With one acknowledged omission it was
published
in the great Bollandist collection.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
x.
Cantipratensis
"
has notices of him at this date.
relates in his " De work,
22 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Scotland, says she departed to eternal happiness. 3 By a series of well- drawn negative and historic proofs, Colgan asserts that Mathilda could not have been daughter to any of the regal Scottish monarchs ; while he endea- voured to show how Ireland might probably \vith better reason claim the honour of her nativity. Yet Colgan honestly affirms he could not advance this latter claim beyond all question. '^ Unless the names of Alexander and Mathilda received some alteration, during the years of their exile, they seem to accord more with Scottish than Irish use during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Article X. —St. Aedhan, son of Deigill, of Cluain-Fionna- BHRACH,ClONKEEN,CoUNTYOFLoUTH,ANDOFCiLL-IlJNLEITH. NotchcS and shadows on the distant landscape just reflect forms of beauty, which the eye cannot search in detail, because the reach of vision is too great. Imagi- nation and judgment vaguely combine to fill up the dreamy outline. This present saint possibly may have lived during the very infancy of our Christian establishments. One of St. Patrick's disciples is called Mac Dichoill, and he is thought by Colgan^ to have been the same as the holy man, who is here
"
commemorated. In the Martyrology of Tallagh"^^ Aedhan-h-Fiachna ap-
pears at the I St of January. He is probably identical with a Mac Decill of h-Eachach Uisneach, who seems to have been entered as a different person in the same record and on the same day. 3 Marianus O'Gorman, or his
"
scholiast, at the ist of January, as also the Martyrology of Donegal,"*
record a commemoration of Aedhan, son to Deigill, of Cluain-Fionnabhrach,s and of Cill-Ilialeith,^ at the north of Fochard. ? His places are likewise called Cluain-Chaoin Fionnabhrach and Kill-alinn. On this account, how- ever, it may be doubted if this saint can be identified with St. Patrick's disciple, Mac Dichoill,^ who is known to have been connected with the people of Assal,9 and to have built a church a little to the south of a ford on the River Ethne,'° and near a place known as Ath-Maigne. " Yet there is
3 " De Pietate Scotorum," at the ist of
January, lib. iii.
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," i.
Januarii. Vi—ta S. Mathildis, pp. 6, 7. ^
thiana," book i. , plate xiv. , p. 9, and book
iii. , plate xx. , p. 19, there are engravings of a moat and some curious ecclesiastical anti- quities, called after St. Brigid, and with
Art. X. See "Trias Thaumaturga" letter-press descriptions to illustrate the
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. xvi. , p. 131, and n. 49, p. 174.
* Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi.
In the Franciscan copy one entry reads, of Dichoill, Dechill, or Deicola. Hence
" -Ae-OAni. h. -piAchriA;" but there is another,
he who is called in one place Mac Dichuill, elsewhere may have been named Mac Dechil.
» In one instance, Dr. O'Donovan attempts to identify Assal with a district lying round Tory Hill, near Croom, in Limerick. See "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (f), p. 58. With a happier effort, Colgan says, these people inhabited that part of Meath (Westmeath) known in his day as Magassil (Moycashel). See "Trias Thau- maturga," n. 46, p. 174.
'°This seems to be the River Inny, south
of the county of Longford. Very near it, and to the south, in the county of West-
meath, there is a Temple-Patrick parish. This might give a clue to the site of the
church, and the disciple might have dedi> cated it to his great master,
" This place is now said to be known as
"
ITlAc "OACit Ach upiij," at this date.
3 See ibid.
< Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 2. 5 Now Clonkeen, barony of Ardee, county
of Louth.
'This place must have lain near the
boundaries of the counties of Louth and
Armagh. Perhaps it is represented in the modem townland, Killeen, in the parish of Killevy, coimty of Armagh.
^For a description of this place see "The History of Dundalk and its Environs," by John D'Alton, Esq. , and J. R. O'Flanagan, Esq. , M. R. I. A. , pp. 277 to 281. Also William Shaw Mason's " Statistical Ac- count,^ or Parochial Survey of Ireland," voL ii. , No. xii. , pp. 207 to 214. This latter account is from the pen of Rev. Ger- vais Tinley, rector. In Wright's "Lou-
plates,
^Colgan remarks, that this name ac-
cords with Mac Dechill, meaning the son
January l] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
nothing improbable apparently in giving him other establishments at Cluain- Chaoin" Finnabhrach, in Ferrois,'3 and at Cill-Alinn, or Cill-Ilialeith. If such be the case, according to Colgan, this saint was the son of Dechill, son
of Bruin, to whom St. Brigid sent an admonitory epistle, dissuading him fromundertakingapilgrimagetoRome. Thetimeandnameseemtofavour Colgan's supposition, as he asserts ; still it must be urged, the name and places mentioned rather cause us to adopt a doubtful, if not an opposite, pronouncement. '* When the Latin "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick," pub- hshed by Colgan, had been composed, the former servers of Mac DichoilFs Church,'S near Lissmoyny, allowed it to lapse from a previous dedication, and to come under the patronage of St. Columkille. '^
Article XL—Feast of St. Mochua, or Cuan, Abbot and Patron
OF Teach-Mochua, or Timahoe, Queen's County. \Sixth or Seventh Century^ Atthisdate,theRev. AlbanButlerhasaverybriefnoticeofSt. Mochua, whom he calls hkewise by the name Moncain and Claunus. The I St of January is said to have been the day of his death, at Dayrinis. ' This day, the Bollandists have published his acts, which had been presented to them by the Rev. Father Hugh Ward. ^ Notwithstanding, they state that some Irish Martyrologies refer his festival to the month of April. This life is said to have been compiled from Irish records worthy of credit. The Bollandists, however, remark, that it contains some wonderful accounts, but not unusual ones, for the single-minded and holy nation to which they apply. This may be known by referring to other acts of Irish saints. They allow, indeed, that there may be some errors or amplifications, owing to faults of ignorant compilers. The learned Henry Fitzsimon, an Irish Jesuit theolo- gian of eminence, put the Bollandists on their guard, against giving implicit belief to many Irish documentary statements. Being ignorant of our island's profane history, the BoUandist -writers acknowledge their difficulty in distin- guishingbetweengenuineandspuriousrecords. Theywarnreaderstoreceive cautiously accounts of many wonderful miracles that appear in acts of different
Lismoyny, a townland in the parish of Ard-
nurcher, barony of Moycashel, and county of Westmeath. In his translation of the
"Annals of Clonmacnoise," at A. D. 1158 and 12 13, Connell Mageoghegan thus iden- titles it. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (o), pp. 1106, I107, and vol. iii. , n. (f), p. 182.
"This place has been Anglicised "the
beautiful lawn," or "meadow. " It is now
knovvn as Clonkeen, in the barony of Ardee, and county of Louth.
uamach, which was a lough in Breffny, near the Buannad river, towards the south, writes
Colgan. The same author conjectures his feast to have been kept on the 1st of January, or on the 9th of October. See "Trias
"
Thaumaturga, Vita Septima S. Patricii, lib.
ii. , cap. cii. , p. 143, and n. 148, p. 180. The "Annals of Ulster" place the death of St. Aedhan O'Fiachrach at A. D. 569, al. 562, while those of the Four Masters have it at A. D. 557. See Dr. O'Donovan's edi- tion, vol. i. , pp. 196 to 199, and n. (b).
'3 This church
in the old
'^ n cannot be
Fera Rois. See Colgan's
that all the disciples or founders of churches
under St. Patrick are inscribed on our calen-
dars.
lay
of Trias Thauma-
safely asserted, moreover,
turga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. ,
cap. Ixv. , pp. 161, 162, and nn. 96, 97, p.
185.
''* Elsewhere, when allusion is made to
Cochnamach, Colgan says St. Aidan, of Clann Eochuille, of the Hy-Fiachta race,
flourished in Corann, a part of Connaught, through which St. Patrick passed. He may be identical with St. Aidan, of Loch-
'*
This statement serves to show, that in its
"
territory
present state, at least, all the Tripartite Life
cannot be ascribed to the authorship of St. ten in his text of the Tripartite Life, of Evin. —
a St. Aidan, of Lochhuamhach, or, as writ-
Art. xi. 'See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , January i.
^ Franciscan guardian over St. Anthony's convent, Louvain.
24 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i.
Irish saints, unless the authors of these lives are known to have been per- sons of discrimination. The Bollandists only proposed to expunge in those Irish lives of saints whatever may be repugnant to faith and good morals, or whatever account might be manifestly absurd. St. Mochua's life they give from old MSS. It is contained in six chapters, comprising twelve different sections;3 butasreferringmoreappropriatelytothe24thofDecember,fuller notices of this saint are deferred to that day.
Article XII. —Feast of St. Mochua, or Cronan, Abbot of Balla. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries. '] The Rev. Alban Butler' has a notice at January ist in relation to St. Mochua, of Balla, who otherwise is called Cronan. We prefer, however, reserving for the 30th of March a further account of this saint, as it iDetter accords with the arrangement in our calendars. The place where he was most specially venerated is now known as Ballagh, or Bal, a market to\vn and parish in the barony of Clanmorris, countyofMayo. ThistownissituatedontheroadfromCastlebartoClare- morris, and it is surrounded by fertile pasture and tillage lands. ^ The Bol- landists have inserted the Acts of this saint at the ist day of the year. 3 The original, in Irish, had been translated by O'Sullevan Beare.
With one acknowledged omission it was published in the great Bollandist collection.
Article XIII. —St. Fintan, son of Eochach, of Bealach. [Sixth
or Seventh Century. '] As in the twilight, when a few objects appear distinct, the more possible it becomes to shape an outline of images less clear ; so
the patronymic and locality of a saint being kno\vn, are aids that may assist in evolving further information, and in stimulating more painstaking research.
Fintan Mac of Eochach, Bealach,
has been set down in the " of Martyrology
Tallagh *'
"' at the ist of
It is not
to discover where the
January. "
easy Atthisdatethe"
a" "or" pass
Martyro-
sixth or beginning of the seventh century,^ he passed to a blessed life, pro- mised to faithful servants, in the household of the Lord.
Article XIV. —St. Connat, or Comnatan, Abbess of Kildare, County of Kildare. [Sixth Century. ] Meekly have the true spouses of Christ chosenthebetterpartbyretiringfromtheworldtothecloister. Likethedove,
bealach," meaning
logy of Donegal "* like^vise registers Fuintain, son of Eochaidh, descended from the race of Laeghaire, son to Niall of the Nine Hostages. 5 At the period of his death, which probably occurred sometime about the close of the
3 See "Acta Sanctoram," Januarii, tomus
p. xi.
'The words "pnc^n TJIac ec . '. . "
only appear in the Franciscan copy.
3 See "Edward O'Reilly's Irish-English
Dictionary, j«(J z'^«. "
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 5.
s son of Eachach, son to Ailealla, Fintan,
"
to the Franciscan Library, Dublin.
i. , prgemium,—&c. , pp. 45, 46, 47.
"
Art. XII. See Lives of the Fathers,
'
Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. i.
"
See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. loi, 102.
3See "Acta i Sanctorum," Januarii.
Vita S. Mochuae Ballensi, sive Cronani.
This life is divided into six chapters, with a
son of Guaire, son to Luighdeach, son of Laoghaire, son of Neill Naoighiall. The foregoing pedigree is in the MS. " Genealo-
road,"3 lay.
premonitory notice. Tomus i. , pp. 47, to 49.
Colgan has reproduced it at the 30th of gia Regum et Sanctorum Hibemiae be-*
March, with additional matter and illustra- tive notes.
Art. xiii. —* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
longing
°
duced from the genealogical line.
Judging by probable inferences de-
January i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 25 with its emblem of rest, the ark and the sanctuary receive them in safety.
a without further Comnatan, virgin
is met with in the "
Martyrology of Tallagh,"' at the ist of January. ' Elsewhere she has been particularized. We find at the same date a festival to Comnat, virgin, abbess of Cill-dara, in
Leinster. This ancient city was very renowed after the death of its early foundress, St. Brigid; and venerable ruins there yet attest its former import- ance. 3 St. Comnatis no- ticed by Marianus O'Gor-
man, and her feast occurs "
in the Martyrology of Donegal. "* Accordingto Colgan, she must have flourished in the sixth
century. How long she ruled over the nuns at
designation,
Kildare does not appear,s
Herdeathis assignedto
A. D. 590. ^ We may rest
assured, likewise, that her
thoughts and affections
were purified by the holy
life she led, and that they
procured her a peaceful
dissolution. The virgins
of Christ hear the Gospel,
and the evangelical coun-
sels are practised by them
on earth. When death
seals their eyes to its
scenes, like those newly
recovering sight, or like
those awaking from sleep, their souls open to the transports of light supernal. No more can shadows return, for their crowns of glory are encircled with a- radiance that can never pale.
Article XV. —St. Fintan, son of Tioctheach. While under the bondage of centuries our people clung with tenacity to the creed of their ancestors, and suffered much for their religious opinions, it seems most singu- lar, that in so many instances, they have lost the traces of several holy persons
who blessed our island in the olden time. Finntan Mac Tuicthech is
" "'
recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh at the ist day of January. *
Art. XIV. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
daughter of Nadfraich, and sister to St. MO" lasius, flourished about the year 590, and she was abbess at Kildare. Whether or not the present saint preceded or succeeded her in that office seems undetermined.
p. xi.
^ In the Franciscan copy we find
" Coin-
MACAn. U. "
3 The annexed wood engraving of the
round tower and cathedral ruins, by Mrs.
*
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix
Kildare Round Tower and Old Cathedral.
Millard, is from a photograph, taken by Quinta ad Ac—ta S. Brigidse, cap. ii. , p. 629.
Frederick H. Mares, 79 Grafton-street, Dublin.
4 Edited by Drs, Todd and Reeves, p. 5. s According to Colgan, a St. Talulla,
'
Art. XV. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xi. '"
i:incAiri -nUc C01C . . . " is found in the Franciscan copy.
26 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Probably he lived before the ninth century began ; but hardly more can be gleaned from this mere entry. Finntain, son of Toictheach, appears in the
" of Martyrology
"3 on this
day ; yet
such record is
only
a
Donegal of the earlier notice.
repetition
Article XVI. —St, Colman, son of Eochaidh. Many of our saints and their actions have been described with very considerable distinctness ; but regarding several others, as in the present instance, we search in vain for satisfactory details. We do not meet with any notice of this particular saint in the published "Martyrology of Tallagh"^ at the ist of January,^ How-
ever,
we find that
Colman,
son of
Eochaidh,
is set down in the "
Martyrology
of Donegal "3 on this particular day. When he flourished seems uncertain.
There is a St. Colman, or St. Columbanus, the founder of Snamh-Luthir, who
issaidtohavebeenveneratedontheistdayofJanuary. * Perhapshemay be identified with the present saint.
ArticleXVII—St. Tobrea,orTobia. Thatveneratednamesshould
live in history, having left an impress on their age, while their acts should
have all but perished and been totally forgotten, within the historic period,
too, are facts that appear almost incomprehensible, and fill us with surprise.
At the ist of in the " of we day January, pubhshed Martyrology Tallagh,"'
" Tobrea. " In the Franciscan it is " Tobiae. " copy
find the
Nothing more seems recoverable in reference to this saint.
simple entry,
Article XVIII. —St. Crone, Galma, In the "Martyrology of Tal- lagh,"' at the ist of January, Crone Galma is recorded, without any further distinguishing epithet.
Article XIX,—St, Brocan, son of Enda. After the time of St.
Patrick, and for several succeeding ages, the Irish Church was guarded by a
succession of religious men. Brocan, son of Enda, is mentioned in the
" of "' on this His name occurs likewise in the
Martyrology Donegal day.
" Martyrology
"^asBrocanMacEnnae. 3 We conclude may fairly
of
that he flourished before the commencement of the ninth century : to fix the exact time is attended with more difficulty.
Article XX. —Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord. —This fes- tival, which is traced to the very earliest ages of Christianity, seems likewise to have been celebrated in Ireland, from the time St. Patrick first introduced the light of the Gospel among our people. It is remarkable that our cele-
3 Edited
—Drs. Todd and
Art, xvin,—'
p. xi. In the Franciscan copy we can only make out "C]\one5Alm . . . "
by Art. XVI.
'
Reeves, p. 5. As edited by Rev. Dr.
Edited by Rev, Dr. Kelly,
Kelly, Seep. xi.
= In the Franciscan
—
by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi,
we meet the
reading
ap- Reeves, p. 2. =" Edited
parently
3 Edited
Drs, Todd and "
"
Tallagh
Art. copy, notwithstanding, xix.
'Edited by Drs. Todd and
" CoLiriAnn ech" intendedforthissaint.
3 in
*See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," -niAC eine<\," Twenty-three foreign saints'
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbae, names precede this entry, in that copy,
by
Reeves, p. 5.
the Franciscan copy it is
bpoccAim
cap, x. , p. 488.
Art. XVII. - ' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
P' '''•
at the ist of January ; and these are fol- lowed by the present saint, with sixteen other Irish saints' names, for this day alone.
January 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 27
brated hagiologist, St. yEngus, the Culdee, devotes solely the opening stanza of his elegant metrical Irish Calendar, known as the Felire, to record this feast. '
^ewntr ®a|) of Sanua^p*
ARTICLE I. ~ST. MUNCHIN, BISHOP AND PATRON OF LIMERICK CITY AND DIOCESE.
[PROBABLY ABOUT THE FIFTH OR SIXTH CENTURY. '\
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ENQUIRY CONCERNING THE IDENTIFICATION OF ST. MUNCHIN—CALLED
—
FIRST VISITS LIMERICK—DIVERS SAINTS BEARING THE NAME OF MUNCHIN, OR MUN-
THE SON OF SEDNA—SAID TO HAVE BUILT A CHURCH CHEN.
IN
FIDH-INIS
ST. PATRICK
man is perfect who desires not greater perfection ; and in this especially NO does a man prove himself a proficient in the knowledge of God, when he ever tends to the highest degree of perfection. The holy bishops of our Irish Church studied well the course to be pursued for the exercise of their pastoral charge. In charity and humility they excelled, and therefore it does not appear strange that so many, with a great fervour of affection, aspired to anintimateunionwiththetruePastorofSouls. Adornedwithallthegraces of solid virtue, the great guilt of sin had no abiding place in souls devotedly
attached to the duties of their sacred profession.
Not only are conflicting opinions held regarding St. Munchin's identity with various holy men similarly named, but great doubts prevail with respect to the exact period when he lived. The best authorities on Irish ecclesias-
tical history seem to agree pretty generally in calling the patron saint of Limerick,thesonofSedna. Fromwhatwecanlearnthisparentageconnects him apparently by birth, or at least by extraction, with the district in which Lumneach, as called by the old chroniclers, was situated.
Some writers beheve St. Munchin of Limerick may be identical with a Mancenus,' who is reputed to have been a very religious man, and a master well versed in a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. ^ When Christianity had been first introduced by St. Patrick among the subjects of Amalgaid, King of Connaught, about a. d.
Cantipratensis
"
has notices of him at this date.
relates in his " De work,
22 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Scotland, says she departed to eternal happiness. 3 By a series of well- drawn negative and historic proofs, Colgan asserts that Mathilda could not have been daughter to any of the regal Scottish monarchs ; while he endea- voured to show how Ireland might probably \vith better reason claim the honour of her nativity. Yet Colgan honestly affirms he could not advance this latter claim beyond all question. '^ Unless the names of Alexander and Mathilda received some alteration, during the years of their exile, they seem to accord more with Scottish than Irish use during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Article X. —St. Aedhan, son of Deigill, of Cluain-Fionna- BHRACH,ClONKEEN,CoUNTYOFLoUTH,ANDOFCiLL-IlJNLEITH. NotchcS and shadows on the distant landscape just reflect forms of beauty, which the eye cannot search in detail, because the reach of vision is too great. Imagi- nation and judgment vaguely combine to fill up the dreamy outline. This present saint possibly may have lived during the very infancy of our Christian establishments. One of St. Patrick's disciples is called Mac Dichoill, and he is thought by Colgan^ to have been the same as the holy man, who is here
"
commemorated. In the Martyrology of Tallagh"^^ Aedhan-h-Fiachna ap-
pears at the I St of January. He is probably identical with a Mac Decill of h-Eachach Uisneach, who seems to have been entered as a different person in the same record and on the same day. 3 Marianus O'Gorman, or his
"
scholiast, at the ist of January, as also the Martyrology of Donegal,"*
record a commemoration of Aedhan, son to Deigill, of Cluain-Fionnabhrach,s and of Cill-Ilialeith,^ at the north of Fochard. ? His places are likewise called Cluain-Chaoin Fionnabhrach and Kill-alinn. On this account, how- ever, it may be doubted if this saint can be identified with St. Patrick's disciple, Mac Dichoill,^ who is known to have been connected with the people of Assal,9 and to have built a church a little to the south of a ford on the River Ethne,'° and near a place known as Ath-Maigne. " Yet there is
3 " De Pietate Scotorum," at the ist of
January, lib. iii.
See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," i.
Januarii. Vi—ta S. Mathildis, pp. 6, 7. ^
thiana," book i. , plate xiv. , p. 9, and book
iii. , plate xx. , p. 19, there are engravings of a moat and some curious ecclesiastical anti- quities, called after St. Brigid, and with
Art. X. See "Trias Thaumaturga" letter-press descriptions to illustrate the
Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, ii. , cap. xvi. , p. 131, and n. 49, p. 174.
* Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi.
In the Franciscan copy one entry reads, of Dichoill, Dechill, or Deicola. Hence
" -Ae-OAni. h. -piAchriA;" but there is another,
he who is called in one place Mac Dichuill, elsewhere may have been named Mac Dechil.
» In one instance, Dr. O'Donovan attempts to identify Assal with a district lying round Tory Hill, near Croom, in Limerick. See "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. i. , n. (f), p. 58. With a happier effort, Colgan says, these people inhabited that part of Meath (Westmeath) known in his day as Magassil (Moycashel). See "Trias Thau- maturga," n. 46, p. 174.
'°This seems to be the River Inny, south
of the county of Longford. Very near it, and to the south, in the county of West-
meath, there is a Temple-Patrick parish. This might give a clue to the site of the
church, and the disciple might have dedi> cated it to his great master,
" This place is now said to be known as
"
ITlAc "OACit Ach upiij," at this date.
3 See ibid.
< Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 2. 5 Now Clonkeen, barony of Ardee, county
of Louth.
'This place must have lain near the
boundaries of the counties of Louth and
Armagh. Perhaps it is represented in the modem townland, Killeen, in the parish of Killevy, coimty of Armagh.
^For a description of this place see "The History of Dundalk and its Environs," by John D'Alton, Esq. , and J. R. O'Flanagan, Esq. , M. R. I. A. , pp. 277 to 281. Also William Shaw Mason's " Statistical Ac- count,^ or Parochial Survey of Ireland," voL ii. , No. xii. , pp. 207 to 214. This latter account is from the pen of Rev. Ger- vais Tinley, rector. In Wright's "Lou-
plates,
^Colgan remarks, that this name ac-
cords with Mac Dechill, meaning the son
January l] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 23
nothing improbable apparently in giving him other establishments at Cluain- Chaoin" Finnabhrach, in Ferrois,'3 and at Cill-Alinn, or Cill-Ilialeith. If such be the case, according to Colgan, this saint was the son of Dechill, son
of Bruin, to whom St. Brigid sent an admonitory epistle, dissuading him fromundertakingapilgrimagetoRome. Thetimeandnameseemtofavour Colgan's supposition, as he asserts ; still it must be urged, the name and places mentioned rather cause us to adopt a doubtful, if not an opposite, pronouncement. '* When the Latin "Tripartite Life of St. Patrick," pub- hshed by Colgan, had been composed, the former servers of Mac DichoilFs Church,'S near Lissmoyny, allowed it to lapse from a previous dedication, and to come under the patronage of St. Columkille. '^
Article XL—Feast of St. Mochua, or Cuan, Abbot and Patron
OF Teach-Mochua, or Timahoe, Queen's County. \Sixth or Seventh Century^ Atthisdate,theRev. AlbanButlerhasaverybriefnoticeofSt. Mochua, whom he calls hkewise by the name Moncain and Claunus. The I St of January is said to have been the day of his death, at Dayrinis. ' This day, the Bollandists have published his acts, which had been presented to them by the Rev. Father Hugh Ward. ^ Notwithstanding, they state that some Irish Martyrologies refer his festival to the month of April. This life is said to have been compiled from Irish records worthy of credit. The Bollandists, however, remark, that it contains some wonderful accounts, but not unusual ones, for the single-minded and holy nation to which they apply. This may be known by referring to other acts of Irish saints. They allow, indeed, that there may be some errors or amplifications, owing to faults of ignorant compilers. The learned Henry Fitzsimon, an Irish Jesuit theolo- gian of eminence, put the Bollandists on their guard, against giving implicit belief to many Irish documentary statements. Being ignorant of our island's profane history, the BoUandist -writers acknowledge their difficulty in distin- guishingbetweengenuineandspuriousrecords. Theywarnreaderstoreceive cautiously accounts of many wonderful miracles that appear in acts of different
Lismoyny, a townland in the parish of Ard-
nurcher, barony of Moycashel, and county of Westmeath. In his translation of the
"Annals of Clonmacnoise," at A. D. 1158 and 12 13, Connell Mageoghegan thus iden- titles it. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n. (o), pp. 1106, I107, and vol. iii. , n. (f), p. 182.
"This place has been Anglicised "the
beautiful lawn," or "meadow. " It is now
knovvn as Clonkeen, in the barony of Ardee, and county of Louth.
uamach, which was a lough in Breffny, near the Buannad river, towards the south, writes
Colgan. The same author conjectures his feast to have been kept on the 1st of January, or on the 9th of October. See "Trias
"
Thaumaturga, Vita Septima S. Patricii, lib.
ii. , cap. cii. , p. 143, and n. 148, p. 180. The "Annals of Ulster" place the death of St. Aedhan O'Fiachrach at A. D. 569, al. 562, while those of the Four Masters have it at A. D. 557. See Dr. O'Donovan's edi- tion, vol. i. , pp. 196 to 199, and n. (b).
'3 This church
in the old
'^ n cannot be
Fera Rois. See Colgan's
that all the disciples or founders of churches
under St. Patrick are inscribed on our calen-
dars.
lay
of Trias Thauma-
safely asserted, moreover,
turga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars, iii. ,
cap. Ixv. , pp. 161, 162, and nn. 96, 97, p.
185.
''* Elsewhere, when allusion is made to
Cochnamach, Colgan says St. Aidan, of Clann Eochuille, of the Hy-Fiachta race,
flourished in Corann, a part of Connaught, through which St. Patrick passed. He may be identical with St. Aidan, of Loch-
'*
This statement serves to show, that in its
"
territory
present state, at least, all the Tripartite Life
cannot be ascribed to the authorship of St. ten in his text of the Tripartite Life, of Evin. —
a St. Aidan, of Lochhuamhach, or, as writ-
Art. xi. 'See "Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. i. , January i.
^ Franciscan guardian over St. Anthony's convent, Louvain.
24 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January i.
Irish saints, unless the authors of these lives are known to have been per- sons of discrimination. The Bollandists only proposed to expunge in those Irish lives of saints whatever may be repugnant to faith and good morals, or whatever account might be manifestly absurd. St. Mochua's life they give from old MSS. It is contained in six chapters, comprising twelve different sections;3 butasreferringmoreappropriatelytothe24thofDecember,fuller notices of this saint are deferred to that day.
Article XII. —Feast of St. Mochua, or Cronan, Abbot of Balla. \Sixth and Seventh Centuries. '] The Rev. Alban Butler' has a notice at January ist in relation to St. Mochua, of Balla, who otherwise is called Cronan. We prefer, however, reserving for the 30th of March a further account of this saint, as it iDetter accords with the arrangement in our calendars. The place where he was most specially venerated is now known as Ballagh, or Bal, a market to\vn and parish in the barony of Clanmorris, countyofMayo. ThistownissituatedontheroadfromCastlebartoClare- morris, and it is surrounded by fertile pasture and tillage lands. ^ The Bol- landists have inserted the Acts of this saint at the ist day of the year. 3 The original, in Irish, had been translated by O'Sullevan Beare.
With one acknowledged omission it was published in the great Bollandist collection.
Article XIII. —St. Fintan, son of Eochach, of Bealach. [Sixth
or Seventh Century. '] As in the twilight, when a few objects appear distinct, the more possible it becomes to shape an outline of images less clear ; so
the patronymic and locality of a saint being kno\vn, are aids that may assist in evolving further information, and in stimulating more painstaking research.
Fintan Mac of Eochach, Bealach,
has been set down in the " of Martyrology
Tallagh *'
"' at the ist of
It is not
to discover where the
January. "
easy Atthisdatethe"
a" "or" pass
Martyro-
sixth or beginning of the seventh century,^ he passed to a blessed life, pro- mised to faithful servants, in the household of the Lord.
Article XIV. —St. Connat, or Comnatan, Abbess of Kildare, County of Kildare. [Sixth Century. ] Meekly have the true spouses of Christ chosenthebetterpartbyretiringfromtheworldtothecloister. Likethedove,
bealach," meaning
logy of Donegal "* like^vise registers Fuintain, son of Eochaidh, descended from the race of Laeghaire, son to Niall of the Nine Hostages. 5 At the period of his death, which probably occurred sometime about the close of the
3 See "Acta Sanctoram," Januarii, tomus
p. xi.
'The words "pnc^n TJIac ec . '. . "
only appear in the Franciscan copy.
3 See "Edward O'Reilly's Irish-English
Dictionary, j«(J z'^«. "
* Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 5.
s son of Eachach, son to Ailealla, Fintan,
"
to the Franciscan Library, Dublin.
i. , prgemium,—&c. , pp. 45, 46, 47.
"
Art. XII. See Lives of the Fathers,
'
Martyrs, and other Principal Saints," vol. i.
"
See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. loi, 102.
3See "Acta i Sanctorum," Januarii.
Vita S. Mochuae Ballensi, sive Cronani.
This life is divided into six chapters, with a
son of Guaire, son to Luighdeach, son of Laoghaire, son of Neill Naoighiall. The foregoing pedigree is in the MS. " Genealo-
road,"3 lay.
premonitory notice. Tomus i. , pp. 47, to 49.
Colgan has reproduced it at the 30th of gia Regum et Sanctorum Hibemiae be-*
March, with additional matter and illustra- tive notes.
Art. xiii. —* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
longing
°
duced from the genealogical line.
Judging by probable inferences de-
January i. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 25 with its emblem of rest, the ark and the sanctuary receive them in safety.
a without further Comnatan, virgin
is met with in the "
Martyrology of Tallagh,"' at the ist of January. ' Elsewhere she has been particularized. We find at the same date a festival to Comnat, virgin, abbess of Cill-dara, in
Leinster. This ancient city was very renowed after the death of its early foundress, St. Brigid; and venerable ruins there yet attest its former import- ance. 3 St. Comnatis no- ticed by Marianus O'Gor-
man, and her feast occurs "
in the Martyrology of Donegal. "* Accordingto Colgan, she must have flourished in the sixth
century. How long she ruled over the nuns at
designation,
Kildare does not appear,s
Herdeathis assignedto
A. D. 590. ^ We may rest
assured, likewise, that her
thoughts and affections
were purified by the holy
life she led, and that they
procured her a peaceful
dissolution. The virgins
of Christ hear the Gospel,
and the evangelical coun-
sels are practised by them
on earth. When death
seals their eyes to its
scenes, like those newly
recovering sight, or like
those awaking from sleep, their souls open to the transports of light supernal. No more can shadows return, for their crowns of glory are encircled with a- radiance that can never pale.
Article XV. —St. Fintan, son of Tioctheach. While under the bondage of centuries our people clung with tenacity to the creed of their ancestors, and suffered much for their religious opinions, it seems most singu- lar, that in so many instances, they have lost the traces of several holy persons
who blessed our island in the olden time. Finntan Mac Tuicthech is
" "'
recorded in the Martyrology of Tallagh at the ist day of January. *
Art. XIV. —' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
daughter of Nadfraich, and sister to St. MO" lasius, flourished about the year 590, and she was abbess at Kildare. Whether or not the present saint preceded or succeeded her in that office seems undetermined.
p. xi.
^ In the Franciscan copy we find
" Coin-
MACAn. U. "
3 The annexed wood engraving of the
round tower and cathedral ruins, by Mrs.
*
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Appendix
Kildare Round Tower and Old Cathedral.
Millard, is from a photograph, taken by Quinta ad Ac—ta S. Brigidse, cap. ii. , p. 629.
Frederick H. Mares, 79 Grafton-street, Dublin.
4 Edited by Drs, Todd and Reeves, p. 5. s According to Colgan, a St. Talulla,
'
Art. XV. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xi. '"
i:incAiri -nUc C01C . . . " is found in the Franciscan copy.
26 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[January i.
Probably he lived before the ninth century began ; but hardly more can be gleaned from this mere entry. Finntain, son of Toictheach, appears in the
" of Martyrology
"3 on this
day ; yet
such record is
only
a
Donegal of the earlier notice.
repetition
Article XVI. —St, Colman, son of Eochaidh. Many of our saints and their actions have been described with very considerable distinctness ; but regarding several others, as in the present instance, we search in vain for satisfactory details. We do not meet with any notice of this particular saint in the published "Martyrology of Tallagh"^ at the ist of January,^ How-
ever,
we find that
Colman,
son of
Eochaidh,
is set down in the "
Martyrology
of Donegal "3 on this particular day. When he flourished seems uncertain.
There is a St. Colman, or St. Columbanus, the founder of Snamh-Luthir, who
issaidtohavebeenveneratedontheistdayofJanuary. * Perhapshemay be identified with the present saint.
ArticleXVII—St. Tobrea,orTobia. Thatveneratednamesshould
live in history, having left an impress on their age, while their acts should
have all but perished and been totally forgotten, within the historic period,
too, are facts that appear almost incomprehensible, and fill us with surprise.
At the ist of in the " of we day January, pubhshed Martyrology Tallagh,"'
" Tobrea. " In the Franciscan it is " Tobiae. " copy
find the
Nothing more seems recoverable in reference to this saint.
simple entry,
Article XVIII. —St. Crone, Galma, In the "Martyrology of Tal- lagh,"' at the ist of January, Crone Galma is recorded, without any further distinguishing epithet.
Article XIX,—St, Brocan, son of Enda. After the time of St.
Patrick, and for several succeeding ages, the Irish Church was guarded by a
succession of religious men. Brocan, son of Enda, is mentioned in the
" of "' on this His name occurs likewise in the
Martyrology Donegal day.
" Martyrology
"^asBrocanMacEnnae. 3 We conclude may fairly
of
that he flourished before the commencement of the ninth century : to fix the exact time is attended with more difficulty.
Article XX. —Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord. —This fes- tival, which is traced to the very earliest ages of Christianity, seems likewise to have been celebrated in Ireland, from the time St. Patrick first introduced the light of the Gospel among our people. It is remarkable that our cele-
3 Edited
—Drs. Todd and
Art, xvin,—'
p. xi. In the Franciscan copy we can only make out "C]\one5Alm . . . "
by Art. XVI.
'
Reeves, p. 5. As edited by Rev. Dr.
Edited by Rev, Dr. Kelly,
Kelly, Seep. xi.
= In the Franciscan
—
by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi,
we meet the
reading
ap- Reeves, p. 2. =" Edited
parently
3 Edited
Drs, Todd and "
"
Tallagh
Art. copy, notwithstanding, xix.
'Edited by Drs. Todd and
" CoLiriAnn ech" intendedforthissaint.
3 in
*See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturga," -niAC eine<\," Twenty-three foreign saints'
Quarta Appendix ad Acta S. Columbae, names precede this entry, in that copy,
by
Reeves, p. 5.
the Franciscan copy it is
bpoccAim
cap, x. , p. 488.
Art. XVII. - ' Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
P' '''•
at the ist of January ; and these are fol- lowed by the present saint, with sixteen other Irish saints' names, for this day alone.
January 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 27
brated hagiologist, St. yEngus, the Culdee, devotes solely the opening stanza of his elegant metrical Irish Calendar, known as the Felire, to record this feast. '
^ewntr ®a|) of Sanua^p*
ARTICLE I. ~ST. MUNCHIN, BISHOP AND PATRON OF LIMERICK CITY AND DIOCESE.
[PROBABLY ABOUT THE FIFTH OR SIXTH CENTURY. '\
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ENQUIRY CONCERNING THE IDENTIFICATION OF ST. MUNCHIN—CALLED
—
FIRST VISITS LIMERICK—DIVERS SAINTS BEARING THE NAME OF MUNCHIN, OR MUN-
THE SON OF SEDNA—SAID TO HAVE BUILT A CHURCH CHEN.
IN
FIDH-INIS
ST. PATRICK
man is perfect who desires not greater perfection ; and in this especially NO does a man prove himself a proficient in the knowledge of God, when he ever tends to the highest degree of perfection. The holy bishops of our Irish Church studied well the course to be pursued for the exercise of their pastoral charge. In charity and humility they excelled, and therefore it does not appear strange that so many, with a great fervour of affection, aspired to anintimateunionwiththetruePastorofSouls. Adornedwithallthegraces of solid virtue, the great guilt of sin had no abiding place in souls devotedly
attached to the duties of their sacred profession.
Not only are conflicting opinions held regarding St. Munchin's identity with various holy men similarly named, but great doubts prevail with respect to the exact period when he lived. The best authorities on Irish ecclesias-
tical history seem to agree pretty generally in calling the patron saint of Limerick,thesonofSedna. Fromwhatwecanlearnthisparentageconnects him apparently by birth, or at least by extraction, with the district in which Lumneach, as called by the old chroniclers, was situated.
Some writers beheve St. Munchin of Limerick may be identical with a Mancenus,' who is reputed to have been a very religious man, and a master well versed in a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. ^ When Christianity had been first introduced by St. Patrick among the subjects of Amalgaid, King of Connaught, about a. d.
