''
following derivation
:
" ^yvjir^z/- enim patrio
sermone, clamores, vel tumultum ex Iffititia
procedentem significat.
following derivation
:
" ^yvjir^z/- enim patrio
sermone, clamores, vel tumultum ex Iffititia
procedentem significat.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v3
Cusack's " Life of St.
Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 472, 473, and nn. ibid.
'3 He is thus called, in the Latin Tripar-
^2 See Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xlviii. , xlix. , p. 158. Not a word is mentioned about Declan, by the writer, wliile bringing St. Patrick tlirough the
Decies territory, as Dr. Lanigan remarks ; but, he mistook the exact location of those Desii.
'^ This account is to be in the only found,
Irish Tripartite Life. It further states, that assemblies were not held, by the Desii except at night ; because Patrick left a stern sentence upon them, it being towards night, when they went to meet him.
'7 Probably, in the present county of Tipperary.
tlie of Sheets County Limerick,"
31, 32, 39, 40. The town itself is noted, ou Sheet 32. Thetownlandismarked,onSheets31,
tite Life I'endered Fergair.
version,
"glaise,"
;
in the Irish
his name is
'** The Irish Life has Tripartite
'* According to the Irish Tripartite Life, when Fergair came, Patrick said to him,
in the original Manuscript.
'9 The ancient name of that district, now
comprisec^within the baronies of Upper and
after his arrival, "Plow slowly you have answered. " True, indeed," replied Patrick,
delayed us," responded the king. "Your
meetings shall be showery for ever," then said Patrick.
of Lower Ormond, in the northern part of come! " "The country is rough," he the county of Tipperary. It contained the
" there shall be no but,
ancient churches of Cill-Cheire, now Kil-
near the town ot Nenagh, and of What delayed you to-day? " "The rain Leathracha, now Latteragh, about eight
king
from
you.
keary,
miles southwards from the same town,
'° According to the Latin Tripartite.
="
According to the Latin Tripartite.
710 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
longed to a very influential family. Tliey were sons to Forad,^^ the son of Conla. Especially was Munech remarkable, for his ready obedience to the call of God, when he was baptized by St. Patrick, together with his son. The Apostle gave his blessing, to the latter, and he predicted, that not alone should renowned chiefs and holy bishops descend from him, but even the principal rulers of the land. Meachair did not so readily come to the fold, and Patrick declared, that rivals and disobedient nobles should arise in his line. The eldest brother of their family, called Furech,'-* or Furic,=^s how- ever,remainedobstinateinhisinfidelity; for,hewasamanofhardheart, and of irascible temper. ^^ So he continued, to the end of his life. '? To this period of his career, and, most probably, while St. Patrick was on his journey,
^^ He is called Meachaiius, in the Latin Tripartite Life, and Mechar in the Irish version. This name greatly resembles Meaghar, or Maher, yet a veiy prevailing one, in this part of Tipperary.
"
That his successorship is not found In Cashel of the Kings.
=^3 Also called Forat, in the Irish Tripar-
tite Life. In Miss Cusack's Irish Tripartite
Life of St. Patrick, the translator introduces
the following version, from an original Irish
poem:— —
" Muinnech the Great believes In Patrick, before all ;
Saergus the Young, also
• * * « »
Violated the cain he had adopted For the vehement Dungalach.
"
"
Mechair believed
For he was a true, just man.
Patrick gave him a lasting blessing The companionship of a king.
—
That there might be over his country Chieftains of his race for ever.
Fuirec, the furious man,
Opposed, though he was hoary and
old;
His ultimate fate, after this world.
Is not to be deplored.
*' When Cothraige imposed
A tribute [cain) upon noble Eri,
On the host of this island
He conferred a lasting blessing.
"
''
''
"
Choice was this blessing,
Which he conferred seven-fold
On each one who would observe His plain rule, his law.
Whoever would disobey
The noble, just rule, Should not see him, he said,
In the region of the saints.
Patrick's cain in great Munster,
Was imposed on each family, Until Dungalach violated it,
[Who was] of the race of Failbhe Flann.
Dungalach, son of P'aelghus, Grandson of just Nadfraech,
Was the first who transgressed, Patrick's cain from the beginning.
" It is related in histories. All ages know it.
There is not of his progeny (Though he won battles)
A noble bishop, or herenagh, A prince, or a sage.
"
" It is seen that illustrious men
Are not of his wondrous family ;
If there are now, they will not
Be found till Judgment comes. "
°* According to the Latin Tripartite.
=5 According to the Irish Tripartite.
=* The Latin Tripartite Life states, after-
wards, that Munech was destined for the
kingdom, by St. Patrick, who also called to himself the twelve sons of Munech, as they
are thus named, viz. : Muscan, Keallachan, Imchadh, Dubthach, Gartne, Lamnith,
Trian, Carthach, Niell, Nandith, Macnesse and Conenn. With the exception of Mus-
can, these sons came slowly to the Apostle ; wherefore Muscan was destined by him for the kingdom, before all his brothers, and when the Latin Tripartite Life was written, the principality seems to have belonged to his race. Conenn excused himself, because he was obliged to set out a hedge. Then Patrick said, that his posterity should always want houses and fields to be com- pletely surrounded with walls or hedges, and should they dig the earth, and then set out a hedge, it must soon fail, while if they placed islands in prominent sites, those erections should not be firm. Keallacha—n said, that on account of dues owing wliLlbcr by another to him, or by hi—m to another, the Tripartite writer knew not he had been obliged to arrive late. Patrick said to him, that wherever in Munster his amnesty should be violated, and that Keal- lachan should be the transgressor, even though others were free for any reason,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 711
through the province of Munster,^^ the Cistercian monk, Jocelyn, ascribes the subjoined incident. At that time, when this Angel of Peace, as we are told,
passed through the country of Ciarraghe,^? he saw two brothers, respectively named Bibradius, and Locradius, engaged in an angry debate, about the partition of their dead father's inheritance. So much did they wrangle, that from high words, they came to blows, and dealt out strokes, with their iron weapons. Fearing lest so heinous a sin as fratricide should be committed,
in his presence, with his holy prayers, the Apostolic man so paralyzed their hands and arms, that these remained stiff and inflexible, while raised in the air
Upon seeing this stupendous miracle, the two brothers referred their cause tothesaint'sarbitration. BlessedPatrickthen,notonlyrenewedbetweenthem
aleagueofbrotherlylove; but,healsorestoredtothem,theperfectuseof theirarmsandhands. Theplace,wherethismiraclehappenedtothosetwo
brothers, was bestowed upon the saint, to accomplish the building of a church. 3°
Seven years St. Patrick is said to have spent in Munster. 3^ There,
he founded cells and churches, while he ordained bishops, rectors, and
ecclesiastics, in every grade. He also healed all sick persons, and he resuscitated the dead. Now, he was about to leave, with increased ardour for the fair plains of Leinster. When going away from Munster, the princes and nobles of the province assembled, it is thought at Cashel ; and, in testimony of the services he had rendered, those chiefs charged themselves with an annual tribute for the great Irish Apostle, and for his successors, in the See of Armagh. This tax, called by the Irish, Cain Fhadruigh, was regularly paid, for some ages. ^^ The veneration, in which they held him, caused a great stone, on Avhich he used to celebrate the Divine Mysteries, and other rehgious ceremonies, to be preserved, with respect. It was
never should he or his tribe escape the con-
the son of Fergus, King over Ulster, and o Meadhbh, Queen over Connaught, is sai^ to have been ancestor to all the Ciarraighe.
"
xliii. , xlvi. Also Dr. c3'Donovan's
demnation of death, or as an alternative,
seven female servants should be given in atonement for the offence. Carthach said,
that he would have believed, if only they
should await his foster-father, as it was de-
sirable to know, whether or not his appro-
bation might be obtained. Patrick declared
that those of his race, prudent and ingenious
in their worldly-wise conceits, should be p. 82. aliens in this principality. The Irish Apostle's pronouncements, in each case, wereliterallyfulfilled. Intheforegoingac-
comit, some words of the original Latin are obsolete, or obscure, and for want of more accurate information, regarding customs long since disused, the application of terms may be misplaced ; we think, however, the rendering is substantially exact, and the meaning attached, closely in accordance with the terminology.
554, pp. Ixxi. , Ixxii. , nn. 627, 628.
^° See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxvi. ,
^i The learned calculate, as we are told,
in the Irish Tripartite Life, he made an
offering, on every seventh ridge, that he traversed, while in Munster.
^^ in the time of Dungalac, the son of Foelgass, of the race of Failbe Flann, this tribute fell into disuse, or it was refused, through the fault of Soergass Hua Maol- Cobthaigh. For such neglect, Dungalac himself, through his posterity, was supposed to incur Divine judgments, as none of his race held the of or was
=^7 See the Latin
Tripartite
Life of St. Colgan's
principality Cashel,
Patrick, lib. iii. , cap. li. , Iii.
extant, when the Latin Tripartite Life had
been written. It adds, " vel futurus credi-
tur ex iis vel Doctor Episcopus, Dominus,
oriundus. *f Colgan endeavours in nn. 80, 81, to show that, if very gross ignorance of Irish history be not in question, a part of
'* Trias Thaumaturga," p. 159.
""^ Wealso the find, among
Hodges
and
Smith collection of Manuscripts, classed 23.
L. 22, at p. 432, a legendary account, re-
lating to the journey of St. Patrick and of
Oisin, into the Southern Eily. This, we do the Latin Tripartite Life here must have
not consider to be very ancient.
"9\VhetherthismeansCianaigheChuirche, now Kerrycurriiiy, a small barony, south- wards in tlie county of Cork, or the present county of Kerry, may be questioned. Ciar,
beenwritten,beforeA. D. 840,or850; since, IMaelgualai, the son of Donngal, King of
Munster, murdered by the Norsemen, in 857, was a descendent of Failbhe Flann. Colgan there shows, that others of the royal
See O'Flaherty's
Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap,
Topo- graphical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Noamh O'Huidhrin," p. Ixiv. , n.
"
712 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
called Leach Phadrhtc, or " Patrick's stone. " 33 Afterwards, the kings of Cashel34 did themselves the honour to be crowned upon it. 3S Most
probably, this is the large square stone, still remaining on the Rock of Cashel, as forming the pedestal of an ancient Irish cross. When leaving Munster, St. Patrick went to its northern bounds,36 at Broscar,37 also called Brosnacha,38 or the Brosnach River,39 whither the men of that province followed after him, in great crowds, and as if with one accord. The members of their households,-*" without distinction of age or sex,^^ were in this vast multitude ; for, as the Irish Apostle, now advanced in years, did not appear determined to revisit that part of the country, all felt desirous to receive his partingbenediction. Whileloudacclamationsarose,onallsides,thatbless- ing he cheerfully bestowed on them. -*^ From an eminence, also, he offered a kindly prayer, for that beautiful region, he was now about to leave for
ever. -^s
While here, the glorious Patrick resuscitated a Munster man, called Fot,-**
or Fotus, the son of Derad, or Deratius. He had been twenty-seven years dead. 45 This miracle, occurring before the whole assembled multitude, caused the Apostle to be wonderfully extolled. It was here, too, he blessed
Munster race flourished, and were in pos- session of the principality, according to our country's records.
33 It bears all the marks of a most remote
or "excitement. " By others, again, the village of this locality is said to derive its
antiquity ; and, most probably, long before
the advent of the Apostle of Ireland to Cashel, it was used by the Druids in their sacrificial observances. St. Patrick's visit to Cashel is noticed in the Hodges and Smith his MS. classed 23. L. 22. p. 390. R. I. A.
3* Cashel was so called, fi^om the Irish Cais, tribute, and all, a stone, because the petty princes of Munster formerly paid tribute upon a large stone there, to the king of that province. This is one derivation of the word. Another may be seen, in a
previous chapter.
35 See L'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's " Histoire
de rirlande," in which he quotes the Tri- partite Life of St. Patrick. Secoude Partie, chap, i. , p. 261.
3° This shows, Colgan was wrong, when placing Brosna in Munster. There are two
rivers, and a small village, named Brosna, in the King's County. The larger one rises
at Bunbrosna, in Westmeath, and traversing the latter county fifteen or sixteen miles, in a western direction, it joins the River Shannon, at Shannon Harbour. The little Brosna rises, near the village of that name, in the parish of Kilmurray, to the east of Shinrone. It runs a few miles northwards to Birr, forming the boundary, between the King's County and that of Tipperary, before its entrance to the River Shannon.
37 The Latin Tripartite Life gives it the
Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," in Clonlisk barony. King's County. This is far away, from the Brosna River. The
" ThirdLifestates,thatSt. Patrickcame ad
flumina ilia quae dicuntur Bresnacha. "
^° In the Irish Tripartite Life, the original word is celcA, which AVilliam AI. Plennessy
seems to think, by a note of interrogation affixed, may also mean "hillocks. "
^' The Irish Tripartite Life states, that men, youths, and women, were there as- sembled. According to Jocelyn, King Oengus, being attended, by twelve of his princes, and by 14,000 of his subjects, followed the saint, when he came as far^as Cothach, a town lying upon the River Bros- nach.
*^ A poem, in four quatrains, by St. Patrick, giving his benediction to the people of Munster, is one of the traditional memo- rials of this blessing ; and, there is a copy
of it, among the Betham Manuscripts, in the Royal Irish Academy, classed 23. C. 19. See O'Longan MSS. , vol. xxii. , p. 325.
"•3 We find the following rendering, in the Iiish Tripartite Life : "A blessing on the men of Muman, men, sons, women. A blessing on the land that gives them food. A blessing on all treasures produced upon tl;o plains. A blessing upon Munster. A blessing on their woods, and on their sloping plains. A blessing on their glens. A bless- ing on their hills. As the sands of the sea under ships, so numerous may be their homesteads, on slopes, on plains, on moun- tains, and on peaks.
''
following derivation
:
" ^yvjir^z/- enim patrio
sermone, clamores, vel tumultum ex Iffititia
procedentem significat. "
3^ We are told, in the Irish Tripartite Life, that this place was so called, on ac- count of the shouts of joy the people raised,
when they here gazed upon him ; the native
word, lifosini^ad, signifying,
"
an incentive,"
name, from the Irish word, brosna, faggot," or " a bundle of sticks. "
*'
a
39 So is it noticed by Jocelyn. The Tri-
partite Life does not, indeed, mention a river, but a place so called. There is a
town, called Brosna, placed by Seward, in
"
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 713
the private banquet, prepared for himself and for his disciples, so that it sufficed for the refection of the vast multitudes, who were present, from all
the adjacent parts of Munster, including the Ossorians, and strangers from other parts of Ireland. t^ He was with Bishop Trian,47 or St. TrianuSj-t^ a pilgrim of the Romans, who is said to have then lived, at a place, called Craibhech,49 or Creevagh. s° More succinctly are the foregoing particulars related, in the Irish, than in the Latin Tripartite, Life of our saint ; while Jocelyn has added legendary matter, in reference to them,5i and which we do not find drawn from any other known source. ^'
CHAPTER XXI.
THE PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE OF ST. PATRICK, WHILE PASSING THROUGH HY-FAILGE, AND MARTYRDOM OF HIS CHARIOTEER, ODHRAN—THE APOSTLE RETURNS TO LEGALE— JUDGMENT VISITED ON TRIAN—CONVERSION OF MACHALDUS, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT MISSION IN THE ISLE OF MAN—DRUMBO—EUCHODIUS, KING IN ULSTER—HIS SON, ST. DOMANGART—ST. PATRICK LAYS THE FOUNDATION OF A CHURCH, AT LOUTH
; BUT, HE IS WARNED BY AN ANGEL, TO FOUND HIS GREAT CATHEDRAL, AT ARMAGH.
After the illustrious bishop had thus confirmed the people of Munster, in knowledge, and in a love for the true God, blessing them, he took a journey,
«"
The Third Life calls him, Fota filius
Forath. "
^5 The Third Life states, he was only ten
years in the tomb, and that fourteen other men were raised to life with him.
'
negamus nee astruimus.
''^ No very definite account of him is
given, by Colgan, who refers to a holy man of the name, whose feast occurs, at the 22nd or23rdofRlarch; but,nocorrectidentifica- tion is there to be found.
**
Jocelyn tliils records these incidents :
By Divine Providence, in happened, that no
victuals could be had for that great company.
However, the blessed Bishop, desirous of
giving the multitude a spiritual and corporal it is Craibhecha ; in Jocelyn, it is called
refection, commanded a cow, by whose milk St. Trianus lived, to be made ready for
Chothach ; while, in the Third Life, it is Croibech.
5° There is a place, so called, in the parish of Clonmacnois, King's County, and a fore directed his prayers to the heavenly Creeve, in the parish of Ardnurcher, or sanctuary, and, lo ! there ran out of the ad- Horseleap, in the south of Westmeatli County. Both of these places lie near to
supper. But,whatwasthisamongsogreat a company ? remarks Jocelyn. Patrick there-
joining wood two large stags, and two large
hogs. These presented themselves before
the saint. He ordered, that they should be
killed, and that likewise they should be cluded among nineteen others, who were made ready for feeding the multitude. All raised from the grave. He then adds : All the company sat down to supper, and that those, who were so miraculously restored to little provision was laid before them. This the number of the living, related in the resembled the multiplication of the five
barley loaves and two fishes. (St. Matt. XV. ) By virtue of the saint's benediction, the five animals served to satisfy all the
people present so plentifully, that a great deal was gathered up, after the feast, and carried thence. This miraculous multipli- cation of food, adds Jocelyn, need not seem incredible, to any, who will reflect with due consideration, upon our Saviour's promise : " He that believeth in me, the works that I do, he shall also perform, and greater than these he shall do. " (St. John, xiv. 12. ) Then follow circumstances, too ridiculous
hearing of all the assembly, what they had seen, touching the toi'ments of hell. They likewise proclaimed Patrick's God, to be the true and living God. King Oengus, and his subjects magnified the Lord, and honoured the saint, as their high priest, and their proper Apostle. Those men, who were revived, St. Patrick christened. After- wards, ^hey became monks, under the obedience of St. Trianus, with whom they lived, until overtaken by a second death. King ^ngus, and the hosts assembled, bidding St. Patrick farewell, returned to their respective homes. See, also, the Third Life.
for publication.
account
bile Deo dicimus, sed factum hoc fuisse nee
going
:
"Nos vero nihil
impossi-
Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixiii. , p. 26,
Jocelyn adds, to the tore-
5^ See " Trias Colgan's
^^ The Third Life calls him Tria.
^5 Such is the denomination given, in the Latin Tripartite Life ; in the Irish version,
the northern Brosna River.
S' Thus Jocelyn says, that Fota was in-
714 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
towards the North. He first went through the territory of Hy-Failge,^ which before the English invasion, comprised the present Baronies of Ophaley, in
the county of Kildare, with parts of the King's and Queen's Counties. Here, twopowerfulchieftainsruled,atthistime; one,evil-inclined,beingnamed
Failge Berraide,^ or Foilge Berrad,3 while the other, called Failge RoSj-^ had a singular affection for St. Patrick, whom he treated with every mark of
respect. Now, Foilge Berrad had boasted, that if he met Patrick, he would kill him, in revenge for the destruction of his god, the idol Crom Cruach. This boast of Foilge was concealed from Patrick, by his people. As they travelled through Hy-Failge, Odran,s his charioteer, said, "Since, I have been a long time driving for you, O Patrick, let me take the chief seat for this Be the Ofather "
day. you charioteer, ! St. Patrick did so, at a place, called after his disciple, Desert Odran,^ whither Foilge had come. Mistaking the master for his servant, that wicked chieftain dealt a thrust of his spear, through Odran,7 who was in the guise of Patrick. ^ This tragic event happened,nearamountain,9calledBrig-damh;'° and,itisstatedtohavebeen over a stream, called the Suainin, which is said to have been in the parish and baronyofGeashill,"intheKing'sCounty. " ByColgan,thismartyrdomof Odhran has been ascribed to about, or after, the middle of the fifth century ;'3 or, as Ussher calculates,^^ at a. d. 456. ^5 As to Foilge Ros, St. Patrick
and nn. 60, 61, p. 32. Sexta Vita S. Pa- tricii, cap. Ixxvi. , Ixxvii,, Ixxviii. , pp. 82,
Rights," p. 193, n. (b), and pp. 216, 217, 11. (r. )
"
83, and nn. 77, 78, p. 112, cap. xcvi. , p. 87,
cap, cxxviii. , cxxix. , pp. 93, 94. Septiraa
Vita S, Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xlviii. , xlix. ,
1. , li. , Iii. , liv. , Iv. , Ivi. , pp. 158, 159, and cular district he selects for its position, nn. 80, 81, 82, 83, p. 185. Miss Cusack's Archdall conjectured, that Disert-Odhrain
"Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," was identical with Tir-Oenaichs, in the "
pp. 472 to 476, with the accompanying Queen's County. See Monasticon Hiber- notes. — nicum," p. 594.
'7 Chapter xxi. It obtained this name,
from Ros Failge, or " Ross of the Kings. " He was the eldest son, it has been said, of
CathaoirMor, Kingof Leinster,and Monarch of Ireland, slain a. d. 122. Yet, this state-
There is an account of this matter, and a spirited woodcut illustration of Odhran's martyrdom, in Miss M. F. Cusack's "Patriot's History of Ireland," chap, iv. , pp. 66, 67, 120.
^ Then we are tite, oftheresult.
"
Patrick.
Odran. "Be it so," replied Patrick. Foilge died at once, and went to hell, it is stated.
ment seems inconsistent with the
in the Irish
narrative, where Failge Ros is made to be a
contemporary of St. Patrick. Perhaps,
however, a distinction is to be drawn regard- ing the former and the latter.
^
Upon the tree of Bridam," said
Tripartite
told, "Myanathema,"cried
9 Although it was the site of several ing the Tripartite Life, only one Failge, or battles, recorded in Dr. O'Donovan's Foilge, is mentioned. Jocelyn calls him " Annals of the Four Masters," as at A. M.
''
Foylge Rufus. "
3 In the Third Life, he is called Foilge,
3501, audat A. D. 596, vol; i. , pp. 28, 29, and n. (a), and pp. 222, 223, n. (o), yet the place has not been clearly identified.
" This denomination " the hill of signifies
the oxen. "
" The extent of both is the same, and
In the other Acts of St. Patrick, except-
and there, a miraculous circumstance, in re-
ference to is introduced. Ber- him, Foilge
rad's name occurs not, in the right line of
the O'Conor Faly pedigree ; but, he is "
mentioned, in Dr. O'Donovan's Annals shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Town-
oftheFourMasters,"vohi. , pp. 162,163, at A. D. 501, as having slain Fiacha, son of
land Maps for the King's County," Sheets 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32, 33.
'-
The writer of a note, in Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick," &c. , incorrectly has Wattstown, parish of Portlenon, and County the barony of Geashil, in the Queen's
Niall, at the battle of Freamhain, thought to be the hill of Fi-ewin, in the townland of
Westmeath. See ibid. , p. 89, n. (w. )
4 From him were descended, it is said, the great families of O'Conor Faly,
O'Dempsey of Clanmalier, and O'Dunne of
Hi or See O'Dono- Regan, Iregan. John
County.
'3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemias," xix.
van's
''
Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of
5 His festival was held, according to some Martyrologies, on the 19th of Februaiy.
As if all Hy-Failge were in the parti-
Februarii.
P- 371- 'See his
that year.
De S. Odrano Martyre, cap. v. ,
" "Index Chronologicus, at
Tripar-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 715
blessed him, and his children were in the district, at that time, when the Irish Tripartite Life was written.
Again, St. Patrick seems to have returned towards Lecale, in Ulster, although the exact course he took, through Leinster, cannot well be ascer- tained, from any of his biographers. However, we are informed, that he passed along the public highway, known as Midh-Luachra. ^^ In Mudornia,''
he found a company of carpenters, cutting down great oak or yew trees. '^ But, their axes were edgeless, and those poor men were quite wearied and out of breath, while the skin and flesh were torn from their hands, even to the very sinews and bones. Those wretched persons were slaves, belonging to Trian,'^9 son of Fiac, son to Amalgad. -° Those men are related, to have borne, in subjection and afiiiction, the rule of their cruel task-master ; so much so, that they were not allowed whetstones, to sharpen their axes or irons, in order that their work might become the heavier and more difficult.
The saint, compassionating their distress, gave them his blessing ; whereupon they recovered strength, their hands were healed, and their hatchets became
so sharply edged, that they cut the solid trees, with as little difficulty, as if these had been tender twigs. This prodigious effect of the saint's blessing continuedwiththem,untilsuchtimeasheprocuredtheirrelease. Toeffect this object, he went to their cruel lord ; but, Trian would not admit the saint's intercession, on behalf of those serfs. Before the doors of that chief's castle, and at a place known afterwards as Rath-Trena, Patrick sought by watching, prayer, and fasting, to soften his obdurate heart. According to a curious custom'^* of our ancestors, our holy Apostle is said to have fasted, at or before Trian's fort ; but, without having his petition granted, ere he de- parted. The saint, after three days' fast and prayer, came again, with great submission, ta procure their exemption from bondage. But, he found this cruel chief to be like another Pharaoh. Presently Trian got up into his chariot, and with a design to aggravate still more the yoke of affliction. St.
'S With this computation, the Rev. Dr.
^° This seems to be a mistranscript for
Imchadh, as found in the pedigrees,
*' Some illustrations of this are practice
explained, in the Irish Laws of Plaintiff or
Creditor, and of those relating to Defendant
Lanigan seems to agree.
cal of History
"
See Ecclesiasti-
Ireland," sect, xi. , n. 114, p.
Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," pp. 472, 473, and nn. ibid.
'3 He is thus called, in the Latin Tripar-
^2 See Vita Tripartita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xlviii. , xlix. , p. 158. Not a word is mentioned about Declan, by the writer, wliile bringing St. Patrick tlirough the
Decies territory, as Dr. Lanigan remarks ; but, he mistook the exact location of those Desii.
'^ This account is to be in the only found,
Irish Tripartite Life. It further states, that assemblies were not held, by the Desii except at night ; because Patrick left a stern sentence upon them, it being towards night, when they went to meet him.
'7 Probably, in the present county of Tipperary.
tlie of Sheets County Limerick,"
31, 32, 39, 40. The town itself is noted, ou Sheet 32. Thetownlandismarked,onSheets31,
tite Life I'endered Fergair.
version,
"glaise,"
;
in the Irish
his name is
'** The Irish Life has Tripartite
'* According to the Irish Tripartite Life, when Fergair came, Patrick said to him,
in the original Manuscript.
'9 The ancient name of that district, now
comprisec^within the baronies of Upper and
after his arrival, "Plow slowly you have answered. " True, indeed," replied Patrick,
delayed us," responded the king. "Your
meetings shall be showery for ever," then said Patrick.
of Lower Ormond, in the northern part of come! " "The country is rough," he the county of Tipperary. It contained the
" there shall be no but,
ancient churches of Cill-Cheire, now Kil-
near the town ot Nenagh, and of What delayed you to-day? " "The rain Leathracha, now Latteragh, about eight
king
from
you.
keary,
miles southwards from the same town,
'° According to the Latin Tripartite.
="
According to the Latin Tripartite.
710 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
longed to a very influential family. Tliey were sons to Forad,^^ the son of Conla. Especially was Munech remarkable, for his ready obedience to the call of God, when he was baptized by St. Patrick, together with his son. The Apostle gave his blessing, to the latter, and he predicted, that not alone should renowned chiefs and holy bishops descend from him, but even the principal rulers of the land. Meachair did not so readily come to the fold, and Patrick declared, that rivals and disobedient nobles should arise in his line. The eldest brother of their family, called Furech,'-* or Furic,=^s how- ever,remainedobstinateinhisinfidelity; for,hewasamanofhardheart, and of irascible temper. ^^ So he continued, to the end of his life. '? To this period of his career, and, most probably, while St. Patrick was on his journey,
^^ He is called Meachaiius, in the Latin Tripartite Life, and Mechar in the Irish version. This name greatly resembles Meaghar, or Maher, yet a veiy prevailing one, in this part of Tipperary.
"
That his successorship is not found In Cashel of the Kings.
=^3 Also called Forat, in the Irish Tripar-
tite Life. In Miss Cusack's Irish Tripartite
Life of St. Patrick, the translator introduces
the following version, from an original Irish
poem:— —
" Muinnech the Great believes In Patrick, before all ;
Saergus the Young, also
• * * « »
Violated the cain he had adopted For the vehement Dungalach.
"
"
Mechair believed
For he was a true, just man.
Patrick gave him a lasting blessing The companionship of a king.
—
That there might be over his country Chieftains of his race for ever.
Fuirec, the furious man,
Opposed, though he was hoary and
old;
His ultimate fate, after this world.
Is not to be deplored.
*' When Cothraige imposed
A tribute [cain) upon noble Eri,
On the host of this island
He conferred a lasting blessing.
"
''
''
"
Choice was this blessing,
Which he conferred seven-fold
On each one who would observe His plain rule, his law.
Whoever would disobey
The noble, just rule, Should not see him, he said,
In the region of the saints.
Patrick's cain in great Munster,
Was imposed on each family, Until Dungalach violated it,
[Who was] of the race of Failbhe Flann.
Dungalach, son of P'aelghus, Grandson of just Nadfraech,
Was the first who transgressed, Patrick's cain from the beginning.
" It is related in histories. All ages know it.
There is not of his progeny (Though he won battles)
A noble bishop, or herenagh, A prince, or a sage.
"
" It is seen that illustrious men
Are not of his wondrous family ;
If there are now, they will not
Be found till Judgment comes. "
°* According to the Latin Tripartite.
=5 According to the Irish Tripartite.
=* The Latin Tripartite Life states, after-
wards, that Munech was destined for the
kingdom, by St. Patrick, who also called to himself the twelve sons of Munech, as they
are thus named, viz. : Muscan, Keallachan, Imchadh, Dubthach, Gartne, Lamnith,
Trian, Carthach, Niell, Nandith, Macnesse and Conenn. With the exception of Mus-
can, these sons came slowly to the Apostle ; wherefore Muscan was destined by him for the kingdom, before all his brothers, and when the Latin Tripartite Life was written, the principality seems to have belonged to his race. Conenn excused himself, because he was obliged to set out a hedge. Then Patrick said, that his posterity should always want houses and fields to be com- pletely surrounded with walls or hedges, and should they dig the earth, and then set out a hedge, it must soon fail, while if they placed islands in prominent sites, those erections should not be firm. Keallacha—n said, that on account of dues owing wliLlbcr by another to him, or by hi—m to another, the Tripartite writer knew not he had been obliged to arrive late. Patrick said to him, that wherever in Munster his amnesty should be violated, and that Keal- lachan should be the transgressor, even though others were free for any reason,
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 711
through the province of Munster,^^ the Cistercian monk, Jocelyn, ascribes the subjoined incident. At that time, when this Angel of Peace, as we are told,
passed through the country of Ciarraghe,^? he saw two brothers, respectively named Bibradius, and Locradius, engaged in an angry debate, about the partition of their dead father's inheritance. So much did they wrangle, that from high words, they came to blows, and dealt out strokes, with their iron weapons. Fearing lest so heinous a sin as fratricide should be committed,
in his presence, with his holy prayers, the Apostolic man so paralyzed their hands and arms, that these remained stiff and inflexible, while raised in the air
Upon seeing this stupendous miracle, the two brothers referred their cause tothesaint'sarbitration. BlessedPatrickthen,notonlyrenewedbetweenthem
aleagueofbrotherlylove; but,healsorestoredtothem,theperfectuseof theirarmsandhands. Theplace,wherethismiraclehappenedtothosetwo
brothers, was bestowed upon the saint, to accomplish the building of a church. 3°
Seven years St. Patrick is said to have spent in Munster. 3^ There,
he founded cells and churches, while he ordained bishops, rectors, and
ecclesiastics, in every grade. He also healed all sick persons, and he resuscitated the dead. Now, he was about to leave, with increased ardour for the fair plains of Leinster. When going away from Munster, the princes and nobles of the province assembled, it is thought at Cashel ; and, in testimony of the services he had rendered, those chiefs charged themselves with an annual tribute for the great Irish Apostle, and for his successors, in the See of Armagh. This tax, called by the Irish, Cain Fhadruigh, was regularly paid, for some ages. ^^ The veneration, in which they held him, caused a great stone, on Avhich he used to celebrate the Divine Mysteries, and other rehgious ceremonies, to be preserved, with respect. It was
never should he or his tribe escape the con-
the son of Fergus, King over Ulster, and o Meadhbh, Queen over Connaught, is sai^ to have been ancestor to all the Ciarraighe.
"
xliii. , xlvi. Also Dr. c3'Donovan's
demnation of death, or as an alternative,
seven female servants should be given in atonement for the offence. Carthach said,
that he would have believed, if only they
should await his foster-father, as it was de-
sirable to know, whether or not his appro-
bation might be obtained. Patrick declared
that those of his race, prudent and ingenious
in their worldly-wise conceits, should be p. 82. aliens in this principality. The Irish Apostle's pronouncements, in each case, wereliterallyfulfilled. Intheforegoingac-
comit, some words of the original Latin are obsolete, or obscure, and for want of more accurate information, regarding customs long since disused, the application of terms may be misplaced ; we think, however, the rendering is substantially exact, and the meaning attached, closely in accordance with the terminology.
554, pp. Ixxi. , Ixxii. , nn. 627, 628.
^° See Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixxvi. ,
^i The learned calculate, as we are told,
in the Irish Tripartite Life, he made an
offering, on every seventh ridge, that he traversed, while in Munster.
^^ in the time of Dungalac, the son of Foelgass, of the race of Failbe Flann, this tribute fell into disuse, or it was refused, through the fault of Soergass Hua Maol- Cobthaigh. For such neglect, Dungalac himself, through his posterity, was supposed to incur Divine judgments, as none of his race held the of or was
=^7 See the Latin
Tripartite
Life of St. Colgan's
principality Cashel,
Patrick, lib. iii. , cap. li. , Iii.
extant, when the Latin Tripartite Life had
been written. It adds, " vel futurus credi-
tur ex iis vel Doctor Episcopus, Dominus,
oriundus. *f Colgan endeavours in nn. 80, 81, to show that, if very gross ignorance of Irish history be not in question, a part of
'* Trias Thaumaturga," p. 159.
""^ Wealso the find, among
Hodges
and
Smith collection of Manuscripts, classed 23.
L. 22, at p. 432, a legendary account, re-
lating to the journey of St. Patrick and of
Oisin, into the Southern Eily. This, we do the Latin Tripartite Life here must have
not consider to be very ancient.
"9\VhetherthismeansCianaigheChuirche, now Kerrycurriiiy, a small barony, south- wards in tlie county of Cork, or the present county of Kerry, may be questioned. Ciar,
beenwritten,beforeA. D. 840,or850; since, IMaelgualai, the son of Donngal, King of
Munster, murdered by the Norsemen, in 857, was a descendent of Failbhe Flann. Colgan there shows, that others of the royal
See O'Flaherty's
Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap,
Topo- graphical Poems of John O'Dubhagain and Giolla na Noamh O'Huidhrin," p. Ixiv. , n.
"
712 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
called Leach Phadrhtc, or " Patrick's stone. " 33 Afterwards, the kings of Cashel34 did themselves the honour to be crowned upon it. 3S Most
probably, this is the large square stone, still remaining on the Rock of Cashel, as forming the pedestal of an ancient Irish cross. When leaving Munster, St. Patrick went to its northern bounds,36 at Broscar,37 also called Brosnacha,38 or the Brosnach River,39 whither the men of that province followed after him, in great crowds, and as if with one accord. The members of their households,-*" without distinction of age or sex,^^ were in this vast multitude ; for, as the Irish Apostle, now advanced in years, did not appear determined to revisit that part of the country, all felt desirous to receive his partingbenediction. Whileloudacclamationsarose,onallsides,thatbless- ing he cheerfully bestowed on them. -*^ From an eminence, also, he offered a kindly prayer, for that beautiful region, he was now about to leave for
ever. -^s
While here, the glorious Patrick resuscitated a Munster man, called Fot,-**
or Fotus, the son of Derad, or Deratius. He had been twenty-seven years dead. 45 This miracle, occurring before the whole assembled multitude, caused the Apostle to be wonderfully extolled. It was here, too, he blessed
Munster race flourished, and were in pos- session of the principality, according to our country's records.
33 It bears all the marks of a most remote
or "excitement. " By others, again, the village of this locality is said to derive its
antiquity ; and, most probably, long before
the advent of the Apostle of Ireland to Cashel, it was used by the Druids in their sacrificial observances. St. Patrick's visit to Cashel is noticed in the Hodges and Smith his MS. classed 23. L. 22. p. 390. R. I. A.
3* Cashel was so called, fi^om the Irish Cais, tribute, and all, a stone, because the petty princes of Munster formerly paid tribute upon a large stone there, to the king of that province. This is one derivation of the word. Another may be seen, in a
previous chapter.
35 See L'Abbe Ma-Geoghegan's " Histoire
de rirlande," in which he quotes the Tri- partite Life of St. Patrick. Secoude Partie, chap, i. , p. 261.
3° This shows, Colgan was wrong, when placing Brosna in Munster. There are two
rivers, and a small village, named Brosna, in the King's County. The larger one rises
at Bunbrosna, in Westmeath, and traversing the latter county fifteen or sixteen miles, in a western direction, it joins the River Shannon, at Shannon Harbour. The little Brosna rises, near the village of that name, in the parish of Kilmurray, to the east of Shinrone. It runs a few miles northwards to Birr, forming the boundary, between the King's County and that of Tipperary, before its entrance to the River Shannon.
37 The Latin Tripartite Life gives it the
Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," in Clonlisk barony. King's County. This is far away, from the Brosna River. The
" ThirdLifestates,thatSt. Patrickcame ad
flumina ilia quae dicuntur Bresnacha. "
^° In the Irish Tripartite Life, the original word is celcA, which AVilliam AI. Plennessy
seems to think, by a note of interrogation affixed, may also mean "hillocks. "
^' The Irish Tripartite Life states, that men, youths, and women, were there as- sembled. According to Jocelyn, King Oengus, being attended, by twelve of his princes, and by 14,000 of his subjects, followed the saint, when he came as far^as Cothach, a town lying upon the River Bros- nach.
*^ A poem, in four quatrains, by St. Patrick, giving his benediction to the people of Munster, is one of the traditional memo- rials of this blessing ; and, there is a copy
of it, among the Betham Manuscripts, in the Royal Irish Academy, classed 23. C. 19. See O'Longan MSS. , vol. xxii. , p. 325.
"•3 We find the following rendering, in the Iiish Tripartite Life : "A blessing on the men of Muman, men, sons, women. A blessing on the land that gives them food. A blessing on all treasures produced upon tl;o plains. A blessing upon Munster. A blessing on their woods, and on their sloping plains. A blessing on their glens. A bless- ing on their hills. As the sands of the sea under ships, so numerous may be their homesteads, on slopes, on plains, on moun- tains, and on peaks.
''
following derivation
:
" ^yvjir^z/- enim patrio
sermone, clamores, vel tumultum ex Iffititia
procedentem significat. "
3^ We are told, in the Irish Tripartite Life, that this place was so called, on ac- count of the shouts of joy the people raised,
when they here gazed upon him ; the native
word, lifosini^ad, signifying,
"
an incentive,"
name, from the Irish word, brosna, faggot," or " a bundle of sticks. "
*'
a
39 So is it noticed by Jocelyn. The Tri-
partite Life does not, indeed, mention a river, but a place so called. There is a
town, called Brosna, placed by Seward, in
"
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 713
the private banquet, prepared for himself and for his disciples, so that it sufficed for the refection of the vast multitudes, who were present, from all
the adjacent parts of Munster, including the Ossorians, and strangers from other parts of Ireland. t^ He was with Bishop Trian,47 or St. TrianuSj-t^ a pilgrim of the Romans, who is said to have then lived, at a place, called Craibhech,49 or Creevagh. s° More succinctly are the foregoing particulars related, in the Irish, than in the Latin Tripartite, Life of our saint ; while Jocelyn has added legendary matter, in reference to them,5i and which we do not find drawn from any other known source. ^'
CHAPTER XXI.
THE PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE OF ST. PATRICK, WHILE PASSING THROUGH HY-FAILGE, AND MARTYRDOM OF HIS CHARIOTEER, ODHRAN—THE APOSTLE RETURNS TO LEGALE— JUDGMENT VISITED ON TRIAN—CONVERSION OF MACHALDUS, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT MISSION IN THE ISLE OF MAN—DRUMBO—EUCHODIUS, KING IN ULSTER—HIS SON, ST. DOMANGART—ST. PATRICK LAYS THE FOUNDATION OF A CHURCH, AT LOUTH
; BUT, HE IS WARNED BY AN ANGEL, TO FOUND HIS GREAT CATHEDRAL, AT ARMAGH.
After the illustrious bishop had thus confirmed the people of Munster, in knowledge, and in a love for the true God, blessing them, he took a journey,
«"
The Third Life calls him, Fota filius
Forath. "
^5 The Third Life states, he was only ten
years in the tomb, and that fourteen other men were raised to life with him.
'
negamus nee astruimus.
''^ No very definite account of him is
given, by Colgan, who refers to a holy man of the name, whose feast occurs, at the 22nd or23rdofRlarch; but,nocorrectidentifica- tion is there to be found.
**
Jocelyn tliils records these incidents :
By Divine Providence, in happened, that no
victuals could be had for that great company.
However, the blessed Bishop, desirous of
giving the multitude a spiritual and corporal it is Craibhecha ; in Jocelyn, it is called
refection, commanded a cow, by whose milk St. Trianus lived, to be made ready for
Chothach ; while, in the Third Life, it is Croibech.
5° There is a place, so called, in the parish of Clonmacnois, King's County, and a fore directed his prayers to the heavenly Creeve, in the parish of Ardnurcher, or sanctuary, and, lo ! there ran out of the ad- Horseleap, in the south of Westmeatli County. Both of these places lie near to
supper. But,whatwasthisamongsogreat a company ? remarks Jocelyn. Patrick there-
joining wood two large stags, and two large
hogs. These presented themselves before
the saint. He ordered, that they should be
killed, and that likewise they should be cluded among nineteen others, who were made ready for feeding the multitude. All raised from the grave. He then adds : All the company sat down to supper, and that those, who were so miraculously restored to little provision was laid before them. This the number of the living, related in the resembled the multiplication of the five
barley loaves and two fishes. (St. Matt. XV. ) By virtue of the saint's benediction, the five animals served to satisfy all the
people present so plentifully, that a great deal was gathered up, after the feast, and carried thence. This miraculous multipli- cation of food, adds Jocelyn, need not seem incredible, to any, who will reflect with due consideration, upon our Saviour's promise : " He that believeth in me, the works that I do, he shall also perform, and greater than these he shall do. " (St. John, xiv. 12. ) Then follow circumstances, too ridiculous
hearing of all the assembly, what they had seen, touching the toi'ments of hell. They likewise proclaimed Patrick's God, to be the true and living God. King Oengus, and his subjects magnified the Lord, and honoured the saint, as their high priest, and their proper Apostle. Those men, who were revived, St. Patrick christened. After- wards, ^hey became monks, under the obedience of St. Trianus, with whom they lived, until overtaken by a second death. King ^ngus, and the hosts assembled, bidding St. Patrick farewell, returned to their respective homes. See, also, the Third Life.
for publication.
account
bile Deo dicimus, sed factum hoc fuisse nee
going
:
"Nos vero nihil
impossi-
Thaumaturga. " Tertia Vita S. Patricii, cap. Ixiii. , p. 26,
Jocelyn adds, to the tore-
5^ See " Trias Colgan's
^^ The Third Life calls him Tria.
^5 Such is the denomination given, in the Latin Tripartite Life ; in the Irish version,
the northern Brosna River.
S' Thus Jocelyn says, that Fota was in-
714 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [March 17.
towards the North. He first went through the territory of Hy-Failge,^ which before the English invasion, comprised the present Baronies of Ophaley, in
the county of Kildare, with parts of the King's and Queen's Counties. Here, twopowerfulchieftainsruled,atthistime; one,evil-inclined,beingnamed
Failge Berraide,^ or Foilge Berrad,3 while the other, called Failge RoSj-^ had a singular affection for St. Patrick, whom he treated with every mark of
respect. Now, Foilge Berrad had boasted, that if he met Patrick, he would kill him, in revenge for the destruction of his god, the idol Crom Cruach. This boast of Foilge was concealed from Patrick, by his people. As they travelled through Hy-Failge, Odran,s his charioteer, said, "Since, I have been a long time driving for you, O Patrick, let me take the chief seat for this Be the Ofather "
day. you charioteer, ! St. Patrick did so, at a place, called after his disciple, Desert Odran,^ whither Foilge had come. Mistaking the master for his servant, that wicked chieftain dealt a thrust of his spear, through Odran,7 who was in the guise of Patrick. ^ This tragic event happened,nearamountain,9calledBrig-damh;'° and,itisstatedtohavebeen over a stream, called the Suainin, which is said to have been in the parish and baronyofGeashill,"intheKing'sCounty. " ByColgan,thismartyrdomof Odhran has been ascribed to about, or after, the middle of the fifth century ;'3 or, as Ussher calculates,^^ at a. d. 456. ^5 As to Foilge Ros, St. Patrick
and nn. 60, 61, p. 32. Sexta Vita S. Pa- tricii, cap. Ixxvi. , Ixxvii,, Ixxviii. , pp. 82,
Rights," p. 193, n. (b), and pp. 216, 217, 11. (r. )
"
83, and nn. 77, 78, p. 112, cap. xcvi. , p. 87,
cap, cxxviii. , cxxix. , pp. 93, 94. Septiraa
Vita S, Patricii, lib. iii. , cap. xlviii. , xlix. ,
1. , li. , Iii. , liv. , Iv. , Ivi. , pp. 158, 159, and cular district he selects for its position, nn. 80, 81, 82, 83, p. 185. Miss Cusack's Archdall conjectured, that Disert-Odhrain
"Life of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland," was identical with Tir-Oenaichs, in the "
pp. 472 to 476, with the accompanying Queen's County. See Monasticon Hiber- notes. — nicum," p. 594.
'7 Chapter xxi. It obtained this name,
from Ros Failge, or " Ross of the Kings. " He was the eldest son, it has been said, of
CathaoirMor, Kingof Leinster,and Monarch of Ireland, slain a. d. 122. Yet, this state-
There is an account of this matter, and a spirited woodcut illustration of Odhran's martyrdom, in Miss M. F. Cusack's "Patriot's History of Ireland," chap, iv. , pp. 66, 67, 120.
^ Then we are tite, oftheresult.
"
Patrick.
Odran. "Be it so," replied Patrick. Foilge died at once, and went to hell, it is stated.
ment seems inconsistent with the
in the Irish
narrative, where Failge Ros is made to be a
contemporary of St. Patrick. Perhaps,
however, a distinction is to be drawn regard- ing the former and the latter.
^
Upon the tree of Bridam," said
Tripartite
told, "Myanathema,"cried
9 Although it was the site of several ing the Tripartite Life, only one Failge, or battles, recorded in Dr. O'Donovan's Foilge, is mentioned. Jocelyn calls him " Annals of the Four Masters," as at A. M.
''
Foylge Rufus. "
3 In the Third Life, he is called Foilge,
3501, audat A. D. 596, vol; i. , pp. 28, 29, and n. (a), and pp. 222, 223, n. (o), yet the place has not been clearly identified.
" This denomination " the hill of signifies
the oxen. "
" The extent of both is the same, and
In the other Acts of St. Patrick, except-
and there, a miraculous circumstance, in re-
ference to is introduced. Ber- him, Foilge
rad's name occurs not, in the right line of
the O'Conor Faly pedigree ; but, he is "
mentioned, in Dr. O'Donovan's Annals shown, on the "Ordnance Survey Town-
oftheFourMasters,"vohi. , pp. 162,163, at A. D. 501, as having slain Fiacha, son of
land Maps for the King's County," Sheets 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32, 33.
'-
The writer of a note, in Miss Cusack's "Life of St. Patrick," &c. , incorrectly has Wattstown, parish of Portlenon, and County the barony of Geashil, in the Queen's
Niall, at the battle of Freamhain, thought to be the hill of Fi-ewin, in the townland of
Westmeath. See ibid. , p. 89, n. (w. )
4 From him were descended, it is said, the great families of O'Conor Faly,
O'Dempsey of Clanmalier, and O'Dunne of
Hi or See O'Dono- Regan, Iregan. John
County.
'3 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemias," xix.
van's
''
Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of
5 His festival was held, according to some Martyrologies, on the 19th of Februaiy.
As if all Hy-Failge were in the parti-
Februarii.
P- 371- 'See his
that year.
De S. Odrano Martyre, cap. v. ,
" "Index Chronologicus, at
Tripar-
March 17. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 715
blessed him, and his children were in the district, at that time, when the Irish Tripartite Life was written.
Again, St. Patrick seems to have returned towards Lecale, in Ulster, although the exact course he took, through Leinster, cannot well be ascer- tained, from any of his biographers. However, we are informed, that he passed along the public highway, known as Midh-Luachra. ^^ In Mudornia,''
he found a company of carpenters, cutting down great oak or yew trees. '^ But, their axes were edgeless, and those poor men were quite wearied and out of breath, while the skin and flesh were torn from their hands, even to the very sinews and bones. Those wretched persons were slaves, belonging to Trian,'^9 son of Fiac, son to Amalgad. -° Those men are related, to have borne, in subjection and afiiiction, the rule of their cruel task-master ; so much so, that they were not allowed whetstones, to sharpen their axes or irons, in order that their work might become the heavier and more difficult.
The saint, compassionating their distress, gave them his blessing ; whereupon they recovered strength, their hands were healed, and their hatchets became
so sharply edged, that they cut the solid trees, with as little difficulty, as if these had been tender twigs. This prodigious effect of the saint's blessing continuedwiththem,untilsuchtimeasheprocuredtheirrelease. Toeffect this object, he went to their cruel lord ; but, Trian would not admit the saint's intercession, on behalf of those serfs. Before the doors of that chief's castle, and at a place known afterwards as Rath-Trena, Patrick sought by watching, prayer, and fasting, to soften his obdurate heart. According to a curious custom'^* of our ancestors, our holy Apostle is said to have fasted, at or before Trian's fort ; but, without having his petition granted, ere he de- parted. The saint, after three days' fast and prayer, came again, with great submission, ta procure their exemption from bondage. But, he found this cruel chief to be like another Pharaoh. Presently Trian got up into his chariot, and with a design to aggravate still more the yoke of affliction. St.
'S With this computation, the Rev. Dr.
^° This seems to be a mistranscript for
Imchadh, as found in the pedigrees,
*' Some illustrations of this are practice
explained, in the Irish Laws of Plaintiff or
Creditor, and of those relating to Defendant
Lanigan seems to agree.
cal of History
"
See Ecclesiasti-
Ireland," sect, xi. , n. 114, p.
