transtulit in se
"» Flam sjmchronizes Ugaine Mor, with
Regni Herimoniades jura, suumquc genus.
Gcepit, Alexander Darium quo vicerat, anno :
Vergiviumque ultra protulit arma sa« lum. "
—
Keating's "History of Ireland," book i. ,
Ibid. , p. 449. See, likewise, O'Mahony's
reference to him
:
•'
—"TheKingsoftheRaceofEibhear. " A
Ghronological Poem. Edited by John O'Daly, p. 15.
And Aongus the sonn of Nadfraoich
raigned. Ofyearsfull36;
And confirmed in faith that Warriour to
Death,
Mac Earca and OilioU did fix. "
February 2. ] LIVES OF THE IJ^/SIT SAINTS. 257
Raighne,or"thekingsofRaighne. " This,itisconjectured,wasneithera tribe,district,norasub-denominationofOssory; but,itwasaprimitivepro- vince, long anterior to the establishment of that kingdom, by ^ngus its
founder. It having formed the principal part of Laighin deas Gabhair, at the end of the ninth century, Cormac Mac Cuilleanan, King of South
Munster,claimedjurisdictionoverRaighne. Ceallachwasthenkingover Ossory ; and, a compromise appears to have been effected, the terms of which guaranteed to Cormac possession of that part, south of the King's River,inthepresentcountyofKilkenny. Mr. JohnHoganwillnotallow, however, that the present saint was either the patron or titular of Killinny,^^ where the old local church^? and a well^^ had been dedicated to St. Lrigid. '? Nor will he admit, the identification of Cill-Finche,=^° with the present town- land of KilHnny,^^ since there is no hill there, or in its neighbourhood, nor in the spacious plain between it and the Killamery ridge, except the one great and remarkable eminence, called Knock-ad-Raighne. =^^ This, he states, beyond all doubt, must have been the place, formerly called Dorn- buidhe,''^ Ath-Duirnbuidhe is considered to have been a pass, over one of the streams, which wash the base of that hill. Either the ancient church on the townland of Sheepstown,=^4 in the parish and barony of Knocktopher, or that of Kilree^s—the latter not a very probable conjectured^—is believed by
''^
In the charter of Henry IV. to the
had a former existence.
=^The hill of Roigne stands out very
boldly, commanding the broad plain be- neath. It affords a very exalted position over the valley, which from this narrows itself into the pass of Bealach-Ele.
^3 Mr. John Hogan thinks, a part of this word may still be found in the termination
of a townland title, Baun-a-Volla-Buidhe, rendered for him "the fallow field," or " the bawn of Buidhe," situated on the side of Knock-ad-Raighne. He renders Ath-
Priory of Kells, this church, called Killinthy, is enumerated among the ecclesiastical houses, affihated to that establishment.
^7 Its ruins existed near Mr. Hutchinson's
house, down to the present century.
^^ The sacred character of wells may pro- bably be traced from the Old Testament, to an ancient Jewish veneration for them, as connected with the holy patriarchs, and otherdistinguishedservantsofGod. Thus, Abraham and Isaac dug several wells. The well of Jacob is hkewise mentioned. (Genesis xxvi. , xxix. , St. John iv,, 12. ) Allusion to their sanative properties and use frequently occurs in the Sacred Scriptures. "In that day, there shall be a fountain open to the
house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem : for the washing of the sinner," &c. (Zacharias xiii. , i. )
^9 Her patron used to be annually ob-
served there, on the 1st of February, and
St. Brigid's Well still preserves, for the place, the name of its ancient patroness.
"
=^4 InDr. Petrie'swork,thereisanengrav-
^°
This church was burned by the fo-
ing, which represents the arched door-way of this church—the ancient name of which
is wholly forgotten in the locality, as well as the name of its patron or founder. The door-way is in the centre of the west wall, and it is composed of sandstone, well chi- selled. It measures seven feet, in height, to the vertex of the arch. It has a torus or bead-moulding,alongitsexternaledges; it is over three feet, in width, and the jambs arethreefeet,inthickness. Ithasimposts, immediately under the curvature of the arch. See "The Ecclesiastical Architec- ture and Round Towers of Ireland," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs. I, p. 178.
P- 57-
=° Kilree Church, with its Cloighteach
and stone cross, seem to have been under
the patronage of St. Brigid. See "Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County
ofKilkenny. " Sheet27.
reigners,A. D. 836. Incourseofsomeyears, Cearbhall or Carroll, Lord of Ossory, be-
came distinguished as a warrior. He gained a great victory over the Port-Lairge or Wa-
at
pirates, Achadh-mic-Erclaighe, A. D. 858. The year succeeding, he renewed the fair of
Roighne, and probably about this period, if not before, the church of Cill-Finche was rebuilt. See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 456, 457, 492 to 495-
^'
There is neither trace, nor tradition of a church, existing there ; yet, it seems pro- bable, the name is, derived from one, which
=^5 This however, does not locality,
terford fleet of the northern
appear to be much insisted on as the probable site. An engraving of its round tower and ancient cross is given in Mr. and Mrs. Hall's "Ire- land : its scenery, character," &c. , vol. ii. ,
Vol. II. —No. 5.
S
Duirnbuidhe,
the ford of the yellow fist. "
258 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS [February 2. Mr. Hogan to have been identical with Cill-Finnche, from the fact that both
"
of these stand at the foot of the
great hill of Raighne. "^' Not only did such
territory embrace that fine tract of country, spreading out in front of this
hill, and extending thence, through Dunnamaggin and Ballytobin, to the
bordersofTipperary; but,itwasofmuchgreaterextent,goingbeyondthe
bounds of the present Kells barony, to the baronies of Shillalogher, Cran- nagh, and Callan. Even the great plain, surrounding the city of Kilkenny
itself, is thought to have been included, within the ancient territory of Raighne,whichwasco-extensivewiththecountryofLowerOssory. Indeed, it has been asserted, that Raighne was not a sub-denomination of Ossory, but,thatitwastheoriginalnameforthislatterkingdom. ^^ Thechurchof Sheepstown,^9—in Irish called Ballynageragh,—down to a verymodem period, stood in the centre of a public common, supposed to be the site of an ancient town. Fromitmaybetracedtheremainsofoldroads,radiatingfromitin various directions. One of these ran directly under the walls of the old
" Butts. " The remains of another old route, about half-a-mile below Knock- topher, wends its way beyond the old paper-mill. There, it intersects the
priory of Knocktopher, and it forms, to the present day, what is called
the
boldly, over the broad plain beneath, and it affords a commanding position over the valley, which from this narrows itself into the pass of Bealach-Ele.
189 to 214, with accompanying map.
^9 Not far from the ruins of Sheepstown Church may be traced the site of Sheeps-
**
"^
See the ingenious and learned disserta-
Derrynahinch Old Church, County Kilkenny.
present high road to Ballyhale, as it runs towards Derrynahinch church,3° not far from the latter place. Several trees now surround Derrynahinch
'7 This, we are told, stands out very year 1864," vol. v. New series, part i. , pp.
"
and Papers of the Kilkenny and South-East
tion of Mr. John Hogan in
of Ireland Archaeological Society for the
of Kilkenny. " Sheet 31.
3° The site of Derrynahinch church and
Proceedings
Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County
town Castle. Both are shown on the
graveyard will be found on the
**
Ordnance
February 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS 259
ruins,3^ the walls of which are richly draped with ivy. This church is said to have been dedicated to St. Martin. 32 Here, too, a patron was held on hisday. 33 OneofthefineststretchesoflandinIrelandmaybeviewedfrom this spot. According to the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, the Irish Apostle was the primitive founder of Mar-thor-theach, in Mag-Rigne, after he had left Belach-Gaurain, passing through Ossory,34 on his way to the bounds of Munster. 35 AthirdroadmaybetracedtotheprimitivelocalityofAugha- viller. 3^ Here, there is a round tower. 37 That which more immediately belongs to the object of this enquiry is a road, that led to the pass of Bea- lach-Ele,3^ and thence over Sliabh-Branach39 to the valley of the Suir. The course of this ancient way is marked by a regular line of townland villages, ruined castles, and ancient churches, which now lie far away from the public high-roads, concealed in rude bosheens, only surviving segments of the great thoroughfare, that in early times ran through Knockmoylan, Kilkeasy, and Kilcurl^o to Sheepstown, where it finds the stream, under the church at Ath- Duirn-Buidhe. Thence, it runs into the fields, and it is still open, as a neglected by-path, to Danganbeg Castle,^^ through the townland of Tinvaun. Thisroad,atpresent,isnotopenthroughSheepstown; but,fromthecastle of Kilcurl, it is turned out of the old track, and, by a modern line, it con- ductstothevillageofKnocktopher. Asimilarchangewaseffected,inthis road, at the north side of Sheepstown ; for, here, too, the ancient path is turned off by a modern line, to the town of Knocktopher, which proves, that in remote times, the great high-road ran direct through the centre of Sheeps-
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kilkenny," on Sheet 32, between Derryna- hinch House and grounds, and Kiltorcan House and grounds, beside an old road-
way.
3' The accompanying engraving, by Mrs.
Millard, is from a drawing, taken on the spot, by the writer, in March, 1873. Notes,
descriptive of the ruins, he regrets having lost or mislaid ; but, as recollection serves,
titular St. Martin. That pastor abolished some nonsensical ceremonies of the former patron, but, very properly, he had the festi- val restored to its primitive simplicity and
dignity, by inaugurating its observance as a day for solemn and annual worship.
34 St. Patrick founded many other churches in ancient Ossory.
35 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " Septima Vita S. Patricii," pars iii. , cap.
within the ancient church, and under a xxvii,, xxviii. , p. 153.
ruinous east window, were the remains of an old stone-work altar. The view, in the illustration, represents a north or north-
westernaspect.
3^ Until of late years, his "patron" was
observed there, on the nth of November. —Mr. Hogan identifies this with Marthorteach
thinks
which he to be formed from Mar-
3^ Where there is an old church, round tower, graveyard and ruined castle, shown
*'
theen-teach, z>. , Martin's house. " This 639-
also stood within the ancient plain of Magh
Roighne. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals
of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (t), p. 494, at A. D. 859.
33 This was done, towards the close of the
last century, in the churchyard of Derryna- hinch. The patron was afterwards trans-
ferred to the chapel-yard of Ballyhale, where it continued to be kept on the Sunday next
after the I ith of November, f—or many years.
3^ This ancient denomination is said to be preserved, at the present day, in the rather modern village of Ballyhale, midway be- tween Kilkenny and Waterford. It is now a station, on the railroad connecting both cities. This town is within the old parish of Derrynahinch, represented on the " Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Kilkenny. " Sheets 31, 32, 35, 36.
39 Now the Walsh Mountains.
grotesque-looking figure possibly A —
4°
and a graveyard, as also a castle. See " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the
"
around the graveyard. This was intended
to represent the patron saint. Archdeacon
O'Shea, P. P. , on completion of his new Townland Maps for the County of Kil- church at Ballyhale had it dedicated to the kenny. " Sheet 31.
ancient one and carved as a bishop in pon-
tificals, used to be carried in procession
an
Here there is an old church in ruins
''
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
on the
fortheCountyofKilkenny. " Sheet31.
37 A rude engraving of it is presented in Tighe's "Statistical Observations relative to the County of Kilkenny, made in the years 1 800 and 1 801," part iii. , sect. 19, p.
Sheet 3 1 .
4* Shown on the " Ordnance Survey
County of Kilkenny.
26o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS
[February 2.
town. 42 Yet, when in later times, Knocktopher43 had grown up as its suc- cessful rival, the road was curved from the ancient and made to pass through the modem to\vn. Within a few hundred yards of Sheepstown church, the present road curves round to cross a stream, and over a stone bridge, at which place the rivulet spreads over a greater width, and forms a shallow. The old road, forming part of the great highway, that led from Bealach Ele through the plain of Magh Roighna, sank down to the water. Its banks accommodate themselves to the old track, which is yet visible through the fields, from Danganbeg direction. This is thought to have been the exact site of that ford, known as Ath-Duirnbuidhe. About a-quarter of a mile,
beyond this stream, rises the magnificent elevation of Knock-ad-Raighne. 44 Its eastern and southern slopes are covered by the spacious plantations of Flood Hall,4s once the seat of the celebrated Henry Flood ;46 but, its south- western declivities are bare and precipitous. Its proximity to Sheepstown church, and to the ford already mentioned, renders it pretty certain^r that venerable ruin occupies the site of the ancient historical church of Cill- Finnche. Itstandsonaneminence,overthevalley,throughwhichmeanders the mountain stream, which flows thence, through the town of Knocktopher. ^^ The church had no chancel ; it is a rude oblong building. It has a single and rather rude stunted lancet window, in the east gable. The head is rounded out of two single stones, and the jambs are widely splayed internally, in the Hiberno-Romanesque style. Within the present townland of Killinny, every vestige of an old church, or even of a graveyard, appears to have been effaced, as examined on the Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County ofKilkenny. 49 ItliespleasinglysituatednearthetownofKells,butonthe northern bank of King's River, across which possibly was the ancient ford.
42 The old church, at this place, is fast crumbling to decay, while it is both obscure
andneglected.
43 See this parish shown on the "Ordnance
magne in Magh Raighne. Or, it is in Hy Scellain of Sliabh Mairge that Findech DuimBuidheis,utaliiputant. Or,nomen viri a quo nominatur the place. Or, with
Survey Townland Maps for the County of Nindid Duirn Digrais, i. e. , of undefiled
Kilkenny. " Sheets 27, 28, 31, 32, 35. hands. "
Knocktopher town and its surroundings are to be seen on Sheet 31. The chief local
objects of interest are its abbey, its manor, anditscommons.
44 Knockadrina is a denomination due west of Flood Hall. See "Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Kil- kenny. " Sheet 27. In the Leabhar Breac copy of the " Feilire," at & 1111 Nones, fol. 81, there is a marginal note, which Mr. Joseph O'Longan has obligingly transcribed for me, and appended the following English translation. It offers different guesses, re- garding this saint and his place, thus serving to illustrate the present topic :— pn-oech "OuiiMi . 1. 0CI11IL pncVie in Of|\Ai5ib . 1.
o ^cli "Ouipn bin-oe . 1. "Oopn buix)e
nomen colbf iriA^no Ammg tlAigne. no if in ii1o ScebtAin Slebo THaiia^o
ACA pn-oech "Ouitmi btn'oo uc Abi pucAnc. tlo nomen ui^vi a c|uo nomiriA- cu^A in bAti. no bAnnTom Diii|\n . "o. i. bAim iT)Ain. These comments are rendered in the succeeding English trans-
45 The house and beautiful demesne of Flood Hall are represented on the "Ord- nance Survey Townland Maps for the County ofKilkenny. " Sheet27.
4'^ A celebrated political character and orator in the Irish Parliament of the last century, —and to whom Charles Phillips thus alludes
:
" Fancy again the patriot banner sees Wave 'mid the music of the mountain
breeze ;
Again beholds rejoicing commerce ride, Free as the winds that waft her o'er the
tide,
Or sighs, entranced, where once in truth
she hung
On the sweet tone of Flood's harmonious
tongue. "
—"
lation —
:
— Guide Nore. " "The Traveller's New
through Ireland," p. 102. 43 See Sheet 27.
literally
"Findech from Cill Duim, i. e. ,
tributary
stream,
Finche in Ossory, i. e. , from Ath Duim
Buidhe, ? . v. ,
Dom Buidhe nomea collis
The Emerald Isle," pp. 64, 65.
47 In Mr. Hogan's opinion.
48 The rivulet " rolls its
to swell the watery bosom of the majestic
t'EBRUARY 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINlS. 261
Ath Dorn. This latter denomination now appears to have been lost in
popular traditions. Among the names and festivals of the patron saints, in
the diocese of Ossory,5° copied from the manuscript of Right Rev. James
Phelan, bishop of that see, by his successor, the celebrated Bishop De Burgo, it seems strange, that no record of this saint, or of his church, can be found. s^
Whatever may be thought, regarding the exact locality for the present saint's veneration, Mr. Hogan's conjecture,52 that he had been venerated in four different places, and on four distinct days of the year,s3 seems improbable. It is sufficiently apparent, that the several saints named, and thus discon- nected, were not identical in person, as they are distinguished in the forms and attributes of name, of race, of place, and of festival.
Article V. —St. Colman. St. Cohiian is entered, in the Martyrology
of Tallagh,^ under the designation of Colman—then following—Illadhon on
Disert, at the 2nd of February. However, the Donegal Martyrology^ distin-
guishes Illadhon or Jollathan, from Colman. It is possible enough, this festival may have reference to the vigil of St. Colman of Kilmacduagh, who
is venerated on the succeeding day. According to the latter authority, a Colmanwasreverencedonthisparticularday. Hisplaceisnotmentioned.
Article VI. —St. Aithmet, Bishop of Clogher, County of Tyrone.
\Probably m the Sixth, Seuenth or Eighth Century. ^ With such prestige as the Christian pastors left to our early sees, the Irishman's heart must be inspired,hismindmu^beexpanded,andhissoulmustbeimproved. It is mentioned, in the Martyrologies of Tallagh,^ of Marianus O'Gorman, and of Donegal,^ that Aithmet, a Bishop of Clochar, had a festival, at this date. He flourished at rather an early period. The present saint is named Ermedus or Hermetius, by Colgan, and his festival is assigned to the 2nd of February. ReferenceismadetotheTripartiteLifeofSt. Patrick,andto Ussher, for some particulars regarding him. 3 Ermedus,^ Bishop of Clogher, is said to have written a Life of St. Patrick f but, at what particular period
50 See **
Spicilegium
Ossoriense Letters and
xiv.
"^ Edited
36, 37. Article VI.
Kelly, p. xiv.
a collection of
illustrative of the History of the Irish Church from the Reformation to the year 1800. " By Right Rev. Patrick Francis Moran,
by
pp. Rev. Dr.
of
D. D. , Bishop Ossory.
First
series,
No.
"" Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, by
pp.
ciety," vol. iii. **
New series, part ii. , 1861. and Historical Illustrations
Original
ii. , pp. 6 to 10.
5' Yet in the Taxation of Ossory, A. D.
IS37» we find " Vicaria de Killermy," rated
at L 2, 13, 4. See ibid>, No. iii. , p. 11.
5= See " The Journal of the Kilkenny and South- East of Ireland Archaeological So-
36, 37.
3 See "Trias Thaumaturga.
