FINTAN—HIS PARENTAGE AND RACE —OPPOSITION OFFERED TO HIS PREACHING BY A CERTAIN
DYNAST—CONVERSION
OF ST.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
12.
St.
Mainchine, at
chinn, patron of Dysart Gallen, and yet
from what has been already said, they must the 29th of December. The reader is re-
probably be distinct persons belonging to different epochs.
^
The Feilire of St. ^ngus, the Calen- dars of Cashel, Marianus O'Gorman, Cathal Maguire, and Donegal. See Colgan's "Acta
ferred to the several days here mentioned for separate notices.
8 gy Colgan.
9 See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i, pp. 596, 597.
January 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 39
of the Menadrochit Manchenus' death is pointed out under the name of Manicheus, the Wise Irishman, which occurs in the books, " De MirabiHbus
Scripturae. "
^° but
These have been erroneously attributed to the great St. Augus-
tine,
they
are now known to have been an Irishman penned by
bearing his name. The times, it is said, agree very exactly, and the name
is not unlike. " Father Fitzsimon^^ has fallen into an error, in making St.
Mainchin the author of that treatise^3 intituled " De Mirabilibus Sacrse
Scripturae," comprised in three books. ^'^ This is now well known to have
been the production of an Irishman named Augustine, who wrote it about
theyear655. ^5 Inthistract,allusionismadetotheepochofaSt. Manchen's
appears
have been applied to Mainchen,'? Abbot of Mena, or Meana Drochit, near
demise. ^'^ The saint
to have lived within the
present
parochial limits of Dysart-gallen, near Ballynakill, in the barony of Cullinagh, Queen's County. Yet the epithet of Manchen the Wise seems also to
Burris-in-Ossory,
in the western
part
of the same
county.
^^ This latter man holy
died, A. D. 648, according to the Annals of the Four Masters,^9 or in the
year 651, according to those of Ulster. ^° This last named saint appears
to have been identical with the saint of Dysart Gallen, since both their
places were formerly situated within the ancient territory of Leix. ^' However,
we may observe that Mena Drochit was afterwards detached from it, and
is now found within the present bounds of Ossory. But it is not more
than fifteen miles removed from Dysart Gallen, which from time immemorial
was situate in the of Leix ^^
deanery proper.
In a lovely and sheltered valley, through which a rushing and rapid
mountain stream rolls, beside this river, the triangularly-shaped graveyard of Dysart Gallen rises on a knoll. The situation is a lonely one, but the
surrounding scenery for romantic beauty cannot be surpassed. The richest verdure covered the hill slopes, traversed in all directions by high haw- thorn hedges, which were covered with a profusion of snow-white blossoms, shedding exquisite odours around, at that season of the year when it was
A few late showers had intensified the delicious fragrance. A day of unclouded sunshine lent an air of cheerfulness to the whole prospect, contrasting with shadows cast by tree and bush over the green pasture lands. Ash and other tall trees grew around the old graveyard, and sheltered the church ruins, which rose in its
our good fortune to have first visited this spot.
"See "Opera S. Augustini," tomus iii. , lib. ii. , cap. 4.
" Sir James Ware, " De Scriptoribus Hibemise," lib. i. , cap. iii. , p. 26.
lOth, 1861.
'? This appears to have been the Mani-
chgeus, whose death is alluded to in the
" See his "
Sane-
bilia Sacras See "Harris' Scripturse. "
Ware," vol. iii. booki. , chap, iv. , p. 35.
'3 Only the foundations of Mun-dre-hid
church, as locally pronounced, now remain, with a cemetery, beautifully located, sur- rounding them. The place is incorrectly named on the Ordnance Survey maps,
'^ See O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 262, 263.
==°
Catalogus Prsecipuorum torum Hibemiae," printed at Antwerp, in
1621.
*3 See Colgan, n. 67, p. loi.
'+ This tract had been printed in the early
editions of the great St. Augustin's works,
although classed among the spuria, on ac- coimt of the intrinsic evidences of its not having been written by the celebrated Bishop of Hippo.
's The author says his tract was vmtten the third year of the twelfth great cycle. Cave says he wrote it A. D. 657. The Bene- dictine editors of St. Augustine's works state that he wrote after 660.
'* See the learned and lucid dissertation on this subject of Augustine and his work, by the Rev. Dr. Reeves, in a paper read before the Royal Irish Academy, June
See ibid. n. (h), p. 263. =' "
treatise of Augustin, an Irishman,
"
Mira-
See Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xiv.
Februarii. Vita S. Mancheni, n. 6, p.
333. ^^
See "Liber Regahs Visitationis," 5th and 6th of July returns, A. D. 161 5. Then
it had been a rectory impropriate, with a benefice {and residence for a vicar, p. 52.
Copy belonging to the Royal Irish Aca- demy.
existing
40 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 2.
midst. So protected from nipping winds were the primroses, that they were yet in full bloom, and in numerous tufts under the hedge-rows and along the thorn-covered hill-sides, even at so advanced a period in summer. =^3
The old ecclesiastical building here had been divided into nave and
choir, an arrangement, in our opinion, peculiar to nearly all our Irish churches, built since the Anglo-Norman invasion. We do not mean to assert, however, that it did not form an earlier type of our church archi- tecture. The choir is utterly ruined,^* only the foundations being dis- cernible. These are about 20 feet in length by 14 in width. The nave walls are in much better preservation. These measure 40 feet in length by 20 feet in breadth. The walls are over 3 feet in thickness. A great part of the side walls is removed, but in two of them doorways may yet
Old Church at
Dysart Gallen, Queen's County.
be traced
The western gable is still very perfect, but It is termmated by a tottering belfry. A large window likewise pierced it. A gable-wall surmounted the beautifully jointed stone arch near
Two windows are also visible.
tne choir
Iti&j are built of grit and limestone materials. 's
The walls of this church seem to have been well cemented.
The writer is indebted for the following additional information regarding '
tnis locality. When passing by that sequestered and romantic spot, where
3 In A. D. 1870, the 1st day of June.
^ Such was the case, so far back as 1615,
Whenother
in repair and used for
nished from Carlow, on 5th & 6th July, 1615.
'^ The of the accompanying engraving
church and William adjoining scenery, by
Oldham, has been executed from a drawing, Regalis Visitationis," drawn sketched by the author, on the spot in
portions of the church had been
Protestant purposes.
See the "
up in the reign of James I. Return fur- March, 1873.
Liber
January 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 41
stood the remains of Dysart Gallen, you must have noticed the base ^^ on which stood a huge stone cross. Between it and the monastery below flows a stream, that in winter and freshet times assumes vast proportions. ^7
*
The district around is called Augh-na-cross, the field of the cross/ or
'
Ath-na-cross, the ford of the cross. ' This monastery was remarkable for
its hospitality. It was like an eastern caravansary, in which the soiled and foot-sore wayfarer, as well as the religious brethren, found a home and a
So at least runs the tradition. " ^^
Two remarkable looking antique roads crossed near the old church, and
at the ford or wooden temporary foot-bridge, thrown across the mountain
stream. Evidently these were very ancient thoroughfares. They wound steeply up the sides of this romantic glen, and led in different directions.
Article IV. —St. Lochaid or Lochait, Abbot of Magh Bile or
MoviLLE, County of Down. The religious community presided over bythissaintwassituatedneartheheadofStrangfordLough. Itlayabout
hospital.
an English mile to the north-east of Newtown Ards. ^
place in the local and abbatial succession.
Article V. —The Daughters of Baith or Bath, in the Plain of
the River Liffey. The collective sanctity of old Irish families is here
sufficiently displayed. We read about Ingena Baithi, or the daughters of Baith, in Maigh Liphe, or the Plain of the River Liffey, as having had a
festival at the 2nd of January, according to the "Martyrology of Tallagh. "^ It seems the site of their old church must be sought for not far from
the banks of the Liffey, and probably somewhere within the present county of Kildare,^ which forms the level plain of that river. 3
Article VI. —St. Ainbhithen, Virgin. The feast of Ainbhithen, a
"* This is now built into a wall, on the Maghbile. See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- high road from Timahoe to Ballynakill, niae," xviii. Martii, Vita S. Fridiani,
" of that the feast of Martyrology Donegal,"^
Abbot of
had been celebrated on this day. 3 A similar entry is met with in the "Martyro- logy of Tallagh,"4 at the 2nd of January. Although our annals have deaths of various bishops and abbots of Maghbile, yet this holy man's name does not appear among them. It is difficult, in consequence, to assign his exact
"
We have not been able to find any further account regarding her.
Virgin, is mentioned in the
Martyrology of Donegal,"' as occurring this day.
having been removed from its former site.
^7 See sheet 30 of the Ordnance Survey
Appendix, cap. viii. , p. 650.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi. In
Townland Maps of the Queen's County. ExtractfromaletterheadedBallynakill,
Queen's County, 2nd November, 1870. It was written by the Rev. James Delany, P. P. , who has charge of Dysart Gallen parish. —'
Appendix, p. 376.
"
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 4, 5.
3 This is evidently the St. Locatius, Abbot Maghbile, placed by Colgan, through mistake, the 2nd of March, instead of the
2nd of January, in emunerating the saints of
the Franciscan copy, we find "LochAic . Abb *^ "
Art. IV.
tTlAigebib—e atthisdate.
"
Art, v. Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xi. In the Franciscan copy we read,
"IngeriAbAcli in tTlAg Lipi. "
^ From a careful examination of the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps, adjoin- ing the banks of the Liffey, I have not been
able to discover a probalsle identification, although many old church sites are indi- cated.
3 See the " Poems of Topographical
O'Dubhegan and O'Huidhrin," edited by
'
See Rev. William Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Con- nor, and Dromore," p. 151, and Calendar in
'*
of
Dr. — n. O'Donovan, 440, p.
Lochait,
Magh-bile,
We learn from the
liv.
Art. vi. Edited by Drs, Todd and
Reeves. See pp. 4, 5«
42 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 3.
Clbirii IBap of Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FINTAN, PATRON OF DUNBLEISQUE, NOW THE PARISH OF DOONE, COUNTY OF LIMERICK.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ^
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—THE ANCIENT BIOGRAPHY OF ST.
FINTAN—HIS PARENTAGE AND RACE —OPPOSITION OFFERED TO HIS PREACHING BY A CERTAIN DYNAST—CONVERSION OF ST. FINTAN's PERSECUTORS.
solely Unsightly
thrive apace at the same time, and require the horticulturist's skill to sepa- rate them from the soil. So it happens in writing our saints' acts, for it becomes equally necessary to exclude unmeaning and absurd legends from these pages, when they could only tend to disturb sound judgment, or to offend correct taste. However, the weed has a utility and an interest, apart from its noxious properties, for the naturalist, and the legend even serves the antiquary's process of deduction. Not forgetting the proper application of this knowledge, it may be observed, that in the old published acts of this saint, while it must be desirable to lop off many excrescences, the hagiologist or the religious reader will have no great reason to regret such removal from his field of vision.
has been published by Colgan. ^ Its defects are very apparent, and the manuscript from which it was printed had been in part defaced by ink.
This life was taken from a Salamancan MS. ^ It contains, without doubt, some gross fables and many errors. 3 From this record, however, we shall be obliged to extract whatever unobjectionable particulars it embraces, with
some additional information, suppHed from Colgan's notes. ^
Fintan was brother to St. Finlug, and son to Pipan,s son of Tule,^ who lived at a place called Cliach,7 according to the life of this saint. But
Art. I. —Chap. i. —'See "Acta Sane- the ist and 7th of January, the 21st of torum Hibemise," iii. Januarii. Vita S. Februaiy, the 27th of March, the nth of
THE
fairest parterre cannot be presented to the eye and be always covered with beautiflil shrubs and flowers. weeds
A very ancient biography—or rather a compendious life—of this saint
Fintani, pp. II to 14.
'
See ibid. , n. I, p. 12.
3 Among these the most incredible longe-
vity has been assigned to St. Fintan.
* The present St. Fintan was a different
May, the 9th of October, and the 14th of December. See Colgan's "Acta Sancto-
rum Hibemise," iii. Januarii, n. 2, p. 12.
s As this saint, in his acts, is called Fin- tan, son to Pipan, so likewise Marianus O'Gorman, at the 25th of November, and
person from St. Fintan, Abbot of Clonenagh,
whose acts are recorded at the 17th of Feb-
ruary ; also from St. Fintan, surnamed Pipan. Yet the latter is said to have been of
Munna, whose feast occurs at the 2ist of
October ; likewise from St. Fintan, Prince
of Leinster, whose acts are given at the 15th
of November; as from many other saints
Selbach, cap. i. , called him St. Finnan, son to different race, viz. , that of Conall Gulban.
bearing this same name, and who are men- Januarii, n. 6, p. 13. Colgan supposes
"
and in the Commentaries on St. . (Engus, at cliach, in the county of Limerick.
tioned in the
Martyrology of Tallagh," Cliach to have been identical with Ara-
*
Such is the account given in the acts
of our saint, as published by Colgan.
7 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," iii.
January 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 43
according to a commentator on ^ngus, his father was named Diman,^ who descended from Mured Manderig, King of Ulster. 9 The mother of our
saint was named Alinna/° said to have been daughter to Artgail, or Lenine, and she was of noble birth," belonging to a family that lived in the county
of Limerick, as Colgan supposes. The early career of this saint seems to have been involved in some obscurity, not dissipated by his old biographer. Hence, we are abruptly brought to narrate the following rather unconnected events.
In the time of St. Fintan, a certain incredulous and irreligious king lived in a district then known as Calathmagh," but it was called Eoghanacht,''3 at a period when the writer of his life flourished. Formerly there were several Eoghanachts in different parts of Ireland, especially in the southern
^ The commentator on ^ngus has a state-
ment concerning St. Fintan's parentage and race. At the 3rd of January, he writes, re-
tenuated," or "lean," by Marianus O'Gor-
man, and others. Thus, at the 3rd of Feb-
ruary, the day of her Natalis, she is called
Coel "Finnia the or Fhinnia, i. e. , Lean,"
perhaps she was the saint called Moinnia,
at the 2 1 St of May, ^by these same authors.
Mo, which signifies my, was prefixed to ex-
press veneration towards saints, -according to a custom common among our ancestors.
Afterwards, through repetition, this particle became incorporated with the original name. However, this virgin was different from Fin-
nia, daughter to Ere, mentioned by Selbach, cap. 18, for one had Ere as her father, and
the other Artgal, or Lenine, See Colgan's
Fintan and his brother that Fining,
garding
these were the two sons of Diman, son to
Fingen, son of Deman, son to Carill, son of Mured Manderig. St. Laserian, or St. Molassius of Leighlin, is said to have been son to the aforesaid Carill. The author of "
Menologie Genealogy," gives the descent of those saints in the same manner. Sel- bach says, that both those saints were sons to Diman of Fiatac Finn's race, whence the aforesaid Carill descended, cap. 15.
9 If these authors only maintained that the present St. Fintan, who was Abbot
"Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," iii. Januarii. of Duinbleisch, had been son to Diman, Vita S. Fintani, cap. i. , p. II, and ibid.
and descended from the race of Ulster nn. 5, 7, p. 13.
" The acts of St. Fintan state that
kings, Colgan could easily be induced to suppose, that they had been led into error
with regard to his condition or dignity, and
that the son of Diman had been a different their from the Abbot of Duinbleisch.
But, adds, as they state, that he and his brother Finlog
were sons to Diman, he would not dare
to call in question their assertions, nor
those advanced by the author of our saint's
acts. These he supposed to be of con-
person
note,
puta
siderable Hence could antiquity. Colgan
not imdertake to decide the matter in con- troversy, until further light should have been
See " Acta Sanctorum Colgan's
thrown from some other upon it,
" to St. Fintan's Col- According acts,
quarter.
'° In the book, "On the Mothers of the
gan suggests, however, that Cabthadh-magh should most probably be read.
Irish Saints," chap, i, and num. 21, we
find these remarks regarding the mother of
this saint, and of his two brothers : Aialenna,
daughter of Lenine, was the mother of Saints
Fintan, Columbus, also called Colmanus enumerates the following, viz. , i. Eogha- Midhisil, and of Lughaidh, or Lugadius. nacht Chaisol. 2. Eoghanacht Locha-Lein, Here Lughaidh is understood for Finlug-
haidh, or Finloga, as said in a former note. The father to St. Fintan's mother, who in the acts is called Artghail, is here named Lenine. But either of these names must havebeenasurnameorcognomen. InSt. Fintan's life we are told, that his mother's sister was a holy virgin, named Finna, at whose tomb, in the writer's time, many miracles were performed ; and Colgan says
thatthisFinnaappearstobethatsaint,to
or Eoghanacht Ui Donnchadha. 3. Eog- hanacht Roisairgid. 4. Eoghanacht Criche Cobthaidh , This appears to have been the one to which allusion is here made. Again,
we find mentioned, Eoghanacht Aine Cliach, Eoghanacht Gleanna Amhnach, and Eog- hanacht Rathlenn. See O'Flaherty's "Ogy-
whose name is prefixed Ly, Cael, i. e. ^
'*
at-
Dr. O'Donovan's Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," p. 46, n. (z) ; pp. 59, 60, nn. (k,1); p. 72,n. (o); p,78,n. (g);pp. 86, 87, n. (d).
Alinne, daughter to Artghail, belonged to a noble family, called by the Hibernians in
" to which tongue Solar,"
Colgan
II, and ibid. , n. 6, p. 13.
"HibemiceGrienan
in a
Grienan Cuannach, vel Grene mempe Grene Cliach, vocatur. " The author alludes to
"
land is denominated the East. This re-
gion, so called, is in the coimty of Limerick.
"
this meaning of the word, for the solar
Hibemiae," iii. Januarii, Vita S. Fintani, cap. i. , p.
'3 There were seven districts in Munster, according to Colgan, each division of which had been denominated Eoghanacht. He
gia," pars iii. cap. Ixvii. , p. 328, and "
44 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 3.
province/4 To the king Fintan had resolved on preaching God's holy word, but the dynast was unwilling to receive our saint on the object
of his mission. Hearing that Fintan, accompanied by a number of holy monks, was on the way, orders were despatched to certain mowers in a field to bar the further progress of God's servants on that highway by which these travelled. At the same time the king expressed himself in very opprobrious terms regarding his expected visitants, in calling them impos- tors or seducers. Having arrived at a place denominated Keall-ruis,^s where there was water, the mowers were stationed in a field to oppose their passage. In vain God's holy servants asked permission to proceed, but insult was added to the refusal. However a mighty tempest arose on the instant, and a great commotion of the elements ensued, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The very crops there matured began to blaze, while the mowers, unable to pass the hedges^^ on fire, were nearly blinded with smoke. Then humbly asking pardon for their offences, St. Fintan blessed some water, which was applied to their eyes, when the faculty of vision was restored. Wherefore these men bound themselves to his perpetual service. Not only were certain temporal possessions bestowed, but even their children, grand- children, and posterity, were dedicated to him, in the manner then understood by such engagements.
CHAPTER II.
ANCIENT IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL TRIBUTES—ST. FINTAN STUDIES UNDER ST. COMGALL— PIRATES INVADE BANGOR—MIRACLE WROUGHT BY ST. FINTAN—VARIOUS PLACES VISITED BY HIM—THE DUBH-LABHAR—REMARKABLE EXORCISM—ST. FINTAN SETTLES AT DOONE—VARIOUS RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS THERE—TOBAR FIONTAIN.
In the lives of our Irish saints we find several instances, similar to the fore-
going, Where individuals, families, and even whole clans, are said to have bound themselves and their posterity to the service of particular saints. The exact nature of these services is not definitely described ; but it may be supposed, in most instances, such vows or dedications included a bond, expressed or implied, of giving tribute in money or in kind, for the building, repair, or maintenance of churches, monasteries, or other religious establish- ments, and for the support of clerics or monks attached to them. ^
In a succeeding chapter of our sainfs acts, we have only a portion of the first sentence preserved. From this we learn how Fintan was in St. Comgall's school, where his master imposed a certain command, the nature of which is unknown. The remainder of this chapter was illegible in that copy of St. Fintan's Biography, which Colgan used, it having been blotted with ink;
* From these words, used by the writer
territory of Eoghanachta Ros-airgid.
round fields are obviously of remote origin, and incidental passages, like the present, may be discovered in the acts of Irish
and —
usages habits of our ancestors.
'
of St. Fintan's "nunc vero acts,
'* From this
Eog- hanacht dicitur," we are led to infer he
account, at an early date, agricultural operations seem to have been well carried on in Ireland. Hedges set
lived at a remote period. In Colgan's time,
and many years before, no district in Munster
had been commonly known by such a name.
'S
place, there was a church so called in the saints, serving to illustrate many social
Answering to the description of this
of and of territory Corcabaschind, kingdom
Thomond. It lay within the diocese of Killaloe, and in the southern part of the county Clare. It is Anglicised Kilrush.
However, Colgan supposes the place here mentioned was named Ros-airgid, in the
Chap. ii.
opinion, the reader is referred to St. Grellan's acts at the 1 7th of September, where a tribute of this kind was paid by the people of Hy- Maine.
In of this corroboration
January 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 45
but he infers from the imperfect sentence remaining, Fintan had been a disciple to St. Comgall, Abbot of Bangor,^ who there founded his celebrated school about the middle of the sixth century. 3 From such account we may
southern parts of Ireland.
From the acts of our saint, it is stated, that sea-rovers were accustomed
tohauntourshoresevenbeforetheDanishinvasionscommenced. St. Fintan once asked St. Finian of Maghbile,+ to lend him a book of the Gospels for purposes of study; but he could not obtain that favour. His master, St.
"
at least —that our saint was
suppose contemporaneous
with St. tobepresumed ofBangor,andthathemusthaveflourishedaftera. d. 550. In the fifth and sixth chapters of Fintan's life we have some rather doubtful incidents described, which appear as having reference to that time he spent with St. Comgall. From the names of places contained in this life, his future mission and miracles, for the most part, seem to have been confined to the
Comgall, heard of this refusal, and said to our saint :
If faithful, perhaps,
next day you will be in possession of that book of the Gospels. " On the
succeeding night St. Fintan and his companions, fearing the approach ot
pirates, were on guard at the port. s It had been rumoured that sea-rovers
were about to despoil St. Comgall's religious establishment. In the beginning of this same night, however, their course had been directed to Magh-bile, which was St.
chinn, patron of Dysart Gallen, and yet
from what has been already said, they must the 29th of December. The reader is re-
probably be distinct persons belonging to different epochs.
^
The Feilire of St. ^ngus, the Calen- dars of Cashel, Marianus O'Gorman, Cathal Maguire, and Donegal. See Colgan's "Acta
ferred to the several days here mentioned for separate notices.
8 gy Colgan.
9 See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i, pp. 596, 597.
January 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 39
of the Menadrochit Manchenus' death is pointed out under the name of Manicheus, the Wise Irishman, which occurs in the books, " De MirabiHbus
Scripturae. "
^° but
These have been erroneously attributed to the great St. Augus-
tine,
they
are now known to have been an Irishman penned by
bearing his name. The times, it is said, agree very exactly, and the name
is not unlike. " Father Fitzsimon^^ has fallen into an error, in making St.
Mainchin the author of that treatise^3 intituled " De Mirabilibus Sacrse
Scripturae," comprised in three books. ^'^ This is now well known to have
been the production of an Irishman named Augustine, who wrote it about
theyear655. ^5 Inthistract,allusionismadetotheepochofaSt. Manchen's
appears
have been applied to Mainchen,'? Abbot of Mena, or Meana Drochit, near
demise. ^'^ The saint
to have lived within the
present
parochial limits of Dysart-gallen, near Ballynakill, in the barony of Cullinagh, Queen's County. Yet the epithet of Manchen the Wise seems also to
Burris-in-Ossory,
in the western
part
of the same
county.
^^ This latter man holy
died, A. D. 648, according to the Annals of the Four Masters,^9 or in the
year 651, according to those of Ulster. ^° This last named saint appears
to have been identical with the saint of Dysart Gallen, since both their
places were formerly situated within the ancient territory of Leix. ^' However,
we may observe that Mena Drochit was afterwards detached from it, and
is now found within the present bounds of Ossory. But it is not more
than fifteen miles removed from Dysart Gallen, which from time immemorial
was situate in the of Leix ^^
deanery proper.
In a lovely and sheltered valley, through which a rushing and rapid
mountain stream rolls, beside this river, the triangularly-shaped graveyard of Dysart Gallen rises on a knoll. The situation is a lonely one, but the
surrounding scenery for romantic beauty cannot be surpassed. The richest verdure covered the hill slopes, traversed in all directions by high haw- thorn hedges, which were covered with a profusion of snow-white blossoms, shedding exquisite odours around, at that season of the year when it was
A few late showers had intensified the delicious fragrance. A day of unclouded sunshine lent an air of cheerfulness to the whole prospect, contrasting with shadows cast by tree and bush over the green pasture lands. Ash and other tall trees grew around the old graveyard, and sheltered the church ruins, which rose in its
our good fortune to have first visited this spot.
"See "Opera S. Augustini," tomus iii. , lib. ii. , cap. 4.
" Sir James Ware, " De Scriptoribus Hibemise," lib. i. , cap. iii. , p. 26.
lOth, 1861.
'? This appears to have been the Mani-
chgeus, whose death is alluded to in the
" See his "
Sane-
bilia Sacras See "Harris' Scripturse. "
Ware," vol. iii. booki. , chap, iv. , p. 35.
'3 Only the foundations of Mun-dre-hid
church, as locally pronounced, now remain, with a cemetery, beautifully located, sur- rounding them. The place is incorrectly named on the Ordnance Survey maps,
'^ See O'Donovan's edition, vol. i. , pp. 262, 263.
==°
Catalogus Prsecipuorum torum Hibemiae," printed at Antwerp, in
1621.
*3 See Colgan, n. 67, p. loi.
'+ This tract had been printed in the early
editions of the great St. Augustin's works,
although classed among the spuria, on ac- coimt of the intrinsic evidences of its not having been written by the celebrated Bishop of Hippo.
's The author says his tract was vmtten the third year of the twelfth great cycle. Cave says he wrote it A. D. 657. The Bene- dictine editors of St. Augustine's works state that he wrote after 660.
'* See the learned and lucid dissertation on this subject of Augustine and his work, by the Rev. Dr. Reeves, in a paper read before the Royal Irish Academy, June
See ibid. n. (h), p. 263. =' "
treatise of Augustin, an Irishman,
"
Mira-
See Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," xiv.
Februarii. Vita S. Mancheni, n. 6, p.
333. ^^
See "Liber Regahs Visitationis," 5th and 6th of July returns, A. D. 161 5. Then
it had been a rectory impropriate, with a benefice {and residence for a vicar, p. 52.
Copy belonging to the Royal Irish Aca- demy.
existing
40 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 2.
midst. So protected from nipping winds were the primroses, that they were yet in full bloom, and in numerous tufts under the hedge-rows and along the thorn-covered hill-sides, even at so advanced a period in summer. =^3
The old ecclesiastical building here had been divided into nave and
choir, an arrangement, in our opinion, peculiar to nearly all our Irish churches, built since the Anglo-Norman invasion. We do not mean to assert, however, that it did not form an earlier type of our church archi- tecture. The choir is utterly ruined,^* only the foundations being dis- cernible. These are about 20 feet in length by 14 in width. The nave walls are in much better preservation. These measure 40 feet in length by 20 feet in breadth. The walls are over 3 feet in thickness. A great part of the side walls is removed, but in two of them doorways may yet
Old Church at
Dysart Gallen, Queen's County.
be traced
The western gable is still very perfect, but It is termmated by a tottering belfry. A large window likewise pierced it. A gable-wall surmounted the beautifully jointed stone arch near
Two windows are also visible.
tne choir
Iti&j are built of grit and limestone materials. 's
The walls of this church seem to have been well cemented.
The writer is indebted for the following additional information regarding '
tnis locality. When passing by that sequestered and romantic spot, where
3 In A. D. 1870, the 1st day of June.
^ Such was the case, so far back as 1615,
Whenother
in repair and used for
nished from Carlow, on 5th & 6th July, 1615.
'^ The of the accompanying engraving
church and William adjoining scenery, by
Oldham, has been executed from a drawing, Regalis Visitationis," drawn sketched by the author, on the spot in
portions of the church had been
Protestant purposes.
See the "
up in the reign of James I. Return fur- March, 1873.
Liber
January 2. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 41
stood the remains of Dysart Gallen, you must have noticed the base ^^ on which stood a huge stone cross. Between it and the monastery below flows a stream, that in winter and freshet times assumes vast proportions. ^7
*
The district around is called Augh-na-cross, the field of the cross/ or
'
Ath-na-cross, the ford of the cross. ' This monastery was remarkable for
its hospitality. It was like an eastern caravansary, in which the soiled and foot-sore wayfarer, as well as the religious brethren, found a home and a
So at least runs the tradition. " ^^
Two remarkable looking antique roads crossed near the old church, and
at the ford or wooden temporary foot-bridge, thrown across the mountain
stream. Evidently these were very ancient thoroughfares. They wound steeply up the sides of this romantic glen, and led in different directions.
Article IV. —St. Lochaid or Lochait, Abbot of Magh Bile or
MoviLLE, County of Down. The religious community presided over bythissaintwassituatedneartheheadofStrangfordLough. Itlayabout
hospital.
an English mile to the north-east of Newtown Ards. ^
place in the local and abbatial succession.
Article V. —The Daughters of Baith or Bath, in the Plain of
the River Liffey. The collective sanctity of old Irish families is here
sufficiently displayed. We read about Ingena Baithi, or the daughters of Baith, in Maigh Liphe, or the Plain of the River Liffey, as having had a
festival at the 2nd of January, according to the "Martyrology of Tallagh. "^ It seems the site of their old church must be sought for not far from
the banks of the Liffey, and probably somewhere within the present county of Kildare,^ which forms the level plain of that river. 3
Article VI. —St. Ainbhithen, Virgin. The feast of Ainbhithen, a
"* This is now built into a wall, on the Maghbile. See " Acta Sanctorum Hiber- high road from Timahoe to Ballynakill, niae," xviii. Martii, Vita S. Fridiani,
" of that the feast of Martyrology Donegal,"^
Abbot of
had been celebrated on this day. 3 A similar entry is met with in the "Martyro- logy of Tallagh,"4 at the 2nd of January. Although our annals have deaths of various bishops and abbots of Maghbile, yet this holy man's name does not appear among them. It is difficult, in consequence, to assign his exact
"
We have not been able to find any further account regarding her.
Virgin, is mentioned in the
Martyrology of Donegal,"' as occurring this day.
having been removed from its former site.
^7 See sheet 30 of the Ordnance Survey
Appendix, cap. viii. , p. 650.
* Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xi. In
Townland Maps of the Queen's County. ExtractfromaletterheadedBallynakill,
Queen's County, 2nd November, 1870. It was written by the Rev. James Delany, P. P. , who has charge of Dysart Gallen parish. —'
Appendix, p. 376.
"
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 4, 5.
3 This is evidently the St. Locatius, Abbot Maghbile, placed by Colgan, through mistake, the 2nd of March, instead of the
2nd of January, in emunerating the saints of
the Franciscan copy, we find "LochAic . Abb *^ "
Art. IV.
tTlAigebib—e atthisdate.
"
Art, v. Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xi. In the Franciscan copy we read,
"IngeriAbAcli in tTlAg Lipi. "
^ From a careful examination of the
Ordnance Survey Townland Maps, adjoin- ing the banks of the Liffey, I have not been
able to discover a probalsle identification, although many old church sites are indi- cated.
3 See the " Poems of Topographical
O'Dubhegan and O'Huidhrin," edited by
'
See Rev. William Reeves' Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Down, Con- nor, and Dromore," p. 151, and Calendar in
'*
of
Dr. — n. O'Donovan, 440, p.
Lochait,
Magh-bile,
We learn from the
liv.
Art. vi. Edited by Drs, Todd and
Reeves. See pp. 4, 5«
42 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 3.
Clbirii IBap of Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FINTAN, PATRON OF DUNBLEISQUE, NOW THE PARISH OF DOONE, COUNTY OF LIMERICK.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ^
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—THE ANCIENT BIOGRAPHY OF ST.
FINTAN—HIS PARENTAGE AND RACE —OPPOSITION OFFERED TO HIS PREACHING BY A CERTAIN DYNAST—CONVERSION OF ST. FINTAN's PERSECUTORS.
solely Unsightly
thrive apace at the same time, and require the horticulturist's skill to sepa- rate them from the soil. So it happens in writing our saints' acts, for it becomes equally necessary to exclude unmeaning and absurd legends from these pages, when they could only tend to disturb sound judgment, or to offend correct taste. However, the weed has a utility and an interest, apart from its noxious properties, for the naturalist, and the legend even serves the antiquary's process of deduction. Not forgetting the proper application of this knowledge, it may be observed, that in the old published acts of this saint, while it must be desirable to lop off many excrescences, the hagiologist or the religious reader will have no great reason to regret such removal from his field of vision.
has been published by Colgan. ^ Its defects are very apparent, and the manuscript from which it was printed had been in part defaced by ink.
This life was taken from a Salamancan MS. ^ It contains, without doubt, some gross fables and many errors. 3 From this record, however, we shall be obliged to extract whatever unobjectionable particulars it embraces, with
some additional information, suppHed from Colgan's notes. ^
Fintan was brother to St. Finlug, and son to Pipan,s son of Tule,^ who lived at a place called Cliach,7 according to the life of this saint. But
Art. I. —Chap. i. —'See "Acta Sane- the ist and 7th of January, the 21st of torum Hibemise," iii. Januarii. Vita S. Februaiy, the 27th of March, the nth of
THE
fairest parterre cannot be presented to the eye and be always covered with beautiflil shrubs and flowers. weeds
A very ancient biography—or rather a compendious life—of this saint
Fintani, pp. II to 14.
'
See ibid. , n. I, p. 12.
3 Among these the most incredible longe-
vity has been assigned to St. Fintan.
* The present St. Fintan was a different
May, the 9th of October, and the 14th of December. See Colgan's "Acta Sancto-
rum Hibemise," iii. Januarii, n. 2, p. 12.
s As this saint, in his acts, is called Fin- tan, son to Pipan, so likewise Marianus O'Gorman, at the 25th of November, and
person from St. Fintan, Abbot of Clonenagh,
whose acts are recorded at the 17th of Feb-
ruary ; also from St. Fintan, surnamed Pipan. Yet the latter is said to have been of
Munna, whose feast occurs at the 2ist of
October ; likewise from St. Fintan, Prince
of Leinster, whose acts are given at the 15th
of November; as from many other saints
Selbach, cap. i. , called him St. Finnan, son to different race, viz. , that of Conall Gulban.
bearing this same name, and who are men- Januarii, n. 6, p. 13. Colgan supposes
"
and in the Commentaries on St. . (Engus, at cliach, in the county of Limerick.
tioned in the
Martyrology of Tallagh," Cliach to have been identical with Ara-
*
Such is the account given in the acts
of our saint, as published by Colgan.
7 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibemiae," iii.
January 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 43
according to a commentator on ^ngus, his father was named Diman,^ who descended from Mured Manderig, King of Ulster. 9 The mother of our
saint was named Alinna/° said to have been daughter to Artgail, or Lenine, and she was of noble birth," belonging to a family that lived in the county
of Limerick, as Colgan supposes. The early career of this saint seems to have been involved in some obscurity, not dissipated by his old biographer. Hence, we are abruptly brought to narrate the following rather unconnected events.
In the time of St. Fintan, a certain incredulous and irreligious king lived in a district then known as Calathmagh," but it was called Eoghanacht,''3 at a period when the writer of his life flourished. Formerly there were several Eoghanachts in different parts of Ireland, especially in the southern
^ The commentator on ^ngus has a state-
ment concerning St. Fintan's parentage and race. At the 3rd of January, he writes, re-
tenuated," or "lean," by Marianus O'Gor-
man, and others. Thus, at the 3rd of Feb-
ruary, the day of her Natalis, she is called
Coel "Finnia the or Fhinnia, i. e. , Lean,"
perhaps she was the saint called Moinnia,
at the 2 1 St of May, ^by these same authors.
Mo, which signifies my, was prefixed to ex-
press veneration towards saints, -according to a custom common among our ancestors.
Afterwards, through repetition, this particle became incorporated with the original name. However, this virgin was different from Fin-
nia, daughter to Ere, mentioned by Selbach, cap. 18, for one had Ere as her father, and
the other Artgal, or Lenine, See Colgan's
Fintan and his brother that Fining,
garding
these were the two sons of Diman, son to
Fingen, son of Deman, son to Carill, son of Mured Manderig. St. Laserian, or St. Molassius of Leighlin, is said to have been son to the aforesaid Carill. The author of "
Menologie Genealogy," gives the descent of those saints in the same manner. Sel- bach says, that both those saints were sons to Diman of Fiatac Finn's race, whence the aforesaid Carill descended, cap. 15.
9 If these authors only maintained that the present St. Fintan, who was Abbot
"Acta Sanctorum Hibemise," iii. Januarii. of Duinbleisch, had been son to Diman, Vita S. Fintani, cap. i. , p. II, and ibid.
and descended from the race of Ulster nn. 5, 7, p. 13.
" The acts of St. Fintan state that
kings, Colgan could easily be induced to suppose, that they had been led into error
with regard to his condition or dignity, and
that the son of Diman had been a different their from the Abbot of Duinbleisch.
But, adds, as they state, that he and his brother Finlog
were sons to Diman, he would not dare
to call in question their assertions, nor
those advanced by the author of our saint's
acts. These he supposed to be of con-
person
note,
puta
siderable Hence could antiquity. Colgan
not imdertake to decide the matter in con- troversy, until further light should have been
See " Acta Sanctorum Colgan's
thrown from some other upon it,
" to St. Fintan's Col- According acts,
quarter.
'° In the book, "On the Mothers of the
gan suggests, however, that Cabthadh-magh should most probably be read.
Irish Saints," chap, i, and num. 21, we
find these remarks regarding the mother of
this saint, and of his two brothers : Aialenna,
daughter of Lenine, was the mother of Saints
Fintan, Columbus, also called Colmanus enumerates the following, viz. , i. Eogha- Midhisil, and of Lughaidh, or Lugadius. nacht Chaisol. 2. Eoghanacht Locha-Lein, Here Lughaidh is understood for Finlug-
haidh, or Finloga, as said in a former note. The father to St. Fintan's mother, who in the acts is called Artghail, is here named Lenine. But either of these names must havebeenasurnameorcognomen. InSt. Fintan's life we are told, that his mother's sister was a holy virgin, named Finna, at whose tomb, in the writer's time, many miracles were performed ; and Colgan says
thatthisFinnaappearstobethatsaint,to
or Eoghanacht Ui Donnchadha. 3. Eog- hanacht Roisairgid. 4. Eoghanacht Criche Cobthaidh , This appears to have been the one to which allusion is here made. Again,
we find mentioned, Eoghanacht Aine Cliach, Eoghanacht Gleanna Amhnach, and Eog- hanacht Rathlenn. See O'Flaherty's "Ogy-
whose name is prefixed Ly, Cael, i. e. ^
'*
at-
Dr. O'Donovan's Leabhar na g-Ceart, or Book of Rights," p. 46, n. (z) ; pp. 59, 60, nn. (k,1); p. 72,n. (o); p,78,n. (g);pp. 86, 87, n. (d).
Alinne, daughter to Artghail, belonged to a noble family, called by the Hibernians in
" to which tongue Solar,"
Colgan
II, and ibid. , n. 6, p. 13.
"HibemiceGrienan
in a
Grienan Cuannach, vel Grene mempe Grene Cliach, vocatur. " The author alludes to
"
land is denominated the East. This re-
gion, so called, is in the coimty of Limerick.
"
this meaning of the word, for the solar
Hibemiae," iii. Januarii, Vita S. Fintani, cap. i. , p.
'3 There were seven districts in Munster, according to Colgan, each division of which had been denominated Eoghanacht. He
gia," pars iii. cap. Ixvii. , p. 328, and "
44 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 3.
province/4 To the king Fintan had resolved on preaching God's holy word, but the dynast was unwilling to receive our saint on the object
of his mission. Hearing that Fintan, accompanied by a number of holy monks, was on the way, orders were despatched to certain mowers in a field to bar the further progress of God's servants on that highway by which these travelled. At the same time the king expressed himself in very opprobrious terms regarding his expected visitants, in calling them impos- tors or seducers. Having arrived at a place denominated Keall-ruis,^s where there was water, the mowers were stationed in a field to oppose their passage. In vain God's holy servants asked permission to proceed, but insult was added to the refusal. However a mighty tempest arose on the instant, and a great commotion of the elements ensued, accompanied by thunder and lightning. The very crops there matured began to blaze, while the mowers, unable to pass the hedges^^ on fire, were nearly blinded with smoke. Then humbly asking pardon for their offences, St. Fintan blessed some water, which was applied to their eyes, when the faculty of vision was restored. Wherefore these men bound themselves to his perpetual service. Not only were certain temporal possessions bestowed, but even their children, grand- children, and posterity, were dedicated to him, in the manner then understood by such engagements.
CHAPTER II.
ANCIENT IRISH ECCLESIASTICAL TRIBUTES—ST. FINTAN STUDIES UNDER ST. COMGALL— PIRATES INVADE BANGOR—MIRACLE WROUGHT BY ST. FINTAN—VARIOUS PLACES VISITED BY HIM—THE DUBH-LABHAR—REMARKABLE EXORCISM—ST. FINTAN SETTLES AT DOONE—VARIOUS RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS THERE—TOBAR FIONTAIN.
In the lives of our Irish saints we find several instances, similar to the fore-
going, Where individuals, families, and even whole clans, are said to have bound themselves and their posterity to the service of particular saints. The exact nature of these services is not definitely described ; but it may be supposed, in most instances, such vows or dedications included a bond, expressed or implied, of giving tribute in money or in kind, for the building, repair, or maintenance of churches, monasteries, or other religious establish- ments, and for the support of clerics or monks attached to them. ^
In a succeeding chapter of our sainfs acts, we have only a portion of the first sentence preserved. From this we learn how Fintan was in St. Comgall's school, where his master imposed a certain command, the nature of which is unknown. The remainder of this chapter was illegible in that copy of St. Fintan's Biography, which Colgan used, it having been blotted with ink;
* From these words, used by the writer
territory of Eoghanachta Ros-airgid.
round fields are obviously of remote origin, and incidental passages, like the present, may be discovered in the acts of Irish
and —
usages habits of our ancestors.
'
of St. Fintan's "nunc vero acts,
'* From this
Eog- hanacht dicitur," we are led to infer he
account, at an early date, agricultural operations seem to have been well carried on in Ireland. Hedges set
lived at a remote period. In Colgan's time,
and many years before, no district in Munster
had been commonly known by such a name.
'S
place, there was a church so called in the saints, serving to illustrate many social
Answering to the description of this
of and of territory Corcabaschind, kingdom
Thomond. It lay within the diocese of Killaloe, and in the southern part of the county Clare. It is Anglicised Kilrush.
However, Colgan supposes the place here mentioned was named Ros-airgid, in the
Chap. ii.
opinion, the reader is referred to St. Grellan's acts at the 1 7th of September, where a tribute of this kind was paid by the people of Hy- Maine.
In of this corroboration
January 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 45
but he infers from the imperfect sentence remaining, Fintan had been a disciple to St. Comgall, Abbot of Bangor,^ who there founded his celebrated school about the middle of the sixth century. 3 From such account we may
southern parts of Ireland.
From the acts of our saint, it is stated, that sea-rovers were accustomed
tohauntourshoresevenbeforetheDanishinvasionscommenced. St. Fintan once asked St. Finian of Maghbile,+ to lend him a book of the Gospels for purposes of study; but he could not obtain that favour. His master, St.
"
at least —that our saint was
suppose contemporaneous
with St. tobepresumed ofBangor,andthathemusthaveflourishedaftera. d. 550. In the fifth and sixth chapters of Fintan's life we have some rather doubtful incidents described, which appear as having reference to that time he spent with St. Comgall. From the names of places contained in this life, his future mission and miracles, for the most part, seem to have been confined to the
Comgall, heard of this refusal, and said to our saint :
If faithful, perhaps,
next day you will be in possession of that book of the Gospels. " On the
succeeding night St. Fintan and his companions, fearing the approach ot
pirates, were on guard at the port. s It had been rumoured that sea-rovers
were about to despoil St. Comgall's religious establishment. In the beginning of this same night, however, their course had been directed to Magh-bile, which was St.
