No More Learning

Lanigan adopts, in his " Ecclesiastical His- ficum," &c. Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum
Hibernise. " xxiii. Februarii. Vita S. Fin- niani, cap. xxiii. , p. 395.
63 The old Irish Life in the Leabhar
Breac reads JemriiAtt, but in the Highland Vita Quinta S. Columbre, lib. i. , cap. xl. ,
tory of Ireland," vol. ii. , chap, xi. , sect, viii. , p. 117, and n. 89, p. 119.
Soc. MS. Soman. Notwithstanding his P-395-
different conjecture, yet Colgan retains 73 The expression Scotix provincias of
Gemmanum," 64
emendation, and chiefly, because the name of Gemman does not appear in the Calendars.
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quarta Vita S.
Columbae, lib. ii. , cap. xxv. , n. 25, p.
panegyrist.
71 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
"
.
. . .
conjecture is,
June 9. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
291
long, holy youth Columba, will God the true judge suffer such wickedness,
joined with our dishonour, to pass unavenged? " The saint pronounced his
:
just though dreadful sentence, against the flagitious murderer " This self
same hour, and while the maiden's soul shall ascend to Heaven, his soul shall descend down to hell. " And lo ! without delay, the monster fell dead before the holy youth. The report of this fearful and sudden chastisement was soon spread through many churches and provinces ? 2 in Ireland, to the great honour and veneration of our holy Deacon. How long St. Columba remained with Gemmanus cannot be ascertained. It is probable, however, that his stay with this teacher was only for a short time. Finding himself unable to edu- cate so comprehensive a genius, as that of his pupil, and foreseeing, from Colum-kille's endowments, both mental and corporal, that he was destined to act upon a more extensive theatre, the holy preceptor earnestly entreated of him to enter as a student the college of Clonard. " Following his advice, thither our saint went. There he remained, until he had altogether completed hisstudent'spreparatorycourseofsa—credandprofaneeducation. There,too, the celebrated St. Finian of Clonard —who must be distinguished from St. FinianofMoville,hisformerteacher wasAbbotoveraflourishingmonas-
tery. ? *
Our saint now directed his course to the province of Meath, where Clonard ? s
was pleasantly situated, near the banks of the River Boyne. So prolific andsoproductiveofholymenwasthismonasticinstitute,thatit hasbeen called the repository of saints, the hive of Christian wisdom, and the cradle of
6 After the establishment of in several Christianity Ireland,
sanctity. '
ricswereestablishedinMeath. AmongthesearereckonedClonard,Dam-
liag, now Duleek, Ceananus, now Kells, Trim, Ardbraccan, Dunshaughlin, Fore,Slane,andothersoflessnote. ? ? AtClonardwasfoundedagreatsemi- nary by St. Finnian, in connexion with his monastery. Some brief account of this early Irish university may not be displaced, if here introduced. It is
8
said, that St. Kieran,? son of the carpenter, gave the site for his religious
buildings to St. Finian, who soon collected to his school some of the most remarkable and distinguished saints and scholars of Ireland. To this ancient seat of learning students resorted, not only from all parts of the British Isles, butalsofromArmoricaandGermany. 79 St. Finianwasofnobleparentage, a great philosopher, and an eminent divine f° so that he became superior over this band of disciples, and they were most renowned, even among the many eminent scholastics then prosecuting their studies, in other celebrated monasteriesthroughoutIreland. 81 Themostprobableyearforhisfirstsettle-
82
ment, in this locality, seems to have been about 530.
Adamnan shows in [what a'r limited sense,
76 No less than three thousand monks are represented to have issued from those classes, under the tuition or direction of St. Finian. See Thomas Moore's " History of Ireland," vol. i. , chap, xii. , p. 242, n.
77 With the exception of Duleek and Kells, all of these were consolidated to form the See of Clonard, before a. d. 1 152. See
the term " in his time.
" was used by the Irish,
provincia
« A bishop's See is said to have been here
established, so early as a. d. 520, and that St. Finian became its first bishop. See Harris' Ware, vol. i , "Bishops of Meath," p, 136.
7* See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Vita Quinta S. Columboe, lib. i. , cap. xli. ,
p. 395.
" Its name is said to have been derived
from Cluain, "a meadow," and Eraird, a man's name. Eraird may have been the pagan chief who lived here, ages before the time of St. Finian. See Dr. P. W. Joyce's " Origin and History of Irish Names of Places," part ii. , chap, vii. , p. 225.
Harris' Ware, vol. i.
"
Bishops ofMeath,"
p. 135.
? 3 Whose feast occurs, at the 9th of Sep-
tember.
79 See Sir William R. Wilde's "Beauties
of the Boyne, and its Tributary, the Black- water," chap, xii- , 59.
8o
See Archdall's "Monasticon Hiberni-
cum," p. 519.
8l See Thomas Moore's of Ire- "History
bishop-
*}2 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9
After leaving Gemman, Columba attended the lectures of St. Finnian, at Clonard,83 some time after a. d. 540, when he was about twenty years old. There he applied most sedulously to learning, both sacred and secular. To a profound and acute judgment, he united a fervid spirit, and a fine ima- gination, qualities essential to produce the genius of poetry, which, we can have little doubt, was developed in him, at an early age. Philosophy and theology he studied with earnestness and perseverance, as requisite to qua- lify him for the duties of that sacred ministry, to which his soul so eagerly aspired. Our saint soon became illustrious for his knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and he read the Lives and Sufferings of the Apostles, Martyrs and Saints belonging to the Christian Church. Likewise, his spirit of pious dis- cipline, there acquired, afterwards produced eminent advantages to Christia- nityinIreland,inCaledonia,andthroughouttheBritishIsles. Thisyoung student St. Finian received with paternal tenderness, strongly applauding his thirst for literature and piety. By St. Finian, he was ordered to erect a cell for himself, at the church entrance. But, owing to the movement of some interior spirit, Columba built it at the side of the existing church, prophesying at the same time, that the doors of another church should be therein the future. This was literally fulfilled. Living on bread alone, his time was occupied with labour and study. While attending in the mill, he was occupied with his books. The angel Auxil was ever at his side, and aiding him in his men- tal and bodily labours. 8* By day, he was accustomed to meet with his fellow students, and all were emulous in aspiring to Evangelical perfection. Despis- ingtheworld,Columbaembracedwillinglypovertyandapenitentiallife. In vigils, in fasting, and in heavenly contemplation, his days were spent. That bread, with which the scholastics were fed, was prepared and ground with querns,orhandmills,bynight; onesetofyoungmenalternatelyrelieved another, at such work. Their manual labour alternated with study. When disengaged from their books, the youth were necessitated to work for their
sustenancewiththeirownhands. Notevenrank,ancestorialpride,territo-
rial possessions, or pecuniary property, insured any exception from manual 8
work. s
Our saint was very remarkable for the zeal, with which he inveighed
against vice ; and, especially, it is said, he incurred the displeasure of some powerful persons, in his manifestation of it. His —conduct was censured at an
held in a
land," vol. i. , chap, xii. , p. 242.
82 See Rev. Anthony Cogan's " Ecclesias-
tical History of the Diocese of Meath, An-
—astical
called Teilte 86 Adamnan written Hi by
ecclesi
Teilte now Teltown, in the county of Meath. The date, at which this synod had been held, and the cause for bringing censure on the saint, cannot now be accurately ascertained. 8 ? The clerics there assembled were ready to pro- nounce against him a sentence of excommunication,88 for some trifling and frivolous accusation that seems to have been submitted to them.
daunted, however, Columba repaired to the assembly, doubtless to exculpate
synod
place
Nothing
8s "
See The Life of Colum-kille," by an
eminent Divine of the Roman Catholic
Church, chap. ii.
K Teilte or Tailte was situated between
KellsandNavan.
*> See Dr. O'Donovan's " Annals of the
the scriptures. See various testimonies, col-
lected by Colgan, from the Lives of his
numerous disciples, in " Acta Sanctorum Finian who excommunicated him, when Hiberniae," Februarii xxiii. , pp. 403 to
405.
** See
Colgan's
Vita Quinta S. Columbce, lib. i. , cap. xlL, p. 395.
cient and Modern," vol. p. 11.
i. , chap, ii. ,
83 He was confessedly a famous teacher of
" Trias
falsely charged with a crime, although St. Columb was entirely innocent. Hewasob-
Thaumaturga,"
liged, moreover,
an assembly of clerics, convened at Clonard. to hear his sentence pronounced.
Four Masters," vol. i. , p. 193.
K According to O'Donnell, it was St.
it is to come before said,
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 2 93
himself from those charges, that has been preferred against him. St. Brendan was present, and when St. Columba arrived at the synod, rising up, the Abbot of Birr advanced to meet him. Other clerics, who were present, upbraided Brendan for his affectionate embracing of Columba. However, he " Neither would
This account is also contained in the
Acts of St. Columba, by Adamnan, lib. iii. ,
cap. 3, pp. 192 to 194. See Rev. Dr. Reeves' ed lion. This version is substan- tially the same as that conveyed in O'Don- nell's Irish Life.
s1 I lis festival occurs, at the 12th of October.
9? In the accompanying illustration, there is a view of it drawn on the spot, by William F. Wakeman, who transferred it to the wood.
:
have ever him from the com- separated
you
munion of the faithful, had you seen him surrounded by his heavenly guar-
replied :
dians as I have; nor do your censures tend more than to increase his merits
and his glorious crown. "
speech,buthecontinued "Idonotdeny,but,onthecontrary,Iacknow- ledge with you, that faith and authority support the sentence of excommuni- cation; however, itmust be taken in the proper and obvious sense, that the Church, through virtue of the power granted her by Christ, should only im- pose censure on those known to be guilty, and should equitably proceed in absolving those restored by repentance ; but, when judgment errs, in the application of a just law* the Almighty shields the innocent and condemns
They also felt indignant with Brendan for his
Glasnevin, County of Dublin.
the guilty. In the case of Columba, such an error has occurred; and, you have certainly been mistaken, when you visit on one, never known to commit a mortal sin, such a public and most severe chastisement. Wherefore, I have
affectionately received and venerated him, who, on his approach to me, seemed 8
and before whom a pillar of light moved. " ? Wherefore, not only was Columba spared the sentence of excommunication.
circled around with
angelic spirits,
In the foreground is the small and rapid 50 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," river, with a temporary wooden Catholic
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xlii. , chapel on its banks. The Botanical Gardens
PP- 395- 39°-
extendintherereofthehouses; whileinthe
294 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [June 9.
but these words moved the bishops and clergy to receive him with singular
loveandadmiration; sothat,inhisregard,thecauseoftruthhadasignal
00
triumph. — —
At this time, St. Mobi Claireineach 0I otherwise known as Berchan
lived at Gleann-Naidhen, now Glasnevin, a village near the city of Dublin. There he had selected a site for his church, and for a monastic institute, at an early period. It seems probable, that his church was originally built within the present cemetery, where a Protestant church now stands, while the monas- ticcellsweregroupedoneithersideoftheRiverTolka. 02 Throughthisplace flows that small but romantic stream, under a bridge pleasantly shaded by trees, while giving an air of antiquity and repose to some old-fashioned buildings 93 in the suburban village straggling about it. Here, St. Mobi had a celebrated school, comprising fifty pupils, and among these were Saints Canice,04 Com- gall,ssand Kieran, 06 men of approved virtue, and advanced in learning, while still anxious to improve themselves, in sacred and secular science. Attracted
by the fame of such a master, and with the permission of St. Finnian, Columba attached himself to the establishment of Mobi. The river there ran between some separated and small cells, which lay on the western bank, and the church, which rose on the eastern side. The monastic farm was thus divided by that stream, which frequently after floods attained a very high level. One night, when it was necessary for the community to visit the church, they foundtheriververymuchswollen. ThisdidnotpreventColumbafromfording
it, and his master greatly admired his fervour, in the accomplishment of that effort. Having passed the river, Columba raised his soul to God, and thus addressed his companions : "Our Saviour, for the future, can deliver us from the inconveniences of this ford. " According to the legend, the cells, with their occupants, were then transported to the east side of the river; while the monks attributed this wonderful miracle, to the prayers and merits of St. Columba. 97 St. Mobi had lately built a church, and in a friendly conference with his disciples, Saints Cannech, Kieran, Comgall, and Columba, he asked what each might wish it filled with. St. Cannech said, with pious books, which might direct and instruct many in the knowledge of God ; St. Kieran said, with holy men, who should constantly sing the Divine praises ; St. Com- gall said, with all the diseases and physical evils of men, which might be borne by himself for Christ's sake ; but, Columba said, he wished it filled with
gold and silver, to build many churches and monasteries, to provide vest- ments for them, and to relieve the necessities of the poor. Having con-
" The
Columba most material riches, and his successors shall be richer than yours. "98
There is a subsequent account 99 of a slight contention, between St. Kieran
of Clonmacnoise and St. which was decided an 100 Dur- Columba, by Angel.
ing the time St. Columba was at this school, a great pestilence and mortality broke out at Glasnevin. It seems to have been of an epidemic nature, and
sidered their several then Mobi wishes,
replied :
Almighty
will
give
background appears in the extensive and beautiful Catholic cemetery of Glasnevin, the lofty Round Tower, which rises over the Monumental V ault, where repose the remains of Ireland's illustrious Liberator, Daniel O'Connell. The engraving is by Mrs. Mil- lard.
93 One of these, known as Delville, cele- brated in connexion with its former owner, Rev. Dr. Patrick DeLmy, the friend of Dean Swift, is well described in acommunication, which appeared in 'All the Year Round,"
vol. xiv. , August, 1875, ^°- 349> PP- 445 to 449, and No. 350, pp. 467 to 472.
** His feast occurs, on the Ilth of Oc- tober.
95 His festival is on the loth of May.
s6 His feast is held, on the 9th of Sep- tember.
97 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. , cap. xliii. , p. 396.
98 . See ibid. , can. xlv. , p. 396.
conducted Charles by
Dickens,
New Series,
,qo See ibid. ,
cap.
xliv. ,
p. 396
"By'O'Donnell.
June 9. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 295 accompanied with contagion. Most probably, it was the celebrated Buidhe
nevin,
1 onaccountofthecause
already assigned.
Heresolvedon
returning
in the IQI and which carried off so year 548,
which
of the saints of Ireland.
the plague was marked by ravages of excessive virulence. St. Mobi was
obliged to close his school, and to send his scholars to their respective places.
Wherefore, Columba proceeded to Tyrconnell, with a mandate from St.
Mobi to receive neither land nor site for founding a monastery, or for any
other purpose, without first informing him and obtaining his permission. In his journey homewards, Columba came to the River Biora, where he prayed
God, that any future pestilence might be stayed. His prayers were heard, and it was remarked, that every subsequent pestilence ceased, at the banks of
102
CHAPTER III.
ST. COLUMBA RETURNS TO HIS NATIVE PLACE—HIS ORDINATION AS PRIEST—HE FOUNDS THE MONASTERY OF DERRY—HIS MANNER OF LIFE THERE AND GREAT VIRTUES—VARIOUS MIRACLES—HE BUILDS A MONASTERY AT DURROW—HE BLESSES THE SWORD OF COLMAN MOR—THE BOOK OF DURROW—COLUMBA AND HIS UNCLES IN TYRCONNELL.
When the site embraced by the present city of Dublin was almost a solitude,
or probably occupied only by a few fishermen or agriculturists, and while yet a very young man, Columba was obliged to leave the monastery of Glas-
Chonaill,
prevailed
many This is the first recorded visitation of the kind, and
that river.
to the north ; and, we can have little doubt, this visit to the haunts of his
boyhood was most agreeable to himself, to his family, to his kindred, and to
his clansmen. According to some accounts, he remained only for a short
time, in his native territory of Tyrconnell, where he was distinguished for his
great merits and accomplishments.
There is no good warrant for the statement, that St. Columba spent some
time under St. Ciaran, the father and founder of the celebrated monastery of Cluain, upon the River Shannon. 2 This supposition may have been based
upon a hymn composed in praise of Ciaran, and attributed to our saint. He was deemed eligible—as we are told—for advancement to the rank of Bishop, and his friends had desired him to receive episcopal consecration. As yet, he was only a Deacon, and Priesthood was the next grade to be sought. It is stated,3 that he left the north for this purpose, and travelled towards thewestofMeath. St. Etchen,*bishopofCiuain-bileorClonfad,issaidto
101
See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the very interesting work "Autobiography and Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 184 to 189, and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs.
accompanying notes.
102
See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Vila S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xlvi. .
Delany," &c, edi:eJ by the Right Hon. Lady Llanover, London. 1861, 8vo.
2
Such is the account left us by Rev. Dr. John Smith, who is furthermore incorrect in
p. 396- — Chapter hi.
«
St. Ciaran's death at a. d. but 594—
This
last century, was often resorted to by the
celebrated Dean of St. Patrick, to visit his friend Rev. Dr. Patrick Delany, as often set forth, in Roscoe's edition of "The Works of Jonathan Swift, D. D. " The residence of
Dr. Delany at Delville, near Glasnevin, and his manner of life there, are given in that
3 By Prince O'Donnell.
4 His festival is held, on the nthofFeb- ruary, where his Acts may be found in vol. ii. of this work, Art. ii.
5 See her Life in the Second Volume of
place, during
the
placing
this is probably a misprint for A. D. 549. See "Life of St. Columba," p. 8, and n. 5.
.
,0 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga,"
Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xlviii. ,
p. 397.
" bee "The Irish Ecclesiastical Record,"
vol. ii. A Day at Iona. Recollections of
St Columba, p. 120.
12 "
The Annals of the Four Masters"
296 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [J une 9.
have been sought for the purpose. His place of residence was in the district
of Fera-bile, which was in the southern part of Meath. St. Etchen belonged
to an illustrious family of Leinster. It is related, that he was obtained by
his parents from the Almighty, through the blessing and prayers of St. Brigid. 5 Nor is there any authentic account of Etchen's proceedings, until we meet
with him as bishop in that place. He is chiefly remarkable as the ordainer of Columba. Being arrived near Etchen's church, our saint inquired for the bishop. He was then told, that he should find him ploughing in a field, accordingtoausualcustom. St. Columbathenwentuptohim. Theholy deacon—for such he then was—received the greatest kindness and wel- come from the prelate. On being apprized of the reason for this visit, Etchen
We may dismiss
8
bably not long after the foundation of Dairmagh, in Dr. Lanigan's opinion, and while Columba was still in South Meath, that he was raised to the priest- hood ; and, it is thought, that his ordination could not have been later, than the latter end of a. d. 551, when he had just completed his thirtieth year.
The very day after his ordination, the holy man is said to have turned his
steps homewards, and to have sought his own native place at Deny. 10 About
St. Columba's twenty-fifth year must have opened his future great missionary
career. 11 He had desired to erect a establishment for a fer- greatly religious
vent community of monks, in the northern parts of Ireland. He selected a spot, which he deemed most suitable for his purpose. The site for building, and the granting of some adjoining land, were presents to him from his rela-
did not hesitate to ordain him soon afterwards, as a priest.
a
6 about
as absurd and very
in all its
St. Etchen's intending to consecrate him as a bishop instead. 7 It was pro-
site called
Deny,
for the foundation of his first
monastery.
1 * The name is
12 whowere
On Feab- Lough
improbable,
circumstances,
story told,
ofthat
huil rose an insulated hill or promontory, beside a broad and navigable river,
known at present as the Foyle. It commanded on every side views of a
tives,
princes
or
proprietors
country. ^
country, rich in natural and cultivated beauty.
He obtained this delightful
derived from an Irish word, Doire,15 in a " of meaning English place oaks,"
but often it is used to express a " thick wood f however, this generic deno- mination is generally found in composition with some other word, 10 as in this instance, the original pagan appellation of this place being Doire Calgach,17
or the " oak-wood of
18
By some,
it seems to be that supposed,
Thaumaturga," Quinta Vita S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xlvii. , pp. 396,397.
? For further particulars in reference to
this matter, the reader is referred to what has
been already stated, in the Life of St.
Etchen, at the nth of February, Art. ii.
8"
See Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. i.