Lanigan
enumerates
him,
"
de-
of the Round Tower here will be .
"
de-
of the Round Tower here will be .
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v4
D.
497 to a.
d.
513.
present,
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
"
Archbishops of
Armagh," pp. j6, 37.
'Many districts, in various parts oflre-
land,werecalledMachaire,orMaghera; but,
the present denomination has not been iden-
tified, either in its simple or in its composite form.
26 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [ApRit 4.
or Classen," the Archbishop departed this life, a circumstance which was revealedtooursaint. Heorderedacharioteer,toputhorsesunderhischariot. Having ascended it, the driver was desired not to open his eyes, without a special permission. Tigernach declared, likewise, that he would hold the reins,onthatday; for,heknew,thattheAngelsshouldaccompanythem,on the way. The event corresponded with his anticipations. Having journeyed a considerable distance, the charioteer ventured to uncover his head, contrary to the Bishop's advice, but not with impunity. He was instantly deprived of sight. However, this was again restored, on his master signing him with a cross. When they came to that place, where the Archbishop's corpse lay, blessing holy water, Tigernach sprinkled it on the body. Then, earnestly
addressing his prayers to God, our saint requested the return of the Arch-
bishop's soul to his body. Immediately, Duach arose, and then he said, " Tigernach on earth, Tigernach in heaven ;" as if he would say, that whilst our Saint's body remained on earth, his soul and dwelling were in Heaven. Afterwards, both these servants of God, receiving from each other a kiss of
*^^>^K%WA^
Moat at Clones, County of Monaghan.
peace,conceivedmosttendersentimentsofmutualandfraternallove. " A short time after this event, the Angel of the Lord advised our saint to go into the territories of King Tachodrus, his grandsire. There, he was ordered to erect a monastery. Our saint complied, and when he had come to the place designated,"hebuiltamonastery. Withaholybandofbrethren,hethere engaged in his devotions, and he performed many miracles. '3
Near the town of Clones,^ there is a very curious elevated Moat, on the summit of a hill. 's Three tiers of earth mounds rise in concentric circles, gra- dually diminishing in area to the topmost height. '* Immediately north of the
"» According
Manuscript.
to Father
Henry
Fitzsimon's
'3 See Vita S. sec. Tigernaci, cap. ii. ,
II,
"
1 2, p. 404.
'• This parish is situated, partly in the
barony of Clankelly, and this portion is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Fermanagh," sheets
See Vita S. Tigernaci, cap. ii. , sec, 10, pp. 403, 404.
" In tlie life of Tigernach, this spot is called Gabalnensis.
April 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 27
moatwasasquarefortification; andresemblingoneatDromore,inevery
particular. It had been most scandalously defaced by an occupier, who hurled its proud ramparts into the ditches beneath, in order to extend his garden,atatimewhenJohnO'Donovanvisitedtheplace,a. d. 1835. "' This was regarded, by him, as the principal enclosure around the mansion of the ancient chief of Oriel, while the Moat was his watchtower, each being sur- rounded by a ditch, filled with water. The inhabitants of Clones state, that there is cave running from the Diamond, in their town, to the top of this Moat. '* It is said, that Tigemach fixed his residence at Clones, while he retained the government of Clogher church and See. On this account, he was called Ferdacrioch, or "the Man of the two districts. '' Some writers have erroneously applied this term to his predecessor, in the See of Clogher, St. Maccarthann. But, all accounts agree, that the real name of Maccarthen's successorwasTigemach,whileFerdachrioch'° wasmerelyasurname,which agreed very well with the circumstances, in which our saint was placed, but it did not suit Bishop Maccarthen. This is a mistake, into which Walter Harris has fallen, and in a measure it is excusable ; but, not so his saying, that Tigemach might have been the same as Tigemach, Bishop of Clonmac- nois. '' There was no religious establishment, either See or monastery at Clonraacnois, until the year 548 ; while our Tigemach was Bishop at Clones, since 506, nor was there any Tigemach of Clonmacnois, in those ancient tfmes. '" At Clones, a great number of holy men and women afterwards
29,30,35,36,40; whileapartisintheBa- ronies of Dartree and Monaghan, this being shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Monaghan," sheets 5,8, II, 12, 13, 16, 17.
'5 This Mound commands a very fine
view, looking westward from the lofty
mountain of Cuileagh, and of Knockninny. It lies north-west of the SUeve Beagh range; on a summit of which Cam-mor—where the antediluvian Biotk was interred—shows its
conspicuous Slurgan. shutupbyarangeofuninterestingDrums and Cars, the most conspicuous among which is a giant's reputed grave, on the elevated head of Calliagh, in Aghabog parish.
by him on the wood, was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
' His letter is dated Cluaim Eoi? , May
tatu Monachanensi) sedem Episcopalem po- suit, &, anno DL. J^otiis Apriliius mor- talitatem exuit : ad quern diem in Martyro- logiis (a Molano & Galasinis editis) Natalis ejus ita consignatus est : In Scotia (majo- rem intellige & antiquam) sancti Tigernaci
" The accompanying sketch, taken on the spot by William F. Wakeman, and drawn
pretended bishop Tigernachinthatplaceforwhomhequotes the Four Masters. N ow the Four Masters knew nothing about such a person, but they write :
"An. 548 (549) St. Tigernac, bishop of
Cluaineois, died on the 4tn of April. " (AA-
SS. p. 191 and 439). This passage bewil- dered Harris, who has given us these dates at Clonmacnois. He ought to have known that the Irish Annalists, when treating of
Aview tothe east is•
E<:clesiarumAntiquitatus,"cap. xvii. ,p. 445, " "Harris confounded Cluan-eois with Clon-
macnois, and he applied to the latter what belonged to the former. Thus (at Bishops,
"
31st, 1835. See Letters cont. iining infor- Clones, write duain-eois, Cluaineosensis ;
mation relative to the Antiquities of the Counties of Armagh and Monaghan collected duriilg the progress o( the Ordnance Survey in 1835," P- '47-
''
and Monaghan Letters, now presers-ed in the
Library of the Royal Irish Academy.
' SeeColgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," i. Martii, p. 439, n. 9.
whereas they express Clonmacnois by
Cluain-mhic-nois, or simply Cluan, whence Cluanensis. We find both places and names
clearly distinguished in a passage of our
Annals AA. SS. , m which it is p. 150),
stated that in the year 548 (549) a great pla- gue carried off Kieran Cluanensis (of Clon-
macnois) and Tigernach Cluaineosensis (of Clones) the very person whom we are now
treatingof. Archdall, in obedience to Harris,
brings in a Tigernach at Clonmacnois but
different, he adds, from the one of Clogher, and makes him succeed Kieran. . . . There was no abbo—t or bishop Tigemach thereinthosedays. " "Dr. Lamgan'sEccle- siastical H istory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec, ii. , m. 15, p. 436.
According
to the
County Armagh
"Thus,intheCalendarofCashel "S.
:
Ferdachricus episcopus de Clochar post epis-
copum Maccarthenum. " See Colgan's "Acta
Sanctorum Hibemiae," p. 740.
" Having mentioned the death of St.
Maccartin, who died in the year 506, Usher
"
qui in Cluana-ans (vulgo Clunes, in Comi-
continues,
S. Tigemaco successore relicto,
Episcopi, 6' confessoris. "
—
"
Britannicarum
Clonmacnois)
he has a
28 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 4.
servedGod. Forthelastthirtyyearsofoursaint'slife,hewasdeprivedof the use of sight. He lived alone, in his cell. There, he led the life of an anchoret, devoting his whole time to prayer and to heavenly contemplation.
CHAPTER III.
TRADITION OF ST. TIGERNACH HAVING BEEN LEGATE IN IRELAND, AND OF HIS HAVING RECEIVED THE BISHOPRIC OF CLOGHER FROM ST. MACCARTHINN—ECCLESIASTICAL REMAINS AT CLONES—ANGELIC VISITS TOWARDS THE CLOSE OF ST. TIGERNACH's LIFE—HIS DEPARTURE TO BLISS—HIS FESTIVALS, COMMEMORATIONS AND MEMO- RIALS—CONCLUSION.
According to the Registry of Clogher, our saint is said to have been Legate of Ireland, and to have received the benediction of St. Maccartin, who bequeathed the bishopric of Clogher to him. " Moved by an inspiration from Heaven, however, Tighernach resigned his monastery, in this place, to the
Clones Round Tower.
care of his friend, St. Coragall,' while he went towards the east, and to a more fertile country. Here, he founded the monastery of Clones ;3 but, we have little information, regarding his course of life, while he presided over the community, there established. *
At the present time, a very ancient round tower s may be seen at Clones. * It
"
Chapter in. —' See Harris'Ware, vol. i. ,
Bishops of Clogher," p. 177. Harris says,
tistical Survey ofMonaghan, chap, viii. , sec. 4, p. 108.
• " This church of Clunes is one of the four principal churches of the Diocese of Clogher, in which, as also in the Church of Deriinoailain, the Memory of Tigernach is
he is mistaken, if Tigernach, bishop of Clon-
macnois, and this Tigernach, be not one and
the same person. Ibid.
'
Most probably the celebrated Abbot of
Bangorisheremeant,andifso,hisLifewill heldingreatveneration. —Harris'Ware,vol.
be found, at the loth of May.
3 " He fixed his seat at Cluaine, from
whence in the Irish annals, he is called Clua- nois, for this town originally was named Cluanois, then Clunes, Clownish, Clunish
"
i. , Bishops of Clogher," p. 177.
s Traditions connected with this tower are very indistinct. They are found in one of Mr. O'Donovan's letters, from the Fer- managh part of this parish, where Irish tra-
ditions are better
and last Clones. "
—
Sir Charles Coote's Sta-
preserved
than about the
April 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 29
is broken on the top, however, and round the doorway. ^ This latter is very low in position, and near the surface of the adjoining graveyard. The old people gave the Round Tower « here the name of Cloichteach, or Belfry. ? Very ancient crosses and fragment of tombs are to be seen there. On the other
side of the principal street, in Clones, there is a ruined monastery, iine
and chiselled stones are on its outside. -" Old tombs he scattered
square
through the cemetery, which is surrounded by a wall. In the
"
Diamond,
or public square, an old Irish cross stands. "
Towards the close of life, a multitude of celestial Spirits came from hea-
ven, to receive the soul of St. Tighernach, when it was about to leave his body ; and, they returned to the place of his rest, singing canticles of ravishing harmony. " According to Fitzsimon's Manuscript, our saint died, on the XI. of the Kalends of January (22nd of December) ; but, the BoUandists remark, that they found no feast recorded, in any of the Calendars, and referring to him, on that day. Two chapters of our Saint's life, as given by them, have been added, from the MS. of Ward's Hymns for Vespers and Matins, in which Tigernach'svirtuesareparticularlyrecorded. '3 FromtheAnnalsoftheFour
Masters, we learn, on the year 548, that several saints fell victims to a pesU- lence, which proved fatal to many of the clergy and people of Ijeland. '* Our
saint, however, was not one of the many victims to this plague,'5 although he died within that year. The Annals of the Four Masters state, that Tigher- nach died, on the 4th of April, a. d. 548. -* But, Ussher, in his Chronologi- cal Index, assigns his death to the year 550 ;' as, in like manner, we find it in the Chronicon Scotorum. The Rev. Jeffrey Keating merely states, that the pious Tighernach, Bishop of Cluain Eos, died during the reign of King
town of Clones. See " County of Armagh and Monaghan Letters of the Irish Ord- nance Survey. " One volume, pp. 142 to 144. Mr. O'Donovan's Letter, dated Cluain
—so those who do not speak Irish call the
Eois, May 31st, 1835.
' This parish of Clones, in Monaghan O'Donovan, when he visited the place.
County, has been described by Dr. O'Donot van, who remarks, that there are a great number of Clons throughout this parish. It
"The accompanying illustration was drawn on the spot, by William F. Wake- man, and it was transferred by him to the wood. ItwasengravedbyMrs. Millard.
" The writer noted these particulars, dur- ing a visit to the place, in July, 1868.
is
that the townland, on which the
strange, principal part
of Clones town stands, is not called Clona, but Crossmoyle. Perhaps
this derives its name, as Mr. O 'Donovan
" Vita S. Tigemaci, cap. ii. , sec. 13, Acta Sanctorum," tom. i. v. Aprilis.
sug- " from an ancient cross, which stands m
gests,
the Diamond. This venerable relic, he
"
' Harris' In
grey as a dniid, and as old as St. Tigemach. "'
office
says, looks as
' An illustration
— thus
Adest dies Celebris
priest
'5 Vet, Dr.
Lanigan enumerates him,
"
de-
of the Round Tower here will be . Sancti Tigernaci. " Vol. i. ,
scription
found in Mr. and Mrs. Hall's
and a
corresponding
"
"
Scenery, Character," &c. , vol. iii. , p. 30.
' A
spirit
treme poverty, the nobler feelings are either
of Clones made many efforts
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 186 to 189.
to collect as much money, as would repair this Round Tower, or at least, as would fasten the top stones and prevent them from being constantly blown down, to the rapid destruc- tion of St. Tierny's work, and to the great flanger of persons [rassing through the churchyard ; but, he did not fully succeed, his flock being too poor, their patriotic could not second those efforts. In ex-
Ireland :
its
Clogher," p. 177.
See Dr. O'Donovan's
totally extinguished, or greatly deadened by
feai of want. Hence, it. Tiirn^s docker gue. Ibid, pp. 188, 189,
is like a Belfry— wasting away
burning taper. It had been lowered only a yard, how-
ever, in the memory of a man aged 40.
' Such is a statement, made by Dr.
we are
of this Saint " is extant in the
that the Library of St. Bmnet's College, Cambridge, with a
Hymnbeginning —
among the victims to it. See sec. xiii. , p. 70.
Ware,
told,
Ecclesiasti- cal History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. ,
'
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, voL i. , pp. 186, 187. In the same Annals, the names of several saints are mentioned, who died in the year of a mortality called the Cron-Chonaill, which was the first Buidhe- Chonaill. St. Ciaran, Abbot of Clonmac- nois, and our saint, did not die of the pla-
"
Bishops
of
30 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS
[April 4.
Diarraiud, which he extends, from a. d. 528, to sso. '^ Dr. Lanigan, also, places the death of this saint, at the year 549, following the authority of the FourMasters,withhisusualmodeofemendation. '? InaCatalogueofthe Bishops of Clogher, according to a Registry of that See, transcribed by Ware, the death of St. Tigernach is said to have occurred, on the 5th of April, 555, or in 549, according to other accounts. '" He died, on the 2nd of March, ac- cording to some accounts. " The Nones (sth of April), or as Usher remarks, the day previous," was that assigned for his feast. St. ^ngus the Culdee '3 has the Feast of St. Tighernach entered, in his Festilogy, at the 4th of April. We find, the entry, Tighearnach, Cluna Eoais, only, set down in the Martyr- ology of Tal]agh,='t at the same date. Several ancient foreign Martyrologies commemorate the festival of St. Tigernach of Clones. Thus, the Utrecht Martyrology of St. Jeromej^'s Florarius, Maurolycus, Felicius, and Ferrarius;=« the Manuscript Martyrologies of Canons Regular at Albergense, of St. Caeciha, at Leyden, of St. Gudule, at Bruxelles,='7 and of Florarius,"^ as also Greven. The Martyrology, printed at Cologne, a. d. 1490,^9 and also, that printed, at Lubeck,3° the same year, have notices of this saint. 3' We find en- tered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3» as having been venerated on this day, Tigernach, who was Bishop of Ciuaineois, or Clones, in Fera-Manach. Between Fera-Manach and Oirghialla, Cluain-eois lies. In Scotland, he was venerated, also, on this day, as we find an entry, in the Kalendar of Drum-
mond,33 and inThomasDempster's "MenologiumScoticum. "34 Underthe head of Cluam-eois, Duald Mac Firbis enters Tighernach, son of Cairbre, the holy
bishop of Cluain-eois, quievit 548,3s April 4th. Even yet, the people in and about Clones have a great veneration for St. Tierney, as the patron is locally called. Several curious memorials of him are remaining. Thus, the natives pomt out, on the Belturbet road, and close to the town, where stood a stone,3« which was denominated Cloch Tighernach,37 and which seems to have had some forrtier connexion with the saint.
No longer does the matin bell call the cloistered monk from his last slum-
I'See"BntannicarumEcclesiarumAnti-
quitates. " Index Chronologius, p. 531.
'^ "
See his "General History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 355. Duffy's edition.
"'See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. li. , chap. X. , sec. xiii. ,p. 70, and n.
=5Jthas, "InScotiaS. TygernagiEpis- copi et Confessoiis. " Perhaps, this is not the most ancient copy,
"> These have, " In Scotia Tigemaci Epis- copi. " Molanus, Galesinus and Canisius add " et Confessoris. "
"7 This has " Scotiam. " =' apud
This reads "In Scotia S. Tigernagi Episcopi et Confessoris. "
'> In this, the name is written Tigernagii.
223, pp. 72, 73. Ibid.
"> See Hams Ware, vol.
, i. ,
Clogher," p. 177. ="
"
of
'3 version
3> See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus i. , Aprilis v. . Commentary^, sec. 3j,- pr. 401.
3> Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 94, 95.
3i Thus : "Apud Hiberniam Sanctus Con-
fessor et Episcopus Tigernac migravit ad Christum. " See Bishop Forbes' " Kalen- dars of Scottish Saints, p. 9.
34 Thus: "In Scotia ad Sedem Anima- rum Tigemaci Abbatis. "—/*/rf. p. 196.
3s See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,"IrishMSS. Series,vol. i. ,• pfarti. ,' pp. 100, loi.
^6 This is now to be seen in Clones, and it is held in great popular esteem.
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae, Martii 1. , p. 439, n. 9. " "
30 in this is
by an error is printed for T.
See BntannicarumEcclesiarumAnti- quitates," Index Chronologicus, p. 531.
printed Germagii, the letter G
It IS—thus given, in Dr. Whitley Stokes' :
Cam ttjeiMiAcn cpeTJAl Al\ciMrc cecVimbA. r biAUt)-
. arAmbpucVic fpudim j-oAif ClutiA Aille eoAif.
"Sing pious Tigernach—for Christ he
vanquished all folly—out of whom burst a
stream of knowledge (Tigernach) of beauti- ful Cluain Eoais. "
^EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly, p. XX. Inthe
Franciscan copy, we find CigtiAcll e<\pi CluAin eoif.
Bishops
April 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 31
bers in Clones. The old procession, the rites and ceremonies of former times, have not been witnessed there, for many a long day ; since the sacrilegious spoiler and exterminator have left only ruins, to attest the holiness of this
Round tower, moat, abbey church, and old graves, lend an air of solemnity and awe to the scene, which even in desolation must deeply im- press the imagination and thought of a pensive tourist or an antiquary, when he turns thither, from the more crowded thoroughfares of our larger towns and cities. The religious mind is filled with like emotions, while the wreck around discloses ample proof of time's changes, and proclaims the mutabi- lity of a nation's fortunes.
Article II. —St. Gallus, of Loch Techet, now Lough Gara, Counties of Roscommon and Sligo. A distinguished statesman has ob- served, that there is no greater folly being circulated on the earth, than a dis- position to. undervalue the records of the past, and to break the links, which united. human beings of the present day, with the generations that had been called to their account. ' The Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 4th April, in-
serts the notice, Gall, Locha Teiget. This lake, at present, is known as Lough Gara, or Lough O'Gara, near Boyle, and on the borders of the counties of Roscommon and Sligo. ' The river Boyle has its source from this lake. We are informed, that St. Patrick,^ while in Connaught, resolved to visit Moy- lurg, and that passing through Bearnas Hua Noililla, or the gaps of Colloo- ney,s he moved onward towards the River Buill—now the Boyle—which takesitsriseinLochTechet. ' AccordingtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,^ on this day was venerated Gallus, of Loch Techet, and in the BoUandists' work ' he is likewise commemorated.
Article III. —Cruimhther Corc, of Cill-m6r-Ua-Niallian, now KiLMORE, County or Armagh. This holy man offered the unbloody sacrifice for his people, and discharged all his duties, with fervour and spiritual advantagetohisflock; for,sowemayfairlyinfer,fromtheprefix,whichhas been set to his name. This occurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 4th of April, as Cruimthir Corc, Cille Moire. The BoUandists » notice him as Crumtherus Corc, Presbyter, de Kill-mor. This particular spot, which is
spot
" In Irish Cloc CigeA|\n4iJ. Against that, the countrymen coming to market were in the habit of Itnocking their backs ;
for, if they neglected to do so, it was popu- larly supposed, that no luck should attend them on that day. See the County of Armagh and Monaghan Letters of the Irish Ordnance Survey. John O'Donovan's Let- ter, dated Cluain Eois, May 31st, 1835, p. 147-
* See the account, in his Life, at the 17th
of March, chap. xiii.
' The townland and town, so named, are
in the parish of Ballysadare, and Barony of Tirerrill, as seen on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Sligo," sheets 20, 26.
'See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. iii. , n. (k), pp. 357.
358.
' Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. by
94, 95.
»
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomusi. , Apnlis '*• Among the pretermitted saints, p. 319.
Article ii. —'
Gladstone, at the opening of the Welsh Na- tional Eisteddfod, at Mold, August 19th,
1873.
'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xx.
Speech
of William E.
Article ill. — Editedby Rev. Dr. Kelly, The Franciscan copy gives it 5Att toe* p. xx. The Franciscan copy has Ci\umchin
Ceicec.
' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol.
present,
See Harris' Ware, vol. i. ,
"
Archbishops of
Armagh," pp. j6, 37.
'Many districts, in various parts oflre-
land,werecalledMachaire,orMaghera; but,
the present denomination has not been iden-
tified, either in its simple or in its composite form.
26 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [ApRit 4.
or Classen," the Archbishop departed this life, a circumstance which was revealedtooursaint. Heorderedacharioteer,toputhorsesunderhischariot. Having ascended it, the driver was desired not to open his eyes, without a special permission. Tigernach declared, likewise, that he would hold the reins,onthatday; for,heknew,thattheAngelsshouldaccompanythem,on the way. The event corresponded with his anticipations. Having journeyed a considerable distance, the charioteer ventured to uncover his head, contrary to the Bishop's advice, but not with impunity. He was instantly deprived of sight. However, this was again restored, on his master signing him with a cross. When they came to that place, where the Archbishop's corpse lay, blessing holy water, Tigernach sprinkled it on the body. Then, earnestly
addressing his prayers to God, our saint requested the return of the Arch-
bishop's soul to his body. Immediately, Duach arose, and then he said, " Tigernach on earth, Tigernach in heaven ;" as if he would say, that whilst our Saint's body remained on earth, his soul and dwelling were in Heaven. Afterwards, both these servants of God, receiving from each other a kiss of
*^^>^K%WA^
Moat at Clones, County of Monaghan.
peace,conceivedmosttendersentimentsofmutualandfraternallove. " A short time after this event, the Angel of the Lord advised our saint to go into the territories of King Tachodrus, his grandsire. There, he was ordered to erect a monastery. Our saint complied, and when he had come to the place designated,"hebuiltamonastery. Withaholybandofbrethren,hethere engaged in his devotions, and he performed many miracles. '3
Near the town of Clones,^ there is a very curious elevated Moat, on the summit of a hill. 's Three tiers of earth mounds rise in concentric circles, gra- dually diminishing in area to the topmost height. '* Immediately north of the
"» According
Manuscript.
to Father
Henry
Fitzsimon's
'3 See Vita S. sec. Tigernaci, cap. ii. ,
II,
"
1 2, p. 404.
'• This parish is situated, partly in the
barony of Clankelly, and this portion is shown on the "Ordnance Survey Townland
Maps for the County of Fermanagh," sheets
See Vita S. Tigernaci, cap. ii. , sec, 10, pp. 403, 404.
" In tlie life of Tigernach, this spot is called Gabalnensis.
April 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 27
moatwasasquarefortification; andresemblingoneatDromore,inevery
particular. It had been most scandalously defaced by an occupier, who hurled its proud ramparts into the ditches beneath, in order to extend his garden,atatimewhenJohnO'Donovanvisitedtheplace,a. d. 1835. "' This was regarded, by him, as the principal enclosure around the mansion of the ancient chief of Oriel, while the Moat was his watchtower, each being sur- rounded by a ditch, filled with water. The inhabitants of Clones state, that there is cave running from the Diamond, in their town, to the top of this Moat. '* It is said, that Tigemach fixed his residence at Clones, while he retained the government of Clogher church and See. On this account, he was called Ferdacrioch, or "the Man of the two districts. '' Some writers have erroneously applied this term to his predecessor, in the See of Clogher, St. Maccarthann. But, all accounts agree, that the real name of Maccarthen's successorwasTigemach,whileFerdachrioch'° wasmerelyasurname,which agreed very well with the circumstances, in which our saint was placed, but it did not suit Bishop Maccarthen. This is a mistake, into which Walter Harris has fallen, and in a measure it is excusable ; but, not so his saying, that Tigemach might have been the same as Tigemach, Bishop of Clonmac- nois. '' There was no religious establishment, either See or monastery at Clonraacnois, until the year 548 ; while our Tigemach was Bishop at Clones, since 506, nor was there any Tigemach of Clonmacnois, in those ancient tfmes. '" At Clones, a great number of holy men and women afterwards
29,30,35,36,40; whileapartisintheBa- ronies of Dartree and Monaghan, this being shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Monaghan," sheets 5,8, II, 12, 13, 16, 17.
'5 This Mound commands a very fine
view, looking westward from the lofty
mountain of Cuileagh, and of Knockninny. It lies north-west of the SUeve Beagh range; on a summit of which Cam-mor—where the antediluvian Biotk was interred—shows its
conspicuous Slurgan. shutupbyarangeofuninterestingDrums and Cars, the most conspicuous among which is a giant's reputed grave, on the elevated head of Calliagh, in Aghabog parish.
by him on the wood, was engraved by Mrs. Millard.
' His letter is dated Cluaim Eoi? , May
tatu Monachanensi) sedem Episcopalem po- suit, &, anno DL. J^otiis Apriliius mor- talitatem exuit : ad quern diem in Martyro- logiis (a Molano & Galasinis editis) Natalis ejus ita consignatus est : In Scotia (majo- rem intellige & antiquam) sancti Tigernaci
" The accompanying sketch, taken on the spot by William F. Wakeman, and drawn
pretended bishop Tigernachinthatplaceforwhomhequotes the Four Masters. N ow the Four Masters knew nothing about such a person, but they write :
"An. 548 (549) St. Tigernac, bishop of
Cluaineois, died on the 4tn of April. " (AA-
SS. p. 191 and 439). This passage bewil- dered Harris, who has given us these dates at Clonmacnois. He ought to have known that the Irish Annalists, when treating of
Aview tothe east is•
E<:clesiarumAntiquitatus,"cap. xvii. ,p. 445, " "Harris confounded Cluan-eois with Clon-
macnois, and he applied to the latter what belonged to the former. Thus (at Bishops,
"
31st, 1835. See Letters cont. iining infor- Clones, write duain-eois, Cluaineosensis ;
mation relative to the Antiquities of the Counties of Armagh and Monaghan collected duriilg the progress o( the Ordnance Survey in 1835," P- '47-
''
and Monaghan Letters, now presers-ed in the
Library of the Royal Irish Academy.
' SeeColgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae," i. Martii, p. 439, n. 9.
whereas they express Clonmacnois by
Cluain-mhic-nois, or simply Cluan, whence Cluanensis. We find both places and names
clearly distinguished in a passage of our
Annals AA. SS. , m which it is p. 150),
stated that in the year 548 (549) a great pla- gue carried off Kieran Cluanensis (of Clon-
macnois) and Tigernach Cluaineosensis (of Clones) the very person whom we are now
treatingof. Archdall, in obedience to Harris,
brings in a Tigernach at Clonmacnois but
different, he adds, from the one of Clogher, and makes him succeed Kieran. . . . There was no abbo—t or bishop Tigemach thereinthosedays. " "Dr. Lamgan'sEccle- siastical H istory of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, ix. , sec, ii. , m. 15, p. 436.
According
to the
County Armagh
"Thus,intheCalendarofCashel "S.
:
Ferdachricus episcopus de Clochar post epis-
copum Maccarthenum. " See Colgan's "Acta
Sanctorum Hibemiae," p. 740.
" Having mentioned the death of St.
Maccartin, who died in the year 506, Usher
"
qui in Cluana-ans (vulgo Clunes, in Comi-
continues,
S. Tigemaco successore relicto,
Episcopi, 6' confessoris. "
—
"
Britannicarum
Clonmacnois)
he has a
28 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [April 4.
servedGod. Forthelastthirtyyearsofoursaint'slife,hewasdeprivedof the use of sight. He lived alone, in his cell. There, he led the life of an anchoret, devoting his whole time to prayer and to heavenly contemplation.
CHAPTER III.
TRADITION OF ST. TIGERNACH HAVING BEEN LEGATE IN IRELAND, AND OF HIS HAVING RECEIVED THE BISHOPRIC OF CLOGHER FROM ST. MACCARTHINN—ECCLESIASTICAL REMAINS AT CLONES—ANGELIC VISITS TOWARDS THE CLOSE OF ST. TIGERNACH's LIFE—HIS DEPARTURE TO BLISS—HIS FESTIVALS, COMMEMORATIONS AND MEMO- RIALS—CONCLUSION.
According to the Registry of Clogher, our saint is said to have been Legate of Ireland, and to have received the benediction of St. Maccartin, who bequeathed the bishopric of Clogher to him. " Moved by an inspiration from Heaven, however, Tighernach resigned his monastery, in this place, to the
Clones Round Tower.
care of his friend, St. Coragall,' while he went towards the east, and to a more fertile country. Here, he founded the monastery of Clones ;3 but, we have little information, regarding his course of life, while he presided over the community, there established. *
At the present time, a very ancient round tower s may be seen at Clones. * It
"
Chapter in. —' See Harris'Ware, vol. i. ,
Bishops of Clogher," p. 177. Harris says,
tistical Survey ofMonaghan, chap, viii. , sec. 4, p. 108.
• " This church of Clunes is one of the four principal churches of the Diocese of Clogher, in which, as also in the Church of Deriinoailain, the Memory of Tigernach is
he is mistaken, if Tigernach, bishop of Clon-
macnois, and this Tigernach, be not one and
the same person. Ibid.
'
Most probably the celebrated Abbot of
Bangorisheremeant,andifso,hisLifewill heldingreatveneration. —Harris'Ware,vol.
be found, at the loth of May.
3 " He fixed his seat at Cluaine, from
whence in the Irish annals, he is called Clua- nois, for this town originally was named Cluanois, then Clunes, Clownish, Clunish
"
i. , Bishops of Clogher," p. 177.
s Traditions connected with this tower are very indistinct. They are found in one of Mr. O'Donovan's letters, from the Fer- managh part of this parish, where Irish tra-
ditions are better
and last Clones. "
—
Sir Charles Coote's Sta-
preserved
than about the
April 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 29
is broken on the top, however, and round the doorway. ^ This latter is very low in position, and near the surface of the adjoining graveyard. The old people gave the Round Tower « here the name of Cloichteach, or Belfry. ? Very ancient crosses and fragment of tombs are to be seen there. On the other
side of the principal street, in Clones, there is a ruined monastery, iine
and chiselled stones are on its outside. -" Old tombs he scattered
square
through the cemetery, which is surrounded by a wall. In the
"
Diamond,
or public square, an old Irish cross stands. "
Towards the close of life, a multitude of celestial Spirits came from hea-
ven, to receive the soul of St. Tighernach, when it was about to leave his body ; and, they returned to the place of his rest, singing canticles of ravishing harmony. " According to Fitzsimon's Manuscript, our saint died, on the XI. of the Kalends of January (22nd of December) ; but, the BoUandists remark, that they found no feast recorded, in any of the Calendars, and referring to him, on that day. Two chapters of our Saint's life, as given by them, have been added, from the MS. of Ward's Hymns for Vespers and Matins, in which Tigernach'svirtuesareparticularlyrecorded. '3 FromtheAnnalsoftheFour
Masters, we learn, on the year 548, that several saints fell victims to a pesU- lence, which proved fatal to many of the clergy and people of Ijeland. '* Our
saint, however, was not one of the many victims to this plague,'5 although he died within that year. The Annals of the Four Masters state, that Tigher- nach died, on the 4th of April, a. d. 548. -* But, Ussher, in his Chronologi- cal Index, assigns his death to the year 550 ;' as, in like manner, we find it in the Chronicon Scotorum. The Rev. Jeffrey Keating merely states, that the pious Tighernach, Bishop of Cluain Eos, died during the reign of King
town of Clones. See " County of Armagh and Monaghan Letters of the Irish Ord- nance Survey. " One volume, pp. 142 to 144. Mr. O'Donovan's Letter, dated Cluain
—so those who do not speak Irish call the
Eois, May 31st, 1835.
' This parish of Clones, in Monaghan O'Donovan, when he visited the place.
County, has been described by Dr. O'Donot van, who remarks, that there are a great number of Clons throughout this parish. It
"The accompanying illustration was drawn on the spot, by William F. Wake- man, and it was transferred by him to the wood. ItwasengravedbyMrs. Millard.
" The writer noted these particulars, dur- ing a visit to the place, in July, 1868.
is
that the townland, on which the
strange, principal part
of Clones town stands, is not called Clona, but Crossmoyle. Perhaps
this derives its name, as Mr. O 'Donovan
" Vita S. Tigemaci, cap. ii. , sec. 13, Acta Sanctorum," tom. i. v. Aprilis.
sug- " from an ancient cross, which stands m
gests,
the Diamond. This venerable relic, he
"
' Harris' In
grey as a dniid, and as old as St. Tigemach. "'
office
says, looks as
' An illustration
— thus
Adest dies Celebris
priest
'5 Vet, Dr.
Lanigan enumerates him,
"
de-
of the Round Tower here will be . Sancti Tigernaci. " Vol. i. ,
scription
found in Mr. and Mrs. Hall's
and a
corresponding
"
"
Scenery, Character," &c. , vol. iii. , p. 30.
' A
spirit
treme poverty, the nobler feelings are either
of Clones made many efforts
Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 186 to 189.
to collect as much money, as would repair this Round Tower, or at least, as would fasten the top stones and prevent them from being constantly blown down, to the rapid destruc- tion of St. Tierny's work, and to the great flanger of persons [rassing through the churchyard ; but, he did not fully succeed, his flock being too poor, their patriotic could not second those efforts. In ex-
Ireland :
its
Clogher," p. 177.
See Dr. O'Donovan's
totally extinguished, or greatly deadened by
feai of want. Hence, it. Tiirn^s docker gue. Ibid, pp. 188, 189,
is like a Belfry— wasting away
burning taper. It had been lowered only a yard, how-
ever, in the memory of a man aged 40.
' Such is a statement, made by Dr.
we are
of this Saint " is extant in the
that the Library of St. Bmnet's College, Cambridge, with a
Hymnbeginning —
among the victims to it. See sec. xiii. , p. 70.
Ware,
told,
Ecclesiasti- cal History of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, x. ,
'
See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, voL i. , pp. 186, 187. In the same Annals, the names of several saints are mentioned, who died in the year of a mortality called the Cron-Chonaill, which was the first Buidhe- Chonaill. St. Ciaran, Abbot of Clonmac- nois, and our saint, did not die of the pla-
"
Bishops
of
30 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS
[April 4.
Diarraiud, which he extends, from a. d. 528, to sso. '^ Dr. Lanigan, also, places the death of this saint, at the year 549, following the authority of the FourMasters,withhisusualmodeofemendation. '? InaCatalogueofthe Bishops of Clogher, according to a Registry of that See, transcribed by Ware, the death of St. Tigernach is said to have occurred, on the 5th of April, 555, or in 549, according to other accounts. '" He died, on the 2nd of March, ac- cording to some accounts. " The Nones (sth of April), or as Usher remarks, the day previous," was that assigned for his feast. St. ^ngus the Culdee '3 has the Feast of St. Tighernach entered, in his Festilogy, at the 4th of April. We find, the entry, Tighearnach, Cluna Eoais, only, set down in the Martyr- ology of Tal]agh,='t at the same date. Several ancient foreign Martyrologies commemorate the festival of St. Tigernach of Clones. Thus, the Utrecht Martyrology of St. Jeromej^'s Florarius, Maurolycus, Felicius, and Ferrarius;=« the Manuscript Martyrologies of Canons Regular at Albergense, of St. Caeciha, at Leyden, of St. Gudule, at Bruxelles,='7 and of Florarius,"^ as also Greven. The Martyrology, printed at Cologne, a. d. 1490,^9 and also, that printed, at Lubeck,3° the same year, have notices of this saint. 3' We find en- tered, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3» as having been venerated on this day, Tigernach, who was Bishop of Ciuaineois, or Clones, in Fera-Manach. Between Fera-Manach and Oirghialla, Cluain-eois lies. In Scotland, he was venerated, also, on this day, as we find an entry, in the Kalendar of Drum-
mond,33 and inThomasDempster's "MenologiumScoticum. "34 Underthe head of Cluam-eois, Duald Mac Firbis enters Tighernach, son of Cairbre, the holy
bishop of Cluain-eois, quievit 548,3s April 4th. Even yet, the people in and about Clones have a great veneration for St. Tierney, as the patron is locally called. Several curious memorials of him are remaining. Thus, the natives pomt out, on the Belturbet road, and close to the town, where stood a stone,3« which was denominated Cloch Tighernach,37 and which seems to have had some forrtier connexion with the saint.
No longer does the matin bell call the cloistered monk from his last slum-
I'See"BntannicarumEcclesiarumAnti-
quitates. " Index Chronologius, p. 531.
'^ "
See his "General History of Ireland," part ii. , p. 355. Duffy's edition.
"'See "Ecclesiastical History of Ireland," vol. li. , chap. X. , sec. xiii. ,p. 70, and n.
=5Jthas, "InScotiaS. TygernagiEpis- copi et Confessoiis. " Perhaps, this is not the most ancient copy,
"> These have, " In Scotia Tigemaci Epis- copi. " Molanus, Galesinus and Canisius add " et Confessoris. "
"7 This has " Scotiam. " =' apud
This reads "In Scotia S. Tigernagi Episcopi et Confessoris. "
'> In this, the name is written Tigernagii.
223, pp. 72, 73. Ibid.
"> See Hams Ware, vol.
, i. ,
Clogher," p. 177. ="
"
of
'3 version
3> See the Bollandists' "Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus i. , Aprilis v. . Commentary^, sec. 3j,- pr. 401.
3> Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 94, 95.
3i Thus : "Apud Hiberniam Sanctus Con-
fessor et Episcopus Tigernac migravit ad Christum. " See Bishop Forbes' " Kalen- dars of Scottish Saints, p. 9.
34 Thus: "In Scotia ad Sedem Anima- rum Tigemaci Abbatis. "—/*/rf. p. 196.
3s See "Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,"IrishMSS. Series,vol. i. ,• pfarti. ,' pp. 100, loi.
^6 This is now to be seen in Clones, and it is held in great popular esteem.
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
niae, Martii 1. , p. 439, n. 9. " "
30 in this is
by an error is printed for T.
See BntannicarumEcclesiarumAnti- quitates," Index Chronologicus, p. 531.
printed Germagii, the letter G
It IS—thus given, in Dr. Whitley Stokes' :
Cam ttjeiMiAcn cpeTJAl Al\ciMrc cecVimbA. r biAUt)-
. arAmbpucVic fpudim j-oAif ClutiA Aille eoAif.
"Sing pious Tigernach—for Christ he
vanquished all folly—out of whom burst a
stream of knowledge (Tigernach) of beauti- ful Cluain Eoais. "
^EditedbyRev. Dr. Kelly, p. XX. Inthe
Franciscan copy, we find CigtiAcll e<\pi CluAin eoif.
Bishops
April 4. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 31
bers in Clones. The old procession, the rites and ceremonies of former times, have not been witnessed there, for many a long day ; since the sacrilegious spoiler and exterminator have left only ruins, to attest the holiness of this
Round tower, moat, abbey church, and old graves, lend an air of solemnity and awe to the scene, which even in desolation must deeply im- press the imagination and thought of a pensive tourist or an antiquary, when he turns thither, from the more crowded thoroughfares of our larger towns and cities. The religious mind is filled with like emotions, while the wreck around discloses ample proof of time's changes, and proclaims the mutabi- lity of a nation's fortunes.
Article II. —St. Gallus, of Loch Techet, now Lough Gara, Counties of Roscommon and Sligo. A distinguished statesman has ob- served, that there is no greater folly being circulated on the earth, than a dis- position to. undervalue the records of the past, and to break the links, which united. human beings of the present day, with the generations that had been called to their account. ' The Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 4th April, in-
serts the notice, Gall, Locha Teiget. This lake, at present, is known as Lough Gara, or Lough O'Gara, near Boyle, and on the borders of the counties of Roscommon and Sligo. ' The river Boyle has its source from this lake. We are informed, that St. Patrick,^ while in Connaught, resolved to visit Moy- lurg, and that passing through Bearnas Hua Noililla, or the gaps of Colloo- ney,s he moved onward towards the River Buill—now the Boyle—which takesitsriseinLochTechet. ' AccordingtotheMartyrologyofDonegal,^ on this day was venerated Gallus, of Loch Techet, and in the BoUandists' work ' he is likewise commemorated.
Article III. —Cruimhther Corc, of Cill-m6r-Ua-Niallian, now KiLMORE, County or Armagh. This holy man offered the unbloody sacrifice for his people, and discharged all his duties, with fervour and spiritual advantagetohisflock; for,sowemayfairlyinfer,fromtheprefix,whichhas been set to his name. This occurs, in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 4th of April, as Cruimthir Corc, Cille Moire. The BoUandists » notice him as Crumtherus Corc, Presbyter, de Kill-mor. This particular spot, which is
spot
" In Irish Cloc CigeA|\n4iJ. Against that, the countrymen coming to market were in the habit of Itnocking their backs ;
for, if they neglected to do so, it was popu- larly supposed, that no luck should attend them on that day. See the County of Armagh and Monaghan Letters of the Irish Ordnance Survey. John O'Donovan's Let- ter, dated Cluain Eois, May 31st, 1835, p. 147-
* See the account, in his Life, at the 17th
of March, chap. xiii.
' The townland and town, so named, are
in the parish of Ballysadare, and Barony of Tirerrill, as seen on the " Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Sligo," sheets 20, 26.
'See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. iii. , n. (k), pp. 357.
358.
' Edited Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. by
94, 95.
»
See "Acta Sanctorum," tomusi. , Apnlis '*• Among the pretermitted saints, p. 319.
Article ii. —'
Gladstone, at the opening of the Welsh Na- tional Eisteddfod, at Mold, August 19th,
1873.
'Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xx.
Speech
of William E.
Article ill. — Editedby Rev. Dr. Kelly, The Franciscan copy gives it 5Att toe* p. xx. The Franciscan copy has Ci\umchin
Ceicec.
' See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
Four Masters," vol.
