Patrick,byColgan, who
promised
to treat of him at the loth day of January.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
'^ By this observation we are left to infer, that a doubt seems to have arisen regarding the present saint's identity with a St.
Diomog of Cluain-Caoin,5 who was venerated in the county of Limerick, or with some other saint bearing this name.
We find the death of a Dimma, who was a bishop, announced at A.
D.
662;^ but we do not know the name of that see with which he was connected.
Neither may we identify him with the present or any other saint of the name, for want of further knowledge.
The rank or position the present holy man held in the Church has not transpired, and we have to search for his place, which seems to us most likely to be found in the northern province.
There is a village denominated Inniskeen or Enniskeen, in the parish of Kinneigh, in :the western division of the barony of East Carbery, county of Cork, about eight miles west from Bandon.
There is also an Enniskeen in the county of Cavan.
7 There are two parochial denominations of Inniskeen or Enniskeen.
One of these^ is that situated^ partly in the baronies of Louth and Upper Dundalk, in the county of Louth
pp. 12, 13. — Art. ill.
'° See W. M. Hennessy's Edition, pp. 96, 97. O'Flaherty has added a note in the ori- ginal MS. , "661 a. d. "
'
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
" "a. d. 660, Tommene, Episcopus Ard- machse, defunctus est. "
p. xii.
* In the Franciscan copy DuninAM 1tiif
CAin occurs.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
12, 13.
4 See ibid. , pp. 402, 403.
5 His feast occurs on the 26th of
^See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
" See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 270, 271, and n. (z), ibid,
'3 See " p. 40.
of vol. Archbishops Armagh," ii,
April, Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 272, 273.
' Edited by Rev, Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we read Comini at this day.
"
^ See
Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Ba* ronies of Ireland," p. 435.
^ Here some remains of an old church exist.
' This was generally called in our Annals
'5 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Vita S.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
X.
nise," Januarii.
n. Thomiani, 15,
p. 54- '*
General Alphabetical Index of the
i6o
LIVES 01 THE IRISIT SAINTS. [January io.
and province of Leinster, but chiefly in the barony of Famey, county of Monaghan and province of Ulster. '° The other Enniskeen" is that situated
partly in the barony of Clankee, county of Cavan, and partly in the baronies ofLowerKellsandMorgallion,countyofMeath. " Howeverwecannotbe assured, for want of authorities to favour such an opinion, that the present holy man had any ministerial connexion with any of the foregoing places. There are no less than five townland denominations of Innishkeen found on the Ordnance Survey Maps of Ireland. '3 Two of these are in the county
Old Cross and Cemetery of Inniskeen, Co. Fermanagh.
Fermanagh. '^ There is an Innishkeen respectively in the counties of Limerick, Leitrim, and Monaghan. The island of Innishkeen,'s in the
parish of Cleenish, barony of Clanawley, and county of Fermanagh, is surrounded by the Erne River, and it lies about three miles southward from
Enniskillen town. This island comprises over 260 acres; and on it are to be seen two ancient forts, as also an exceedingly old burial-ground, the site of a former church. *^. Of this island we find several accounts, in connexion
Inis-caoin-Deagha, from its founder St. Da- geus. It had a succession of abbots in the
boundaries of the counties of Leitrim and Fermanagh. There are no ruins of a church or castle on this island, although in A. D. 1421, the O'Rourkes attacked and de-
eighth, ninth, and to the eleventh century.
It is now a parish belonging to the diocese
of Clogher. See Archdall's " Monasticon feated the Mac Clancys, who occupied it.
Hibernicum," p. 465.
See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four
'°See Lewis' "
of Ireland. " vol. ii. , p. 22.
Masters," (b), ibid.
vol.
iv. , pp. 848
to and n. 851,
Topographical Dictionary
" This place is not generally alluded to in our Annals.
"See "General Alphabetical Index ot
the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and
Baronies of Ireland," p. 924.
'3 See "General Alphabetical Index of
the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and
'5 See its situation pictured on the " Ord-
nance Survey Townland Maps of the County
of Fermanagh. " Sheet 27.
'^See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise,'" xiii. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochcemoci, cap. i. , p. 598, where a St. Mochaimoc, son of Endeus, connected with this island, and venerated at the 13th of
Baronies of Ireland," p. 538.
' One was in Lough Mclvin, close to the April, is mentioned. Again, xxi. Martii.
January io. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 16 1
with the obits of its vicars, anchorites, parsons, and herenachs, taken from our ancient annals. '? It would seem, that from the sixteenth century the church began to fall into disuse, probably owing to its insular and incon- venient position ; for we do not find any subsequent notices regarding it. An abbot and a monastic establishment are placed here, so early as the middle of the seventh century. '^ At all events, there can be little doubt, the island is venerable for its religious antiquity, and the desolate cemetery there contains many curious tombs. An old and a rudely-fashioned monu- mental cross yet remains ; aged trees extend their branches over the graves of the dead. '9 The cemetery lies on the very brink of the deep and placid waters of the Erne, which serve to guard it from idle intrusion ; but the tourist and the antiquary can easily reach it by boat from the mainland, while a visit to this retired place of mortal repose must awaken serious and melancholy emotions, which the waste and solitariness of the spot hardly ever fail to inspire.
Article IV. —St. Tulelacia, or Tuillelaith, Abbess of Kildare. \_Ninth Century? \ This holy superioress is called the daughter of Huargalach. Her tender soul eagerly imbibed heavenly doctrine, and was wonderfully affected with the things of God. After a time, when she had grown up, she dedicated herself to Him, and took delight in nothing else but in thinking, speaking, or hearing of her Heavenly Spouse, and entertaining herself with His Divine love. She was Abbess of Kildare ; and, according to Colgan,' she died on the loth of January, a. d. 882. This date also agrees with one in the Annals of the Four Alasters,"" where she is called Tuilelaith,3 daughter of Uar- ghalach. True virtue breathed around her an atmosphere of holiness which all her subjects felt. It seemed something marvellous to meet with one so
pure-minded, and so unsuspecting of evil in a world of corruption.
Article V. —St. ]Moel-Odhran. The original family-name of this saint is probably lost ; and the present may have been one he assumed in religion. The festival of a saint, Moel-Odhran, occurs in our Irish Martyrologies on this day. ' Colgan is doubtful whether he was not a monk of lona, whose Acts he intended to publish at the 28th of May. "^ By referring to the latter date, he tells us, that some notices regarding the monk of lona bearing this name would be found. Again, Maolodhran's name is entered without any other
Appendix ad Acta S. Endei, cap. iv. , p. 713, a iSt. Fergussius, son of Endeus, is connected with this spot. He is venerated at the 29th of March.
'7 Thus in the "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," at a. d. 1389, 1393, 1394, 1467, 1490, 1498, sec vol. iv. , pp. 714, 715, 726, 727, 73°) 73I) 1046, 1047, 1174, 1175, 1242, 1243. There are various notices of this place in the "County of Fermanagh Ex- tracts," belonging to the Irish Ordnance Survey Records, pp. 26, 35, 40, d. 61, 62. Some of these, however, are doubtful in
Art. iv. —' See " Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. ii. , p. 629.
their application.
'^ " ^
See Archdall's Monasticon Iliberni-
cum,"p. 262.
ls The accompanying illustration wasdrawn
on the spot by William F. Wakeman, Ennis- killen, and engraved by A. Appleton.
Possibly a mistake or typographical errorforthe31stofMay. Itwillberecoi- lected Odhran was the name of an early
saint at lona ; and Moel-Odhran signifies
"
^
pp. 532, 533.
3 Another saint of this name preceded her
as abbess at Kildare. . See notices of St. Tallulla or TuUilach, at the 6th day of Jan-
'
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
nary. — Art. V.
'"The name 111 Ael-Ot)i\Ain, Servus Odrani,' occurs in the Irish Calen- dars at January lo, May 31, November li. " See Rev. Dr. Reeves' " Adamnan's Life of
St. Columba," n. (g), p. 50.
the servant of Odhran. "
M
102 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January to.
distinction at the loth of January, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. s Likewise Maelodhrain's festival occurs in the Martyrolo'g}' of Donegal/ on this same day. In the death of this just man, religion lost a great and true soldier, who, in the seclusion of a monastery, showed how the good fight could be fought in this world, and how the most enduring victories for earth and heaven could be achieved.
Article VI. —St. Paul, a Monk and a Disciple of St. Patrick or
OF St. Fiach of Sletty. [Fifth or Sixth Century^ This holy man is called
amonk,andheis setdownamongthedisciplesofSt.
Patrick,byColgan, who promised to treat of him at the loth day of January. This promise,
however, appears to have been forgotten, at the present date. Most likely it was fulfilled at the 25th of January. In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, a certain Paul is enumerated among the disciples of St. Fiach of Domhnach- Fiac, or of Sletty. At the former place he appears to have lived for some time. ' Two miles south of Wicklow town, in the county of the same name, there were an old church and a graveyard, now obliterated, and called Kilpoole, or Paul's Church. It may not be easy, nevertheless, to identify this spot with the present saint. *
Article VII. —St. Seanog, or Moshenoc. It is possible, we may have
losttheoriginaletymon,applicabletothepresentsaint. IntheMartyrology of Donegal' we find Seanog recorded on to-day. This saint's name is also
Latinized, Senilis. ' In the Martyrology of Tallagh, edited by the Rev. D—r. Kelly,3 this servant of God is entered as Mo-Shenoc,* or " My Shenoc," an indication of endearment thus being affixed to the simple name.
Article VIII. —The Blessed Eochaid O'Kelly, Bishop of Meath.
[EleventhandTwelfthCenturies. ^ Inearlytimes,asinourown,theprelatesand pastors of Ireland have commended the doctrines and practices of the Church to
the people's religious sympathies. Colgan says this holy and learned man was
venerated on the loth of January. ' He is styled the chief head of the men
of Meath, and the most distinguished bishop of all Ireland. This renowned
man must have been born about the middle of the eleventh century. His
immediate predecessors in the see of Meath would seem to have been either
Fiachry, the most holy Elder of Clonard and Meath, who died a. d. 1135, or
Gilla-Christ, otherwise called Christian O'Hagan, Comorban of Finian, who
died A. D. 1136. ^ Therefore, the present illustrious prelate could have only
filled the see not more than four or five years. Short as was the term of
incumbency, few could resist the charm of his persuasive accents, and many
had been incited to virtue or rec—laimed from vice by his gentle, tender piety.
**
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy ITIelo'onini is the form. This is the last Irish saints entry, on the first page of the MS.
'
As you live, so shall you die" this was singularly exemplified in the death
* Edited —Drs. Todd and by
Art. vn. —' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 13.
' See ibid. , pp. 466, 467. 3 See p. xii.
In the Franciscan is copy tnofhetioc
Reeves, p. 13. Art. VI. See "Trias Thaumaturga. "
found. — Art. Vlil.
' See"Trias
"
Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xxii. ,
Thaumaturga, ad Acta S. Columbae, cap.
pp. 152, 153, n. 42, p. 185, and Quinta Appen- "
Quinta
iv. , sees. 1. , ii. , p. 507.
' See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Meath," p. 140.
dixad "Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 267. ' For further observations regarding him, the reader is referred to the 2Sth of January.
Appendix
January ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 163
the vigilant bishop, who passed away to glory eternal, after he had fulfilled every known duty. . He died a. d. i 140, according to Dr. O'Donovan's Annals
of the Four Masters,3 at Durrow, in the King's County, and at an advanced age.
Article IX. —Feast of. the Translation of St Wasnulf's Relics. For a fuller account of this saint, the reader is referred to his Acts, at the ist of October. ThefeastofthetranslationofSt. Wasnulph'srelics"hadbeenobserved at Condet or Conde—a town in Hannonia—and from a very remote period, on the loth of January. About the year 1539, it was celebrated after the manner of a greater double, owing to the liberality and foundation of a certain Master NicholasMairisie,formerlyacanonoftheCollegiateChurchatConde. About the year 1584, a confraternity or sodality, named from St. , Wasnulph or Was- nulf, was instituted by Henry Hector, Pastor of Conde, he having obtained consent from the chapter of the place. The Archbishop of Cambray gave his sanction, that the celebration of this feast should be on the loth of January. It is thought, after the fury of the Northman invasion had passed over, that the relics of St. Wasnulf had been transferred from the Church of St. Bertin of Sithen, to his own proper church. About this time and afterwards, it was usual in many places to commemorate the translations of saints' reHcs. '' Such is the account, as furnished by John Boreau, the Dean of Conde, a very learned man,andonehavingagreatvenerationforSt. Wasnulf. Thisholymanwas a native of Ireland or a Scot by race, as many old chroniclers relate.
ekbetttlb ©ap of Saatuarp*
ARTICLE I. —THE HOLY VIRGINS, ST. ETHNEA AND ST. FEDELMIA, DAUGHTERS OF KING LAOIGHAIRE.
[FIFTH CEN7UR V. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—KING LAOIGHAIRE—HIS DAUGHTERS, ETHNEA THE FAIR, AND FEDELMIA THE ROSY—THEIR FOSTERAGE AND ABSENCE FROM TARA, WHEN ST. PATRICK PREACHED BEFORE THE IRISH STATE ASSEMBLY—VARIATIONS OF NARRATIVE IN REFERENCE TO THE ACTS OF THESE HOLY SISTERS.
the most poetical and edifying incidents of early Irish ecclesias-
AMONG
guidance, which brought those pure-minded maidens to hold an unexpected interview with the great messenger of salvation, when engaged on his wonderful progress through this island. The Almighty rules not the affairs of His universe, nor of men, by any blind chance ; nor are we to deem as romantic and idle stories various narratives of miraculous conversions, or
3 See vol. —ii. , pp. 1062, 1063. translations occurring about the same period,
"
Art IX. See Colgan's Acta Sancto- and in places not far apart from Conde, by
rum Hibemise," x. Januarii, De S. Was- John Boreau, who quotes Molanus as an
nulphi, Ep. Translatione, pp. 50,51. authority. Boreau wrote a little tract re-
'
Various instances are given of similar garding St. Wasnulf.
tical we read worthier our attention than that Providential history, nothing
'
x64 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIJVTS. [January ii.
the marvellous effects procured on holy converts. The manifestations of God's grace are mysterious, even to those who experience them. Those noble virgins, commemorated on this day, were like exquisite flowers, which bloom in beauty, cast fragrance around them, and perish on earth, while their odours are exhaled to higher air. Ranked with the foremost to em- brace' the faith, and to long for the coming of their Heavenly Bridegroom, they were early votaries among the distinguished daughters of Erin, who at once went forth having their lamps trimmed and brightly gleaming. The first fruits of native sanctity, eagerly they imbibed the spirit of those Divine wordsspokentothem. AsspousesofourLordJesusChrist,theyhastened in a transport of zeal and love, to be united with Him forever in the kingdom
of His heavenly glory.
A very remarkable monarch of Ireland was King Laoighaire, who suc-
ceeded to the throne a. d. 428, on the death of King Dathi,' killed by lightning among the Alps. Laighaire was son to the celebrated Niall of the Nine Hostages, and he reigned for ^thirty years. He was father to Ethnea and Fedelmia, who doubtless in early life had been imbued with the Druidic teaching, and the superstitious rites of their insulated gentilism. Those children were remarkable for their extraordinary beauty, and their dispositions and intellectual capacity were alike amiable and admirable. They grew up, as an old writer phrases it, like roses flourishing in a rose-bed. ^
It would not appear they resided in their fathers court, at that time when St. Patrick preached, about a. d. 433, before the king and his as- sembled nobles. On the contrary, it is likely those young princesses were
at fosterage, with a provincial potentate, and in a distant part of the kingdom, according to a custom very prevalent from remote times in Ireland. Ethnea is said to have been so called, because of her fair and clear complexion ; while Fedelmia was known as the ruddy or rosy,3 owing to the graceful blushes of youth and innocence adorning her person. * It is said these accidental advantages of nature gave origin to their names ; while the spirit and originality of their native language, and the genius of their subject people, aptly affixed descriptive force to objective reality. Many ancient writers of St. Patrick's Acts relate the particulars of St. Ethnea's and St. Fedelmia's conversion. Certain variations of their names and the incidents recorded are admitted by different writers. s The concurrent or discordant
Art. I. —Chap. i. —'It is somewhat re- markable that the monument of this King Dathi is shown at Rathcroghan, and near the very spot where St. Patrick met the daughters of King Laoighaire. There is an interesting historical and legendary ac-
As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds,
Had been incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted, But yet a union in partition. "
—See *' A Midsummer Dream,"
act iii. , scene ii.
^L. Tachet de Barneval designates them
Dathi and his descendants in " The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's
Country," edited by John O'Donovan, pp. 17 to 35, with corresponding notes.
"This must remind the English classical reader of Shakespeare's lines and imagery,
count of
King
Night's
applied by one maiden to another
:
Legendaire de ITrlande," chap, iv. , p. 34.
• Aubrey De Vere has written a poem, regarding St. Patrick and the Two Prin- cesses, Fedel—m, " the Red Rose," and Ethna,
of St.
"the Fair. " See "Legends Patrick,"
pp. 51 to 59.
s The chief authorities for their acts are
" Like two artificial gods Have with our neelds created both one
flower,
Both on one sampler, sitting on one
cushion,
Both vv^rbling of one song, both in one
key;
" Tertia Vita S. Patricii. cap. xlvii. , xlviii. , p. 25. Quarta Vita S.
in the French language,
Aethene la
Blanche et Fethle la Rose," see
Histoire
to be found successively in Colgan's "
Trias
Thaimiaturga.
"
"
January n. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 165
circumstances are collected together by Colgan,^ who places their acts at this day, but hardly on the authority of our native calendars. The ancient
Franciscan copy of the Tallagh? Martyrology appears to have only the entry of Fedelma, virgin, at this date,^ However, Probus has remarked that, St Patrick and his successors in after time were accustomed to celebrate the memory of these holy virgins. 9 The most ancient account we possess of the circumstances relating to the conversion of King Laeghaire's daughters is probably that given by Tirechan, which bears internal evidence of high
antiquity, and which was A\Titten when Paganism had not wholly disappeared from the country. '"
CHAPTER II.
ETHNEA AND FEDELMIA NURTURED AND EDUCATED BY THE DRUIDS, MAEL AND CAPLIT —THESE ENDEAVOUR TO OBSTRUCT THE PREACHING OF ST. PATRICK—HE VISITS CROGHAN AND THE FOUNTAIN OF CLIABACH—THE KING'S DAUGHTERS MEET THE APOSTLE AND HIS CLERICS—THEY HEAR HIS SERMON AND BECOME CONVERTS.
It is most likely, in accord with a prevailing custom of their age and nation, that persons of distinguished rank, such as those princesses held, should be
assigned to the direction of guardians and of teachers, who might be capable
of protecting them, and of imparting such knowledge or training as befitted their royal station. ' Nor can we conceive instructors more likely to be charged with this trast than the Druids or priests of the pagan Irish, who were addicted to literary pursuits, and whose offices gave them a hold over the superstitious reverence of kings, nobles, and people. We are assured, that the Magi brothers, Mael and Caplit, fostered the two daughters of King Laeghaire from their very infancy. These were initiated to the mysteries of Druidism, as seems very probable, from the nature of those discourses pronounced by them, when first they met St. Patrick.
pp. 12, 13. — Art. ill.
'° See W. M. Hennessy's Edition, pp. 96, 97. O'Flaherty has added a note in the ori- ginal MS. , "661 a. d. "
'
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
" "a. d. 660, Tommene, Episcopus Ard- machse, defunctus est. "
p. xii.
* In the Franciscan copy DuninAM 1tiif
CAin occurs.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp.
12, 13.
4 See ibid. , pp. 402, 403.
5 His feast occurs on the 26th of
^See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
" See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 270, 271, and n. (z), ibid,
'3 See " p. 40.
of vol. Archbishops Armagh," ii,
April, Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 272, 273.
' Edited by Rev, Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we read Comini at this day.
"
^ See
Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Ba* ronies of Ireland," p. 435.
^ Here some remains of an old church exist.
' This was generally called in our Annals
'5 See Colgan's " Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
Vita S.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves,
X.
nise," Januarii.
n. Thomiani, 15,
p. 54- '*
General Alphabetical Index of the
i6o
LIVES 01 THE IRISIT SAINTS. [January io.
and province of Leinster, but chiefly in the barony of Famey, county of Monaghan and province of Ulster. '° The other Enniskeen" is that situated
partly in the barony of Clankee, county of Cavan, and partly in the baronies ofLowerKellsandMorgallion,countyofMeath. " Howeverwecannotbe assured, for want of authorities to favour such an opinion, that the present holy man had any ministerial connexion with any of the foregoing places. There are no less than five townland denominations of Innishkeen found on the Ordnance Survey Maps of Ireland. '3 Two of these are in the county
Old Cross and Cemetery of Inniskeen, Co. Fermanagh.
Fermanagh. '^ There is an Innishkeen respectively in the counties of Limerick, Leitrim, and Monaghan. The island of Innishkeen,'s in the
parish of Cleenish, barony of Clanawley, and county of Fermanagh, is surrounded by the Erne River, and it lies about three miles southward from
Enniskillen town. This island comprises over 260 acres; and on it are to be seen two ancient forts, as also an exceedingly old burial-ground, the site of a former church. *^. Of this island we find several accounts, in connexion
Inis-caoin-Deagha, from its founder St. Da- geus. It had a succession of abbots in the
boundaries of the counties of Leitrim and Fermanagh. There are no ruins of a church or castle on this island, although in A. D. 1421, the O'Rourkes attacked and de-
eighth, ninth, and to the eleventh century.
It is now a parish belonging to the diocese
of Clogher. See Archdall's " Monasticon feated the Mac Clancys, who occupied it.
Hibernicum," p. 465.
See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the Four
'°See Lewis' "
of Ireland. " vol. ii. , p. 22.
Masters," (b), ibid.
vol.
iv. , pp. 848
to and n. 851,
Topographical Dictionary
" This place is not generally alluded to in our Annals.
"See "General Alphabetical Index ot
the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and
Baronies of Ireland," p. 924.
'3 See "General Alphabetical Index of
the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and
'5 See its situation pictured on the " Ord-
nance Survey Townland Maps of the County
of Fermanagh. " Sheet 27.
'^See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nise,'" xiii. Martii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Mochcemoci, cap. i. , p. 598, where a St. Mochaimoc, son of Endeus, connected with this island, and venerated at the 13th of
Baronies of Ireland," p. 538.
' One was in Lough Mclvin, close to the April, is mentioned. Again, xxi. Martii.
January io. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 16 1
with the obits of its vicars, anchorites, parsons, and herenachs, taken from our ancient annals. '? It would seem, that from the sixteenth century the church began to fall into disuse, probably owing to its insular and incon- venient position ; for we do not find any subsequent notices regarding it. An abbot and a monastic establishment are placed here, so early as the middle of the seventh century. '^ At all events, there can be little doubt, the island is venerable for its religious antiquity, and the desolate cemetery there contains many curious tombs. An old and a rudely-fashioned monu- mental cross yet remains ; aged trees extend their branches over the graves of the dead. '9 The cemetery lies on the very brink of the deep and placid waters of the Erne, which serve to guard it from idle intrusion ; but the tourist and the antiquary can easily reach it by boat from the mainland, while a visit to this retired place of mortal repose must awaken serious and melancholy emotions, which the waste and solitariness of the spot hardly ever fail to inspire.
Article IV. —St. Tulelacia, or Tuillelaith, Abbess of Kildare. \_Ninth Century? \ This holy superioress is called the daughter of Huargalach. Her tender soul eagerly imbibed heavenly doctrine, and was wonderfully affected with the things of God. After a time, when she had grown up, she dedicated herself to Him, and took delight in nothing else but in thinking, speaking, or hearing of her Heavenly Spouse, and entertaining herself with His Divine love. She was Abbess of Kildare ; and, according to Colgan,' she died on the loth of January, a. d. 882. This date also agrees with one in the Annals of the Four Alasters,"" where she is called Tuilelaith,3 daughter of Uar- ghalach. True virtue breathed around her an atmosphere of holiness which all her subjects felt. It seemed something marvellous to meet with one so
pure-minded, and so unsuspecting of evil in a world of corruption.
Article V. —St. ]Moel-Odhran. The original family-name of this saint is probably lost ; and the present may have been one he assumed in religion. The festival of a saint, Moel-Odhran, occurs in our Irish Martyrologies on this day. ' Colgan is doubtful whether he was not a monk of lona, whose Acts he intended to publish at the 28th of May. "^ By referring to the latter date, he tells us, that some notices regarding the monk of lona bearing this name would be found. Again, Maolodhran's name is entered without any other
Appendix ad Acta S. Endei, cap. iv. , p. 713, a iSt. Fergussius, son of Endeus, is connected with this spot. He is venerated at the 29th of March.
'7 Thus in the "Annals of the Four Mas- ters," at a. d. 1389, 1393, 1394, 1467, 1490, 1498, sec vol. iv. , pp. 714, 715, 726, 727, 73°) 73I) 1046, 1047, 1174, 1175, 1242, 1243. There are various notices of this place in the "County of Fermanagh Ex- tracts," belonging to the Irish Ordnance Survey Records, pp. 26, 35, 40, d. 61, 62. Some of these, however, are doubtful in
Art. iv. —' See " Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Brigidse, cap. ii. , p. 629.
their application.
'^ " ^
See Archdall's Monasticon Iliberni-
cum,"p. 262.
ls The accompanying illustration wasdrawn
on the spot by William F. Wakeman, Ennis- killen, and engraved by A. Appleton.
Possibly a mistake or typographical errorforthe31stofMay. Itwillberecoi- lected Odhran was the name of an early
saint at lona ; and Moel-Odhran signifies
"
^
pp. 532, 533.
3 Another saint of this name preceded her
as abbess at Kildare. . See notices of St. Tallulla or TuUilach, at the 6th day of Jan-
'
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, vol. i. ,
nary. — Art. V.
'"The name 111 Ael-Ot)i\Ain, Servus Odrani,' occurs in the Irish Calen- dars at January lo, May 31, November li. " See Rev. Dr. Reeves' " Adamnan's Life of
St. Columba," n. (g), p. 50.
the servant of Odhran. "
M
102 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January to.
distinction at the loth of January, in the Martyrology of Tallagh. s Likewise Maelodhrain's festival occurs in the Martyrolo'g}' of Donegal/ on this same day. In the death of this just man, religion lost a great and true soldier, who, in the seclusion of a monastery, showed how the good fight could be fought in this world, and how the most enduring victories for earth and heaven could be achieved.
Article VI. —St. Paul, a Monk and a Disciple of St. Patrick or
OF St. Fiach of Sletty. [Fifth or Sixth Century^ This holy man is called
amonk,andheis setdownamongthedisciplesofSt.
Patrick,byColgan, who promised to treat of him at the loth day of January. This promise,
however, appears to have been forgotten, at the present date. Most likely it was fulfilled at the 25th of January. In the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, a certain Paul is enumerated among the disciples of St. Fiach of Domhnach- Fiac, or of Sletty. At the former place he appears to have lived for some time. ' Two miles south of Wicklow town, in the county of the same name, there were an old church and a graveyard, now obliterated, and called Kilpoole, or Paul's Church. It may not be easy, nevertheless, to identify this spot with the present saint. *
Article VII. —St. Seanog, or Moshenoc. It is possible, we may have
losttheoriginaletymon,applicabletothepresentsaint. IntheMartyrology of Donegal' we find Seanog recorded on to-day. This saint's name is also
Latinized, Senilis. ' In the Martyrology of Tallagh, edited by the Rev. D—r. Kelly,3 this servant of God is entered as Mo-Shenoc,* or " My Shenoc," an indication of endearment thus being affixed to the simple name.
Article VIII. —The Blessed Eochaid O'Kelly, Bishop of Meath.
[EleventhandTwelfthCenturies. ^ Inearlytimes,asinourown,theprelatesand pastors of Ireland have commended the doctrines and practices of the Church to
the people's religious sympathies. Colgan says this holy and learned man was
venerated on the loth of January. ' He is styled the chief head of the men
of Meath, and the most distinguished bishop of all Ireland. This renowned
man must have been born about the middle of the eleventh century. His
immediate predecessors in the see of Meath would seem to have been either
Fiachry, the most holy Elder of Clonard and Meath, who died a. d. 1135, or
Gilla-Christ, otherwise called Christian O'Hagan, Comorban of Finian, who
died A. D. 1136. ^ Therefore, the present illustrious prelate could have only
filled the see not more than four or five years. Short as was the term of
incumbency, few could resist the charm of his persuasive accents, and many
had been incited to virtue or rec—laimed from vice by his gentle, tender piety.
**
3 Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii. In the Franciscan copy ITIelo'onini is the form. This is the last Irish saints entry, on the first page of the MS.
'
As you live, so shall you die" this was singularly exemplified in the death
* Edited —Drs. Todd and by
Art. vn. —' Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 13.
' See ibid. , pp. 466, 467. 3 See p. xii.
In the Franciscan is copy tnofhetioc
Reeves, p. 13. Art. VI. See "Trias Thaumaturga. "
found. — Art. Vlil.
' See"Trias
"
Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xxii. ,
Thaumaturga, ad Acta S. Columbae, cap.
pp. 152, 153, n. 42, p. 185, and Quinta Appen- "
Quinta
iv. , sees. 1. , ii. , p. 507.
' See Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Meath," p. 140.
dixad "Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 267. ' For further observations regarding him, the reader is referred to the 2Sth of January.
Appendix
January ii. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 163
the vigilant bishop, who passed away to glory eternal, after he had fulfilled every known duty. . He died a. d. i 140, according to Dr. O'Donovan's Annals
of the Four Masters,3 at Durrow, in the King's County, and at an advanced age.
Article IX. —Feast of. the Translation of St Wasnulf's Relics. For a fuller account of this saint, the reader is referred to his Acts, at the ist of October. ThefeastofthetranslationofSt. Wasnulph'srelics"hadbeenobserved at Condet or Conde—a town in Hannonia—and from a very remote period, on the loth of January. About the year 1539, it was celebrated after the manner of a greater double, owing to the liberality and foundation of a certain Master NicholasMairisie,formerlyacanonoftheCollegiateChurchatConde. About the year 1584, a confraternity or sodality, named from St. , Wasnulph or Was- nulf, was instituted by Henry Hector, Pastor of Conde, he having obtained consent from the chapter of the place. The Archbishop of Cambray gave his sanction, that the celebration of this feast should be on the loth of January. It is thought, after the fury of the Northman invasion had passed over, that the relics of St. Wasnulf had been transferred from the Church of St. Bertin of Sithen, to his own proper church. About this time and afterwards, it was usual in many places to commemorate the translations of saints' reHcs. '' Such is the account, as furnished by John Boreau, the Dean of Conde, a very learned man,andonehavingagreatvenerationforSt. Wasnulf. Thisholymanwas a native of Ireland or a Scot by race, as many old chroniclers relate.
ekbetttlb ©ap of Saatuarp*
ARTICLE I. —THE HOLY VIRGINS, ST. ETHNEA AND ST. FEDELMIA, DAUGHTERS OF KING LAOIGHAIRE.
[FIFTH CEN7UR V. ]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—KING LAOIGHAIRE—HIS DAUGHTERS, ETHNEA THE FAIR, AND FEDELMIA THE ROSY—THEIR FOSTERAGE AND ABSENCE FROM TARA, WHEN ST. PATRICK PREACHED BEFORE THE IRISH STATE ASSEMBLY—VARIATIONS OF NARRATIVE IN REFERENCE TO THE ACTS OF THESE HOLY SISTERS.
the most poetical and edifying incidents of early Irish ecclesias-
AMONG
guidance, which brought those pure-minded maidens to hold an unexpected interview with the great messenger of salvation, when engaged on his wonderful progress through this island. The Almighty rules not the affairs of His universe, nor of men, by any blind chance ; nor are we to deem as romantic and idle stories various narratives of miraculous conversions, or
3 See vol. —ii. , pp. 1062, 1063. translations occurring about the same period,
"
Art IX. See Colgan's Acta Sancto- and in places not far apart from Conde, by
rum Hibemise," x. Januarii, De S. Was- John Boreau, who quotes Molanus as an
nulphi, Ep. Translatione, pp. 50,51. authority. Boreau wrote a little tract re-
'
Various instances are given of similar garding St. Wasnulf.
tical we read worthier our attention than that Providential history, nothing
'
x64 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAIJVTS. [January ii.
the marvellous effects procured on holy converts. The manifestations of God's grace are mysterious, even to those who experience them. Those noble virgins, commemorated on this day, were like exquisite flowers, which bloom in beauty, cast fragrance around them, and perish on earth, while their odours are exhaled to higher air. Ranked with the foremost to em- brace' the faith, and to long for the coming of their Heavenly Bridegroom, they were early votaries among the distinguished daughters of Erin, who at once went forth having their lamps trimmed and brightly gleaming. The first fruits of native sanctity, eagerly they imbibed the spirit of those Divine wordsspokentothem. AsspousesofourLordJesusChrist,theyhastened in a transport of zeal and love, to be united with Him forever in the kingdom
of His heavenly glory.
A very remarkable monarch of Ireland was King Laoighaire, who suc-
ceeded to the throne a. d. 428, on the death of King Dathi,' killed by lightning among the Alps. Laighaire was son to the celebrated Niall of the Nine Hostages, and he reigned for ^thirty years. He was father to Ethnea and Fedelmia, who doubtless in early life had been imbued with the Druidic teaching, and the superstitious rites of their insulated gentilism. Those children were remarkable for their extraordinary beauty, and their dispositions and intellectual capacity were alike amiable and admirable. They grew up, as an old writer phrases it, like roses flourishing in a rose-bed. ^
It would not appear they resided in their fathers court, at that time when St. Patrick preached, about a. d. 433, before the king and his as- sembled nobles. On the contrary, it is likely those young princesses were
at fosterage, with a provincial potentate, and in a distant part of the kingdom, according to a custom very prevalent from remote times in Ireland. Ethnea is said to have been so called, because of her fair and clear complexion ; while Fedelmia was known as the ruddy or rosy,3 owing to the graceful blushes of youth and innocence adorning her person. * It is said these accidental advantages of nature gave origin to their names ; while the spirit and originality of their native language, and the genius of their subject people, aptly affixed descriptive force to objective reality. Many ancient writers of St. Patrick's Acts relate the particulars of St. Ethnea's and St. Fedelmia's conversion. Certain variations of their names and the incidents recorded are admitted by different writers. s The concurrent or discordant
Art. I. —Chap. i. —'It is somewhat re- markable that the monument of this King Dathi is shown at Rathcroghan, and near the very spot where St. Patrick met the daughters of King Laoighaire. There is an interesting historical and legendary ac-
As if our hands, our sides, voices, and minds,
Had been incorporate. So we grew together,
Like to a double cherry, seeming parted, But yet a union in partition. "
—See *' A Midsummer Dream,"
act iii. , scene ii.
^L. Tachet de Barneval designates them
Dathi and his descendants in " The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's
Country," edited by John O'Donovan, pp. 17 to 35, with corresponding notes.
"This must remind the English classical reader of Shakespeare's lines and imagery,
count of
King
Night's
applied by one maiden to another
:
Legendaire de ITrlande," chap, iv. , p. 34.
• Aubrey De Vere has written a poem, regarding St. Patrick and the Two Prin- cesses, Fedel—m, " the Red Rose," and Ethna,
of St.
"the Fair. " See "Legends Patrick,"
pp. 51 to 59.
s The chief authorities for their acts are
" Like two artificial gods Have with our neelds created both one
flower,
Both on one sampler, sitting on one
cushion,
Both vv^rbling of one song, both in one
key;
" Tertia Vita S. Patricii. cap. xlvii. , xlviii. , p. 25. Quarta Vita S.
in the French language,
Aethene la
Blanche et Fethle la Rose," see
Histoire
to be found successively in Colgan's "
Trias
Thaimiaturga.
"
"
January n. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 165
circumstances are collected together by Colgan,^ who places their acts at this day, but hardly on the authority of our native calendars. The ancient
Franciscan copy of the Tallagh? Martyrology appears to have only the entry of Fedelma, virgin, at this date,^ However, Probus has remarked that, St Patrick and his successors in after time were accustomed to celebrate the memory of these holy virgins. 9 The most ancient account we possess of the circumstances relating to the conversion of King Laeghaire's daughters is probably that given by Tirechan, which bears internal evidence of high
antiquity, and which was A\Titten when Paganism had not wholly disappeared from the country. '"
CHAPTER II.
ETHNEA AND FEDELMIA NURTURED AND EDUCATED BY THE DRUIDS, MAEL AND CAPLIT —THESE ENDEAVOUR TO OBSTRUCT THE PREACHING OF ST. PATRICK—HE VISITS CROGHAN AND THE FOUNTAIN OF CLIABACH—THE KING'S DAUGHTERS MEET THE APOSTLE AND HIS CLERICS—THEY HEAR HIS SERMON AND BECOME CONVERTS.
It is most likely, in accord with a prevailing custom of their age and nation, that persons of distinguished rank, such as those princesses held, should be
assigned to the direction of guardians and of teachers, who might be capable
of protecting them, and of imparting such knowledge or training as befitted their royal station. ' Nor can we conceive instructors more likely to be charged with this trast than the Druids or priests of the pagan Irish, who were addicted to literary pursuits, and whose offices gave them a hold over the superstitious reverence of kings, nobles, and people. We are assured, that the Magi brothers, Mael and Caplit, fostered the two daughters of King Laeghaire from their very infancy. These were initiated to the mysteries of Druidism, as seems very probable, from the nature of those discourses pronounced by them, when first they met St. Patrick.
