The
Calendar
of Cashel
applies this name to him.
applies this name to him.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v1
Most of the people were nearly lost, owing to hunger and want of food.
But the singularly disinterested Nathalan, moved by the highest spirit of charity, distributed all his grain and stores, in the name of Christ, to the poor.
At the spring time, no seed was left him, even to sow his lands ; yet, God
'^ See Harris' Ware. " The Antiquities of '* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 265. Scottish Saints," pp. 417 to 419. 'S Pars HyemaUs, xxv. (b).
January 8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 129
wrought a miracle, which produced an abundant harvest. When this time came, however, and when a great multitude of both sexes had been collected to gather in the crop, a tremendous tempest of rain and a whirlwind prevented the husbandmen and women from pursuing their labours. For a moment losing patience, and being excited to anger, along with other reapers, the saint murmured a Httle against God. The tempest soon ceased. But, on second thought, Nathalan, feeling he had offended the Divine Majesty, was induced to bind himself by vow to continue a rigid course of penance. This ended, it is stated, and in a miraculous way, after he had visited the thresholds of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, in the city of Rome. There, too, he sought the monuments of the saints, so thickly placed on every side. Hearing a report of his extraordinary miracles and sanctity, the Supreme
Pontiif summoned him into his presence. Notwithstanding the saint's reluct-
ance, he was persuaded, at length, to assume the episcopal dignity. If we are to place implicit faith in these accounts, probably either before his going to Rome or after he had left it, the saint visited Ireland, and then he must have founded Dungiven, or at least he spent some time there. But, it must be allowed, we feel at a loss to determine the period.
In the practice of Divine contemplation, having rendered himself very acceptable to all at Rome, by permission of the Sovereign Pontiff, as we are informed, Nathalan got permission for returning to that part of Scotia, whence
hespnmg. Inextremeoldage,hevisitedhisnatalsoil.
He then built the
churches of Tullicht, Bothelim, and Colle,'7 at his own expense. He also dedicated them to the Almighty, and long aftenvards they existed in those provinces, as monuments of his zeal.
The death of St. Nechtain occurred A. d. 677,'^ according to the Annals of the Four Masters,^9 but we find the rest of Neachtain Neir recorded a. d. 678, in the Annals of Ulster. We meet no less than four different saints of this name recorded in our calendars. *" It would seem that this holy man died in Britain, on the 8th of January,*' after the performance of many won- derful miracles. He is said to have been buried with great reverence at Tul- licht. St. Nachlan is patron of TuUich. ** There in after time he often afforded health to the sick, who came to seek it piously and devoutly. At TulHcht a cross of very early type, incised on a rude granite slab, once lay in the parish church. It now forms the top Hntel to one of the doors of the old kirk there. *3 He is also the patron of Balthelney, or rather Bothelney. ** nowMeldrum. Owingtothefervourofhisprayers,Nathelanissaidtohave averted a raging pestilence from this place. *s At the old kirk here, about three miles from the town of Old Meldrum, is Naughlan's Well. At Collie
'7 Now Cowl. The church there was de- dicated to St. Nachlan. See "View of the
Saints," p. i.
*^ See "View of the Diocese of Aber-
" Collec- See Rev. William Reeves' Colton's
See " Collections for a His- tory of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. "
Diocese of
tions for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. "
Aberdeen," p. 633.
deen," p. 639.
'^
^'t That is "the
'9 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, pp. 284 St. Nachlan, the tutelar. See Collections
"Visitation of n. Derry," p. 41,
ofSt. Nethalenor ""
to 287, n. (q), ibid, *° One at 22nd of
''
signed by Colgan's printer
nth;
(s. )
—
April erroneously
dwelling
—to the
another at the 2nd of May St. Patrick's disciple ;— St. Neachtain, a virgin, at the 22nd of November, besides the present saint.
"See Kalendarium in Drummondiense,
didnowork. " Paro- Origines
s- a—
onwhich
Bishop Forbes—' "Kalendars of Scottish chiales Scotiae," vol. i. , Preface, p. xxii. n.
they
Vol. I. No. 3. k
"
for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and
"
Banff. View of the Diocese of Aber-
deen," p. 558.
=^3 See Bishop Forbes' Scottish Saints," p. 419.
Kalendars of
Long after this tradition, and when the
^5
saint's name was even forgotten, the pa- rishioners kept the 8th of January as a feast,
I30 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 8.
or Cowle, his name is rhymed among the fishermen,^^ and in the parish of Kildalton, in Islay, we find Kilnaughtan. ^? By the labour of his hands, hke the Apostle St. Paul, this holy man Avrought humbly to purify and make more perfect his good dispositions. Idleness is a very prevailing vice in our corrupt age, and society is greatly poisoned owing to its fatal indulgence. Were the energies of men's minds and bodies more righteously exercised, comparative innocence must have more abounded in the world ; for industrious pursuits, reasonably regulated, foster vigorous thoughts, and are even conducive to our corporal health.
Article V. —St. Cocca, Cucca, Cuach or Cuaca, Virgin and
Patroness of Kilcock Parish, County of Kildare. The name
of Cuaca, Virgin, is mentioned in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ on the 8th of January. In addition to this notice, we are further informed regarding the exact locality, which appears to have been named after her. Cuach, Virgin, of Cill-Cuaiche—said to have been in Cairbre-na-Ciardha— occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ on this day. The district last named is said to have been included Avithin the modem barony of Carbury, in the north-west of Kildare County. 3 But to include Kilcock,-* it must have ex- tended into the baronies of Ikeathy and Oughterany, in the same county. The ancient church or religious house, dedicated to St. Cocha, must have given name to this place, which is situated on a stream, called the Rye Water, here forming the boundary of the county of Kildare,5 and separating it from thecountyofMeath. ButthechieffestivalofSt. Cuach,CuacaorCocca, Patroness of Kilcock,^ seems to have been commemorated on the 6th of June, when further notice shall be given, regarding this holy \'irgin and her locality.
ArticleVI. —St. Moshacra,SonofBennan. Moshacra,MacBennain, is met with in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 8th of January. He is mentioned more fully elsewhere ; for we read, that on this day, according to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ was venerated, Moshacra, son of Bennan. The Cain of Adamnan3 states, that he was among the guarantees Abbot Adamnan obtained to free women from every servitude and slavery under which they laboured. It happens, however, that there is another Moshacra,
"* " Atween the kirk and kirk ford, There lies St. Nauchlan's hoard.
p
Kilcoke,' which I presume can refer only
^ " Origines
to your church.
sSeeLewis' "TopographicalDictionaryof Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 62.
^
Dr. Moran, Bishop of Ossory.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, II.
3 in a note Dr. Todd says at these words,
Cain of Adamnan, i. e. , the "Law of Adam-
Parochiales
exclude in
of any other saints.
Geoghegan is dated December nth, 1873.
part ii. , p. —269,
Art. v. 'Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we can read
Cucca t^1^^.
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 11. 3 The family name O'Ciardha is now An-
glicized Keary and Carey. See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n.
(y), p. 670.
* The following is a notice, obligingly
furnished by the Rev. Thomas Geoghegan, P. P. of Kilcock, with an extract from a letter addressed to him by the Rt. Rev.
"
In an old list of the churches of Kildare, drawn up at the time of Colgan, there is the following
It would appear, as already stated, that in the seventeenth century, owing to forget- fulness or disuse, the memory of this early Patroness died out in her place, and that St. Gall was afterwards adopted as Patron at Kilcock. —
Scotise,"
i. ,
any way
the "
" vol.
This does not however
joint commemoration The letter of Father
entry under the head of the Deanery of nan. " See Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of
Clane:
'
Ecclesia Parochialis S. Galli de Columba," App. to Pref. , pp. 1. , Ii.
Art. VI. p. xii.
'
'
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
January 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 131
Abbot of Cluain-eidhneach, He is venerated at the 3rd of March. It is not clearly understood, which of them is spoken of in the Cain, as we cannot find the years of their deaths recorded in our books of Annals.
ArticleVII. —St. Saran,ofCuil-creamha. Saran,ofCuil-cremha,is recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal/ on this day. Nor is his name omitted in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ which has a similar entry, on the 8th of January. The time and place of this saint do not appear to have been determined.
Article VIII. —St. Molibba, Bishop of Glendalough, County of
WicKLOw. [Seiienth Century^ St. —Libba,' better known, however, with the
—cestors to a IrishprefixMo^whichsignifiesMy'^ asappliedbyouran person
for whom great love or reverence had been entertained was born of re- spectable parentage. 3 His father's name was Colmad'* or Colraan, as he is differently named;5 his extraction had been derived from the family of Messin-corb, that ruled over a district of country within bounds of the Leinster province. His mother was named Coeltigerna, the daughter of Coemlog, and she was descended also from the Messin-corb family, accord- ing to one account. ^ Yet this statement regarding the saint's parents is contradicted by another : his father being called Arad of Dalaradia, and his motherCoemoca,thesisterofSt. Kevin. 7 Heretherewouldseemtohave beensomeambiguityinnamingthepresentsaint'smother. However,besides a sister named Arbhinnia or Coemola, Coeltigerna had three distinguished saints, who classed as brothers ; namely, Saints Kevin,^ Abbot of Glenda- lough,9 Mochemius, othenvise called Natchchaoimhe, Abbot of Tirdaglass," and Coeman, Abbot of Annatrim, Queen's County. " In addition to our saint, his parents had three other sons. All of these were distinguished for their sanctity: and they were named respectively, St. Dagan," Bishop of Achad- Dagan, or Inverdaoile,^^ St. Menocus, or Enanus^^ of Glennfaidhle,'s and St. Mobaius, whom it appears difficult to identify with any known saint of this name, to be found in our calendars. St. Molibba is said to have flourished during the early part of the seventh century, and most probably he spent
Art. VII. —'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, 11. 9
'
'
Art. VIII.
The Calendar of Cashel
applies this name to him.
Glendalough was an ancient episcopal see, and a well-inhabited city, till about 1214, when the see was annexed to the diocese of Dublin, and the city, memorable for its religious edifices, not only suffered decay, but insensibly became a receptacle for
^
His name is found Latinized Molibbeus.
"
Edited by —Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii.
3 See Colgan's
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nice," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbte, and outlaws and robbers. " Eraser's "Statistical
nn. I, 2, p. 43.
^ St. ^ngus and the Martyrology of Tal-
lagh have Colmad. Again, under the head of Glenn-da-locha, Duald Mac Firbis enters Molioba, son of Colmadh, from Glenn-da-
Siu-vey of the Coimty of Wicklow. " Part i. , sec. 7, p. 36.
'°
See his Acts at the ist of May.
'' See his Life at the 3rd of November. " See his Life at the 13th of September,
locha, at January the 8th. See Proceed- ings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 112, 113.
'3 gee Joseph Nolan's History and An- tiquities of Glendalough," cap. iii. , p. 20. The author, with many other writers, sup- poses it to be in the county of Wexford. It
^ See his Life at the 3rd of June.
"
""
5 In the Genealogy of St. Dagan, he is
called Colman. "Menologic Genealogy," is, however, the present Ennereilly on the
south-eastern coast of the county of Wick- See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- low.
cap. XX. ^''
nise," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbse, p. 43.
'^His feast occurs at the 29th of Decem- ber.
^ In the tract of St. Mothers of the Irish Saints. "
"On the
'S Now in the Glenealy,
low.
county
of Wick-
. ^Engus,
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 8.
132
some time under the direction of his holy uncle St, Kevin, at Glendalough. There, even at the present day, may be seen a great number of ecclesiastical rums, some of which in all likelihood date back to the sixth or seventh
Old Archway and Round Tower, Glendalough.
century. '* Theirsituation,inreferencetoeachseparatecellorchurch,isone of curious interest to the explorer of past history. '^ After the death of his
uncle, St. Kevin, which took place in the year 6i8, or 622, according to Usher,*^ our saint is believed to have succeeded him in the see of Glenda- lough. Such is the statement of Colgan ; but Dr. Lanigan seems inclined to think, that Molibba was the first bishop over this see, '9 St. Kevin having only been an abbot. Molibba ruled over his charge with great prudence
and virtue,'" and he departed this life—or at least he is honoured—on
the 8th
day of January. We are not told the exact year of his death, by Colgan.
He intended, perhaps, to state this in notes, which he designed appending
to his short notice regarding this saint.
These comments, numbering fourteen or fifteen, were lost through ac-
cident ;=' yet, it would appear, Colgan had hopes of recovering them, since he directs the reader's attention to addenda, at the close of his work. The omitted notes are not to be found there, however ; and most certainly they
'* The annexed engraving by Mrs. Millard
is from a photograph taken by Frederick
W. Mares, of Dublin. ''
p. 366.
*> Harris says, that "Molibba, being con-
secrated a bishop, succeeded his uncle St. Kevin in the see of Glendaloch, A. D. 612, six years before St. Kevin's death. " Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Ireland," p. 373. Yet Harris gives us no authority for this statement.
"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," viii. Januarii, p. 43, n. 4, and perhaps
'' See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
of the County of Wicklow," sheet 23. '^See Usher's "Index Chronologicus,
**
p. 537, and Britannicarura Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 495.
'9 See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , c. xiv. , § xvi. , p. 364, and n. 228,
"
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 133 must be regarded as important, in elucidating some particulars, relating to
January 8. ]
ovu: saint's
meagre biography.
="2
we shall have occasion to record
5. Errors of the press are of frequent oc-
After fifteen entries of foreign saints,
Irish Hagiology.
" There were two other saints bearing this
name, Molibba, in the Irish calendar. One of these was venerated at Enach-elte, in Ulster, on the i8th of February, at which day his Acts may be seen. The other was celebrated at a place called Gortchirb, where his festival was kept on the 5th of August.
=3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p.
r I. A commentator adds in the table his
Tallagh Martyrology, the first notice of an Irish saint is -pin Am epi. Besides three legible there are five other entries ; but too much effaced to be decipherable.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. II.
• See O'Donovan's Edition, pp. 268 to 271, and n. (q) iMd.
s See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta
Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , p.
490.
* remarks that St. son of Colgan Finan,
"
Elsewhere,
We read in the Martyrology of Donegal,^3
the acts of his sainted relations.
that Molibha, of Glenn-da-locha, bishop, had a festival on this day. This
saint is entered likewise in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^^ on the 8th of
Januar}', under the designation of Molibha Mac Colmadha. Frequently hereafter, we shall have an opportunity to introduce notices of saints con- nected with the ruined city of Glendalough.
Article IX. —St. Finan, Son of Rimhidh, Bishop. {Seventh Century. '] Finan is recorded in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,' on the 8th of
January. There he is distinguished as belonging to the episcopal order. * On this day is mentioned, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 Finan, son of Rimhidh, bishop. In a. d. 659, according to the Annals of Ulster and of the Four Masters, he departed to everlasting life. ^ Colgan has classed him among the disciples of St. Columba, at lona ;5 but it is not probable he lived there under the great archimandrite. ^ His Acts seem more properly
referable to the succeeding day, when they are given.
Article X. —St. Dagain of Glinn-da-locha, County of Wicklow.
\Posstbly in the Seventh Century. ] Unless this saint be St. Dagan of Enne-
reilly, in the barony of Arklow, and county of Wicklow, it would seem to be a difficult matter to determine the time of his connexion with Glendalough. Ifanidentitycouldbeestabhshed,hewasnephewtoSt. Kevin. Thename Dagain of Glinn-da-locha occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 8—th
In the —of his January. supposition being
saint of
patron Ennereilly
of
a matter by no means certain two other festivals were assigned him
feast at the 12th of March, and the other at the 13th of September,' when he died A. D. 639. 3
Article XL—St. Cillein, Abbot. The happy death of the just man opens to him the light of Heaven, when that of earth fades from his view.
'
currence throughout this great work on at this date, in the Franciscan copy of the
opinion of this Saint Mo-Liobha being Rimid, was otherwise called Finanus Sax-
Livinus, while this word is a diminutive onicus. " See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
from Livius. See Hid. pp. 452, 453. See nise," ix. Januarii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Duffus
Hardy's "Descriptive Catalogue
of
Finani, cap. i, p. 46.
Materials relating to the History of Great
Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p.
254.
— xii,
"
' Edited
Rev. Dr.
by Kelly, p.
xii.
»* Edited— Rev. Dr. by
See his Life at this date.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 256, 257, and n, (d) Md.
xii.
Art. IX. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p.
'
Kelly, p.
the
Art. X.
:
one
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 9.
So must it Have been when Cillein, abbot, recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal,' departed this Hfe. To-day his festival was celebrated, and this seems established from a similar entry occurring in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 8th of January. His period or locality has not been deter- mined.
^uttft I3ap of Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FOILAN, FELAN, OR FILLAN, ABBOT, IN SCOTLAND. {SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CEN7URIES. \
CHAPTER I.
'^ See Harris' Ware. " The Antiquities of '* See Bishop Forbes' " Kalendars of
Ireland," chap, xxxviii. , p. 265. Scottish Saints," pp. 417 to 419. 'S Pars HyemaUs, xxv. (b).
January 8. ]
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 129
wrought a miracle, which produced an abundant harvest. When this time came, however, and when a great multitude of both sexes had been collected to gather in the crop, a tremendous tempest of rain and a whirlwind prevented the husbandmen and women from pursuing their labours. For a moment losing patience, and being excited to anger, along with other reapers, the saint murmured a Httle against God. The tempest soon ceased. But, on second thought, Nathalan, feeling he had offended the Divine Majesty, was induced to bind himself by vow to continue a rigid course of penance. This ended, it is stated, and in a miraculous way, after he had visited the thresholds of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, in the city of Rome. There, too, he sought the monuments of the saints, so thickly placed on every side. Hearing a report of his extraordinary miracles and sanctity, the Supreme
Pontiif summoned him into his presence. Notwithstanding the saint's reluct-
ance, he was persuaded, at length, to assume the episcopal dignity. If we are to place implicit faith in these accounts, probably either before his going to Rome or after he had left it, the saint visited Ireland, and then he must have founded Dungiven, or at least he spent some time there. But, it must be allowed, we feel at a loss to determine the period.
In the practice of Divine contemplation, having rendered himself very acceptable to all at Rome, by permission of the Sovereign Pontiff, as we are informed, Nathalan got permission for returning to that part of Scotia, whence
hespnmg. Inextremeoldage,hevisitedhisnatalsoil.
He then built the
churches of Tullicht, Bothelim, and Colle,'7 at his own expense. He also dedicated them to the Almighty, and long aftenvards they existed in those provinces, as monuments of his zeal.
The death of St. Nechtain occurred A. d. 677,'^ according to the Annals of the Four Masters,^9 but we find the rest of Neachtain Neir recorded a. d. 678, in the Annals of Ulster. We meet no less than four different saints of this name recorded in our calendars. *" It would seem that this holy man died in Britain, on the 8th of January,*' after the performance of many won- derful miracles. He is said to have been buried with great reverence at Tul- licht. St. Nachlan is patron of TuUich. ** There in after time he often afforded health to the sick, who came to seek it piously and devoutly. At TulHcht a cross of very early type, incised on a rude granite slab, once lay in the parish church. It now forms the top Hntel to one of the doors of the old kirk there. *3 He is also the patron of Balthelney, or rather Bothelney. ** nowMeldrum. Owingtothefervourofhisprayers,Nathelanissaidtohave averted a raging pestilence from this place. *s At the old kirk here, about three miles from the town of Old Meldrum, is Naughlan's Well. At Collie
'7 Now Cowl. The church there was de- dicated to St. Nachlan. See "View of the
Saints," p. i.
*^ See "View of the Diocese of Aber-
" Collec- See Rev. William Reeves' Colton's
See " Collections for a His- tory of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. "
Diocese of
tions for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. "
Aberdeen," p. 633.
deen," p. 639.
'^
^'t That is "the
'9 See Dr. O'Donovan's Edition, pp. 284 St. Nachlan, the tutelar. See Collections
"Visitation of n. Derry," p. 41,
ofSt. Nethalenor ""
to 287, n. (q), ibid, *° One at 22nd of
''
signed by Colgan's printer
nth;
(s. )
—
April erroneously
dwelling
—to the
another at the 2nd of May St. Patrick's disciple ;— St. Neachtain, a virgin, at the 22nd of November, besides the present saint.
"See Kalendarium in Drummondiense,
didnowork. " Paro- Origines
s- a—
onwhich
Bishop Forbes—' "Kalendars of Scottish chiales Scotiae," vol. i. , Preface, p. xxii. n.
they
Vol. I. No. 3. k
"
for a History of the Shires of Aberdeen and
"
Banff. View of the Diocese of Aber-
deen," p. 558.
=^3 See Bishop Forbes' Scottish Saints," p. 419.
Kalendars of
Long after this tradition, and when the
^5
saint's name was even forgotten, the pa- rishioners kept the 8th of January as a feast,
I30 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 8.
or Cowle, his name is rhymed among the fishermen,^^ and in the parish of Kildalton, in Islay, we find Kilnaughtan. ^? By the labour of his hands, hke the Apostle St. Paul, this holy man Avrought humbly to purify and make more perfect his good dispositions. Idleness is a very prevailing vice in our corrupt age, and society is greatly poisoned owing to its fatal indulgence. Were the energies of men's minds and bodies more righteously exercised, comparative innocence must have more abounded in the world ; for industrious pursuits, reasonably regulated, foster vigorous thoughts, and are even conducive to our corporal health.
Article V. —St. Cocca, Cucca, Cuach or Cuaca, Virgin and
Patroness of Kilcock Parish, County of Kildare. The name
of Cuaca, Virgin, is mentioned in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ on the 8th of January. In addition to this notice, we are further informed regarding the exact locality, which appears to have been named after her. Cuach, Virgin, of Cill-Cuaiche—said to have been in Cairbre-na-Ciardha— occurs in the Martyrology of Donegal,^ on this day. The district last named is said to have been included Avithin the modem barony of Carbury, in the north-west of Kildare County. 3 But to include Kilcock,-* it must have ex- tended into the baronies of Ikeathy and Oughterany, in the same county. The ancient church or religious house, dedicated to St. Cocha, must have given name to this place, which is situated on a stream, called the Rye Water, here forming the boundary of the county of Kildare,5 and separating it from thecountyofMeath. ButthechieffestivalofSt. Cuach,CuacaorCocca, Patroness of Kilcock,^ seems to have been commemorated on the 6th of June, when further notice shall be given, regarding this holy \'irgin and her locality.
ArticleVI. —St. Moshacra,SonofBennan. Moshacra,MacBennain, is met with in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 8th of January. He is mentioned more fully elsewhere ; for we read, that on this day, according to the Martyrology of Donegal,^ was venerated, Moshacra, son of Bennan. The Cain of Adamnan3 states, that he was among the guarantees Abbot Adamnan obtained to free women from every servitude and slavery under which they laboured. It happens, however, that there is another Moshacra,
"* " Atween the kirk and kirk ford, There lies St. Nauchlan's hoard.
p
Kilcoke,' which I presume can refer only
^ " Origines
to your church.
sSeeLewis' "TopographicalDictionaryof Ireland," vol. ii. , p. 62.
^
Dr. Moran, Bishop of Ossory.
Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, II.
3 in a note Dr. Todd says at these words,
Cain of Adamnan, i. e. , the "Law of Adam-
Parochiales
exclude in
of any other saints.
Geoghegan is dated December nth, 1873.
part ii. , p. —269,
Art. v. 'Edited by the Rev. Dr. Kelly,
p. xii. In the Franciscan copy we can read
Cucca t^1^^.
"Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. 11. 3 The family name O'Ciardha is now An-
glicized Keary and Carey. See O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four Masters," vol. ii. , n.
(y), p. 670.
* The following is a notice, obligingly
furnished by the Rev. Thomas Geoghegan, P. P. of Kilcock, with an extract from a letter addressed to him by the Rt. Rev.
"
In an old list of the churches of Kildare, drawn up at the time of Colgan, there is the following
It would appear, as already stated, that in the seventeenth century, owing to forget- fulness or disuse, the memory of this early Patroness died out in her place, and that St. Gall was afterwards adopted as Patron at Kilcock. —
Scotise,"
i. ,
any way
the "
" vol.
This does not however
joint commemoration The letter of Father
entry under the head of the Deanery of nan. " See Reeves' Adamnan's "Life of
Clane:
'
Ecclesia Parochialis S. Galli de Columba," App. to Pref. , pp. 1. , Ii.
Art. VI. p. xii.
'
'
Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly,
January 8. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS, 131
Abbot of Cluain-eidhneach, He is venerated at the 3rd of March. It is not clearly understood, which of them is spoken of in the Cain, as we cannot find the years of their deaths recorded in our books of Annals.
ArticleVII. —St. Saran,ofCuil-creamha. Saran,ofCuil-cremha,is recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal/ on this day. Nor is his name omitted in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ which has a similar entry, on the 8th of January. The time and place of this saint do not appear to have been determined.
Article VIII. —St. Molibba, Bishop of Glendalough, County of
WicKLOw. [Seiienth Century^ St. —Libba,' better known, however, with the
—cestors to a IrishprefixMo^whichsignifiesMy'^ asappliedbyouran person
for whom great love or reverence had been entertained was born of re- spectable parentage. 3 His father's name was Colmad'* or Colraan, as he is differently named;5 his extraction had been derived from the family of Messin-corb, that ruled over a district of country within bounds of the Leinster province. His mother was named Coeltigerna, the daughter of Coemlog, and she was descended also from the Messin-corb family, accord- ing to one account. ^ Yet this statement regarding the saint's parents is contradicted by another : his father being called Arad of Dalaradia, and his motherCoemoca,thesisterofSt. Kevin. 7 Heretherewouldseemtohave beensomeambiguityinnamingthepresentsaint'smother. However,besides a sister named Arbhinnia or Coemola, Coeltigerna had three distinguished saints, who classed as brothers ; namely, Saints Kevin,^ Abbot of Glenda- lough,9 Mochemius, othenvise called Natchchaoimhe, Abbot of Tirdaglass," and Coeman, Abbot of Annatrim, Queen's County. " In addition to our saint, his parents had three other sons. All of these were distinguished for their sanctity: and they were named respectively, St. Dagan," Bishop of Achad- Dagan, or Inverdaoile,^^ St. Menocus, or Enanus^^ of Glennfaidhle,'s and St. Mobaius, whom it appears difficult to identify with any known saint of this name, to be found in our calendars. St. Molibba is said to have flourished during the early part of the seventh century, and most probably he spent
Art. VII. —'Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, pp. 10, 11. 9
'
'
Art. VIII.
The Calendar of Cashel
applies this name to him.
Glendalough was an ancient episcopal see, and a well-inhabited city, till about 1214, when the see was annexed to the diocese of Dublin, and the city, memorable for its religious edifices, not only suffered decay, but insensibly became a receptacle for
^
His name is found Latinized Molibbeus.
"
Edited by —Rev. Dr. Kelly, p. xii.
3 See Colgan's
Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
nice," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbte, and outlaws and robbers. " Eraser's "Statistical
nn. I, 2, p. 43.
^ St. ^ngus and the Martyrology of Tal-
lagh have Colmad. Again, under the head of Glenn-da-locha, Duald Mac Firbis enters Molioba, son of Colmadh, from Glenn-da-
Siu-vey of the Coimty of Wicklow. " Part i. , sec. 7, p. 36.
'°
See his Acts at the ist of May.
'' See his Life at the 3rd of November. " See his Life at the 13th of September,
locha, at January the 8th. See Proceed- ings of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish MSS. series, vol. i. , part i. , pp. 112, 113.
'3 gee Joseph Nolan's History and An- tiquities of Glendalough," cap. iii. , p. 20. The author, with many other writers, sup- poses it to be in the county of Wexford. It
^ See his Life at the 3rd of June.
"
""
5 In the Genealogy of St. Dagan, he is
called Colman. "Menologic Genealogy," is, however, the present Ennereilly on the
south-eastern coast of the county of Wick- See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- low.
cap. XX. ^''
nise," viii. Januarii. Vita S. Molibbse, p. 43.
'^His feast occurs at the 29th of Decem- ber.
^ In the tract of St. Mothers of the Irish Saints. "
"On the
'S Now in the Glenealy,
low.
county
of Wick-
. ^Engus,
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 8.
132
some time under the direction of his holy uncle St, Kevin, at Glendalough. There, even at the present day, may be seen a great number of ecclesiastical rums, some of which in all likelihood date back to the sixth or seventh
Old Archway and Round Tower, Glendalough.
century. '* Theirsituation,inreferencetoeachseparatecellorchurch,isone of curious interest to the explorer of past history. '^ After the death of his
uncle, St. Kevin, which took place in the year 6i8, or 622, according to Usher,*^ our saint is believed to have succeeded him in the see of Glenda- lough. Such is the statement of Colgan ; but Dr. Lanigan seems inclined to think, that Molibba was the first bishop over this see, '9 St. Kevin having only been an abbot. Molibba ruled over his charge with great prudence
and virtue,'" and he departed this life—or at least he is honoured—on
the 8th
day of January. We are not told the exact year of his death, by Colgan.
He intended, perhaps, to state this in notes, which he designed appending
to his short notice regarding this saint.
These comments, numbering fourteen or fifteen, were lost through ac-
cident ;=' yet, it would appear, Colgan had hopes of recovering them, since he directs the reader's attention to addenda, at the close of his work. The omitted notes are not to be found there, however ; and most certainly they
'* The annexed engraving by Mrs. Millard
is from a photograph taken by Frederick
W. Mares, of Dublin. ''
p. 366.
*> Harris says, that "Molibba, being con-
secrated a bishop, succeeded his uncle St. Kevin in the see of Glendaloch, A. D. 612, six years before St. Kevin's death. " Harris' Ware, vol. i. , "Bishops of Ireland," p. 373. Yet Harris gives us no authority for this statement.
"See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," viii. Januarii, p. 43, n. 4, and perhaps
'' See Ordnance Survey Townland Maps
of the County of Wicklow," sheet 23. '^See Usher's "Index Chronologicus,
**
p. 537, and Britannicarura Ecclesiarum
Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 495.
'9 See " Ecclesiastical History of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , c. xiv. , § xvi. , p. 364, and n. 228,
"
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 133 must be regarded as important, in elucidating some particulars, relating to
January 8. ]
ovu: saint's
meagre biography.
="2
we shall have occasion to record
5. Errors of the press are of frequent oc-
After fifteen entries of foreign saints,
Irish Hagiology.
" There were two other saints bearing this
name, Molibba, in the Irish calendar. One of these was venerated at Enach-elte, in Ulster, on the i8th of February, at which day his Acts may be seen. The other was celebrated at a place called Gortchirb, where his festival was kept on the 5th of August.
=3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p.
r I. A commentator adds in the table his
Tallagh Martyrology, the first notice of an Irish saint is -pin Am epi. Besides three legible there are five other entries ; but too much effaced to be decipherable.
3 Edited by Drs. Todd and Reeves, p. II.
• See O'Donovan's Edition, pp. 268 to 271, and n. (q) iMd.
s See "Trias Thaumaturga. " Quarta
Appendix ad Acta S. Columbse, cap. x. , p.
490.
* remarks that St. son of Colgan Finan,
"
Elsewhere,
We read in the Martyrology of Donegal,^3
the acts of his sainted relations.
that Molibha, of Glenn-da-locha, bishop, had a festival on this day. This
saint is entered likewise in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^^ on the 8th of
Januar}', under the designation of Molibha Mac Colmadha. Frequently hereafter, we shall have an opportunity to introduce notices of saints con- nected with the ruined city of Glendalough.
Article IX. —St. Finan, Son of Rimhidh, Bishop. {Seventh Century. '] Finan is recorded in the published Martyrology of Tallagh,' on the 8th of
January. There he is distinguished as belonging to the episcopal order. * On this day is mentioned, also, in the Martyrology of Donegal,3 Finan, son of Rimhidh, bishop. In a. d. 659, according to the Annals of Ulster and of the Four Masters, he departed to everlasting life. ^ Colgan has classed him among the disciples of St. Columba, at lona ;5 but it is not probable he lived there under the great archimandrite. ^ His Acts seem more properly
referable to the succeeding day, when they are given.
Article X. —St. Dagain of Glinn-da-locha, County of Wicklow.
\Posstbly in the Seventh Century. ] Unless this saint be St. Dagan of Enne-
reilly, in the barony of Arklow, and county of Wicklow, it would seem to be a difficult matter to determine the time of his connexion with Glendalough. Ifanidentitycouldbeestabhshed,hewasnephewtoSt. Kevin. Thename Dagain of Glinn-da-locha occurs in the Martyrology of Tallagh,' at the 8—th
In the —of his January. supposition being
saint of
patron Ennereilly
of
a matter by no means certain two other festivals were assigned him
feast at the 12th of March, and the other at the 13th of September,' when he died A. D. 639. 3
Article XL—St. Cillein, Abbot. The happy death of the just man opens to him the light of Heaven, when that of earth fades from his view.
'
currence throughout this great work on at this date, in the Franciscan copy of the
opinion of this Saint Mo-Liobha being Rimid, was otherwise called Finanus Sax-
Livinus, while this word is a diminutive onicus. " See "Acta Sanctorum Hiber-
from Livius. See Hid. pp. 452, 453. See nise," ix. Januarii. Appendix ad Acta S.
Duffus
Hardy's "Descriptive Catalogue
of
Finani, cap. i, p. 46.
Materials relating to the History of Great
Britain and Ireland," vol. i. , part i. , p.
254.
— xii,
"
' Edited
Rev. Dr.
by Kelly, p.
xii.
»* Edited— Rev. Dr. by
See his Life at this date.
3 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the
Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 256, 257, and n, (d) Md.
xii.
Art. IX. Edited by Rev. Dr. Kelly, p.
'
Kelly, p.
the
Art. X.
:
one
134 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [January 9.
So must it Have been when Cillein, abbot, recorded in the Martyrology of Donegal,' departed this Hfe. To-day his festival was celebrated, and this seems established from a similar entry occurring in the Martyrology of Tallagh,^ at the 8th of January. His period or locality has not been deter- mined.
^uttft I3ap of Sanuarp*
ARTICLE I. —ST. FOILAN, FELAN, OR FILLAN, ABBOT, IN SCOTLAND. {SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CEN7URIES. \
CHAPTER I.
