No More Learning

• The parish of Inishargy and Islands are shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland
Donegal.
1 This female saint's
" alias 'in le Great Coolegrange, Grange,
Ardes prope Blackstaffe. '"—No. 104, Car. I. #
I0 This townland derives its name from
the Irish word g^nreae, which signifies
"a grange. "
"The tithes of four townlands be-
longingtoitwereappropriatetotheAbbey of Moville. ,«,,_.
21.
I3 See an account of him, in Walter Harris
**. Ancient and Present State of the County
of Down," chap, iii. , sect, iii. , p. 48.
* See Rev. William Reeves Ecclesiasti-
cal Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dro- more,' Appendix LL. , n. (y), p. 379-
" See Rev. William Reeves « Ecclesias-
Dromore," p.
-
782 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 24.
the O'Clerys, the Life of Mochua 2 of Balla states,3 that when Mochua left
which is in Fir Rois. 4 A
of the Britons was there named Gabhrin, and it is said, that he offered the church to Mochua, for they had been fellow-students together. The Calen- darist O'Clery thinks this is the same Gaibhren, as that one to whom allusion has thus been made. Under the head of Gael,5 Duald Mac Firbis enters, at 6 Where his See was has
he to Gael, i. e. , a Bennchar, proceeded
city,
Bishop
Gaibhrinn, bishop,
not been discovered, nor when he flourished. There is a Geal or Gaile, a
? inthe of and of 8Itlies parish barony Middlethird, county Tipperary.
June 24th. situated, however,
Old Church of Gaile, County of Tipperary.
south of Holycross, and east of the River Suir. Here are some ruins of an ancientchurch. Asketchofitispreservedamongthedrawingstoillustrate
County of Tipperary Records, for the Irish Ordnance Survey. The ruined
church is surrounded by a cemetery. The west gable was surmounted with
a while some of the walls and windows are still 10 belfry, tolerably preserved;
however, the east gable, down to the height of the side walls, was destroyed,
in
1840.
The church was
50
feet in
length, by
10 feet, 10 inches, in 11 breadth;
Article ii.
—x
Edited by Rev.
Dr. 7It " is described, on the
Kelly, p. xxvii.
2 His festival occurs, at the 30th of March,
where some notices of him may be found, at that date, in the Third Volume of this
work, Art. iv.
3 Chapter the sixth is quoted.
4 See a notice of this territory, at the 13th
ofJune, in connexion with Bishop Cairell of
that district in a previous part of the present
volume, Art. i.
5 This place has not been identified, ac-
Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Tip- perary," sheets 47, 52, 53. The townland
proper is on sheet 47, 53.
cording to William M. Hennessy. 6"
lative to the Antiquities of the County of
Tipperary, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1840," vol. i.
Letter of John O'Donovan, dated Cashel, September 22, 1840, pp. 284, 285.
11 The illustration is from a accompanying
sketchbyGeorgeV. DuNoyer. Ithasbeen
See Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. ,
parti. , pp. no,III.
8 See Lewis' ••
of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 651, 652.
9 Now preserved in the Royal Irish Aca-
demy.
10 "
Topographical Dictionary
See LetterscontainingInformationre-
June 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
783
the walls were over 3 feet in thickness, and about 13 feet in height. The doorway was on the south wall, about 13 feet, 10 inches, from the west gable ;
it was destroyed at top, on the inside, so that the original height is not now
known ; but, its width was 4 feet, 1 inch, and on the outside it had a semi-
circular top, measuring 6 feet, 9 inches in height, and 3 feet, 6^ inches, in width. This was finished off with chiselled limestone. The west gable con- tained a small window, which was quadrangular, on the inside, and round- headed, on the outside. 12 There was a second doorway in the north wall, opposite that in the south wall. x 3 The parish of Geal was a rectory, and part ofthebeneficeofHolyCross,inthedioceseofCashel. 14 AccordingtoJohn O'Donovan, the meaning of its denomination is not certain. In the Martyr-
of 1* at the of this saint is ology Donegal, 24th June,
name of Gaibhrein.
described,
under the
Article III. —Martyrdom of St. Rumold, Apostle of Belgium.
[Eighth Century. '] It is stated, that on the 24th of June, St. Rumold suffered in Mechlin. 1 As this happened to be the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the holy Scottish Martyr's festival had been transferred to the i st of July. According to received tradition, St. Rumold was a native of Ireland, and after having been Archbishop of Dublin, he came to Mechlin or Malines to preach Christianity, and he was assassinated there on the 24th of June, 775. This day is set down for his feast in various Manuscripts, as also in the Calendars of Molanus, Galesinius, Maurolycus, Canisius and Fer- rarius. GreatfeteswereconstantlycelebratedatMalines,incommemoration ofthemartyrdomofSt. RombautorRumoldus. TheBollandists2 havere- corded his festival, at the 24th of June ; but, apparently, they are uncertain, as to whether it had been the date for his Passion or for some Translation of hisRelics,atMechlin. Onthe24thofJune,1875,aSreatcentenarycele- brationofSt. RombauttookplaceatMalines. 3 The1stdayofJulyisthe chief Feast of this glorious Apostle and Martyr ; and, to that day, his Life and Acts are deferred.
Article IV. —St. Lon, of Cill Gobhra. A festival in honour of 1
Lon, of Cill Gobhra, is found entered in the Martyrologies of Tallagh, and
the following terms : "To-day the King and Queen of the Belgians, accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, of the Interior,
12 It is finished with chiselled lime- and of Public Works, went to Malines, stone. where they arrived at 12. 30 p. m. To the 13 This is now reduced to a formless burgomaster's speech of welcome, the King replied, that he felt happy to be present at the fetes of Malines, so long and so justly celebrated, and to express his sincere wishes for the prosperity of the town. Their majes- ties and suite went then to the archiepisco- pal palace. They visited afterwards the church of St. Rombaut. A splendid caval- cade, with six chariots, representing a great number of allegorical and historical scenes, made the tour of the town m the afternoon, The number of strangers present is very large and the fete is favoured by fine
drawn on the block by William F. Wake- man, and it has been engraved by Mrs. Mil- lard.
breach, as shown in the sketch.
'« See "Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ire-
land," vol. ii. , p. 227.
»S Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 178, 179.
Article in. — 1 See Father Stephen
White's " Apologia pro Hibernia," cap. v. ,
'
p. 63.
2 See " Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii
xxiv. Among the pretermitted saints,
p. 687.
3 The Pall Mall Gazettes Brussels corre-
spondent writes a description of this Fete in
weather. "
784
LIVES OFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [June 24.
of
Donegal,
2 at the 24th of
June.
The of this saint has not beeniden- place
fied. There is a Kilgory,3 in the parish of Killabban, and barony of Slieve-
margy, Queen's County ; while there is another townland similarly named,*
in the parish of Kilmoe, barony of Upper Tulla, county of Clare. In the
townland of Kilmagoura, parish of Shandrum,5 county of Cork, there are
some grass-covered remains of an old church, 45 feet in length, on the out-
side,by22inbreadth,andaboutthreefeetinheight; while,notfarawayis
Cranavilla Tree, having a remarkably contorted appearance.
It has been
6 that the townland name
Gabra, connected with St. Lon, and that Toberleenade, a well in the adjoin- ing townland of Newtown South, and in the same parish, may have been dedi- catedtohim. Thereisanotherremarkablewell,denominatedBachuleesa,7
8
in the townland of Farthingville East, while distant about two miles is St.
Colman's Well,' near the hamlet and burial-ground of the same name, in the parish of St. Colman's Well, and in the county of Limerick. A local tradi- tion prevails, that the saints of those three places, viz. , of Bachuleesa's Well, of Kilmagoura or Cranavilla, and of St. Colman's Well, were three brothers, who communicated with one another each morning. Of these, St. Colman's name is alone preserved. To a recent period, Kilmagoura was used as a burial- place for unbaptized infants ; for which reason, it was probably marked " Burial-Ground," on the Ordnance Townland Map ; but there is nothing whateverlikeagraveyardthere,atthepresenttime. 10 Thereisnoholywell in Kilmagoura townland, but in the adjoining townland of Newtown South, there is a much frequented holy well, locally known as Tober Leenade," or
Article i. —" Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xxvii.
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
178, 179-
3 It is marked, on the "Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the Queen's
conjectured,
may
have been a
corruption
Cilli
County," sheet 36.
* It is described, on the
"
Ordnance Sur-
carried on at Bachuleesa Well, but these are
now discontinued.
8
It is described, on the "Ordnance Sur- vey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," sheet 7. As seen on an old printed rental of the lands, as stated by Mr. O'Leary,
vey Townland Maps for the County of theformernameofFarthingvillewasCoolylyn.
sheet
5 This parish, situated in the baronies of
Orrery and Kilmore, is described on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," sheets I, 2, 6, 7.
6 For the particulars here given, I feel in- debted to Denis A. O'Leary, Esq. , Kilbo- lane Cottage, Charleville, County of Cork, in a letter dated August 7th, 1885. He also sent two rough sketches of the tree, taken from the north and south sides ; that on the northern side shows the grass-covered mound, where the church originally stood.
7 The Irish equivalent is bacul 1orA and Mr. O'Leary suspects St. Victor, mentioned in the Life of St. Patrick, may have been the Patron. It is traditionally stated, that the former locality of this well was about five miles distant, at Parc-na-Bile—recti painc nubile, "the Field of the Old Tree"— where a grass-covered mound, probably the site of an old church and the stump of a tree, yet remain. Some persons having committed a nuisance or otherwise dese- crated the Holy Well, the people state, that ft removed to the present site, marked on
9 Sometime in the month of
the people state, that this St. Colman's feast had been formerly celebrated.
10 Mr. O'Leary adds: "About 58 yards north of the grass-covered mound stands, or struggles to stand, a curious remnant of a
*
lightning struck ash, marked Cranavilla
Tree" on the Ordnance Sheet. This was a large ash which at some remote and long
forgotten date was struck by lightning and rent in twain. One portion must have fallen off while the remainder was twisted round and bent over. The shell, for it is nothing more, now remains, and marvellous to relate although being in an elevated and unshe—l- tered position it still withstands the storm even such—signal storms as those of January 6th, 1S39 locally remembered as the "night of the Big—Wind '—and
Clare,"
35.
November,
theOrdnanceSurveyMap. Withinthelast ""
thirty years rounds or devotions were
October 3rd, 1883 and still it annually sends forth
Sunday, an abundance of green leaves. "
11
There is no special day set apart in Shandrum parish, in honour of St. Leenade; but the large number of persons still fre- quenting this holy well is sufficient testi- mony, as in the powerful intercession of this
June 24. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
785
St. Leonard's Well," as it is thought by the country people. A peculiarity of this holy well is noticed, viz. , that nearly always it is bubbling or boiling up from the bottom. ^
Article V. —St. Cormac or Corbmac, of Senchoimhet. In the Martyrology ofTallagh,' a festival is mentioned in honour of Cormac of Sencometa, at the 24th of June. He is named Corbmac, and his place is
called Senchoimhet, in the Martyrology of unknown, nor has the locality been identified.
2 When he lived is
Article VI. —Reputed Feast of St. Golvenus, Bishop of Leon,
Aremorica. In " a festival for St. Dempster's Menologium Scotorum,"
Goluenus, Bishop of Leon, in Aremorica, is at the 24th of 1 Ac- placed June.
cording to that author, some suppose Golenus to have been a Scot ; he hesi- tates, however, to fall in with their opinions. The Bollandists * have a similar notice, at this date ; but, they remark, he is commemorated, on the 1st of July, in his own city.
Article [VII. —Festival of St. Johnt the Baptist's Nativitv. This illustrious saint, so renowned for his austere and innocent life, was vene- ratedwithpeculiarhonourintheearlyIrishChurch. Inthe"Feilire"'of St. ^Engus, at the 24th of June, it is especially noticed, and with an admoni- tion, that it is one the faithful should piously observe. From time immemorial, it had been customary among the Irish people to light bonfires on the eve of this feast, as also on the day itself; and, in several remote parts ofIreland,thatpracticehasnotasyetwhollydisappeared.
Throughoutthe whole Christian world, reverence has been specially felt for the memory of our Lord's great precursor, and his feast is noted in all our Martyrologies and Calendars. At this date, likewise, the Bollandist editor Father Daniel I'ape- broke 2 has illustrated his Acts in the most complete manner. A most
holy man. Mr. O'Leary knows scores of
persons, who attribute their relief from bodily "
2
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Junii xxiv. Among the pretermitted feasts, p.
p—ains of all kinds, to having "paid rounds 687.
copy, the following stanza, with its English
version, —Dr. Whitley Stokes, is given at
a Article — thatis, visitedthewell—andofferedup vii.
' In the "Leabhar Breac"
a rosary or round of their beads, asking the saint's intercession, on their behalf. "Can this be St. Leenade of Kilmagoura ? " asks Mr. O'Leary, and he adds: "Doubtless, Kilmagoura townland may formerly have
by
included Newtown—a modern name— land in its area. "
town-
111
lAcachop ceriAirhif 1om mec T)oe]:fif.
12 It is shown, on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Cork," sheet 2.
li The people state, if an infirm visitor to the place is to be cured, the well boils up ; if no cure is to be effected for the patient, the waters seem quiescent.
xxvii.
p. 203.
"John Baptist's royal birth, if thou are pious thou hast kept it, at the removal with* out disgrace of John the child to K: —"Transactions of the Royal Iri^h Aca- demy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. 1. , parti. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. xcv. On the last line there is a Latin comment, "/>. , receptio Johannis li'. ii Zebedei ad Ephesum de exilio per Domitianuiu. —Ibid. , p. cvii.
See"ActaSanctorum, tomusiv. ,Junn xxiv. De Sancto Joanne Prodromoet bap- tista D. N. Jesu Chnsti, pp. 687 to 806.
1
Article viii. — See the Bollandists
Article v. — 1 Edited
Dr. 2 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
"
In Aremoricis Golueni Leonensis episcopi VV. nonnulli Scotum putant, sed ego delibero. "—Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints,"
Kelly, p.
•
iyS, 179. —x Article vi.
Thus :
by Rev.
this date
:
fli^gem I0111 baupcAifC
Donegal.
a\-<ileij\ |\o«pecmr
2D
786
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 25.
learned historic commentary, in seven chapters and four hundred and eighty- nineparagraphs,seemstoexhaustthesubject; whilevariousnotesareadded, serving to elucidate certain portions of the text.
Article VIII. —Feast of St. Brendan, Abbot. In a Manuscript
1
Benedictine Calendar, there is a feast at the 24th of June, for St. Brendan,
2
Abbot, whose Life has been already given at the 16th of May. Article IX. —Reputed Feast of St. Gillebert, or Agilbert.
In
1 atthe
Gillebert, according to Marianus O'Gorman ; but, Agilbertus, according to
Ctoentp-ffft! ) Bap of 3une,
ARTICLE I. —ST. SINCHEALL THE YOUNGER, OF KILLEIGH, KING'S COUNTY.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ]
present holy man appears to have figured, at an early period, in our ecclesiastical few him have
come down to our times. At this in the of 1 a date, Martyrology Tallagh,
festival is registered, in honour of Sincheall the Younger. The hoiy man
the of Martyrology
24th
Donegal, the Roman Martyrology.
THE
history, although particulars regarding
2
this name, and known as the Elder St. 2 was the son of Seancheall,
bearing
Ceanannan, or Ceannfhionnan, and he was venerated, at the 26th of March. 3 Ofhimwehavealreadytreated,atthatdate4 and,sofaraswecanascertain
;
from our Genealogies of the Irish Saints, the present St. Sincheall the
Younger must have flourished contemporaneously with his namesake, to whom he was related, and not in a very remote degree. 5 A certain district of ancient Ofalia territory was denominated Droma Foda, or " the long ridge;" and this was truly descriptive of an extended elevation over a plain, which is prolonged from the Slieve Bloom Mountains to the Hill of Allen, and
from Cruachan co the Hills of Killone near the Great Heath of
6
" Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii , Maii xvi. De S. Brendano seu Brandano Abbate de Cluainfertensi in Hibernia, cap. ii. , num. 15, p. 603.
Martyrology. —
2 See the Fifth Volume of the work, at that dat—e, Art. i.
present
Article ix. Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 178, 179.
2 A note
Gillebert, which with the references is found enclosed within brackets, that this entry in the more recent hand, signifies, the St. Gille- bert mentioned here by Marianus O'Gorman, is to be identified with the Agilbert, who is commemorated, on this day, in the Roman
niae," xxvi. Martii, De S. Senchello, Abbate
et Episc. de Kill-Achuidh, pp. 747, 74S.
* See the Third Volume of this work, at
26th March, Art. ii.
5 Thus, Cruac had two sons, Imchad and
Ere. Imchad was father to Ceannfhionan, father to the Elder St. Sincheall. Ere was father to Corcran, the father of the Younger St. Sincheall, according to the "Gencalo- gies of the Irish Saints, chap. xx.
by
Dr. Todd states, at this word
Article p. xxvii.
' I.
Edited
by
Rev. Dr.
Kelly,
a He
3 See
departed Colgan's
this life A. D.
" Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
of thenameof June, appears
Maryborough.
548.
June 25. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
787
There was likewise a Cill Achaidh celebrated in our ecclesiastical Annals, and it was situated in Eastern Breifney. ? The Elder St. Sinchaell seems to have been the first Abbot, and probably the founder of Cill or Gleann- achaidh of Droma Foda ; the term Cill having been prefixed, after St. Sincheall the Elder had placed his church there. Wherefore, the denomina- tion Cill Achaidh Droma Fota " the Church of the Field of the
long
Killeagh, and it stretches to the south-west. This place was identical with the
present neat group of houses, in the barony of Geashill, King's County. At this villageareseveraltracesofoldmonasticbuildings; someofwhich,however, arealmosteffaced. But,aconsiderablepartofthemoremodernportionsofan abbey which was there has been incorporated with a fine-looking old mansion anditsoffices,nearthatvillage. Inthe"Feilire"8ofSt. ^Engus,atthe25th of June, the Feast of this St. Sinchell occurs. On this, too, there is a comment,? which identifies him with Cell Achid Sinchill, in Offaly. It seems probable
enough, that the present holy man spent some time in the monastery of Kil- leigh with the Elder St. Sincheall, and that he succeeded him in the govern-
mentofacommunitythereestablished. Thiswasprobablysometimeafterthe
10
signifies
Ridge. " Such a rising ground is treacable immediately over the village of
that soon after the arrival of the English, the family of Warren had established a nunnery here, for nuns of the Augustinian Order. 11 According to the "Annals of the Four Masters," O'Conor Faly erected a monastery at Cill Achaidh in 1393 for Friars of the Order of St. Francis. A part of this modern religious house is said to be still standing, while tradition relates, that it was formerly very extensive, and that the friars who dwelt there were very numerous. 12 It is the opinion of John O'Donovan,thattheruinsofboththesereligiousfoundations*s arenearthe Protestant church and the 14 No less than nine
middle of the sixth century. It is stated,
cemetery adjoining.
holy wells were to be seen near the village ; and the old inhabitants had a
present
tradition, that these were dedicated only to the Patron. 1* Wherefore, they
6 See " Letters containing Information re- lative to the Antiquiiies of the King's County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837," vol. i. Letter of John O'Donovan, dated Tullamore, Decern- ber 28th, 1837, pp. 70, 71.
7 See ibid. , p. 70.
the monastery of Cill Achaidh. See Dr. O' Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. iv. , pp. 952 to 955, and nn. (y, z, a).
a See "Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the King's County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1837," vol. i. Letter of
John O'Donovan, dated Tullamore, Decem-
ber 28th, 1837, pp. 64, 65.
,3 The site of convent and abbey is shown
to be some distance apart, on different sides of a separating road, on the "Ordnance Sur- vey Tovvnland Maps for the King's County," sheet 25.
M In the ancient cemetery some interesting tombs of the O'Dunnes chiefs of Hy- Regan, of the O'Conors Faly, and of the O'Molloys, are here; as also one of Maximilian O'Demp- sey, Lord Viscount Clanmaleer, whodeparted
8 In the " Leabhar Breac "
lated by Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
peib Sinchill peil TJelli rjACAr* er-irro arvoA
l&mluoc 5IA11 jeloAi S-m&w birr mom oeAlbai.
•• Sinchell's feast, Telle's feast : they were
we find the following stanza thus given and trans-
Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of
Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. xcv. s' Seeibid pcvii.
~ By Allemand.
" In the year 1447, the two famous and
" Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the King's County, col-
leetedduringtheProgressoftheOrdnance Survey in 1837," vol. i. Letter of John O'Donovan, dated Tullamore, December
copy,
heights of Ireland, with Moluoc pure, fair,
sun of Lismore of Alba. "— " Transactions of
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript this life, 30th of November, a. d. 1690. See
beautiful ladies Finola, the daughter of 28th, 1837, pp. 66 to 68. _. „. .
O'ConorFaly, and Margaret, the daughter of O'Carroll, retired from this transitory life to prepare for life eternal, while they assumed the yoke of piety and devotion, in
"
Killeigh Ordnance Survey
,s Blessed \\ ells of
The Seven
are noted on the
Townland Maps for the kings County, sheet 25.
788 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 25.
should be denominated St. Sincheall's Wells ; but, at present, they are locally
called Killeagh Holy Wells. Formerly, they were much resorted to by great numbers of people, for the cure of various diseases. These several springs are in a rich meadow field near Killeigh. Even yet, they are resorted to by the people, who perform stations. No particular day, however, is selected for this purpose. The water is exceedingly clear and well-tasted, and for the most
the part, tiny
rivulet—for there is one — —
only chief stream is covered
6
cheall the Elder now appears to be lost. There is still extant a list of pious
with green cresse
The
of the
—s. '
memory
patron saint probably St. Sin-
Holy Wells at Killeigh, King's County.
customs and usages, which regulated St. Sinchell's school. It also comprises very instructive axioms and proverbs, replete with the wisdom of our ancestors in the Faith. xl Thiscollectionappears,however,tohavebeentheworkoftheElder St. Sincheall. It seems likely, moreover, that these usages had been received andpractisedbytheYoungerSt. Sincheall. Wefindnofurtheraccountr ingtheActsofthelatterholyman.