was present, as also Archbishop Smith of
Edinburgh
and of St.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v6
234.
This account is also contained, in the Greater Chronicle of Matthew of Paris, and at the same year, almost in the words here cited.
802 The other people of Britain were the Saxons and Britons.
803 The Latin terms used by Adamnan are " Dorsi montes Britannici. "
804 Allusion is here made to the Picts, as so
called by the Roman writers, and to the
Cruithei, applied to the settlers of Irish
origin. See on this subject, the remarks of
Father Joachim Laurence Villanueva, in
"
Sancti Patricii Ibernorum Apostoli, Synodi, Canones, Opuscula et Scriptorum quae supersunt, Fragmenta," pp. 250, 251.
805 Venerable Bede remarks " Erat ;
JUNE 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 589
8°7 who honoured him with his The first occasion to which friendship.
frid,
he alluded was immediately after Ecfrid's war,8°8 and the other was two years
8o°
on both
810 the
was
occasions,
8'1
plague or by any other disease.
Besides the memorials of St. Columba already mentioned, there are fur-
ther traces of that popular veneration entertained for him in Ireland and else-
where. Itmustbeataskbeyondourendeavour,notwithstanding,tocollect all that are to be found in tradition or even upon record. A few must here suffice. A relic of the Holy Abbot, called St. Columkille's Cross, appears to have been preserved in Ireland, until the sixteenth century, when it—came
while,
and carrying off great numbers in all the surrounding villages. Yet, God mercifully saved Adamnan from falling a victim to it, although he was within the sphere of its malignant and deadly influence. The Divine mercy was also extended towards his companions, not one of whom was attacked by that
subsequently ;
raging violently
into the — possession
of Sir Perrot. 813 At Skreen-Cholumcille now John
Skreen in Meath certain relics of this saint were preserved
8'3 ;
and, in like
manner, at Derry, where the Soscela Martain, or Gospel of St. Martin, was kept. Again, we learn, that in the seventh year of his reign, Kenneth Mac Alpin obtained some relics of St. Columba for a church, which he built at Dunkeld. Among the treasures of the grand cathedral church at Durham, the bones and relics of St. Columcille are noted in a catalogue, written in
populis venerabile mansit. "—" Historia Ec-
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. v. ,
cap. x. , p. 402.
*°6 The term used by Adamnan is Saxonia,
,I0 The first visit of Adamnan to the King of Northumbria was probably in 685, to ob- tain the release of those captives carried away from Ireland by the Saxons. The second
which may be interpreted in English visit he made was in 686, according to the
"
Saxon-land. "
807 He was the son of Oswy, King of
Annals of Ulster. See the ^XnriAbA uUvoh or Annals of Ulster, edited by William M. Hennessy, vol. i. , pp. 136, 137. According
to those of Tighernach, he brought sixty cap- tives to Ireland, in the year 687. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores,"tomusii. , p. 214.
8,1
Northumbria, who died in 670. On the side of his mother Fina, this prince was of Irish descent. She was the daughter of Cennfae- ladh, according to one account, and daugh- ter of Colman Rimidh, according to another, contained in a Tract on the Mothers of Irish Saints, to be found in the Book of Lecain,
fol. 43, Trinity College, Dublin, Manuscript, classed H. 2. 16. Aldfrid was familiarly known to the Irish as Flann Fina.
803
670. We read in the " Chronicon Scoto- rum," that the Saxons wasted the plain of Bregia in Ireland, A. D. 681, while they wrecked many churches in the month of June. See edition by William M. Hennessy, pp. 106, 107. This raid is placed at A. D.
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 46, pp. 182 to 187, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, i,
k, 1, m, n, o).
813
Sir John Perrot thus writes of it in a mocking manner, from the Castle of Dublin, 20th of October, 1584: "for a token I have sent you Holy Columkille's cross, a god of great veneration with Surle Boy and all
Ulster, for so great was his grace, as happy he thought himself that could get a kiss of the said cross. I send him unto you, that when you have made some sacrifice to him, according to the disposition you bear to ido- latry, you may, if you please, bestow him upon my good Lady Walsingham or my Lady Sydney, to wear as a jewel of weight
Egfrid
succeeded his father Oswy, in
in the " Chronica " of Matthew Majora
684,
ofParis. EditedbyHenryRichardsLuard.
See vol. i. , p. 305.
^ In the year 685, and on the 20th of
May, Egfrid, King of Northumbria, was
surprised and slain, with the greater part of and bigness, and not of price and good- his army, among the mountains of Scotland, ness, upon some solemn feast or triumph at Dunnichen. See William F. Skene's day at the court. " Letter to the Right Hon. "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Sir Francis Walsingham, Knight, Her Ma-
Alban," vol. i. , book i . , chap, v. , pp. 265, jesty's Principal Secretary at the Court. See "
266. He was then succeeded by an elder Calendar of the State Papers relating to brother Aldfrid, who, although born out of Ireland, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1574- lawful wedlock, was a man of piety and 1585. Edited by Hans Claude Hamilton, learning. See Matthew of Westminster's Esq. , F. S. A, Preface, p. cxvi. London, •' Flores Historiarum," p. 244. 1867, 8vo.
M
plague
590 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
8 '* A
the screen-work of the altar of St. Jerome and St. Benedict, in the same church,
the fourteenth
century.
representation
of the saint was
on
Burrow,
with an " Sanctus Columba monachus et abbas. "Sis At inscription :
near Tullamore, a Catholic chapel has been erected for many years past, and
it has been dedicated to St. Columcille. On each recurrence of his festival
at the 9th of June, it is customary to have High Mass there celebrated, and
afterwards the religious confraternities of Tullamore parish join in procession,
singing Litanies and Hymns around the fields adjoining, while the people
accompany the processionists in reverential order. Afterwards, all return to
the church, and the ceremonies close with Benediction of the Most Holy
8'6
Sacrament.
Among the Stowe Collection of Manuscripts, in the Royal Irish
Academy, are to be found Extracts from the most ancient Lives of St.
Columba, and written in Irish characters. The folio volume, probably of the
twelfth century, and containing these, consisted of 26 written leaves, the first
and last missing. It is interlined with a copious commentary and glossary in
Irish, illustrated by ancient poems of the seventh and eighth centuries. Some
Irish Hymns, in praise of St. Columba, are extant in the Bodleian Library,
8
Oxford. '? In 1152, in conjunction with the Bachall Jesu, the great Reli-
quary of Armagh, the Mionna or relics of St. Columba, were employed in the solemnization of a compact. Many penitential stations and holy wells in diffe- rent places throughout Ireland—but especially in the northern parts—are asso- ciated in name with the memory of this illustrious Abbot. This also is the case with regard to Scotland. Thus, at Swords, in the county of Dublin, was his well, called Glan. At Brumcondra, Brumconra, or Brumconrath, in the deanery of Kells, a holy well near the village was dedicated to this
saint. 8 ' 8 On Iona itself is shown a at Port na- boat-shaped mound,
great
Churaich, which is 60 feet long, and which, as tradition has it, represents the original boat, in which St. Columba and his twelve companions landed
8
there. '9 IntheimmediatevicinityofthisspotisPortLathrican,wherearethe
vestiges of numerous circular dwellings, thought to have been the first settle-
is a Manuscript Codex,
preserved in the Library of St. Gall, in Switzerland,
picture
together
copy
"
O'Conor's Keruin I libernicarum Scripto-
res," tomusii. , Tigeinachi Annales, p. 259. 814 See the " Historia Dunelmensis,''
Appendix Sciiptores Tres. , p. ccccxxix. Sur-
Monuments, &c, of the Church of Durham," p. 115. London, 1842.
816
St. Columba within Lord Norbury's de-
mesne, another is shown on the road-side,
not far from the Catholic Church of Durrow,
and it is called also the Well of St. Colum-
kille.
8,
7 These are mentioned by Bishop Nicolson, as being classed among the Laud
Rev. Anthony Cogan's p. 294.
tees London, Society.
8
' 9 See Rev. Dr. F. S. Gordon's J.
1839.
8's See "Description of the Ancient
" Iona," Preamble and Introduction, p. xiii. Also p. 20.
Besides the handsomely kept well of
Cahier. See Very Rev. Dr. F. C. Husenbeth's "Emblems of Saints," Rev. Dr. Augustus Jessopp's third edition, p.
52.
8" It is marked, No. 555.
8*3 It is curious and interesting on this ac-
count, although the features be not regarded as an accurate likeness.
fathers " in Caledonia. 820 In works of art, St. Colum-
ment of the " killeorColumbaisdistinguishedbyhavingdevilsflyingbeforehim. 821 There
822
pilgrim
of St. Columba in his 82 * habit,
which contains a
of his Life by Adamnan. 82* This Manuscript belongs to the ninth century.
with a
In 1888, the Scottish Catholics in great numbers made a pilgrimage to the
813 At 976, Tighernach records the plan-
dering of Serin Colunn-dlle, which probably
means the church, where the relics of the
saint had been deposited. See Rev. Dr. period ; but it is now uprooted. A Protes-
8*4 A
tome ii. , part ii. , num. 501. Sec "Scottish Preface to Rev. Dr. Reeves' edition of this
Manuscripts,
and noted in the Catalogue,
representation
of it is in the given
Historical Library," part ii. , chap, vi. , p. 65, n. 20.
8 ' 8 A church was built here at a
tant church has been erected on its site. See
"
Docese oi Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. ,
82° 821
See idiJ. ,p. 51.
painted, also,
very early
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. $$t
island grave of St. Columba, on the 13th June, the fifth day within the octave of his festival. This remarkable demonstration of respect for the memory of St. Columba took place on Wednesday. On the evening before, between five and six hundred persons from all parts of Scotland—chiefly Catholics—and a few from England and Ireland, had arrived on a pilgrimage to Iona. His Grace the Duke of Argyll, landed proprietor of the Island, had permitted the Catholic prelates, clergy, religious and laity to hold a solemn Pontifical Vespers, with Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament, within the ruined walls of the cathedral, which was crowded to excess. The great majority of the Islanders were Presbyterian Free Churchmen, but the visitors were received with courtesy and respect. Monsignor Persico, the Papal Commissioner of his Holiness Leo XIII.
was present, as also Archbishop Smith of Edinburgh and of St. Andrew's, with all the other Bishops of Scotland, except him of Galloway. On landing, the whole party moved in grand procession to the cathedral. On the 13th, several Masses were celebrated at a very early hour, and large num- bers of the pilgrims received Holy Communion. A canopy for shelter of the ecclesiastics had been erected within the cathedral, and at a quarter past ten o'clock, Pontifical High Mass was celebrated on a temporary altar, Bishop Angus Macdonald of Argyll being celebrant. 825 Archbishop Smith preached an eloquent panegyric of St. Columba, in English, after the First Gospel of theMass. SeveraloftheIslandershadattendedtheservice,intheirSunday clothes ; and a company of Protestant Hebrideans, who had crossed from the Ross- of Mull, was also present. After the ceremonies of High Mass had concluded, Bishop Angus Macdonald preached in Gaelic to the assembled
multitude, and he concluded by imparting the Papal Benediction. Having visited the old ecclesiastical sites and various parts of the Island, the pil- grimsstartedintheafternoonbysteamerforOban; whileduringtheirexcur- sion, the weather proved most favourable, and the incidents most impressive.
Such then was the course and such was the end of this distinguished
Patron's life ; such were the happy beginnings of his merits before God, when
admitted into the society of the glorious Patriarchs, of the holy Apostles, of the sacred Martyrs, and of the most pure Virgins. The illustrious Columkille in deathtriumphedbythefavourofoursweetSaviourJesus. AstheAlmighty loves those that love him, and as He glorifies more and more those that magnify and praise Him ; so it has happened, that a great and an honourable celebrity, among other marks of Divine favour, has been conferred on our saint. From his boyhood, Columba had been brought up in Christian train- ing, and in the study of wisdom. By the grace of God, he had so preserved the integrity of his body, and the purity,of his soul, that, though dwelling on earth, he appeared to live like the saints in heaven. For, he was dignified and angelic in appearance, persuasive and graceful in speech, earnest and and holy in work, with talents of the highest order, and possessing consum- mateprudence. Soincessantlywasheengagedbynightasbyday,inthe unwearied exercises of prayer, fasting and watching, that the burden of these austerities seemed beyond the power of human endurance. And still, in all of these occupations, he was beloved by those who came within reach of his influence. A holy radiance, ever beaming on his face, revealed the joy and gladness, with which the Holy Spirit filled his inmost soul. The visions
work, plate 5, at p. xxviii.
fas The Glasgow Weekly Mail, from which
the abridged account in the text has been
drawn, here states, that during the Music
:
of the Mass " Overhead, under the blue
dome of the open sky, a choir of larks were
simultaneously uniting in the song of praise ; and the bleating of the lambs on the hill side above the cathedral mingled not inharmoni- ously with the praise that was being offered up by the pilgrims at the shrine of St. Colum-
ba. "—Glasgow, Saturday, June 16th, 1888,
S 9 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
ofoursaintwereextraordinaryandsupernaturalintheireffects'. Thesewere
instantaneously and distinctly revealed to him. By a miraculous expansion
of his soul, on one occasion, the whole universe was depicted and concen-
trated before his mind, and as it were gathered into a single ray, bright as
that of the sun. We have already seen, he had the gift of prescience in a
remarkable degree, and although absent in body, being present in spirit, he
could know and behold objects, widely distinct, both in time and in place.
He foretold the future ; while he declared to persons present what had been
happening in distant localities, and at the very moment of his speaking.
While he was yet in this mortal flesh, storms were quelled and seas were
calmed through his prayers ; and again, when he found it necessary, the winds arose at his bidding, and the sea was lashed into fury.
He brought over the Picts and Scots to the Faith, nearly as perfectly as St. Patrick converted the Irish. Columba left his character upon them, so that they became a staunch and loyal and true Catholic race in the Highlands of Scotland,andtheycontinuedthustobe,almosttothepresenttime. Duringthe earlier part of the last century, the people in the Hebrides were almost exclu-
sively Catholics,
until
persecution
drove their missionaries 826 How- away.
ever, in summing up the character of our great saint, the Count de Monta-
lembert, assuming certain legendary accounts 82 ? to be facts, has drawn a very
incorrect picture of St. Columba's disposition, which he represents to be full
of contrasts and contradictions ; to be imperious, irritable, rude and revenge-
ful, although admitting him to be fired with generous passions and thorough
828 In refutation of such
accomplished Scottish historian 829 h—as helped much to correct such errors. Besides, —a contemporary of the saint also renowned for his piety, and a man
83°
of genius Dalian Forgaill speaks of Columba, in an admiring strain. He
describes the people mourning him who was their souls' light, their learned one, their chief from right, who was God's messenger, who dispelled fears from them, who used to explain the truth of words, a harp without a base chord, a perfect sage who believed Christ ; he was learned, he was chaste, he was charitable, he was an abounding benefit of guests, he was eager, he was noble, he was gentle, he was the physician of the heart of every sage, he was to persons inscrutable, he was a shelter to the naked, he was a consolation to the poor; there went not from the world one who was more continual for the remembrance of the cross. In this panegyric, there is no trace of those darker features of vindictiveness, love of fighting, and the remorse caused by its indulgence; nor do the events of his life, as we find them rather hinted at than narrated, bear out such an estimate of it. The holy man possessed a spotless soul, a disciplined body, an indomitable energy, an industry that never
826 Rev. Thomas Burke's " Lecture on St. traditions, and the popular mind invests Columkille,"inSt. Columba'sChurch,New themwithattributestowhichtheyhaveno
uprightness.
imaginings,
a acute and truly learned,
York City. See Boston Pilot of March 22nd,
1873.
8 - 7 To these, and to their total want of ere-
dibility, we have already alluded in a pre-
ceding chapter.
828 See " Les Moines d'Occident," tome
iii. , liv. xi. , chap, vii. , pp. 285 to 287.
829 He has remarked :" It is unfortunately the fate of all such men as stand out pro- minently from among their fellows, and put their stamp upon the age in which they lived, that, as the true character of their sayings and doings fades from men's minds, they be- tome more and more the subject of spurious
claim. When these loose popular traditions and conceptions are collected and become embedded in as>>tematic biography, the evil
becomes irreparable, and it is no longer pos- sible to separate in popular estimation the true from the spurious. This has been pecu- liarly the case with Columba, and has led —to a very false estimate of his character. " William F. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii.
83° See that ancient tract called the " Amra Choluimchille," edited by O'lkirne Crowe, with the original Irish and a literal English translation.
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 593
wearied, a courage that never blenched, a sweetness and a courtesy that won all hearts, as also a tenderness for others that contrasted strongly with rigour towards himself. These were the secrets which brought success upon the labours of this eminent missionary—these were the miracles by which he accomplished the conversion of so many barbarous tribes and pagan
831 princes.
How high in favour before God, observes Adamnan, must have been our holy and venerable Abbot ; how often he was blessed by the bright visits of
the angels ; how full of the prophetic spirit ; how great his power of daily miracles ; how frequently during his mortal life he was surrounded by a halo of heavenly light ; and even since the departure of his happy soul from the tenement of his body, until the present day, the place where his sacred bones repose is frequently visited by the holy angels, and illumined by the same heavenly light, as had been clearly manifested to a select few ! Besides, this is no small honour, conferred by God on his servant of happy memory, that though he lived in a small and remote Island of the British Sea, his name
beyond the Penine Alps 83+ and even to the
; city
of all cities. 833 Now, according to the expressions of holy Scripture, sharing in eternal triumphs, and added to the Patriarchs, associated with the Pro- phets and Apostles, numbered among the thousands of white-robed saints, who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb,836 he follows the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. 83 ? A virgin, free from all stain, had he lived, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ : to whom be honour, and power, and praise, and glory, and eternal dominion, with the Father, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever.
Article II. —Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St.
Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Brigid, chief Patrons of Ireland.
Far distant from each other lay the sacred relics of the great Apostle of Ire-
land St. Patrick, of the renowned Virgin St. Brigid, and of the illustrious St.
Columkille, for many generations after their respective dates of departure from
this life. The first in order of was at 1 and former, time, deposed Downpatrick,
2 accordingtoalong-preservedtradition,inaverydeepearth-pit, withoutthe
site of that cathedral. 3 After the lapse of years, the body of the Irish Apos-
become illustrious
the largest Island of the globe,832 but, moreover, it had reached Spain re-
has not
markable for its triangular form 833 penetrated
only
throughout
Ireland,
831 See Thomas D'Arcy McGee's " Popu-
lar History of Ireland," vol. i. , book i. .
quae caput est omnium civitatum. "—Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Co- lumba,"lib. iii. , cap. 23, p. 241, and nn.
chap, v. , p. 36.
832 This was the incorrect notion then (e, f)> ibid.
our own
—and Gaul, and into
835 See Apoc. xxii. , 14.
reader is referred to
_
somes the form of bean or bin, which Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxcvi. , p. 108,
appears in Welsh as penn ; while ailp is an and Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap.
"
Irish word, denoting a great mass. " See cviii. , p. 169.
entertained by Adamnan.
833 The following account seems to have
:
been received—"Hispaniauniversatenaium
1 722.
834 Both of these words have a Celtic
origin. The Irish word cenn sometimes as-
837 Sec ibid. , —xiv. , 4. '
situ trigona. " Pomponius Mela, "Cosmo-
written on this sub-
been
graphia," p. 729. Editio Lugd. Bat. A. D. ject, in the Life of St. Patrick, at the 17th
Rev. Dr. O'Brien's English-Irish Dictionary, Preface, p. 28.
8is " Ipsam quoque Romanam civitatem
3 At the present time, the people there point to St. Patrick's grave, ami this tradi- tion appears to have continued from time
IP
Article ii. The
Italy, of Rome itself, the head
what has
of March, in the Third Volume of this work,
Art. i. , chap. xxvi. a"
already
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturgn,'
and — Britain,
594 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
tie seems to have been drawn from that position,* and it was probably enshrined or entombed within the church. In the century succeeding that of St. Patrick died St. Brigid,5 and her remains appear to have been deposited within the church at Kildare, attached to her convent. They rested in a
6
shrine, at one side of the high altar, and they were held in great veneration
by the people, especially on the day of her chief festival, when multitudes flocked thither for devotional purposes. Many miracles were wrought there through her intercession. The body of St. Brigid remained in Kildare, until the beginning of the ninth century. The magnificent shrine in which her relics were encased invited the cupidity of the Scandinavian invaders, and as Kil- dare was greatly exposed to their ravages, it was deemed more desirable to have St. Brigid's relics removed to Downpatrick, where they should be in a more defensible position, and more secure from plunder or profanation. ? When the happy soul of St. Columba departed from the tenement of his body
8 afterhisusefulmissionarycareerinScotlandhadterminated, anduntilthe
time of Adamnan,° the place where his sacred bones reposed was well knownandreverenced. Frequentlydidhismonksresortthither,lesstooffer prayers for the loved and lamented Father of their institute, than to prefer theirownpetitionsforhispowerfulpatronage. Visitedbytheholyangels,and illumined in a miraculous manner by heavenly light, was that grave, which for many long years succeeding his decease had been exposed to the winds, that played freely over the ancient cemetery at Iona. Those visions were clearlymanifested,butonlytoaselectfew. 10 Itwouldappearfromthewords of Adamnan,11 which are borrowed from the earlier work of Cummian,12 that at least a century was allowed to elapse, before the remains of St. Columba were disinterred. 13 In the course of the eighth century, it seems probable,
immemorial. It is customary to take away earth from the spot, and a hallowed efficacy is attributed to it* possession. Not alone the Catholic people of Downpatrick, but those from the most distant parts of the world, eagerl) seek to obtain some of this clay, which is thought to preserve the owner from accident through fire or water. It is believed to be efficacious, also, in curing dis- eases. In 1874, when the writer visited that place, he saw a peasant engaged in taking some to his home, and as he said to cure some member of his family, suffering from a distemper.
4 According to the '* Annals of Ulster," in the year 552, when the Irish Apostle was about sixty years dead, St. Columba ex- humed his relics.
5 See the Second Volume of this work, for
the Life of this venerable Abbess, at the 1st
whose remains had been translated to Down- patrick, where they repose with those of St. Patrick and St. Columkille. See "Eccle- siastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix LL, p. 379.
8 At the 9th of in '' Meno- June, Dempster's
logium Scotorum," we read : "In Insulis Scoticis Columbae presbyteri admirabilis vitae viri, qui Hibernus ortu in Scotia xxx. annis haesit, regibus familiaris, officia pieta- tis, quae Scotis Apostolis suis Hibe—rnia de- bebat, indefesse rependens. " Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 202.
9 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 23, p. 241.
10 For a more detailed account of his death and burial, the reader is referred to the Life of St. Columkille, given in the Arti- cle immediately preceding, chap. xvii.
"
remarked,
quidam juxta sepulcrum ejus titulus stat monumenti. "
12
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumalurga," Secunda Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxxix. ,
of February, Art. i. , chap. xiv.
6 On the other side were those of St. Con- 11
laeth. Sir James Ware writes : "Ossaejus
in
deauratam, —
capsulam gemmisqueornatam,
is further
qui hodieque quasi
translata ferunt anno 801. "
'•
De Proesvli-
bvs Laginiae, sive Provinciae Dvbliniensis,"
Episcopi Darensis, p. 42.
7 At the 9th of June, in the Calendar
compiled by himself, the Rev. William P- 330.
Reeves has a festival for St. Brigid, at
Downpatrick. It is to be presumed, that he has reference to St.
802 The other people of Britain were the Saxons and Britons.
803 The Latin terms used by Adamnan are " Dorsi montes Britannici. "
804 Allusion is here made to the Picts, as so
called by the Roman writers, and to the
Cruithei, applied to the settlers of Irish
origin. See on this subject, the remarks of
Father Joachim Laurence Villanueva, in
"
Sancti Patricii Ibernorum Apostoli, Synodi, Canones, Opuscula et Scriptorum quae supersunt, Fragmenta," pp. 250, 251.
805 Venerable Bede remarks " Erat ;
JUNE 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 589
8°7 who honoured him with his The first occasion to which friendship.
frid,
he alluded was immediately after Ecfrid's war,8°8 and the other was two years
8o°
on both
810 the
was
occasions,
8'1
plague or by any other disease.
Besides the memorials of St. Columba already mentioned, there are fur-
ther traces of that popular veneration entertained for him in Ireland and else-
where. Itmustbeataskbeyondourendeavour,notwithstanding,tocollect all that are to be found in tradition or even upon record. A few must here suffice. A relic of the Holy Abbot, called St. Columkille's Cross, appears to have been preserved in Ireland, until the sixteenth century, when it—came
while,
and carrying off great numbers in all the surrounding villages. Yet, God mercifully saved Adamnan from falling a victim to it, although he was within the sphere of its malignant and deadly influence. The Divine mercy was also extended towards his companions, not one of whom was attacked by that
subsequently ;
raging violently
into the — possession
of Sir Perrot. 813 At Skreen-Cholumcille now John
Skreen in Meath certain relics of this saint were preserved
8'3 ;
and, in like
manner, at Derry, where the Soscela Martain, or Gospel of St. Martin, was kept. Again, we learn, that in the seventh year of his reign, Kenneth Mac Alpin obtained some relics of St. Columba for a church, which he built at Dunkeld. Among the treasures of the grand cathedral church at Durham, the bones and relics of St. Columcille are noted in a catalogue, written in
populis venerabile mansit. "—" Historia Ec-
clesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. v. ,
cap. x. , p. 402.
*°6 The term used by Adamnan is Saxonia,
,I0 The first visit of Adamnan to the King of Northumbria was probably in 685, to ob- tain the release of those captives carried away from Ireland by the Saxons. The second
which may be interpreted in English visit he made was in 686, according to the
"
Saxon-land. "
807 He was the son of Oswy, King of
Annals of Ulster. See the ^XnriAbA uUvoh or Annals of Ulster, edited by William M. Hennessy, vol. i. , pp. 136, 137. According
to those of Tighernach, he brought sixty cap- tives to Ireland, in the year 687. See Rev. Dr. O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores,"tomusii. , p. 214.
8,1
Northumbria, who died in 670. On the side of his mother Fina, this prince was of Irish descent. She was the daughter of Cennfae- ladh, according to one account, and daugh- ter of Colman Rimidh, according to another, contained in a Tract on the Mothers of Irish Saints, to be found in the Book of Lecain,
fol. 43, Trinity College, Dublin, Manuscript, classed H. 2. 16. Aldfrid was familiarly known to the Irish as Flann Fina.
803
670. We read in the " Chronicon Scoto- rum," that the Saxons wasted the plain of Bregia in Ireland, A. D. 681, while they wrecked many churches in the month of June. See edition by William M. Hennessy, pp. 106, 107. This raid is placed at A. D.
See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's Life of St. Columba," lib. ii. , cap. 46, pp. 182 to 187, and nn. (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, i,
k, 1, m, n, o).
813
Sir John Perrot thus writes of it in a mocking manner, from the Castle of Dublin, 20th of October, 1584: "for a token I have sent you Holy Columkille's cross, a god of great veneration with Surle Boy and all
Ulster, for so great was his grace, as happy he thought himself that could get a kiss of the said cross. I send him unto you, that when you have made some sacrifice to him, according to the disposition you bear to ido- latry, you may, if you please, bestow him upon my good Lady Walsingham or my Lady Sydney, to wear as a jewel of weight
Egfrid
succeeded his father Oswy, in
in the " Chronica " of Matthew Majora
684,
ofParis. EditedbyHenryRichardsLuard.
See vol. i. , p. 305.
^ In the year 685, and on the 20th of
May, Egfrid, King of Northumbria, was
surprised and slain, with the greater part of and bigness, and not of price and good- his army, among the mountains of Scotland, ness, upon some solemn feast or triumph at Dunnichen. See William F. Skene's day at the court. " Letter to the Right Hon. "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Sir Francis Walsingham, Knight, Her Ma-
Alban," vol. i. , book i . , chap, v. , pp. 265, jesty's Principal Secretary at the Court. See "
266. He was then succeeded by an elder Calendar of the State Papers relating to brother Aldfrid, who, although born out of Ireland, of the Reign of Elizabeth, 1574- lawful wedlock, was a man of piety and 1585. Edited by Hans Claude Hamilton, learning. See Matthew of Westminster's Esq. , F. S. A, Preface, p. cxvi. London, •' Flores Historiarum," p. 244. 1867, 8vo.
M
plague
590 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
[June 9.
8 '* A
the screen-work of the altar of St. Jerome and St. Benedict, in the same church,
the fourteenth
century.
representation
of the saint was
on
Burrow,
with an " Sanctus Columba monachus et abbas. "Sis At inscription :
near Tullamore, a Catholic chapel has been erected for many years past, and
it has been dedicated to St. Columcille. On each recurrence of his festival
at the 9th of June, it is customary to have High Mass there celebrated, and
afterwards the religious confraternities of Tullamore parish join in procession,
singing Litanies and Hymns around the fields adjoining, while the people
accompany the processionists in reverential order. Afterwards, all return to
the church, and the ceremonies close with Benediction of the Most Holy
8'6
Sacrament.
Among the Stowe Collection of Manuscripts, in the Royal Irish
Academy, are to be found Extracts from the most ancient Lives of St.
Columba, and written in Irish characters. The folio volume, probably of the
twelfth century, and containing these, consisted of 26 written leaves, the first
and last missing. It is interlined with a copious commentary and glossary in
Irish, illustrated by ancient poems of the seventh and eighth centuries. Some
Irish Hymns, in praise of St. Columba, are extant in the Bodleian Library,
8
Oxford. '? In 1152, in conjunction with the Bachall Jesu, the great Reli-
quary of Armagh, the Mionna or relics of St. Columba, were employed in the solemnization of a compact. Many penitential stations and holy wells in diffe- rent places throughout Ireland—but especially in the northern parts—are asso- ciated in name with the memory of this illustrious Abbot. This also is the case with regard to Scotland. Thus, at Swords, in the county of Dublin, was his well, called Glan. At Brumcondra, Brumconra, or Brumconrath, in the deanery of Kells, a holy well near the village was dedicated to this
saint. 8 ' 8 On Iona itself is shown a at Port na- boat-shaped mound,
great
Churaich, which is 60 feet long, and which, as tradition has it, represents the original boat, in which St. Columba and his twelve companions landed
8
there. '9 IntheimmediatevicinityofthisspotisPortLathrican,wherearethe
vestiges of numerous circular dwellings, thought to have been the first settle-
is a Manuscript Codex,
preserved in the Library of St. Gall, in Switzerland,
picture
together
copy
"
O'Conor's Keruin I libernicarum Scripto-
res," tomusii. , Tigeinachi Annales, p. 259. 814 See the " Historia Dunelmensis,''
Appendix Sciiptores Tres. , p. ccccxxix. Sur-
Monuments, &c, of the Church of Durham," p. 115. London, 1842.
816
St. Columba within Lord Norbury's de-
mesne, another is shown on the road-side,
not far from the Catholic Church of Durrow,
and it is called also the Well of St. Colum-
kille.
8,
7 These are mentioned by Bishop Nicolson, as being classed among the Laud
Rev. Anthony Cogan's p. 294.
tees London, Society.
8
' 9 See Rev. Dr. F. S. Gordon's J.
1839.
8's See "Description of the Ancient
" Iona," Preamble and Introduction, p. xiii. Also p. 20.
Besides the handsomely kept well of
Cahier. See Very Rev. Dr. F. C. Husenbeth's "Emblems of Saints," Rev. Dr. Augustus Jessopp's third edition, p.
52.
8" It is marked, No. 555.
8*3 It is curious and interesting on this ac-
count, although the features be not regarded as an accurate likeness.
fathers " in Caledonia. 820 In works of art, St. Colum-
ment of the " killeorColumbaisdistinguishedbyhavingdevilsflyingbeforehim. 821 There
822
pilgrim
of St. Columba in his 82 * habit,
which contains a
of his Life by Adamnan. 82* This Manuscript belongs to the ninth century.
with a
In 1888, the Scottish Catholics in great numbers made a pilgrimage to the
813 At 976, Tighernach records the plan-
dering of Serin Colunn-dlle, which probably
means the church, where the relics of the
saint had been deposited. See Rev. Dr. period ; but it is now uprooted. A Protes-
8*4 A
tome ii. , part ii. , num. 501. Sec "Scottish Preface to Rev. Dr. Reeves' edition of this
Manuscripts,
and noted in the Catalogue,
representation
of it is in the given
Historical Library," part ii. , chap, vi. , p. 65, n. 20.
8 ' 8 A church was built here at a
tant church has been erected on its site. See
"
Docese oi Meath, Ancient and Modern," vol. ii. , chap, xvi. ,
82° 821
See idiJ. ,p. 51.
painted, also,
very early
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. $$t
island grave of St. Columba, on the 13th June, the fifth day within the octave of his festival. This remarkable demonstration of respect for the memory of St. Columba took place on Wednesday. On the evening before, between five and six hundred persons from all parts of Scotland—chiefly Catholics—and a few from England and Ireland, had arrived on a pilgrimage to Iona. His Grace the Duke of Argyll, landed proprietor of the Island, had permitted the Catholic prelates, clergy, religious and laity to hold a solemn Pontifical Vespers, with Benediction of the Most Holy Sacrament, within the ruined walls of the cathedral, which was crowded to excess. The great majority of the Islanders were Presbyterian Free Churchmen, but the visitors were received with courtesy and respect. Monsignor Persico, the Papal Commissioner of his Holiness Leo XIII.
was present, as also Archbishop Smith of Edinburgh and of St. Andrew's, with all the other Bishops of Scotland, except him of Galloway. On landing, the whole party moved in grand procession to the cathedral. On the 13th, several Masses were celebrated at a very early hour, and large num- bers of the pilgrims received Holy Communion. A canopy for shelter of the ecclesiastics had been erected within the cathedral, and at a quarter past ten o'clock, Pontifical High Mass was celebrated on a temporary altar, Bishop Angus Macdonald of Argyll being celebrant. 825 Archbishop Smith preached an eloquent panegyric of St. Columba, in English, after the First Gospel of theMass. SeveraloftheIslandershadattendedtheservice,intheirSunday clothes ; and a company of Protestant Hebrideans, who had crossed from the Ross- of Mull, was also present. After the ceremonies of High Mass had concluded, Bishop Angus Macdonald preached in Gaelic to the assembled
multitude, and he concluded by imparting the Papal Benediction. Having visited the old ecclesiastical sites and various parts of the Island, the pil- grimsstartedintheafternoonbysteamerforOban; whileduringtheirexcur- sion, the weather proved most favourable, and the incidents most impressive.
Such then was the course and such was the end of this distinguished
Patron's life ; such were the happy beginnings of his merits before God, when
admitted into the society of the glorious Patriarchs, of the holy Apostles, of the sacred Martyrs, and of the most pure Virgins. The illustrious Columkille in deathtriumphedbythefavourofoursweetSaviourJesus. AstheAlmighty loves those that love him, and as He glorifies more and more those that magnify and praise Him ; so it has happened, that a great and an honourable celebrity, among other marks of Divine favour, has been conferred on our saint. From his boyhood, Columba had been brought up in Christian train- ing, and in the study of wisdom. By the grace of God, he had so preserved the integrity of his body, and the purity,of his soul, that, though dwelling on earth, he appeared to live like the saints in heaven. For, he was dignified and angelic in appearance, persuasive and graceful in speech, earnest and and holy in work, with talents of the highest order, and possessing consum- mateprudence. Soincessantlywasheengagedbynightasbyday,inthe unwearied exercises of prayer, fasting and watching, that the burden of these austerities seemed beyond the power of human endurance. And still, in all of these occupations, he was beloved by those who came within reach of his influence. A holy radiance, ever beaming on his face, revealed the joy and gladness, with which the Holy Spirit filled his inmost soul. The visions
work, plate 5, at p. xxviii.
fas The Glasgow Weekly Mail, from which
the abridged account in the text has been
drawn, here states, that during the Music
:
of the Mass " Overhead, under the blue
dome of the open sky, a choir of larks were
simultaneously uniting in the song of praise ; and the bleating of the lambs on the hill side above the cathedral mingled not inharmoni- ously with the praise that was being offered up by the pilgrims at the shrine of St. Colum-
ba. "—Glasgow, Saturday, June 16th, 1888,
S 9 2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
ofoursaintwereextraordinaryandsupernaturalintheireffects'. Thesewere
instantaneously and distinctly revealed to him. By a miraculous expansion
of his soul, on one occasion, the whole universe was depicted and concen-
trated before his mind, and as it were gathered into a single ray, bright as
that of the sun. We have already seen, he had the gift of prescience in a
remarkable degree, and although absent in body, being present in spirit, he
could know and behold objects, widely distinct, both in time and in place.
He foretold the future ; while he declared to persons present what had been
happening in distant localities, and at the very moment of his speaking.
While he was yet in this mortal flesh, storms were quelled and seas were
calmed through his prayers ; and again, when he found it necessary, the winds arose at his bidding, and the sea was lashed into fury.
He brought over the Picts and Scots to the Faith, nearly as perfectly as St. Patrick converted the Irish. Columba left his character upon them, so that they became a staunch and loyal and true Catholic race in the Highlands of Scotland,andtheycontinuedthustobe,almosttothepresenttime. Duringthe earlier part of the last century, the people in the Hebrides were almost exclu-
sively Catholics,
until
persecution
drove their missionaries 826 How- away.
ever, in summing up the character of our great saint, the Count de Monta-
lembert, assuming certain legendary accounts 82 ? to be facts, has drawn a very
incorrect picture of St. Columba's disposition, which he represents to be full
of contrasts and contradictions ; to be imperious, irritable, rude and revenge-
ful, although admitting him to be fired with generous passions and thorough
828 In refutation of such
accomplished Scottish historian 829 h—as helped much to correct such errors. Besides, —a contemporary of the saint also renowned for his piety, and a man
83°
of genius Dalian Forgaill speaks of Columba, in an admiring strain. He
describes the people mourning him who was their souls' light, their learned one, their chief from right, who was God's messenger, who dispelled fears from them, who used to explain the truth of words, a harp without a base chord, a perfect sage who believed Christ ; he was learned, he was chaste, he was charitable, he was an abounding benefit of guests, he was eager, he was noble, he was gentle, he was the physician of the heart of every sage, he was to persons inscrutable, he was a shelter to the naked, he was a consolation to the poor; there went not from the world one who was more continual for the remembrance of the cross. In this panegyric, there is no trace of those darker features of vindictiveness, love of fighting, and the remorse caused by its indulgence; nor do the events of his life, as we find them rather hinted at than narrated, bear out such an estimate of it. The holy man possessed a spotless soul, a disciplined body, an indomitable energy, an industry that never
826 Rev. Thomas Burke's " Lecture on St. traditions, and the popular mind invests Columkille,"inSt. Columba'sChurch,New themwithattributestowhichtheyhaveno
uprightness.
imaginings,
a acute and truly learned,
York City. See Boston Pilot of March 22nd,
1873.
8 - 7 To these, and to their total want of ere-
dibility, we have already alluded in a pre-
ceding chapter.
828 See " Les Moines d'Occident," tome
iii. , liv. xi. , chap, vii. , pp. 285 to 287.
829 He has remarked :" It is unfortunately the fate of all such men as stand out pro- minently from among their fellows, and put their stamp upon the age in which they lived, that, as the true character of their sayings and doings fades from men's minds, they be- tome more and more the subject of spurious
claim. When these loose popular traditions and conceptions are collected and become embedded in as>>tematic biography, the evil
becomes irreparable, and it is no longer pos- sible to separate in popular estimation the true from the spurious. This has been pecu- liarly the case with Columba, and has led —to a very false estimate of his character. " William F. Skene's "Celtic Scotland: a History of Ancient Alban," vol. ii.
83° See that ancient tract called the " Amra Choluimchille," edited by O'lkirne Crowe, with the original Irish and a literal English translation.
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 593
wearied, a courage that never blenched, a sweetness and a courtesy that won all hearts, as also a tenderness for others that contrasted strongly with rigour towards himself. These were the secrets which brought success upon the labours of this eminent missionary—these were the miracles by which he accomplished the conversion of so many barbarous tribes and pagan
831 princes.
How high in favour before God, observes Adamnan, must have been our holy and venerable Abbot ; how often he was blessed by the bright visits of
the angels ; how full of the prophetic spirit ; how great his power of daily miracles ; how frequently during his mortal life he was surrounded by a halo of heavenly light ; and even since the departure of his happy soul from the tenement of his body, until the present day, the place where his sacred bones repose is frequently visited by the holy angels, and illumined by the same heavenly light, as had been clearly manifested to a select few ! Besides, this is no small honour, conferred by God on his servant of happy memory, that though he lived in a small and remote Island of the British Sea, his name
beyond the Penine Alps 83+ and even to the
; city
of all cities. 833 Now, according to the expressions of holy Scripture, sharing in eternal triumphs, and added to the Patriarchs, associated with the Pro- phets and Apostles, numbered among the thousands of white-robed saints, who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb,836 he follows the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. 83 ? A virgin, free from all stain, had he lived, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ : to whom be honour, and power, and praise, and glory, and eternal dominion, with the Father, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever.
Article II. —Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St.
Patrick, St. Columba, and St. Brigid, chief Patrons of Ireland.
Far distant from each other lay the sacred relics of the great Apostle of Ire-
land St. Patrick, of the renowned Virgin St. Brigid, and of the illustrious St.
Columkille, for many generations after their respective dates of departure from
this life. The first in order of was at 1 and former, time, deposed Downpatrick,
2 accordingtoalong-preservedtradition,inaverydeepearth-pit, withoutthe
site of that cathedral. 3 After the lapse of years, the body of the Irish Apos-
become illustrious
the largest Island of the globe,832 but, moreover, it had reached Spain re-
has not
markable for its triangular form 833 penetrated
only
throughout
Ireland,
831 See Thomas D'Arcy McGee's " Popu-
lar History of Ireland," vol. i. , book i. .
quae caput est omnium civitatum. "—Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of St. Co- lumba,"lib. iii. , cap. 23, p. 241, and nn.
chap, v. , p. 36.
832 This was the incorrect notion then (e, f)> ibid.
our own
—and Gaul, and into
835 See Apoc. xxii. , 14.
reader is referred to
_
somes the form of bean or bin, which Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxcvi. , p. 108,
appears in Welsh as penn ; while ailp is an and Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. iii. , cap.
"
Irish word, denoting a great mass. " See cviii. , p. 169.
entertained by Adamnan.
833 The following account seems to have
:
been received—"Hispaniauniversatenaium
1 722.
834 Both of these words have a Celtic
origin. The Irish word cenn sometimes as-
837 Sec ibid. , —xiv. , 4. '
situ trigona. " Pomponius Mela, "Cosmo-
written on this sub-
been
graphia," p. 729. Editio Lugd. Bat. A. D. ject, in the Life of St. Patrick, at the 17th
Rev. Dr. O'Brien's English-Irish Dictionary, Preface, p. 28.
8is " Ipsam quoque Romanam civitatem
3 At the present time, the people there point to St. Patrick's grave, ami this tradi- tion appears to have continued from time
IP
Article ii. The
Italy, of Rome itself, the head
what has
of March, in the Third Volume of this work,
Art. i. , chap. xxvi. a"
already
See Colgan's Trias Thaumaturgn,'
and — Britain,
594 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
tie seems to have been drawn from that position,* and it was probably enshrined or entombed within the church. In the century succeeding that of St. Patrick died St. Brigid,5 and her remains appear to have been deposited within the church at Kildare, attached to her convent. They rested in a
6
shrine, at one side of the high altar, and they were held in great veneration
by the people, especially on the day of her chief festival, when multitudes flocked thither for devotional purposes. Many miracles were wrought there through her intercession. The body of St. Brigid remained in Kildare, until the beginning of the ninth century. The magnificent shrine in which her relics were encased invited the cupidity of the Scandinavian invaders, and as Kil- dare was greatly exposed to their ravages, it was deemed more desirable to have St. Brigid's relics removed to Downpatrick, where they should be in a more defensible position, and more secure from plunder or profanation. ? When the happy soul of St. Columba departed from the tenement of his body
8 afterhisusefulmissionarycareerinScotlandhadterminated, anduntilthe
time of Adamnan,° the place where his sacred bones reposed was well knownandreverenced. Frequentlydidhismonksresortthither,lesstooffer prayers for the loved and lamented Father of their institute, than to prefer theirownpetitionsforhispowerfulpatronage. Visitedbytheholyangels,and illumined in a miraculous manner by heavenly light, was that grave, which for many long years succeeding his decease had been exposed to the winds, that played freely over the ancient cemetery at Iona. Those visions were clearlymanifested,butonlytoaselectfew. 10 Itwouldappearfromthewords of Adamnan,11 which are borrowed from the earlier work of Cummian,12 that at least a century was allowed to elapse, before the remains of St. Columba were disinterred. 13 In the course of the eighth century, it seems probable,
immemorial. It is customary to take away earth from the spot, and a hallowed efficacy is attributed to it* possession. Not alone the Catholic people of Downpatrick, but those from the most distant parts of the world, eagerl) seek to obtain some of this clay, which is thought to preserve the owner from accident through fire or water. It is believed to be efficacious, also, in curing dis- eases. In 1874, when the writer visited that place, he saw a peasant engaged in taking some to his home, and as he said to cure some member of his family, suffering from a distemper.
4 According to the '* Annals of Ulster," in the year 552, when the Irish Apostle was about sixty years dead, St. Columba ex- humed his relics.
5 See the Second Volume of this work, for
the Life of this venerable Abbess, at the 1st
whose remains had been translated to Down- patrick, where they repose with those of St. Patrick and St. Columkille. See "Eccle- siastical Antiquities of Down, Connor and Dromore," Appendix LL, p. 379.
8 At the 9th of in '' Meno- June, Dempster's
logium Scotorum," we read : "In Insulis Scoticis Columbae presbyteri admirabilis vitae viri, qui Hibernus ortu in Scotia xxx. annis haesit, regibus familiaris, officia pieta- tis, quae Scotis Apostolis suis Hibe—rnia de- bebat, indefesse rependens. " Bishop Forbes' "Kalendars of Scottish Saints," p. 202.
9 See Rev. Dr. Reeves' Adamnan's " Life of St. Columba," lib. iii. , cap. 23, p. 241.
10 For a more detailed account of his death and burial, the reader is referred to the Life of St. Columkille, given in the Arti- cle immediately preceding, chap. xvii.
"
remarked,
quidam juxta sepulcrum ejus titulus stat monumenti. "
12
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumalurga," Secunda Vita S. Columbae, cap. xxxix. ,
of February, Art. i. , chap. xiv.
6 On the other side were those of St. Con- 11
laeth. Sir James Ware writes : "Ossaejus
in
deauratam, —
capsulam gemmisqueornatam,
is further
qui hodieque quasi
translata ferunt anno 801. "
'•
De Proesvli-
bvs Laginiae, sive Provinciae Dvbliniensis,"
Episcopi Darensis, p. 42.
7 At the 9th of June, in the Calendar
compiled by himself, the Rev. William P- 330.
Reeves has a festival for St. Brigid, at
Downpatrick. It is to be presumed, that he has reference to St.
