No More Learning

*s The BoUandist editor incorrectly sug- gests : " Videtur potius legendum Lagenia;, ubi Corbreus fuit Rex. "
^ Perhaps, under this form, we are to re- cognise Cairbre Cruimh, who is said to have reigned thirty years over Munster. See John O'Dugan's Chronological Poem, "The Kings of the Race of Eibhear," translated by Michael Kearney, and edited by John O'Daly, pp. 16, 17.
*' Its situation appears to be unknown.
'^ Their names do not appear in our An- nals.
'9 The BoUandist editor thinks, he was i^dus or Aldus, father of those holy virgins, visited by St. Aidan or St. Mxdoc, bishop of Ferns, as read in Vita S. Maidoci, n. 32, at the 31st of January. The holy virgins
Januarii, p. 218.
^o -p^g circumstances of this event are
rather differently related, in the Vita ex duplici MS. Legendario, num. 8, where Corpre is called a tyrant,
3> He is not identified,
3- See Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico, cap. iii. , num. 27. In the Vita ex duplici MS. Legendario, num. 9, this chieftain is said to have been dropsical, &c.
33 There is a Calhald, son of Aedh, King of Munster, whose death is recorded at A. D. 630, in Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 244, 245.
• ^* This seems to be identical, with Ciar- raighe-Chuirche, the present b. irony of Kerrycurrihy, shown on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for tiie County of Cork," sheets 75, 85, S6, 87, 97, 98, 99.
35 The Annals of Clonmacnoise report his death, at A. D. 624, and the " Chronicum Scotorum," at A. D. 625. See William M.
;
May 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Rosmore, and the Island Pioch,37 situated in the strait Coga—but probably the reading should be Cova, now known as Cove,38 ^here a flourishing town, and delightfully situated, on the Great Island, at the entrance to Cork Har- bour, is at present to be seen. 39 Carthage left some monks, at Rosbeargh, to build a cell there ; and, this place was afterwards renowned. That holy man himself commenced a building, in the Island of Piocli, where he remained a whole year.
Inis-Pict, or Spike Island, in the Cove of Cork.
At the end of this time, three of his disciples,4° known as Gobban, the Bishop, Straphan, a Priest, and Lasceran, all sons of Nascain, were ordained by a Bishop, named Domangen,t' at Raithin, in presence of St. Carthage. These, together with twelve other brethren, were left there, by our saint, on returning to Raithin. That Island of Pioch, or Pict, was greatly distinguished, for the fervour of holy men who inhabited it. -t^ At another time, our saint, travelling through a part of Munster, came to a river, formerly called Nemphe,
Hennessy' edition, pp. 78, 79. Hawlboline Island is in the distance, •''° In the Life of St. Gobban, where alhi- and the mouth of Cork Harbour is in the
sion is made to this place, it is written offing.
Aileam Cathail.
37 It is variedly called Inis-Pict, Inis-Pick,
or Inis-Puice, now thought to be Spike Is- land, near Cork.
2^ The accompanying illustration of Cove
—most improperly Anglicized Queenstown,
to gratify the sentiment of sycophantic
loyalty which actuated the former local
authorities, on the occasion of Queen Victo-
ria's visit to Cork, immediately after the Tuaim Muscraige. In the P'ourth Volume
great Irish Pamine—has been drawn on the wood, by William F. Wakeman, and it was engraved by Mrs. Millard. Spike Island, with its buildings for convicts, appears in the middle distance of the Cove of Cork
Vol. v. —No. 5.
of this work ; at that day, seme account of him will be found. See Art. vii.
^^ See Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico, cap. i. , num. 27, 28. In the Vita exduplici MS. Legendavio, num. 9, this chieftain is. said
33 The magnificent new Catholic Cathe- dral of Cloyne Diocese denominates the town and harbour, on its elevated founda- tion of rock.
•»" SeeColgan's"ActaSanctorumHiber- nire," xvii. Martii. De S. Gobbano Epis- copo, p. 631.
i' His feast has been assigned to the 29th of April, as St. Domaingen, Bishop of
257
258 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 14.
and afterwards Abhainn, or " the great river. "'»3 On its surface, he saw an appleswimming. Thishetook,inhishand,andbroughtit towardshome. That place thence received the name, Arhubbla,'''* or " the shallow of the apple ;" and, it was situated, within the territory of the men of Maighe. . Our saint's charioteer asked him for this fruit, which he refused to give, saying ** The Lord, on to-day will work for me a great miracle, by means of this apple ; for, this day, shall we find the daughter of Cuanna, son to Bealcham, the chief of this country, before the castle of her father. She has a hand
yet, through the blessing of God, by means of this apple, shall she be healed. " Afterwards, seeing the girl play- ing with other companions, before the castle, IMochuda went to her and said : " Take this apple. " She reached forth her left hand. Our saint drew back the present, but telling her to extend the right hand. Full of faith, she stretched it forth, and found it restored to strength, while thus receiving fruit from the saint. All present were in admiration, at this miracle. Then, Cuanus said to his daughter, on that night : " ]My daughter, select from among the noble young men of Munster him thou wouldst wish to be thy husband, and I shallobtainhimforthee. " Shereplied: "Iwillhavenonesavehim,whohealed myhand. " ThefatherinterrogatedCarthage: "Dostthouhearwhatshesays? '' Whereupon, Carthage answered : " Give her to me, and I will resign her as spouse to the Son of God, who hath healed her hand. " Her father then said : " I wholly give to God and to St. Carthage, my daugliter, Flannaid,*5 with her inheritance, in the town of Forth, on the bank of Nemphe River. " Our saint brought this holy virgin with him, to tlie city of Raithain, She lived near it, in a nunnery, with some holy women, until that time when St. Carthage and his monks were expelled from Rathain, by the king and chiefs of Ter-
moria. '*^
Being at a certain locality, in the province of Munster, Carthage said
to his companions : " I hear, in this place, the voices of the Leinster children, proceeding from our monastery ofRaithen. By such token, I know this spot shall be ours. " The prediction was afterwards fulfilled. ^7 One day, St. Columkille '<^ came to our saint, at Raithin. Saluting the superior there, Columba said : " Dost thou love this place, holy father ? " Mochuda answered: "Truly, I do love it. " Then, Columkille replied : "Let not what I say disturb thee. For thy resurrection shall not be in this place ; the envy of some clerics shall excite the King of Termoria, his sons, and chiefs, against thee. In course of time, these persons shall drive thee way. " Mochuda asked St. Columba,wheretheplaceofhisresurrectionshouldbe. Again,Columba replied : " Formerly from the top of Cuah mountain, thou hast seen a great band of Angels, on the bank of Nemphe River, and raising to Heaven a silver cathedral, with a golden image in it. There shall be the place of thy resurrection. That church of silver is tliine, and the golden statue placed in
withered, and barely hanging to her side
;
to have made himself a servant to our saint.
*3 Alluded to by the Poet Spenser, as
"SwiftAwnidufif,whichoftheEnglish man
Is cal'de Blacke-water," &c.
O'Dubhegain and Giolla na Naomh Iluid- hrin," l)y John O'Donovan, LL. D. "Of Ancient Irish Female Names and thear Changes," p. 62.
*'AlsocalledTeamhair,nowTara. See a full account of it, in " Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," vol. xviii. Dr. (Jeorge I'etrie's "Antiquities of Tara.
—"The Faerie Queene," Book iv. , canto Hill. "
xi. , stanzaxli.
<* Rightly written it should be Ath Ubhla,
now Applelord, in Fermoy.
5 Probably identical with Flanna, " the
ruddy," an Irish female name. See Intro- duction to " Topographical rocnis of John
*'SeeVitaexantiqueMS. Hibernico,cap. iii. , num. 29. Vitaexduplici MS. Legendario. num. 10.
** The great Apostle of the Picts and Scots,
^9 See Vita ex antique MS. Hibernico, cap.
:
May 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
259
it represents thee. " Knowing tliat this prophecy should be accomplished, both holy men gave thanks to God. 49
At this distoT,nce of time, it seems impracticable to determine the exact
site,whichhadbeenselectedatRahan,forthechurchofSt. Carthage but, ;
it is probable, the cells for his monks were built at divided spaces, imme- diatelynearit. Thereisnowasmalloblongruin—neartheProtestantchurch already described—at Rahan,5° measuring 34 feet in length, by 18 feet in
width, and the walls are 2 feet, seven inches, in thickness. s'
It has four win-
Old Church at Rahan, King's County.
dows ; one window in each gable, and one in each side wall ;5* these windows are round-headed or pointed. 53 Allusion seems to be made to the smaller church, by John 0'Donovan,54 who gives its full dimensions, as 36 feet in
111. ,num. 30.
s°The accompanying illustration was drawn
on the spot, by Mr.
Master in St. Stanislaus' Cottage, TuUabeg, in March, 1S85. This sketch, afterwards transferred to the wood, by William F. Wakeman, has been engraved by Mrs. Mdlaid.
S' See " Notes on Irish Architecture," by Edwin, Third Earl of Dunraven, edited by Margaret Stokes, vol. ii. , p. 64.
basesofthewestdoormaybeseen. " Ibid. 53 Commenting on the present condition of this once historic place, the Rev. Anthony
Cogan observes : " The monastery is gone the city of Cell-Belaigh, once frequented by students from Great Britain and the Conti- nent, has departed ; four of the ancient churches have completely dibappeared ; and the few fragments which remain are melan- choly mementoes of the ancient magnificence and importance of this place. ''—" The Dio- cese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol.
J.
A. Mitchell, Drawing
2^ " The south window is 2 feet 8 inches
l^'g^i 7I2 inches wide at the base, and 5_^ ii,, chap, xix. , sect. 8, pp. 529, 530.
inches at the top ; it is round-headed. There s^ See " Letters containing Information is another window in the south wall, which relative to the Antiquities of the King's
is an ogee, late-pointed arch with a curious carving on one spandril of a bird riding on a horse. 'I"he east window, consisting of two lights, is pointed. In Plate facing page 64, Figs, c and d, drawings of one of the
County, collected during the Progress of the Ordnance Sur\cy in 1837," vol. i. Letter, dated TuUamore, January 2nd, 1838, pp. 91,92.
55 It resembles St. Fechin's church at
;
—
26o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May 14.
length,by24inbreadth. 5S Thisdoorwayformsasemlcirculararchatthetop,and it is composed of cliiselled stones showing an ornate character. s^ Botli churches at Rahan S7 are represented, as situated on Churchland ; while, besides the Protestant church, tliere is a graveyard, and near it is marked the Abbey in ruins, but, perhaps, this latter might better be described as the smaller church ruin,s^ such as we liave here noticed. Notwithstanding the well-known fact,
that St. Mochuda or Carthage had been the first founder of a monastery, at this place ;59 yet, because of his forced expulsion from it, and because another holy man, Fidhairle Ua Suanaigh,^° succeeded him, as the restorer of that institute, the latter has been regarded as the patron saint of Rahin,^' and from him it was called Raithin-Ui-Shuanaigh.
One day, a priest and monk belonging to St. Carthage's rule came from a northern part of Munster province, to seek the monastery of Rathin. Having bent his knee to the holy man, after the manner of monks, who were engaged in pilgrimage, he said : " O father, I have kept the order of rule, and fulfilled thy commands, as it seems to me, to this time. Without thy permission, how- ever, I brought my brother, having renounced this world, here with me. " Our saint replied : " I truly tell thee, hadst thou gone up into a mountain of thy country, and hadst thou cried out with a loud voice, from the top of that mountain, and if all, who had heard thy voice, returned with thee, I would joy- fully receive them for the holy habit. " They admired our saint's wonderful charity, in speaking these words, and gave thanks to God. ^^ Another day, about the ninth hour, Carthage said to his brethren : " We shall not eat to- day, until each one of you makes his confession to me ; for one among you bears hatred towards another. " Having confessed Colman, son of lona, one of these monks said : " Father, I love not our miller, nay, I have hated him.
For, when I go to the mill, he will not remove loads with me, from the horses, nor fill measures of meal. Yea, even, he will not load the horses ; he does injurytome,ineveryway,andheisalwaysdisagreeableandinsulting. The Lord knoweth, but I do not, why he acts in this way ; and even now have I thought, when I came to him again, and that he should do in like manner, I would strike him to the earth. " St. Mochuda answered : "Brother, hear what the prophet saith, ' Turn away from evil and do good ;' therefore, according to my advice, be kind towards him ; and he shall be moved by thy goodness. Then, you shall be friends, as long as you desire it. " The monk followed his superior's advice, and for three days, he endeavoured to please the miller.
But, the latter remained, in his former surly mood, and the brother's hatred still continued. On the third day, St. Mochuda heard the confession of the monk, who said : " This is my confession, I do not love the miller. " Our saint then said, that on the same night, his heart should be changed, and that lie should not take refreshment, until he would go to his adversary and eat with him. Our saint also declared, that during the refection, a friendship
Fore, in every way, except that its doorway is more richly ornamented.
5* There were ruins of some building probably these of a more modern church near the existing antiquities. See Ibid. , p. 93.
S7 The townland of Rahan, situated in tlic parish so called, and barony of Ballycowan, is noted, on the " Ordnance Survey Town- land Maps for the King's County," sheet
16.
5' The Grand Canal from Dublin to
Shannon Harbour passes near to these
churches at Rahan.
59 See a description and history of Rahin,
in Rev. Anthony Cogan's " Diocese of Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. iii. , chap, Ixxv. , pp, 619 to 627.
*° ilis festival occurs, on the 1st of Octo- ber.
*' . See Dr. George Petrie's " Ecclesiastical Architecture and Round Towers of Ire- land," part ii. , sect, iii. , subs, i. , pp. 245, 246.
*^ Sec Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico, cap. iii. , num. 31.
May 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 261
shouldarisebetweenthem,andtliistoomustproveperpetual. Thatmonkwas filled with the spirit of God ; and, as all things had happened, according to the prediction of Carthage, his brethren admired a Divine inspiration, which influenced their holy senior. ^3
On another day, it is said, that two monks, \\\\o were Britons by birth,
and living under his rule, conspired to take away their superior's life. He was
sick at the time, but his death was not immediately apprehended. Being filled
with envy or ambition, they argued, that as a man equal in sanctity to our
saint could not be found among the brethren ; one of themselves, in all like-
lihood, might be elected in his place. They resolved, on the following night,
at a late hour, to drown him privately in a neighbouring river. Finding him,
according to his usual custom, praying in a retired place ; they bound him in
a skin with thongs, and brought him towards that" river. Wiiiie leading him
in this manner, a religious monk, whose custom it was to walk round the
cemetery, during the latter part of the night, met them. Being astonished
at what he saw, this monk asked them whom they carried, at that hour of the
night. Those persons told him, they carried the garments of certain brethren
tobewashed but,nottrustingsuchanaccount,heobligedthemtolaytheir ;
burden down, that he might examine it. Having complied, they found St. Carthagelyinginthewrapper. ^* BeingPrioroftheplace,themonksaidto those wicked brethren, who were much alarmed at such a discovery of their guilt, that they were engaged in a most abominable work. The holy Mochuda, however, replied : " My son, it would have been productive of good to me, for, I should be enrolled among the holy martyrs ; but, of evil to them, for they should be condemned with Judas, the betrayer of his Master. They designedkillingme,thattheymightbesetovermybrethren; but,neitherthese wretches, nor any from therr nation, shall be my successors. The Britons shall be despised for ever, in my city ; but those, who belong to this nation that hath saved me, shall always be my successors, in my seat. "^s The Prior was a native of Kerry, and the future successors of St. Carthage were from that province, according to his prediction. ^^ However, among the holy monks living under him was St. Constantine,^7a king of the Britons.
For a long time, St. Mochuda would not receive cows, oxen, or horses, to cul- tivatehisland. Thisworkwasperformed,byhismonkswithhoes,andthey carriedallburdensontheirshoulders. But,St. Fintan,arelativeofSt. Carthage, on his return from Rome, visited him, and that guest said : "Why, O Carthage, dost thou impose upon rational beings the work of irrational animals? Your men are made like to beasts of burden, and I shall not eat in this place, unless you liberate your monks, who are the servants of Christ, from such degrading occupation. " Afterwards, through regard to St. Fintan, Carthage allowed oxen and horses to his monks, engaged in prosecuting their labours. ^^ St. Lanchean, or Lachean, Abbot,^9 taking compassion on St. Carthage and his monks, set
*3 See Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico, cap. iii. , num. 32.
"^''Quo autem deposilo, inventus est ibi sanctissimus Pater Patronus noster Cartha- gus. "—Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico, cap. iii. , num 33. By these words, it would seem, that this tract must have been written by a monk, or inhabitant of Rathain, or of Lismore, or of some other place, where our saint was recognised as Patron.
*s This legend might furnish a clue to the family and descent of the early superiors of Ratben.
^ See Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico,
cap. iii. , num. 33. This must have refer- ence only to the period, when this old Life of our saint had been written,
*' See an account of this devout and royal pilgrim, in the Third Volume of this wcrk, at the nth of March—the day assii;ned for his feast—Art. ii.
*^ See Vita ex antiquo MS. Hibernico, cap. iii. , num. 34.
°9This Abbot Lancheanus, was unknown to the Bollandists. In n. (/), they remark : '•^inferitu autem semper scribebaliir Lachea- nus. "
i° See Vita ex antiquo MS. Hilternico,
—
262 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i"4.
out towards Rathin, bringing thirty cows and a bull, with two herdsmen, and some vessels. When near the place, Lancliean concealed what he had brought ; and, going into the monastery, he asked for milk, pretending to be sick. This request the servant conveyed to Mochuda. The saint ordered a vessel to be filled with water. Then, bestowing a blessing, it appeared to be changed into new milk. In this state, it was brought to St. Lanchean. Knowing what had occurred, he changed the contents of the vessel into water once more, saying : " I asked for milk, and not for water. " St. Lanchean then said before all : " Our father Carthage is a good monk, but, his successors shall not create milk out of water. " He then addressed the
guest-master, " Tell St. Mochuda, that I shall not eat in this place, unless he receive gifts I have brought, to his brethren. " Carthage promised to accept them, and he said : "I was unwilling to receive herds from any person, in this place, but, through respect and reverence for thee, I have accepted them. " Lanchean then said: "Henceforth, abundance of temporal things shall be with you, and a multitude of religious men must inhabit thy city, in which thou shalt depart to Christ; since from this place, shalt thou be driven. " A mutual friendship, between these saints, was thenceforward established. 7°
During the time of harvest, his steward said to Carthage : "Father, we cannot procure reapers enough, although the corn is over ripe. " Mochuda replied : "Go,mydear,inpeace,theLordwillgiveyougoodreapers. " Accordingly,
the Angels of God appeared, and reaped the greater part of the corn, collect- ing it into one heap. The monks, on seeing the progress of this work, gave thanks to God, and admired the sanctity of their venerable superior. 7' Obe- dience was a virtue particularly enjoined, among the subjects of our saint, and it was exemplified, on many occasions. One day, while bread was in the oven, our saint said to one of his brethren : "The loaves are burning take them away. " But, just at the time, an iron shovel, with which the bread was removed, fell from its handle. The brother at once rushed through fire, near the entrance, and with his hands removed the loaves from the heated oven, without sustaining any injury. Another day, while our saint's monks were abroad and near a river, one of them who was in authority told a monk, named Colman, to enter the water, on some emergency. At once, twelve monks bearing a similar name rushed clothed into the water, not stopping to enquireabouttheparticularone,whohadbeendesignated. Thisgavemuch edification to the other brethren, because at the sound of a superior's voice, they showed perfect examples of obedience. 7^ The virtue of patience also characterized those monks of Carthage, as illustrated in the following instance.
A certain religious continued his daily toil, without seeking to avoid it, while heappearedtotheothermonksverypaleandemaciated. HolyCarthageone day made enquiry, as to the cause of his disease. But, this brother, wishing to conceal his infirmity, at last acknowledged, that one day, while engaged with his fellow-religious, he drew a heavy log of timber from the wood, when his cincture broke. Then a boy, on seeing his garments loose, put a rough girdle around him. This soon caused his flesh to mortify. Our saint asked, why he had not removed this girdle ; but, the brother answered, that such was not his desire, as the boy had tied it. This monk was advanced in years. Mochuda said to him, " Brother, thou hast borne much suftering ; wherefore, take thy choice, that to-day thoumayst be healed, or go to Heaven. " Having received Holy Couununion, he made his will known and departed to Christ. The boy was blamed for his negligence and indiscretion, in having caused the
cap. iii. , num. 35, for tlie forcLjoing account. iii. , num. 36, for these st. ilemcnts.
'" See Vita ex antique MS. Hibernico, cap. ? ' See Vita ex antique MS. Ilibernico, cap.
May 14. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 263
monksuclisuffering. 73 Awoman,namedBrigh,havingahandwithered,and adhering powerlessly to her side, came with her husband to St. Carthage. She asked the saint to heal her hand, in Christ's name. At this time, she hap- pened to be pregnant ; but, our saint, as in the case of the chieftain's daugh- ter, presented her with an apple. He told her to raise the withered hand, in order to receive it. Immediately, her hand was restored, and she received that apple from our saint. Having tasted it, she brought forth her child without pain, and then returned withmuch joy to her friends. 74
Already, St. Columba and other holy persons had prophesied, that our saint should be expelled from Rathin, towards the close of his life. So it happened. For, it appears, that the Meathian prince, together with the clergy 75 of Cluain Kiarraigh,7fi bore some envious feelings towards our saint; and, between them, theyresolvedonhisexpulsion. 77 Elsewhere,itisttated,thatthemonksofJobh Neill orClanna Neill excited against him the resentment of Blathmac and Diar- muid,7^ son to Aid or Aedh-Slaine. The former requested Mochudda to leave his present settlement, and repair to his own country, in the provinceof Mun- ster. This our saint refused to do, unless compelled by violence. The mandate senttohimmusthavebeenconveyed,longbeforeeitherBlaithmac79 orDiar- maidhadbeenrecognisedasmonarchsoverIreland. Atthisperiod,theycould
but, the author of St. Mochuda's Life speaks of them, by anticipation, as it were, of the dominion they subse- quentlyacquired,overtheotherkingsofIreland. ComingtoRaithen,aswe are informed, the chiefs of that district said to St. Mochuda : " Depart from this city, with your monks, and seek a settlement in some other country. " The holy senior answered : " I wish to end my days here, for I have served God many years in this place, and I have almost finished my course. Wherefore, Ishallnotdepartfromit, unlesssomepersonviolentlycompelme,lestmen consider me inconstant in my purposes. It would be disgraceful for me to become a wanderer in my old age. " Those chiefs returned to Blaithmach, afterwards King of Termoria,^° and falsely accusing Carthage of insolence, they requested that king himself to come and to expel the saint. Roused by these representations. King Blaithmach, his chiefs and leaders, with his brother Diarmaid, his sons, and a large retinue, set out for Raithin. In the meantime, St. Carthage prophesied to his monks, saying : " My dearly beloved, pray you and bundle up your effects, for soon a violent persecution shall overtake us. Theprincesofthisplaceshallexpelus,fromourrenownedsettlement. " The king sent his brother, with many chiefs, to Rathen. On coming there, these found St. Carthage in the choir. ^' The prince then stood in the choir vesti-
only have been provincial chiefs or rulers
;
iii. num. 37, for this anecdote.
" See Vita ex antique MS. Hibernico,
cap. iii. , num. 38.
'•* See Vita ex antique MS. Hibernico,
cap. iii. , num. 39.
75 They are said to have lived in the Con-
vent of Jobh Neill, in Rev. Jeoffrey Keat- ing's "General History of Ireland," Book ii. , p. 394. Duffy's edition.
'^ "This place was somewhere not far
" There is a curious Tract headed.