Alban Butler has a short article in reference to him at this same
11 12 1 date, as likewise the Rev.
11 12 1 date, as likewise the Rev.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
Sedrach, Bishop.
The published Martyrologies
of 1 andof 3 atthe22ndof The Tallagh Donegal register Sedrach, August.
former Calendar designates him as a bishop, and this is found, likewise, in
that copy of the Tallagh Martyrology, contained in the Book of Leinster,* at this same date. The see over which he presided is not known, nor the date
for his episcopacy.
Article VII. —Reputed Feast for The Sons of Daighre. It seems likely, that the present is a misplaced insertion, and a mistake com-
mitted modern transcribers. We read by
the
1
in
that a festival in honor of MacDaighri, or the sons of Daighre, was celebrated
at the 22nd of August. We think their names have been very incorrectly entered in this record, having been interposed between St. Beoghna and his
and office as Abbot of 2 The of at the Bangor. Martyrology Donegal,3
place
same date, records, The Sons of Daighre. 4
Article VIII. —Reputed Feast of St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul. In the " Feilire" of St. ^ngus, x at the 22nd of August, there is a commemoration of St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul, with an obser- vation which seems to indicate, that it was a day of special observance in theIrishChurch. AcommentisattachedtothetwofirstIrishwordsofthe ranny by the unknown scholiast. 2 The Bollandists, at this date, give the Apocryphal Acts, by an anonymous writer, of St. Timothy,3 a Martyr in Rome; while these are preceded by a commentary of a critical character,*
and written by Father John Pinius, in which an enquiry is instituted regarding
7 " of Breac" isthe
See Rev. A. Cogan's Diocese
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap.
xvi. , p. 288.
ramiin
with the postfixed English translation by
8
Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 226, 227.
Article yi. -« Edited by Rev. Dr.
-Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Kelly, p. xxxii.
^
226, 227.
3 Thus entered : Article vii. — Edited
2
Our
fosterling of Paul with splendour : beseech
the — with holiness of the holy Emeli-
opinion
is, that the
reading
youths
" of Irish
*
Se'opAch epi.
by Rev. Dr.
" for the Pray
of
Timothy
the
should
be, Beogaes, son of Daigre, Abbot of anus. " Transactions the Royal
Bennchor.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
226, 227.
* A note by Dr. Todd, says at Daighre,
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. cxxv.
11
margin, in Irish characters, Uide an idem qui 14 hujus. ' 'Consider if they are the same, who are mentioned on the 14th of this month. '"
Thus: "Ataig itge . i. ad [d]isc—ipulum cxxxii.
The more recent hand has written in the
p. «3
Article viii. —-l In the " Leabhar Romse, pp. 530 to 535.
copy
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
Irish,
of Martyrology Tallagh,
4C41C icce -ClllAWOAl
^^ *
CQ„Am WQwm e^ellAni>
following
prayers
2
dixit uel escop {sic) ad corpus dixit. " Ibid.
In three paragraphs, with annotations, 4 This is in two sections, embracing 19 paragraphs. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Augusti xxii. De S. Timotheo Martyre
332 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
their genuineness, and as to whether the saint noticed has not been con- founded with St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul. In the notes regarding pretermitted feasts, they allude also to this controverted subject, and to the authorities on which such insertion is made. 5 The principal festival of St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul, is kept however on the 24th of January.
Article IX. —Festival of St. Emilianus and Companions, Martyrs.
In the Irish Church, at an early period, the Festival of St. Emilianus and his
Companions, who were Martyrs, was kept on the 22nd of August, as we
learn from the " Feilire " of St. ^ngus. 1 An explanation is added, in a
brief note2 the in Irish and Latin. we do not find by Scholiast, Elsewhere,
this feast, on the 22nd of August, except in that copy of the Tallagh Martyr- ology, contained in the Book of Leinster.
Article X. —Reputed Feast of the Blessed Monk, Quadanoc.
to 1 theBlessed According Dempster,
Quadanoc St. Winnoc,andhewasveneratedatAudomaropolis,nowSaintOmer,a on
the 22nd of August.
Article XI. —Reputed Feast for the BirthJ of St. Patrick, at
1
Kilpatrick, in Scotland. This day is said by Dempster to have been
the anniversary of St. Patrick's Birth, at Kilpatrick, in Scotland.
Article XII. —Reputed Feast of St. Barr, Bishop. The Bollandists,* at the 22nd of August, enter the feast of St. Barr, a Bishop, in Scotia, on the authority of Ferrarius, quoting from a Scottish Menology, and from the
2
Martyrology of Canisius.
identical with St. Barr, First Bishop and Patron of Cork, they remit his Acts to the 25th of September^ his proper Festival.
"
s They state :
sanctiPauliApostolifit mentioinMartyro- logio Rhinoviensi et apud Florentinium in
2 The of in France, capital Artois,
Ibid. , pp. 488, 489. '
Timothei
Romse, discipuli
Articlexi. —Thusdowefindanentry
textu Martyrologii, quod in lucem dedit. "
of
August.
Eodem die ad
Article IX. — See 2"
sons of grace, i. e. seven sons of Emilianus,
with eight sons. —See ibid. , p. exxxii.
'
Article X. In his "Menologium
Scotorum," we find this entry :—" XXII.
Audomaropoli Beati Quadanoci monachi S. Vvinoci socii, sanctitate inclyti. B. " See Bishop Forbes' u Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 209.
Article xii.
"
Transactions of
Hiberniamnavigatio,cujus
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manu- scopulus in Glotta, qui in medio flumine
script Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar situs impune plenis velis illat—as naves
of Oengus, p. cxxv. innocuus excipit, nee laedit. C. " Bishop
It may thus be rendered in English :
Seven sons with Emelianus, i. e. youths or 209.
wasamonkand of disciple
However, recognising this holy man, as being
—
—XXII.
"
memoriam servat
"
Menologium Scotorum," for the
in his
month
Kilpatrick in Scotia nativitas Patricii et in
Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
—
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Augusti xxii. Among the preter-
mitted
2 To this the following observation is
3 At that day, likewise, his Life is given in the Ninth Volume of this work.
Saints, p. 491.
"
lib. 2. , Hist. Scot. "
appended,
sicut additur in notis, et citatur
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 333
Utoentp-tbfra JBap of August
ARTICLE I. —ST. EOGAN OR EUGENE, BISHOP OF ARDSTRAW, AND PATRON OF DERRY.
[FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES. -]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ACTS OF ST. EUGENE AND AUTHORITIES FOR HIS LIFE—HIS FAMILY AND BIRTH—HIS DOUBLE CAPTIVITY—EDUCATION IN BRITAIN—HIS RETURN TO IRELAND—HE FOUNDS THE MONASTERY OF KILNAMANAGH IN LEINSTER—ST. EUGENE GOES TO THE NORTH OF IRELAND AND FOUNDS A MONASTERY AT ARDSRATHA—HE BECOMES THE FIRST BISHOP OF THAT EARLY SEE—HIS MANNER OF LIVING WHILE THERE—HE ENJOYS PROPHETIC GIFTS.
the ceaseless labours of blessed Patrick, Ireland soon became
UNDER
a favoured in the
when sainted
of the
like the Apostles of old, left all things at his preaching to follow Christ.
were crowding to the cells of Brigid—the Mary of Erin—and consecrating their lives to the service of God and of His poor. Those were truly the ages of faith, when churches and monasteries rose as if by magic on every moun- tain and in every valley ; when the music of sacred hymns and of Divine psalmody was borne on every breeze, and when that golden era foretold in burning words by Isaiah of old seemed to be fully realized in this Island. M The land that was desolate and impassable, shall be glad, and the wilder- ness shall rejoice, and nourish like the lily. " Whether viewed in a political or religious aspect, Derry is a spot dear to the heart of the annalist, for hallowed reminiscences cluster round it, and the golden glory of bygone days sheds still their lustre on the See of Eugene and the city of Columkille. From immemorial
spot
vineyard
Church,
men,
Princes and nobles were not ashamed to lay aside the pomps of royalty, and to put on the humbler garb of the Christian missionary. Tender virgins
the" oftheoaks"wassacred forhere,eventhe ages, place ;
Article i. —Chapter i. —*
Uiao becrtA £eil ©ogam <*irvo fnAcViA.
" At the passion of Fortunatus, with whom went warriors, on one festival—a world's talk—the Feast of Eogan of Ard Sratha. "— "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
held, had one of their most famous ——
1 From
The festival of St. Eogan or Eugene dates from a very early period in the Irish Church, and it was held on this date. 8 The learned hagiologist,
it is
the Holy Island for such formerly Derry was went forth the royal poets, the sage legislators, the learned astronomers, and the well-instructed annal- ists. There the mystic rites of Druidism were once studied, and there in after times the young aspirant to the priestly dignity underwent his long and arduous novitiate.
Druids,
traditionally
colleges.
According Critical History of the Celtic Religion and Learning : contain- ing an Account of the Druids," &c. First
Letter, pp. 44, 45, note 1.
2 Thus in the " Feilire " of St. ^Engus, in
the Leabhar Breac copy, we have the following entry, the English translation beingsuppliedbyWhitleyStokes,LL. D. :—
LApAir puncmAci imatUnv tin cacIia
£ot\Aenlich
to John Toland, in his
"
On
3 See "Catalogus Actuum Sanctorum quae Ms. habentur, ordine Mensium et Die- rum. "
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. theCalendarofOengus,p. cxxv.
334 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
Colgan, had intended to publish the Acts of St. Eugene, at the 23rd of August, as may be inferred from his list of unedited Manuscripts. 3 However,
these Acts of St. Eugenius, bishop of Ardsrata, are preserved in the Burgun- dian Library at Bruxelles. * They have since been edited and published s by Carolus de Smedt and Joseph de Backer, Bollandist Fathers, under the auspices of the Right Hon. John Patrick, Marquis of Bute. At the 23rd of
6
August,theBollandists presentuswithActsofSt. Eugene,bysomeanony-
mous writer. ? A previous commentary 8 is added, with several notes, by Father William Cuper, S. J. These Acts were composed as a panegyric on the saint, and evidently they were intended to serve as a sermon for his
ro
The Rev.
Alban Butler has a short article in reference to him at this same
11 12 1 date, as likewise the Rev. S. Baring-Gould, and the Petits Bollandistes. *
The Life and Acts of St. Eugene are involved in much obscurity, since the most ancient memoir we possess seems to have been written centuries after his period, and it abounds in legends. Still, it must be observed, there are certain coincidences that correspond or are not irreconcilable with synchronous persons, times and places, as gleaned from independent records.
Eugene belonged to a Leinster family, on the paternal side. He sprung from the race of Laeghaire Lore, son to Ugaine Mdr, from whom the
1
Leinstermen are descended, according to the O'Clerys. * The scholiast on
""
the Feilire of ^Engus *9 has a remark, that as learned persons reported,
Eogan was the son of Bishop Ere of Slane l6 but he adds, and that is the ;
Deacon who to Cluain in Leix. 1* he Mochua, belonged However, appears
more reconciled to the following paternity. We are informed, that Cainnech
of Leinster was father of Eugenius, while his mother is named Muindecha,
and she belonged by race to the territory of Mugdarnia,18 in the present
* In a volume, classed xxii. , at fol. 216. u See "The Martyrology of Donegal,' s In a work intituled " Acta Sanctorum with the Irish text, translated by John
festival. * Briefly, too, does Bishop Challoner enter his record at this day.
of Down. The illustrious St. Kevin ot J 9 was a near Glendalough
county
relative. The relationship between St. Kevin and Eugene seems to have been that of first cousins ; our saint, however, being in the first degree, nearer to their common stem. Eugene was the sixtieth in descent from Miledh or Milesius. Kevinwasthesixty-first,hismotherCaemellhavingbeenmarried to Coemloga, son to Coemfada, the brother of Cainech, father to St. Eugene. Now, Cainech is said to have been the son of Cuirp, son to Fergus Lamderg,
Hibernise," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 915 10924.
6 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au- gusti xxiii. De S. Eugenio vel Eogaino Episcopo Ardsrathensi, pp. 624 to 627.
' These are in sixteen paragraphs, and
taken from a vellum Manuscript belonging
to their Library, classed P. Ms. . 11, "a folio.
21 verso. "
£
In six paragraphs.
9 This may safely be concluded from the
sentence with which they end.
O'Donovan, LL. D. , M. R. I. A. , and edited
by Rev. Dr. James Henthorn Todd and by
Rev. Dr. William Reeves, pp. 226, 227.
10
See "Britannia Sancta," part ii. ,
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar «f Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxii.
,6
His festival occurs at the 2nd day of November, where some account of him may be found.
'7 Among the many saints of this name, found in the Irish Calendar, it is not easy to determine if any one among them can be
p. 95- ""
See Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and identified . with the Deacon Mochua here other principal Saints," vol. viii. , August mentioned,
xxiii.
,a See " The Lives of the Saints," vol.
viii. , p. 251.
13 See "Les Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
xxiii* Jour d'Aout, p. 135.
l8
See the "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
"
*S In the " Leabhar Breac " See copy.
ex Codice Salmanticensi, Acta Sancti
Eugenii, num. 1, col. 915.
*9 See his Life, at the 3rd of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art i.
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 335
son of Fothad, son to Eochaidh Lamdoit, son to Fothadh, son of Eochaid Lamderg, son to Messincorb, son of Cucorb, son of Mogh Corb, son to
Conchobar Abraidhruadh, son of Finn File, son to Rosa Ruadh, son of Fergus Fairghe, son to Nuada Nect, son of Sedna Siothbac, who was the
afterwards of bishop
Coleraine,
companions,
captivity brought Brittany supposed
of
History Ireland,"
sect, iii. , p. 190.
vol.
Ecclesiastical ii. , chap, xii. ,
"
in descent from Miledh, or Milesius, of 20 Such is King Spain.
forty-fourth
the regal and distinguished line through which our saint's ancestry has been traced.
It seems probable, that towards the close of the fifth century, Eugene was born ; or at least, his nativity may be referred to the early part ot the
sixth. 21 It has been stated
2
23 that was one of St. Patrick's Eugene
by Colgan,
this statement rests on no
3
same writer elsewhere has named him 24 among the disciples of St. Finian of Clonard. *5 However, his account of the Abbot Monenus being the master of Eugene in Britain a6 accords with ancient Acts, which we deem it better to follow.
While yet of tender years, Eugene, with a great number of other boys and
3
girls, received his early education with the youthful Tighernach, 7 in the
school at Clones. From that place, the child was carried away captive to
and
disciples ;
but,
good authority. Moreover,
the
Britain
We are informed, that the holy and wise Neunyo,29 also called Maucenus,3°
by marauding pirates,
Tighernach
and who was in Rosnat 1 their liberation from the monastery^ procured
King of Britain. Afterwards, he took charge of their religious training, and he found them to be docile students. For some years, they were under the of St. Ninnian, with a named 2 who was
tutelage
together holy youth
Corpre,3
— with his time, Eugene,
in Ireland. A second as carried into and to
w—
See the Genealogical Tables illustra- work, Art. i.
to be in Gaul 33 as the pirates were from this latter country. They were detained as slaves in Armorica, by a Gallic King, who obliged them to work inamill. Thepassionforreadingwasstillstrongwiththethreeholyyouths, Tighernach, Eugene and Corpre ; but one day, while thus engaged, the mill- ing business appears to have been suspended, when the king's steward surprisedthestudents,androughlyorderedtheworktoproceed. Whenhe
20
" 28 ting Loca Patriciana," No. iv. , as com-
piled by the Rev. John F. Shearman, for " The Journal of the Royal Historical and
Archaeological Association of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , fourth series, No. 1 6, p. 544.
See further particulars, regarding Tighernach's captivity, in chap, i. , ibid.
3 » Identical with St. Nennius, Abbot of Candida Casa, whose feast occurs at the 1 6th of September, where notices of him may be found.
3° the mistake of a scribe for Probably
Mansenus. He is said to have been the master of St. Endeus of Aran, venerated on the 21st of March,
3I This was only another name for Can- dida Casa or Whitethorn, in Scotland. This identification both of Nennyo and of Rosnat, as found in the text, renders what has been
21 " See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
23 See the Life of St. Patrick, at 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
24 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," regarded as doubtful, in the Life of St.
xxiii. Februarii, Appendix ad Vitam S. Finniani, cap. iii. , p. 406.
25 Notices of him may be found in the
Second Volume of this work, at the 23rd of
Tighernach, at the 4th of April, sufficiently clear, as he and our present saint had one and the same master in Britain.
32 The festival of St. Coirpre, bishop of Cuil-Raithin, or Coleraine, occurs on the 1 1 th of November, where some notices of him may be found.
33 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
Sancta," part ii. , p. 95.
34 The compiler of our saint's Acts writes :
February, as also at the 1 2th of December. 26 "
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii i. De S. Moinenno sive Mon- nennio Episcopo Cluanfertensi, p. 458.
27 See his Life, at the 4th April, the day for his feast, in the Fourth Volume of this
also shared this 28 captivity.
336 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
left, the youths piously besought the Almighty, to give them a respite from labour, and an opportunity for reading. Instantly, the Angels of God
appeared, and kept the mill-wheel revolving, while the youths were reading. When the king was informed about this circumstance, he declared that they should return to Rosnat monastery to continue their studies. Having thus recovered miraculously their freedom, they were again restored to their belovedmaster,givingthankstoGodforthefavoursbestowedonthem. After
obtaining his liberty from the king, Eugene studied for some years in the monastery of Rosnat. At length, with the earnest recommendation and prayers of his monks, Nennius was induced to sail for Ireland, with both of hisdisciples,TighernachandEugene. Theyfoundedmonasteriesafterwards in the territory of Lagenia, now Leinster.
It was on this occasion, that Eugene established the monastery of Kilna-
——
managh,34 in Cualann 35 the modern district of Wicklow and he there led
a life of sanctity, mortification and prayer. Over that house he presided as Abbot, for fifteen years, enjoying a character without stain or reproach. There, too, he moulded the minds of many most illustrious prelates and saints, of whom not the least distinguished is said to have been his nephew, Coemghen or Kevin,*6 who, for his singular and unearthly beauty, was stated by the legend to have been baptized by an angel. 3 ?
In obedience to a Divine admonition, Eugene set out for the north to
preach the Gospel. Still, it was with some degree of regret; especially as his monks sorrowfully asked him who should be their Abbot, if he departed fromthem. Their "Leteachoneof become
holy superior replied : you
Abbot, and prior, and minister ; I, although absent in the body, shall be
with you in spirit. I shall hear what you say, even when spoken in whisper, and still more when you speak aloud. " 38 About the same time, St. Tigher-
nach left Leinster, and in conjunction with St. Eugene, he founded a
celebrated monastery at Clones, otherwise denominated Gaballiunense 3^ ;
while another religious domicile was founded at a place, the Latin equivalent of which is Sylva hu? nilis. <° Both of those holy prelates continued that tender affection and firm friendship they had early formed as school-fellows ; and as their respective places were not very far apart, they often enjoyed each other's society, and formed a spiritual alliance in their companionship. Seeking a suitable place to fix his own residence, Eugene, the son of Cainech, inobediencetoordersreceived,establishedamonasteryatArdstraw. This is at present the name of an extensive rural parish, and it is merely an anglicized form of the ancient Ard-straha/1 which means the height by or
"Eugenius quidem in regione Cualand Vir admirabilis in Ardstratensi monasterio, locumsanctum,quiCellaMonachorumvo quodmultispassuummillibusabaliodistat,
quasi in aurem dicerentur, audiebat. "
3? According to tho old Acts of our
saint,
40 This cannot be identified such . place by
a name. Perhaps the Irish equivalent might
"
the little wood. "
4I Most of all the places in the parish have retained their old Irish appellations. How- an angel, but by St. Cronan, who said on ever, Newtownstewart is an exception. Its
catur, construxit," &c.
3s The territory of Cualann lay along the
east coast in the present county of Wick- low.
36 See the Life of St. Coemghen or Kevin,
Abbot of Glendalough, at the 3rd of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
be Kylebeg, or
37 Kevin, however, was not baptized by
the occasion, " He shall be called what he
is, Coemghen, that is fair bom, for he shall
be exceedingly comely.
3* The Acts then state : u Quod veraciter
ancient name, according to- Lewis, was Lislas, but this is evidently a mistake for Lis-glas, which means Green Fort. This will appear the more probable from a num-
completum est : non solum enim cantus, sed ber of other forts or raths being scattered
et voces quamvis parvas, quas illi in cella through the immediate neighbourhood, and monachorum peccata confitendo proferebant, from some of them still retaining their dis-
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 337
nearthebankoftheriver. *' Thisexplanationthoroughlyaccordswithits situation ; for near the little River Derg, and on a considerable elevation, are to be traced some ecclesiastical remain? , where a road leading to Urney cuts a cemetery into two distinct parts. Both of these are largely availed of for interments. <3 While one cemetery is used for Catholic burials, the other is used for Protestants. The small village near it is now called Ardstraw- Bridge, and the parish itself is partly in the barony of Omagh, but chiefly in that of Strabane, in the County of Tyrone. " The scenery of this parish is
Cemeteries at Ardstraw, County of Tyrone.
diversified and of strongly-featured contour, so as to be rich in the number, and not poor in the character, of its landscapes. 4 * There, too, it is believed, that St. Eugene established a primitive See, after he had been consecrated
a Bishop.
Considerable doubt exists as to the precise year of his coming to Tyrone ;
for while some represent him as having been the disciple of St. Patrick, others with more probability assert, that he was the contemporary of St. Colum-
6 St.
of 1 andof 3 atthe22ndof The Tallagh Donegal register Sedrach, August.
former Calendar designates him as a bishop, and this is found, likewise, in
that copy of the Tallagh Martyrology, contained in the Book of Leinster,* at this same date. The see over which he presided is not known, nor the date
for his episcopacy.
Article VII. —Reputed Feast for The Sons of Daighre. It seems likely, that the present is a misplaced insertion, and a mistake com-
mitted modern transcribers. We read by
the
1
in
that a festival in honor of MacDaighri, or the sons of Daighre, was celebrated
at the 22nd of August. We think their names have been very incorrectly entered in this record, having been interposed between St. Beoghna and his
and office as Abbot of 2 The of at the Bangor. Martyrology Donegal,3
place
same date, records, The Sons of Daighre. 4
Article VIII. —Reputed Feast of St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul. In the " Feilire" of St. ^ngus, x at the 22nd of August, there is a commemoration of St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul, with an obser- vation which seems to indicate, that it was a day of special observance in theIrishChurch. AcommentisattachedtothetwofirstIrishwordsofthe ranny by the unknown scholiast. 2 The Bollandists, at this date, give the Apocryphal Acts, by an anonymous writer, of St. Timothy,3 a Martyr in Rome; while these are preceded by a commentary of a critical character,*
and written by Father John Pinius, in which an enquiry is instituted regarding
7 " of Breac" isthe
See Rev. A. Cogan's Diocese
Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap.
xvi. , p. 288.
ramiin
with the postfixed English translation by
8
Edited by Rev. Drs. Todd and Reeves,
pp. 226, 227.
Article yi. -« Edited by Rev. Dr.
-Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
Kelly, p. xxxii.
^
226, 227.
3 Thus entered : Article vii. — Edited
2
Our
fosterling of Paul with splendour : beseech
the — with holiness of the holy Emeli-
opinion
is, that the
reading
youths
" of Irish
*
Se'opAch epi.
by Rev. Dr.
" for the Pray
of
Timothy
the
should
be, Beogaes, son of Daigre, Abbot of anus. " Transactions the Royal
Bennchor.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
226, 227.
* A note by Dr. Todd, says at Daighre,
Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar of Oengus, p. cxxv.
11
margin, in Irish characters, Uide an idem qui 14 hujus. ' 'Consider if they are the same, who are mentioned on the 14th of this month. '"
Thus: "Ataig itge . i. ad [d]isc—ipulum cxxxii.
The more recent hand has written in the
p. «3
Article viii. —-l In the " Leabhar Romse, pp. 530 to 535.
copy
Whitley Stokes, LL. D. :—
Irish,
of Martyrology Tallagh,
4C41C icce -ClllAWOAl
^^ *
CQ„Am WQwm e^ellAni>
following
prayers
2
dixit uel escop {sic) ad corpus dixit. " Ibid.
In three paragraphs, with annotations, 4 This is in two sections, embracing 19 paragraphs. See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Augusti xxii. De S. Timotheo Martyre
332 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 22.
their genuineness, and as to whether the saint noticed has not been con- founded with St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul. In the notes regarding pretermitted feasts, they allude also to this controverted subject, and to the authorities on which such insertion is made. 5 The principal festival of St. Timothy, the Disciple of St. Paul, is kept however on the 24th of January.
Article IX. —Festival of St. Emilianus and Companions, Martyrs.
In the Irish Church, at an early period, the Festival of St. Emilianus and his
Companions, who were Martyrs, was kept on the 22nd of August, as we
learn from the " Feilire " of St. ^ngus. 1 An explanation is added, in a
brief note2 the in Irish and Latin. we do not find by Scholiast, Elsewhere,
this feast, on the 22nd of August, except in that copy of the Tallagh Martyr- ology, contained in the Book of Leinster.
Article X. —Reputed Feast of the Blessed Monk, Quadanoc.
to 1 theBlessed According Dempster,
Quadanoc St. Winnoc,andhewasveneratedatAudomaropolis,nowSaintOmer,a on
the 22nd of August.
Article XI. —Reputed Feast for the BirthJ of St. Patrick, at
1
Kilpatrick, in Scotland. This day is said by Dempster to have been
the anniversary of St. Patrick's Birth, at Kilpatrick, in Scotland.
Article XII. —Reputed Feast of St. Barr, Bishop. The Bollandists,* at the 22nd of August, enter the feast of St. Barr, a Bishop, in Scotia, on the authority of Ferrarius, quoting from a Scottish Menology, and from the
2
Martyrology of Canisius.
identical with St. Barr, First Bishop and Patron of Cork, they remit his Acts to the 25th of September^ his proper Festival.
"
s They state :
sanctiPauliApostolifit mentioinMartyro- logio Rhinoviensi et apud Florentinium in
2 The of in France, capital Artois,
Ibid. , pp. 488, 489. '
Timothei
Romse, discipuli
Articlexi. —Thusdowefindanentry
textu Martyrologii, quod in lucem dedit. "
of
August.
Eodem die ad
Article IX. — See 2"
sons of grace, i. e. seven sons of Emilianus,
with eight sons. —See ibid. , p. exxxii.
'
Article X. In his "Menologium
Scotorum," we find this entry :—" XXII.
Audomaropoli Beati Quadanoci monachi S. Vvinoci socii, sanctitate inclyti. B. " See Bishop Forbes' u Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 209.
Article xii.
"
Transactions of
Hiberniamnavigatio,cujus
the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manu- scopulus in Glotta, qui in medio flumine
script Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar situs impune plenis velis illat—as naves
of Oengus, p. cxxv. innocuus excipit, nee laedit. C. " Bishop
It may thus be rendered in English :
Seven sons with Emelianus, i. e. youths or 209.
wasamonkand of disciple
However, recognising this holy man, as being
—
—XXII.
"
memoriam servat
"
Menologium Scotorum," for the
in his
month
Kilpatrick in Scotia nativitas Patricii et in
Forbes' Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p.
—
'See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Augusti xxii. Among the preter-
mitted
2 To this the following observation is
3 At that day, likewise, his Life is given in the Ninth Volume of this work.
Saints, p. 491.
"
lib. 2. , Hist. Scot. "
appended,
sicut additur in notis, et citatur
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 333
Utoentp-tbfra JBap of August
ARTICLE I. —ST. EOGAN OR EUGENE, BISHOP OF ARDSTRAW, AND PATRON OF DERRY.
[FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES. -]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ACTS OF ST. EUGENE AND AUTHORITIES FOR HIS LIFE—HIS FAMILY AND BIRTH—HIS DOUBLE CAPTIVITY—EDUCATION IN BRITAIN—HIS RETURN TO IRELAND—HE FOUNDS THE MONASTERY OF KILNAMANAGH IN LEINSTER—ST. EUGENE GOES TO THE NORTH OF IRELAND AND FOUNDS A MONASTERY AT ARDSRATHA—HE BECOMES THE FIRST BISHOP OF THAT EARLY SEE—HIS MANNER OF LIVING WHILE THERE—HE ENJOYS PROPHETIC GIFTS.
the ceaseless labours of blessed Patrick, Ireland soon became
UNDER
a favoured in the
when sainted
of the
like the Apostles of old, left all things at his preaching to follow Christ.
were crowding to the cells of Brigid—the Mary of Erin—and consecrating their lives to the service of God and of His poor. Those were truly the ages of faith, when churches and monasteries rose as if by magic on every moun- tain and in every valley ; when the music of sacred hymns and of Divine psalmody was borne on every breeze, and when that golden era foretold in burning words by Isaiah of old seemed to be fully realized in this Island. M The land that was desolate and impassable, shall be glad, and the wilder- ness shall rejoice, and nourish like the lily. " Whether viewed in a political or religious aspect, Derry is a spot dear to the heart of the annalist, for hallowed reminiscences cluster round it, and the golden glory of bygone days sheds still their lustre on the See of Eugene and the city of Columkille. From immemorial
spot
vineyard
Church,
men,
Princes and nobles were not ashamed to lay aside the pomps of royalty, and to put on the humbler garb of the Christian missionary. Tender virgins
the" oftheoaks"wassacred forhere,eventhe ages, place ;
Article i. —Chapter i. —*
Uiao becrtA £eil ©ogam <*irvo fnAcViA.
" At the passion of Fortunatus, with whom went warriors, on one festival—a world's talk—the Feast of Eogan of Ard Sratha. "— "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
held, had one of their most famous ——
1 From
The festival of St. Eogan or Eugene dates from a very early period in the Irish Church, and it was held on this date. 8 The learned hagiologist,
it is
the Holy Island for such formerly Derry was went forth the royal poets, the sage legislators, the learned astronomers, and the well-instructed annal- ists. There the mystic rites of Druidism were once studied, and there in after times the young aspirant to the priestly dignity underwent his long and arduous novitiate.
Druids,
traditionally
colleges.
According Critical History of the Celtic Religion and Learning : contain- ing an Account of the Druids," &c. First
Letter, pp. 44, 45, note 1.
2 Thus in the " Feilire " of St. ^Engus, in
the Leabhar Breac copy, we have the following entry, the English translation beingsuppliedbyWhitleyStokes,LL. D. :—
LApAir puncmAci imatUnv tin cacIia
£ot\Aenlich
to John Toland, in his
"
On
3 See "Catalogus Actuum Sanctorum quae Ms. habentur, ordine Mensium et Die- rum. "
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. theCalendarofOengus,p. cxxv.
334 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
Colgan, had intended to publish the Acts of St. Eugene, at the 23rd of August, as may be inferred from his list of unedited Manuscripts. 3 However,
these Acts of St. Eugenius, bishop of Ardsrata, are preserved in the Burgun- dian Library at Bruxelles. * They have since been edited and published s by Carolus de Smedt and Joseph de Backer, Bollandist Fathers, under the auspices of the Right Hon. John Patrick, Marquis of Bute. At the 23rd of
6
August,theBollandists presentuswithActsofSt. Eugene,bysomeanony-
mous writer. ? A previous commentary 8 is added, with several notes, by Father William Cuper, S. J. These Acts were composed as a panegyric on the saint, and evidently they were intended to serve as a sermon for his
ro
The Rev.
Alban Butler has a short article in reference to him at this same
11 12 1 date, as likewise the Rev. S. Baring-Gould, and the Petits Bollandistes. *
The Life and Acts of St. Eugene are involved in much obscurity, since the most ancient memoir we possess seems to have been written centuries after his period, and it abounds in legends. Still, it must be observed, there are certain coincidences that correspond or are not irreconcilable with synchronous persons, times and places, as gleaned from independent records.
Eugene belonged to a Leinster family, on the paternal side. He sprung from the race of Laeghaire Lore, son to Ugaine Mdr, from whom the
1
Leinstermen are descended, according to the O'Clerys. * The scholiast on
""
the Feilire of ^Engus *9 has a remark, that as learned persons reported,
Eogan was the son of Bishop Ere of Slane l6 but he adds, and that is the ;
Deacon who to Cluain in Leix. 1* he Mochua, belonged However, appears
more reconciled to the following paternity. We are informed, that Cainnech
of Leinster was father of Eugenius, while his mother is named Muindecha,
and she belonged by race to the territory of Mugdarnia,18 in the present
* In a volume, classed xxii. , at fol. 216. u See "The Martyrology of Donegal,' s In a work intituled " Acta Sanctorum with the Irish text, translated by John
festival. * Briefly, too, does Bishop Challoner enter his record at this day.
of Down. The illustrious St. Kevin ot J 9 was a near Glendalough
county
relative. The relationship between St. Kevin and Eugene seems to have been that of first cousins ; our saint, however, being in the first degree, nearer to their common stem. Eugene was the sixtieth in descent from Miledh or Milesius. Kevinwasthesixty-first,hismotherCaemellhavingbeenmarried to Coemloga, son to Coemfada, the brother of Cainech, father to St. Eugene. Now, Cainech is said to have been the son of Cuirp, son to Fergus Lamderg,
Hibernise," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 915 10924.
6 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au- gusti xxiii. De S. Eugenio vel Eogaino Episcopo Ardsrathensi, pp. 624 to 627.
' These are in sixteen paragraphs, and
taken from a vellum Manuscript belonging
to their Library, classed P. Ms. . 11, "a folio.
21 verso. "
£
In six paragraphs.
9 This may safely be concluded from the
sentence with which they end.
O'Donovan, LL. D. , M. R. I. A. , and edited
by Rev. Dr. James Henthorn Todd and by
Rev. Dr. William Reeves, pp. 226, 227.
10
See "Britannia Sancta," part ii. ,
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar «f Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxii.
,6
His festival occurs at the 2nd day of November, where some account of him may be found.
'7 Among the many saints of this name, found in the Irish Calendar, it is not easy to determine if any one among them can be
p. 95- ""
See Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and identified . with the Deacon Mochua here other principal Saints," vol. viii. , August mentioned,
xxiii.
,a See " The Lives of the Saints," vol.
viii. , p. 251.
13 See "Les Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
xxiii* Jour d'Aout, p. 135.
l8
See the "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
"
*S In the " Leabhar Breac " See copy.
ex Codice Salmanticensi, Acta Sancti
Eugenii, num. 1, col. 915.
*9 See his Life, at the 3rd of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art i.
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 335
son of Fothad, son to Eochaidh Lamdoit, son to Fothadh, son of Eochaid Lamderg, son to Messincorb, son of Cucorb, son of Mogh Corb, son to
Conchobar Abraidhruadh, son of Finn File, son to Rosa Ruadh, son of Fergus Fairghe, son to Nuada Nect, son of Sedna Siothbac, who was the
afterwards of bishop
Coleraine,
companions,
captivity brought Brittany supposed
of
History Ireland,"
sect, iii. , p. 190.
vol.
Ecclesiastical ii. , chap, xii. ,
"
in descent from Miledh, or Milesius, of 20 Such is King Spain.
forty-fourth
the regal and distinguished line through which our saint's ancestry has been traced.
It seems probable, that towards the close of the fifth century, Eugene was born ; or at least, his nativity may be referred to the early part ot the
sixth. 21 It has been stated
2
23 that was one of St. Patrick's Eugene
by Colgan,
this statement rests on no
3
same writer elsewhere has named him 24 among the disciples of St. Finian of Clonard. *5 However, his account of the Abbot Monenus being the master of Eugene in Britain a6 accords with ancient Acts, which we deem it better to follow.
While yet of tender years, Eugene, with a great number of other boys and
3
girls, received his early education with the youthful Tighernach, 7 in the
school at Clones. From that place, the child was carried away captive to
and
disciples ;
but,
good authority. Moreover,
the
Britain
We are informed, that the holy and wise Neunyo,29 also called Maucenus,3°
by marauding pirates,
Tighernach
and who was in Rosnat 1 their liberation from the monastery^ procured
King of Britain. Afterwards, he took charge of their religious training, and he found them to be docile students. For some years, they were under the of St. Ninnian, with a named 2 who was
tutelage
together holy youth
Corpre,3
— with his time, Eugene,
in Ireland. A second as carried into and to
w—
See the Genealogical Tables illustra- work, Art. i.
to be in Gaul 33 as the pirates were from this latter country. They were detained as slaves in Armorica, by a Gallic King, who obliged them to work inamill. Thepassionforreadingwasstillstrongwiththethreeholyyouths, Tighernach, Eugene and Corpre ; but one day, while thus engaged, the mill- ing business appears to have been suspended, when the king's steward surprisedthestudents,androughlyorderedtheworktoproceed. Whenhe
20
" 28 ting Loca Patriciana," No. iv. , as com-
piled by the Rev. John F. Shearman, for " The Journal of the Royal Historical and
Archaeological Association of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , fourth series, No. 1 6, p. 544.
See further particulars, regarding Tighernach's captivity, in chap, i. , ibid.
3 » Identical with St. Nennius, Abbot of Candida Casa, whose feast occurs at the 1 6th of September, where notices of him may be found.
3° the mistake of a scribe for Probably
Mansenus. He is said to have been the master of St. Endeus of Aran, venerated on the 21st of March,
3I This was only another name for Can- dida Casa or Whitethorn, in Scotland. This identification both of Nennyo and of Rosnat, as found in the text, renders what has been
21 " See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
23 See the Life of St. Patrick, at 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
24 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," regarded as doubtful, in the Life of St.
xxiii. Februarii, Appendix ad Vitam S. Finniani, cap. iii. , p. 406.
25 Notices of him may be found in the
Second Volume of this work, at the 23rd of
Tighernach, at the 4th of April, sufficiently clear, as he and our present saint had one and the same master in Britain.
32 The festival of St. Coirpre, bishop of Cuil-Raithin, or Coleraine, occurs on the 1 1 th of November, where some notices of him may be found.
33 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
Sancta," part ii. , p. 95.
34 The compiler of our saint's Acts writes :
February, as also at the 1 2th of December. 26 "
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii i. De S. Moinenno sive Mon- nennio Episcopo Cluanfertensi, p. 458.
27 See his Life, at the 4th April, the day for his feast, in the Fourth Volume of this
also shared this 28 captivity.
336 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
left, the youths piously besought the Almighty, to give them a respite from labour, and an opportunity for reading. Instantly, the Angels of God
appeared, and kept the mill-wheel revolving, while the youths were reading. When the king was informed about this circumstance, he declared that they should return to Rosnat monastery to continue their studies. Having thus recovered miraculously their freedom, they were again restored to their belovedmaster,givingthankstoGodforthefavoursbestowedonthem. After
obtaining his liberty from the king, Eugene studied for some years in the monastery of Rosnat. At length, with the earnest recommendation and prayers of his monks, Nennius was induced to sail for Ireland, with both of hisdisciples,TighernachandEugene. Theyfoundedmonasteriesafterwards in the territory of Lagenia, now Leinster.
It was on this occasion, that Eugene established the monastery of Kilna-
——
managh,34 in Cualann 35 the modern district of Wicklow and he there led
a life of sanctity, mortification and prayer. Over that house he presided as Abbot, for fifteen years, enjoying a character without stain or reproach. There, too, he moulded the minds of many most illustrious prelates and saints, of whom not the least distinguished is said to have been his nephew, Coemghen or Kevin,*6 who, for his singular and unearthly beauty, was stated by the legend to have been baptized by an angel. 3 ?
In obedience to a Divine admonition, Eugene set out for the north to
preach the Gospel. Still, it was with some degree of regret; especially as his monks sorrowfully asked him who should be their Abbot, if he departed fromthem. Their "Leteachoneof become
holy superior replied : you
Abbot, and prior, and minister ; I, although absent in the body, shall be
with you in spirit. I shall hear what you say, even when spoken in whisper, and still more when you speak aloud. " 38 About the same time, St. Tigher-
nach left Leinster, and in conjunction with St. Eugene, he founded a
celebrated monastery at Clones, otherwise denominated Gaballiunense 3^ ;
while another religious domicile was founded at a place, the Latin equivalent of which is Sylva hu? nilis. <° Both of those holy prelates continued that tender affection and firm friendship they had early formed as school-fellows ; and as their respective places were not very far apart, they often enjoyed each other's society, and formed a spiritual alliance in their companionship. Seeking a suitable place to fix his own residence, Eugene, the son of Cainech, inobediencetoordersreceived,establishedamonasteryatArdstraw. This is at present the name of an extensive rural parish, and it is merely an anglicized form of the ancient Ard-straha/1 which means the height by or
"Eugenius quidem in regione Cualand Vir admirabilis in Ardstratensi monasterio, locumsanctum,quiCellaMonachorumvo quodmultispassuummillibusabaliodistat,
quasi in aurem dicerentur, audiebat. "
3? According to tho old Acts of our
saint,
40 This cannot be identified such . place by
a name. Perhaps the Irish equivalent might
"
the little wood. "
4I Most of all the places in the parish have retained their old Irish appellations. How- an angel, but by St. Cronan, who said on ever, Newtownstewart is an exception. Its
catur, construxit," &c.
3s The territory of Cualann lay along the
east coast in the present county of Wick- low.
36 See the Life of St. Coemghen or Kevin,
Abbot of Glendalough, at the 3rd of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
be Kylebeg, or
37 Kevin, however, was not baptized by
the occasion, " He shall be called what he
is, Coemghen, that is fair bom, for he shall
be exceedingly comely.
3* The Acts then state : u Quod veraciter
ancient name, according to- Lewis, was Lislas, but this is evidently a mistake for Lis-glas, which means Green Fort. This will appear the more probable from a num-
completum est : non solum enim cantus, sed ber of other forts or raths being scattered
et voces quamvis parvas, quas illi in cella through the immediate neighbourhood, and monachorum peccata confitendo proferebant, from some of them still retaining their dis-
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 337
nearthebankoftheriver. *' Thisexplanationthoroughlyaccordswithits situation ; for near the little River Derg, and on a considerable elevation, are to be traced some ecclesiastical remain? , where a road leading to Urney cuts a cemetery into two distinct parts. Both of these are largely availed of for interments. <3 While one cemetery is used for Catholic burials, the other is used for Protestants. The small village near it is now called Ardstraw- Bridge, and the parish itself is partly in the barony of Omagh, but chiefly in that of Strabane, in the County of Tyrone. " The scenery of this parish is
Cemeteries at Ardstraw, County of Tyrone.
diversified and of strongly-featured contour, so as to be rich in the number, and not poor in the character, of its landscapes. 4 * There, too, it is believed, that St. Eugene established a primitive See, after he had been consecrated
a Bishop.
Considerable doubt exists as to the precise year of his coming to Tyrone ;
for while some represent him as having been the disciple of St. Patrick, others with more probability assert, that he was the contemporary of St. Colum-
6 St.
