No More Learning

to the wood and Grey, of Dublin.
engraved, by
Mr.
Gregor
'° '• See
It has been transferred
Letters containing Information relative to the Antiquities of the County of Donegal collected during the progress of the
734 LIVESOFTHEU^ISHSAINTS. [February28.
Article X. —Reputed Festival of St. Cormachus, Priest and Con- fessor. In the Kalendar of David Camerarius, we find such an entry, at the 28th day of February. ^ He is said to have had some connexion with St. Cokmiba,^ the great Caledonian Apostle. 3 In the hst of St. Coknnba's dis- ciples, as furnished by Colgan, we only find one saint bearing this name. This was St. Corbmac Hua Liethan,* Abbot of Durrow, in the Meathian territory. The Bollandists^ follow Camerarius, in recording the supposed festival, at this date, while stating, that Colgan has his feast, at the 21st of
June.
Article XI. —St. Dichuill, of Airiudh-muilt, Lough Erne. In
the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ and at the 28th of February, we find recorded, " Dichuill Mac Maelduibh in Airudh Muilt oc Locuibh Eirne. '' Marianus O'Gorman has an entry, which is somewhat similar. ^ The Martyrology of Donegal3 registers on this day, Diochuill, son of Maoldubh, of Airiudh-muilt, on Loch Eirne. It seems impossible, at present, to identify this saint's locality, or to determine whether it was on an island, or along the shores.
Article XII. —Reputed Festival of a St. Victor, said to have been
Bishop of Donaghmoyne, County of Monaghan. . The mercies of our
Divine Lord shine pre-eminent, in the succeeding history. At the 28th day of February, Colgan' and the Bollandists* have entered some notices, regard- ing a St. Victor. The latter writers are of opinion, that he does not difter from a St. Victor, who was a martyr, at Alexandria,3 who is not called a bishop, and, who, it would seem, can have no special relation with Ireland. Marianus O'Gorman, Cathald Maguire, and the Martyrology of Donegal, are said to record this saint, and his festival, at the present date. '^ However, Colgan seems to connect this holy man, with a Victor, who is named in the Acts of our great Irish Apostle,^ and as having flourished, about the middle of the fifth century, in the eastern part of Ulster, known as Mogdhorna. Several modern writers have been led astray, in assigning this district to a still more eastward situation, thinking it . to have been the modern barony of Mourne,^ including, according to the Catholic arrangements, the parishes of Upper and Lower Mourne, in the county of Down. But, Crioch Mughdhorna was that district, now represented, by the barony of Cremorne,^ in the county
Article X. —^ See Bishop Forbes' "Ka- lendars of Scottish Saints," p. 235.
Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Febniarii xxviii.
Among the pretermitted saints, p. 717.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and keeves, pp.
58, 59. — "
Article xii. * See Acta Sanctorum
Hibernia'," xxviii. Februarii. De S. Victory
See Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Feb- ruariixxviii. Amongthepretermittedsaints, p. 717.
3 lie is classed with others, who suffered
^ For this statement, the " Vita S. Co- "
lumba; is quoted.
3 See his Life, at the 9th of June.
^ His feast occurs, on the 21st of—
June. There was another named Gorman pro- bably Coman—a Monk of Hy, and said to havebeenthefirst,amongtlieScotsorIrisli, who preached the faith in Northumbria. It is stated, that he flourislicd a. d. 630, and that liis feast is held on the 12th of March.
Fps, Domnacensi, p, 424. ="
for the faith, under the
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Ap- tis Martyribus Alexandrinis, &c. See
pendix ad Acta S. Columbae, cap. x. , num. 37. 38, p. 489.
s See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iii. , Februarii xxviii. Among the pretermitted
saints, p. 718. —
Article xi. ^Edited by Rev. Dr.
Kelly, p. xvii.
idid. , pp. 722, 723.
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nire," xxviii. Februarii. De S. Victore Eps.
Domnacensi, n, 2, p. 424.
=" Thus :
Dichullus in Ared-muilt prope
lacum Erne. " See the Boilandists'
"
Acta
s
^"
It is described, on the Ordnance Sur-
vey Townland Maps for the County of Down," Sheets 48, 49, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57.
j^ee his Life, at the 17th of March.
heading, "
" De Sanc-
February 28. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 735
of Monaghan. ^ The people of this territory were called Mugdorni, because they were descendants of Mughdhorn Dubh, the son of CoUa Meann, one of
the ancestors of the Oirghiallans. 9 The Tripartite'° and Jocelin's" Lives of St. Patrick relate substantially, in a similar manner, the wonderful ways of Divine Providence, when effecting the conversion of this man, Victor, who seemed, at first, most determinedly bent, on rejecting that grace offered. O'SuUevan'^ has some notices of him. It is remarked, by Colgan, that under such a name, there is no notice of him, in the Irish Menologies ; however, Buadbheo, in our native language, may be Latinized Victor. In the Sancti- logic Genealogy, '3 two holy men bearing this name are mentioned ; one, St. Buadhbeo, the son of Lugach, the son of Liathcon, son to Fiach Aradh, of the Roderician race, and the other is Buadhbeo, son of Eochaid, belonging tothesamefamily. Thefirstoftheseseemstohavelived,inthetimeofSt. Patrick. ^4 It is thought, by Colgan, that the Buaidbeo, whose feast occurs on the 17th of November, as stated in the Martyrologies of St. ^ngus, of Marianus, of Maguire, and of Donegal, may be identical with that Victor, who is regarded as the disciple of St. Patrick. ^5 Elsewhere, our learned Irish hagiologist says, that Buadhbeo may be Latinized, Victor, Vivax, or Vividus, andthatheseemstohavedescendedfromFiachAradb, whosefamily,inthe fifth and succeeding centuries, bore sway throughout the territory of Mugh- dornia ; which, we are told, is the mountainous region of Eastern Ultonia. *^ Here were they settled, when the Irish Apostle was engaged, prosecuting the work of his mission. Having left Hua-Meith, or Hua-Meith-tire, where he erected a church, called Teagh Tallain,''7 St. Patrick passed on to a place, called Domnach-Maigin, which is now known as Donaghmoyne,^^ in the barony of Cremorne, or Farney, and county of Monaghan. As it stood, in
1843, we have an engraving of the Castle of Donaghmoyne preserved to us, in the lately-published and interesting history of this latter county, by Evelyn Philip Shirley, Esq. '9 This place was situated, in the ancient territory of Crioch-Mughdhorna. ''° The owner of Domnach-Maigin, at that time it had been visited by the Irish Apostle, was called Victor. The lame of St. Patrick's eloquence and persuasive powers had already reached the ears of this local proprietor, who seems to have been greatly attached to pagan superstitions, and also very obstinately bent on rejecting the truths of Christianity. As emblematic of his mental blindness and indecision of character, at this junc- ture, Victor sought, by way of retirement from the light that was about to
"
7 See Dr. O'Donovan's Leabhar na g-
Ceart, or Book of Rights," n. (a), p, 149.
^ A of in Cremorne, is range heights,
called Sliabh Mughdhorn, or "the Moun- tains of Mughdhorn," in Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," at A. D. 1457. See vol. iv. , pp. 998, 999,
9 See ibid. , n. (s).
iii. , cap. xii. , n. 21, p. 184.
^^ Now Tehallen, in the barony of Mon-
^°
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga. " 2. Ibid.
Vita S. Patricii, lib.
Septima iii. , cap. xii. ,
p. 159.
"See ibid. Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap.
'^ Its bounds are described, on the "Ord-
nance Survey Townland Maps for the "
cxxxix. , pp. 95, 96.
" In Decade, lib. vi,, cap. iv.
n. 147, p. 115.
County of Monaghan, Sheets 25, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32. The townland proper is on
^3
Cliap. xxiii.
History of the County of Monaghan," chap, i. , p. 15.
'4 See
'° Sometimes called Mughdorn Maighean. The latter addition, it has been supposed, must be derivable from Domhnach-Maighen,
"Trias
Sexta Vita S. Patricii, cap. cxxxix,, n. 147,
Colgan's
Thaumaturga. "
S&Qibid. ,
Sheets 28, 31.
'^ See Shirley's
"
p. 115.
''S See ibid. Also, Quinta Appendix ad or Donnaghmoyne Church. See Dr.
Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxii. , p. 266. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters,"
^^
See ibid. Septima Vita S. Patricii, lib. vol. i. , n. (e), p. 233.
aghan.
The foundation of the Church of
Donagh, in Trough, is not noticed in the Tri-
partite Life, but it is supposed to have been
founded by St. Patrick on this journey. See Evelyn Philip Shirley's "History of the County of Monaghan," chap, i. , p. 2, and'n.
^36 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS [February28.
shine on his district, the thick shades of a wood, where he remained hidden for a whole night. He had certain misgivings, that if he should meet St.
Patrick, the Apostle's powers of persuasion must prevail over his own preju- dices. But, the Almighty had miraculous graces in store for Victor, and it
pleased him to dissipate that darkness, which had been so industriously sought. The holy Patrick journeyed into the dense wood, and a supernatural bright- ness surrounding him revealed his advent to the fugitive. Victor became a
convert, and a disciple of the Irish A])Ostle.
At length, it was deemed advis- able to have him elevated to episcopal rank, and in due course, he was conse- crated. Victor was then set over the Church of Domnach-Maigin, while his merits and the dutiful discharge of his responsible office caused him to be re- garded, not alone as its patron, but as the tutelary saint of Crioch-Mugh- dhorna. The day or year of his death is not found recorded.
Article XIII. —Reputed Festival of St. Nennius^' Abbot of Ben-
CHOR, IN the Hebridean Island Hu, or Hy, Scotland. This is, pro-
bably, the supposed St. Nennius, who laboured among the islands of Scotia,
and who is said, by Dempster, to have been greatly venerated, in Scotland,
although his name is not found in" any Martyrology. ^ According to the Ka-
lendar of David Camerarius, he was Abbot, over the Monastery of Bangor, in the Hebridean Island of Hu, or Hy, and he had a festival, at this date. ''
However, in alluding to this suppositious saint and his festival, the Bollandists3 are of opinion, that through some scribe's mistake, the name Nennius had been introduced into Venerable Bede's work4 for Segenius,5 who first sent from lona to Anglia, St. Aidan,^ the earliest Bishop of Lindisfarne. Then, it is thought, that some other copyist, finding two distinct names, in different copies ofBede,unitedthem. Accordingly,St. Finian7andothersaresaidtohave been sent to Anglia ; the former being made a disciple of Nennius^ and of Si- genius, in the monastery of Hu or Hy. Langseus Scotus is quoted, for this state- ment. 9 But,neitherinBede,'°norinanyotherauthority,dowefindmention of this Nennius, or of the title he receives. Abbot of Benchor. Notwithstand- ing, we are informed, no other person wrote more than he did, at that time, while the following works are mentioned, as having been composed by him :
" De Origine Britannorum,'' lib. i.
"Elogium Britanniae,'' lib. i. ;
AuTICLE XIII. —' See
toria Ecclesiasiica Geiuis Scoturum," lomus ii. , lib. xiii. , num. 950, p. 500.
Dempster's
" De Vatibus eorundem," lib. i. ;
Cosmographia Historiae Mundi," lib. i. "
; "
Altogether, we must question the propriety of introducing a saint, called
Nennius, either in connexion with Bangor, or with lona, at this date, on the foregoing very insufficient evidence.
? See his Life, at the of
9th January,
^
This is the statement of Dempster, in his "Historia Ecciesiastica Gentis Scotorum,"
" His-
"
'See Bishop Forbes' Kalendars of Scot- tomus ii. , Hb. xiii. , num. 950, p. 500.
tish Saints," p. 235.
•' See " Acta Sanctorum, "tomus iii. , Feb-
ruarii xxviii. Among the pretermitted saints, p. 717.
9 In " De Vila et Moribus Haneticorum nostri Teniporis," Piitfacio. The Centu- riators of Magdeburgh, at cent, vii. , cap. x. ,
'*
'° "
See Historia Ecciesiastica Gentis
Anglorum," lib. iii. , cap. 25, where Bede specially treats of St. Finnan, and of his mis-
sionary career.
" Dempster adds
See his Life, at the 31st of August.
End OF Volume II.
endorse this account, in their ^ bee *'Historia Ecciesiastica Gentis ticoe Hisiorice," col. 525.
Ecclesias-
Anglorum," lib. lii. , cap, 5.
5 He was the fourili Abbot from St.
Columba. See J. A. Giles' note, p. 116.
Bolm's edition of Venerable Bede's History,
translated into English, London, 1847, 8vo.
His least occurs, at the 1 2th of August.
" Obiit in insulis He- bridibus, jam enim Orcades et Acmodes
*
lustra vcrat anno DCXX. "
:
IBX M659 I7L48 1875
v. ? C.