ster, 1726, fol
5 Not ad verting to the identity of name, in
hisedition of Ware, Walter Harris calls him "the son of Doghan, or as some say, of Owen Bel, King of Connaught.
5 Not ad verting to the identity of name, in
hisedition of Ware, Walter Harris calls him "the son of Doghan, or as some say, of Owen Bel, King of Connaught.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v5
.
.
.
.
Article IX. —The Blessed John Meagh, S. J. , Martyr, near Prague, Bohemia.
. . . ••• 594 . . . . . . 596 •• ••• 597
. . . 616
. . . 617
. . . 622 . . . 623 . . . 623 . . . 623
Page
Abbot, Right Rev. Father, of La Trappe West Gorton, Manchester, England.
Monastery, Gethsemani, Nelson County, Slattery, Rev. J. , St. Patrick's Catholic _
State of Kentucky, U. S. A.
Byrne, Very Rev. P. J. Byrne, Dean, V. G. ,
P. P. . Dungannon, County of Tyrone. Franciscan Convent, Very Rev. Guardian of,
Church, Bradford, England.
Walshaw, Very Rev. Canon Samuel, St.
Mary's Church, Sheffield, England.
DIRECTION TO THE BINDER.
^^ The Binder will please to prefix the Frontispiece and Title Page, contained in Part 51, and First of this Volume, to the present Table of Contents, which, in order of binding, should precede the various succeeding Parts to 60, which Part closes the present Volume.
To be completed in Twelve Royal Octavo Volumes^ and in 120 Farts, of dOt pages each Fart.
'^m% 0f the frijsh ^mx\%, Compiled from Manuscript and other Sources,
SEitjj tje (fTommcmorations anti jFcstibals of ^lolg Persons, NOTED IN
Calendars, Martyrofogies, and Various Works, Domestic or Foreign,
RELATING TO
Cfje ancient Cljurti) listDtg of felanlr,
VERY REV. JOHN CANON O'HANLON, M. R. I. A.
Parts, ONE SHILLING each Part to Subscribers; ONE SHILLING and SIXPENCE each to Non-Subscribers.
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LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
jfirsJt 2Baj) of iWap*
ARTICLE I. —ST. CEALLACH, OR KELLACH, BISHOP OF KILLALA, AND MARTYR.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ] CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—IRISH LIFE OF ST. CELLACH—HIS FAMILY AND RACE—HIS PERIOD HIS EARLY INSTRUCTION RECEIVED FROM ST. KIERAN—CELLACH WITHDRAWS FROM CLONMACNOISE, AND HE IS NOMINATED KING OF CONNAUGHT, BY THE TRIBE OF HY-FIACHRACH.
WHILE popular traditions have locally preserved the memorials of our saints, they have frequently added statements and embellishments of a questionable character. In many instances, it may well be supposed, the writers of Irish Saints' Lives drew from such sources, and were only partially acquainted with the factsof contemporaneous history; oftentimes too, theywere ignorant in respect to the period, persons, and circumstances, that transpired coeval with them, and a knowledge of which might help to give more accuracy andconsistencytothenarratives,whichhavedescendedtous. Inageneralway, most of the detailed prose Lives are mediseval, and apparently not grounded on the accounts of authors, who had personal knowledge of their subjects. Again, the rhythmic statements of various provincial bards seem to have the flavour of romance, more to recomm. end them for popular admiration, than a sound historic basis for the exercise of sober judgment, and to sustain the localtraditions,fromwhichthosecompositionsemanated. Yet,sometimes, we are not to regard them as largely the product of imagination and pure in- vention. It is, occasionally, with very great diffidence, we are obliged to follow those guides, and yet to present such information as they afford, in a reserved measure, and frequently in a mood of doubt or dissent. Were it attempted to describe minutely the miracles, fortunes, and characteristics of saints, as
recorded in their old Acts, too often might we wander into narratives, wholly irrelevant to those objects sought to be attained. It is more than probable, edification given to the reader could hardly prove the result for such an exact reproduction of stories manifestly fabulous. However pleasant in perform- ance and choice to the writer, to record even harmless legends regarding our saints, this might be deemed even prolix and misplaced by the critical reader.
Moreover, as embracing the later popular accounts of times, long subsequent '
Vol. v. —No. i.
a
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i
to the age of those holy persons, besides displacing incongruity, our narrative mustrequirespace,morethancouldbeavailablewithromanticnarratives. Our ])lan demands, in most cases, very brief biographical notices, and these we labour to render consistent, so fiir as may be attempted, with the probabilities of history, or with the fair deductions, resulting from a study of our old national traditions and modes of thought. In the present ojiening narrative, most pro- bably we have both history and romance blended in ])roportions, that now cannot well be known or distinguished, and that still require additional re- flected lights, to place them in a more satisfactory point of view.
The earliest copy of St. Cellach's Life we possess at present is probably in that collection of prose and verse tracts, contained in the Leabhar Breac, or Si)eckled Book, otlierwise styled Leabhar Mor Duna Doighre, or the Great Bookof Diin Doighre. The following narrative, based ui)on it, does not conflict, except apparently in chronology, with what occurs in our general Irish annals. We find, also, among the Messrs. Hodges' and Smith's collection of Manu- scripts, in the Royal Irish Academy, a Tract on the Life of St. Cellach. ' This is only a copy, taken from an original. A somewhat similar Life was in
possession of the Irish Franciscans, at Louvain. * It resembles that contained in the Irish Manuscript Codex, called by some Leabhar Mor Duna Doighrd,3 but now better known as the Leabhar Breac. The biographical tract in question was translated, from Irish into Latin, by Father Thomas O'Sheerin, to serve the purpose of Father Gotlefrid Henschenn, who has edited it. '' How- ever, distrusting much some poetic or irrelevant rhapsodies which he rejects, Father Henschenn has adopted a rescission he deems better suited, to eluci- date the present Saint's liistory. s The full text of this piece is now accessible to the Irish student, as the Leabhar Breac has been published f and. it is interpolated with poetic effusions, in reference to the subject matter. Among these are lines, attributed to St. Cellach himself, but, most probably, they are only the production of a later period, than when he flourished. Some notices, in reference to him, have been entered in a work, compiled by Duald Mac Firbis ;7 and, in the Book of Lecan, there is also allusion to him. In Rev.
Jeoffrey Keating's General History of Ireland, this account is also found abridged. * From these various sources, the following narrative has been derived.
The holy man, whose biography we are about to treat, descended from a race of royal ancestors, whose actions have been chronicled, in the general annals of Ireland. Thus, St. Ceallach 9 was son to Eugenius Belus—in Irish
Article i. —Chaptf. r i. —' It is a vel- lum folio, and classed No. 224.
' This was a tran>icri]it, from an older copy, in the " Leabhar l. reac. "
3 Anglicized, "the Great Book of Dun- Doighre," which was a place on the Con- naught side of the Shannon, and some miles below the town of Athlone. See Professor O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. ii. ,
PP- 3I' 32-
* See the Bollandists"' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus i. , Maii i. De Sancto Kellaco Epis- copo in Hibernia. A commentary, in live paragraphs preceding it, and a few notes, follow. See pp. 104 to 107.
5 As will afterwards be shown, in text and notes, various personage^, well designated in our Annals, are introduced in the Irish Life.
Their names render it extremely difficult, liowevcr, to reconcile its narrative with exact chronology,
* See "Leabhar Breac. the Speckled Book, otherwise styled Leabhnr Mor Duna
Doighre, the Great Book of Diin Doighre a collection of Pieces in Irish and Latin, compiled from ancient sources about the close of the Fourteenth Century; now for the first time published from the original Manuscript in the Libraiyolthe Royarirish Academy," pp. 272 to 276. Dublin. Royal IrishAcademyHouse,i9l)a\vsou-stieet,i876.
' . See "The Goueaiogies, Tribes and Cus- toms of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Country," edited by John O' Donovan, pp. 32 to 35.
''See Dermod O'Connor's second folio edition, Book ii. , pp. 351, 352. Westmin-
;
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Eoglian Beul—King of Connaught ; and, he had another brother, who was called Cuchoingelt, orMuireadhach. '° Among the bravest and most ambitious, vigilantandcapableofadministrators,inhisageandcountry, EoghanBeul ruled over the province of Connaught, with popular applause and good for- tune, which he hoped might be secured for his sons. " These named Ceallach and Muireadhach were lineal descendants of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin," who flourished as supreme monarch of Ireland, about two centuries previous to their birth. At first, he was King over Connaught, when he married Mong- finn, sometimes called Munig, with Finn superadded, and by her he was fath. er of four sons, Brian, '3 Fiachra,'4 Fergus and Olioll. 's He also married Carrina '*—said to have been a Saxon '? —and by her, he had a son, the re- nowned Niall of the Nine Hostages. According to the Irish pedigrees, Eogan Beul was the son of Ceallach,'^ son to OillioU Molt,'9 son of Dathi,^° sometimes called David, son to Fiachra Follsi. athach,^'' son. to Eochaidh Muighmeadhoin. His castle ^^ was built on an Island, lying in Lough Mask, and from him, it has since been called Inis Eoghain. ^3 it lies on the east side of the Lough, and the denomination is now written Inish Owen. ^'t It
comprises over twenty-nine acres in extent of surface. '^s
The date of our saint's birth must been referred to about the year 520,
according to the most probable opinion. He was the eldest son of his father, who selected for him a renowned and holy teacher. The young j)rince Ceal- lach was placed at an early age, under the tutelage of St. Kieran, Abbot of Clonmacnoise. ^^ Charmed with the exercises of religious life, Ceallach re- solved to embrace the monastic profession, and there he lived as a monk.
ster, 1726, fol
5 Not ad verting to the identity of name, in
hisedition of Ware, Walter Harris calls him "the son of Doghan, or as some say, of Owen Bel, King of Connaught. "—Vol. i. , " Bis- hops of Killala," p. 650.
'° In the valuable Genealogical Table,
narrating the principal descendants of and, by Dr. Svlvester O'Halloran, he is said
Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin, which is found in Mr. O'Donovan's translation of the " Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- Fiachrach," p. 476, St. Ceallach and his brother Cuchoingeltare placed in the seventh generation from their famed ancestor.
*° For tvventy-threeyeais, he was sovereign over Ireland, and he was struck dead by " -See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Maii lightning, in the Alps, A. D. 428. See
i. , Vita S. Kellaci, sect, i. , p. 104.
'^ He reigned from A. D. 358 to A. D.
Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee's " Popular History
365. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
of Ireland," vol. i. , Book 19.
i. , chap,
ii. , p,
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 124, 125.
'5 From him, are descended the Hy- land, and Amalgaidh, King over Connaught.
Brien of Connaught.
"• From him, descend the Hy-Fiachra of
Connaught.
'5 From him, the territory of Tirolioll, in
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," Februarii iii. , Appendix ad Acta S. Colmani, vulgo Macduach, cap. i. . p. 248.
^- There is a curious little poem, quoted by Sligo, had its denomination. See Roderick Duald Mac Firbis in his large genealogical O'Flaherty's " Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. work, describing the residence of King
Ixxix. , p. 374.
'* Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran calls her a
princess of the Saxon nation ; but, the Saxons at that period had no settlement in England. See "General History of Ire- land," vol. i. , Book vi. , chap, v. , p. 288.
'' Roderick O'Flaherty remarks, that the Saxons, in conjunction with the Scots, Picts and Attacots, had frequently invaded Bri- tain, before the period of the Anglo-Saxon
Eoghan Beul.
^3 On it. Dr. John O'Donovan "saw dis-
tinct traces of its earthen ramparts, in the year 183S. ''—Addenda Q to " Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach," p, 473-
-
.
^* See thd. Explanatory Index to the Map, p. 492.
^5 It is in the p. irish of Ballinchalla, and in the barony of Kilmaine, as shown, on the
Conquest. See "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxix. , pp. 376 to 378.
'^ Called Kellan, in that pedigree, given by Culgan, in " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," Februarii iii. , Appendix ad Acta S. Col- mani, vulgo Macduach, cap. ii. , p. 248.
to have been the first Irish sovereign to es- tablish Christianity by decree in Ireland. Sec "General History of Ireland," vol. ii. , Bookvii. , chap, v. , pp. 33, 34.
'9 He ruled for twenty years over Ireland,
" He had two sons, Dathi, King of Ire-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i.
Meantime, during the stormy period of his father's reign,=7 Eoghan Beul was obliged to defend his principaHty by force of arms, from the attacks of turbu- lent and powerful tribes surrounding him. His principahty was often invaded, but he usually repelled the invaders and scored a victory. However, a great confederacy of the people belonging to Tyrone and Tyrconnell, with other Ulster tribes, under the leadership of Ferguss and Donald,^^ made an irrup- tion into Connaught, and penetrated so far as the River Moy, carrying devas- tation along their course. This obliged Eoghan Beul to collect the forces of his province, and soon the rival armies came to blows. About the year of our Lord 537,"' a battle was fought at Sligo, and it was fiercely contested. 3° The Northern army, however, gained a victory over the Connacians, who were obliged to yield, after an obstinate engagement. In it, Eoghan Beul received his death-wound, and he was borne from the field by his soldiers, who crossed their spears and lances, to support his body, and to serve the pur- pose of a litter. However, our saint's father survived the battle of Sligo—in which he was mortally wounded—for three days ^3' or, according to other accounts, for a week. Soon, afterwards, Guaire asserted his pretentions to rule over Connaught. 3' At Clonmacnoise, Ceallach remained, until the disas- trous issue of that battle 33 had called him forth from his retirement on the Shannon. The Connaught chiefs, and especially these belonging to Hy- Fyachrach, deprecating the calamities which were likely to ensue for their province, held frequent interviews with their dying king, to ascertain his wishes in reference to a successor, and most likely to avert the crisis now approaching.
During that interval which elapsed, after receiving his wound, and before his death took place, it is said, that Eoghan persuaded the tribe of Hy-Fiachrach, to elect his elder son as King of Connaught. 3+ His other son, Cuchoingelt, orMuireadhach,hadnotyetattainedhismajority. 35 Inaccordancewiththis request of the dying monarch, messengers were despatched to Clonmacnoise, and to announce the result of that Sligo battle, with Ceallach's consequent promotion. Thesedelegateswereinstructed,torepresentthedesperatestate of their affairs to St. Kieran. The latter received them very hospitably, but he refused acceding to their wishes, as he deemed the monastic rules could not be dispensed with, in the case of Ceallach. However, the delegates re-
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Mayo," sheet 117.
"^ He founded Clonmacnoise, it is said, A. D. 548, and died A. D. 549, according to the chronolo<^y of Ussher, in "Britannicaium Ecclesiarum Atitiquitates. " Inde. x. See his Life, at the 9th of September.
=7 He is said to have lived for thirty-six years, according to the Vita S. Kellaci, sect. i.
** These reigned one year over Ireland, according to the Ulster Annals, A. D. 565. See Archbishop Ussher's '• Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 947.
"9 The Annals of Innisfallen place this
event, at A. I). 536 ; the Annals of Tigernach
have it, A. D. 543; while the Annals of chap, iv. , p. 135.
Ulster have it, at A. D. 542, and they again '5 The king had also ordered, that he enter it, at A. D. 546. See Rev. Dr. should be interred in an upright position,
O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii. , pp. 6, 137, and tomus i v. , pp. 17, 18.
30 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of" the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 178 to 181.
3 1 According to the Life of our Saint, a copy of wliich remained in posses-ion of Messrs. Hodges and Smith, the publishers to the University 01 Dublin,
3=TheAnnalsofInnisfallenrecord thedeath of Guaire Ai'ihne, at653. Aijain, the " An- nalesUitonienses" place hisde. ith, attheyear 662, which does not well accord with the statements in St. Kellach's Lite. See Rev. Dr. OConor's " Rerum Hilieinicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 15 ; also, tomus iv. , p. 55.
33 'fhis statement appears to conflict, with the date assigned for the battle, and with that given f. >r the death of St. Kieran.
with his red javelin in his hand, and with his face turned towards Ulster, as if fighting with his enemies. See John O'Donovan's " Gencalo^^ies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- Fiachrach," Addenda Q, p. 472.
3* See Major Wood- Martin's " History of Sligo, County and Town," &c. , Book ii. ,
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
mained tlierefor two days, and on the last night, they urged upon Keallach those arguments, which caused him to resolve on leaving Clonmacnoise. He was told, that lie had been chosen unanimously by chiefs and people, to succeed his father on the throne of Connaught, and accordingly, the young prince accepted their nomination. Without communicating his intention to the saint, under whose guardianship he was placed, Kellach prepared to depart. For this apparent insubordination, St. Kieran is said to have pronounced a maledic- tion, which was thought to have been prophetic of his future fate. ^^
With the usual ceremonies of inauguration,37 Kellach was elected King of theHy-Fiachrach. 3^ Aftersometime,however,theKingofHy-Fiachrach Aidhne 39 revolted, as probably, feeling desirous to obtain the first distinction inthatprovince. Theisolatedpositionofhisdistrict4°itwouldseemafforded him means and opportunity for insurrection. A public convention was held by the subordinate chiefs and people, in order to effect some terms of agree- ment. Great numbers of partisans on both sides were present. A treaty of reconciliation was arranged ; and to this Keallach adhered in good faith, but his opponent was more wily and insincere. He invited Keallach to his for- tress, and the latter accepted this invitation. He went thither, accompanied by a train of guards and followers. Notwithstanding, treachery seems to have been practised, for some of these were killed, while Keallach and twenty- seven of his followers saved themselves by flight. While revolving in vexation of mmd a mode to be revenged on the perfidious king, a better thought at last presented itself to Kellach ; for, recollecting the judgment denounced against him by St. Kieran, he resolved to quit once more the ambitious views and high station to which he had been drawn. 4' Soon, therefore, lie retired to a desert place, in the midst of woods, and then like another Peter, he wept tears of sorrow for deserting his Divine INlaster. ^^ Here, too, he remained for a year: and then, taking with him the twenty-seven companions, who were savedfromdeath,KellachresolvedonreturningtoClonmacnoise. Yet,he remained without this city, for a time ; because, he felt a diffidence and reproach of conscience, at the presence of St. Kieran. There he waited ad- mission, until some of the monks met and recognised him. They exchanged
with him the kiss of peace, and promised to prepare the Abbot for an inter- view with his prodigal son, who had been dead to them, but who came to life again, who was lost and yet who had been found. ''3 He appears to have conciliated the favour of his former instructor, however, and the Abbot felt
3* These foregoing and subsequent parti- culars, in reference to our saint, are briefly and elegantly narrated in Mrs. M. C. Fergu- son's " Story of the Irish before the Con- quest," chap, v. , pp. 161 to 163.
37 For a poetic inspiration on this subject, the reader is referred to Thomas Davis' "National and Historical Ballads, Songs, and Poems," part iii. The True Irish King, pp. 103 to 106.
Article IX. —The Blessed John Meagh, S. J. , Martyr, near Prague, Bohemia.
. . . ••• 594 . . . . . . 596 •• ••• 597
. . . 616
. . . 617
. . . 622 . . . 623 . . . 623 . . . 623
Page
Abbot, Right Rev. Father, of La Trappe West Gorton, Manchester, England.
Monastery, Gethsemani, Nelson County, Slattery, Rev. J. , St. Patrick's Catholic _
State of Kentucky, U. S. A.
Byrne, Very Rev. P. J. Byrne, Dean, V. G. ,
P. P. . Dungannon, County of Tyrone. Franciscan Convent, Very Rev. Guardian of,
Church, Bradford, England.
Walshaw, Very Rev. Canon Samuel, St.
Mary's Church, Sheffield, England.
DIRECTION TO THE BINDER.
^^ The Binder will please to prefix the Frontispiece and Title Page, contained in Part 51, and First of this Volume, to the present Table of Contents, which, in order of binding, should precede the various succeeding Parts to 60, which Part closes the present Volume.
To be completed in Twelve Royal Octavo Volumes^ and in 120 Farts, of dOt pages each Fart.
'^m% 0f the frijsh ^mx\%, Compiled from Manuscript and other Sources,
SEitjj tje (fTommcmorations anti jFcstibals of ^lolg Persons, NOTED IN
Calendars, Martyrofogies, and Various Works, Domestic or Foreign,
RELATING TO
Cfje ancient Cljurti) listDtg of felanlr,
VERY REV. JOHN CANON O'HANLON, M. R. I. A.
Parts, ONE SHILLING each Part to Subscribers; ONE SHILLING and SIXPENCE each to Non-Subscribers.
Vol. I. For the Month of January, containing 13 Parts, cloth, gilt, and gilt edges, bevelled, in highly ornamental Covers, Price to Subscribers, i6s. to Non-Subscribers, 22s. 6d.
Vol. II. For the Month of February, containing 12 Parts, do. , Price to Subscribers, 15s. ; to Non-Subscribers, 21s.
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plain, each Vol. , 2S. 6d. ; in best morocco, extra, 12s. ; in any Variety of Colour ordered. The rich Style of Cover design, the 0/>us JIil>ernicn//i, specially adapted, only fur- nished from the Bookbinding Establishment of Messrs. James Duffy and Sons. ^^ Cloth Cases, in a Variety of Colours, with richly gilt Sides and Back, and in a Style to match for each Volume, can there be obtained, at 2s, each,
or free by Post, 2s. 3d.
*^* Binding in Cloth, gilt, and gilt edges, eacli Vol. , 3s,
;
;
SUPPLEMENTAL LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
jfirsJt 2Baj) of iWap*
ARTICLE I. —ST. CEALLACH, OR KELLACH, BISHOP OF KILLALA, AND MARTYR.
[SIXTH CENTURY. ] CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—IRISH LIFE OF ST. CELLACH—HIS FAMILY AND RACE—HIS PERIOD HIS EARLY INSTRUCTION RECEIVED FROM ST. KIERAN—CELLACH WITHDRAWS FROM CLONMACNOISE, AND HE IS NOMINATED KING OF CONNAUGHT, BY THE TRIBE OF HY-FIACHRACH.
WHILE popular traditions have locally preserved the memorials of our saints, they have frequently added statements and embellishments of a questionable character. In many instances, it may well be supposed, the writers of Irish Saints' Lives drew from such sources, and were only partially acquainted with the factsof contemporaneous history; oftentimes too, theywere ignorant in respect to the period, persons, and circumstances, that transpired coeval with them, and a knowledge of which might help to give more accuracy andconsistencytothenarratives,whichhavedescendedtous. Inageneralway, most of the detailed prose Lives are mediseval, and apparently not grounded on the accounts of authors, who had personal knowledge of their subjects. Again, the rhythmic statements of various provincial bards seem to have the flavour of romance, more to recomm. end them for popular admiration, than a sound historic basis for the exercise of sober judgment, and to sustain the localtraditions,fromwhichthosecompositionsemanated. Yet,sometimes, we are not to regard them as largely the product of imagination and pure in- vention. It is, occasionally, with very great diffidence, we are obliged to follow those guides, and yet to present such information as they afford, in a reserved measure, and frequently in a mood of doubt or dissent. Were it attempted to describe minutely the miracles, fortunes, and characteristics of saints, as
recorded in their old Acts, too often might we wander into narratives, wholly irrelevant to those objects sought to be attained. It is more than probable, edification given to the reader could hardly prove the result for such an exact reproduction of stories manifestly fabulous. However pleasant in perform- ance and choice to the writer, to record even harmless legends regarding our saints, this might be deemed even prolix and misplaced by the critical reader.
Moreover, as embracing the later popular accounts of times, long subsequent '
Vol. v. —No. i.
a
—
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i
to the age of those holy persons, besides displacing incongruity, our narrative mustrequirespace,morethancouldbeavailablewithromanticnarratives. Our ])lan demands, in most cases, very brief biographical notices, and these we labour to render consistent, so fiir as may be attempted, with the probabilities of history, or with the fair deductions, resulting from a study of our old national traditions and modes of thought. In the present ojiening narrative, most pro- bably we have both history and romance blended in ])roportions, that now cannot well be known or distinguished, and that still require additional re- flected lights, to place them in a more satisfactory point of view.
The earliest copy of St. Cellach's Life we possess at present is probably in that collection of prose and verse tracts, contained in the Leabhar Breac, or Si)eckled Book, otlierwise styled Leabhar Mor Duna Doighre, or the Great Bookof Diin Doighre. The following narrative, based ui)on it, does not conflict, except apparently in chronology, with what occurs in our general Irish annals. We find, also, among the Messrs. Hodges' and Smith's collection of Manu- scripts, in the Royal Irish Academy, a Tract on the Life of St. Cellach. ' This is only a copy, taken from an original. A somewhat similar Life was in
possession of the Irish Franciscans, at Louvain. * It resembles that contained in the Irish Manuscript Codex, called by some Leabhar Mor Duna Doighrd,3 but now better known as the Leabhar Breac. The biographical tract in question was translated, from Irish into Latin, by Father Thomas O'Sheerin, to serve the purpose of Father Gotlefrid Henschenn, who has edited it. '' How- ever, distrusting much some poetic or irrelevant rhapsodies which he rejects, Father Henschenn has adopted a rescission he deems better suited, to eluci- date the present Saint's liistory. s The full text of this piece is now accessible to the Irish student, as the Leabhar Breac has been published f and. it is interpolated with poetic effusions, in reference to the subject matter. Among these are lines, attributed to St. Cellach himself, but, most probably, they are only the production of a later period, than when he flourished. Some notices, in reference to him, have been entered in a work, compiled by Duald Mac Firbis ;7 and, in the Book of Lecan, there is also allusion to him. In Rev.
Jeoffrey Keating's General History of Ireland, this account is also found abridged. * From these various sources, the following narrative has been derived.
The holy man, whose biography we are about to treat, descended from a race of royal ancestors, whose actions have been chronicled, in the general annals of Ireland. Thus, St. Ceallach 9 was son to Eugenius Belus—in Irish
Article i. —Chaptf. r i. —' It is a vel- lum folio, and classed No. 224.
' This was a tran>icri]it, from an older copy, in the " Leabhar l. reac. "
3 Anglicized, "the Great Book of Dun- Doighre," which was a place on the Con- naught side of the Shannon, and some miles below the town of Athlone. See Professor O'Curry's "Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History," Lect. ii. ,
PP- 3I' 32-
* See the Bollandists"' Acta Sanctorum,"
tomus i. , Maii i. De Sancto Kellaco Epis- copo in Hibernia. A commentary, in live paragraphs preceding it, and a few notes, follow. See pp. 104 to 107.
5 As will afterwards be shown, in text and notes, various personage^, well designated in our Annals, are introduced in the Irish Life.
Their names render it extremely difficult, liowevcr, to reconcile its narrative with exact chronology,
* See "Leabhar Breac. the Speckled Book, otherwise styled Leabhnr Mor Duna
Doighre, the Great Book of Diin Doighre a collection of Pieces in Irish and Latin, compiled from ancient sources about the close of the Fourteenth Century; now for the first time published from the original Manuscript in the Libraiyolthe Royarirish Academy," pp. 272 to 276. Dublin. Royal IrishAcademyHouse,i9l)a\vsou-stieet,i876.
' . See "The Goueaiogies, Tribes and Cus- toms of Hy-Fiachrach, commonly called O'Dowda's Country," edited by John O' Donovan, pp. 32 to 35.
''See Dermod O'Connor's second folio edition, Book ii. , pp. 351, 352. Westmin-
;
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
Eoglian Beul—King of Connaught ; and, he had another brother, who was called Cuchoingelt, orMuireadhach. '° Among the bravest and most ambitious, vigilantandcapableofadministrators,inhisageandcountry, EoghanBeul ruled over the province of Connaught, with popular applause and good for- tune, which he hoped might be secured for his sons. " These named Ceallach and Muireadhach were lineal descendants of Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin," who flourished as supreme monarch of Ireland, about two centuries previous to their birth. At first, he was King over Connaught, when he married Mong- finn, sometimes called Munig, with Finn superadded, and by her he was fath. er of four sons, Brian, '3 Fiachra,'4 Fergus and Olioll. 's He also married Carrina '*—said to have been a Saxon '? —and by her, he had a son, the re- nowned Niall of the Nine Hostages. According to the Irish pedigrees, Eogan Beul was the son of Ceallach,'^ son to OillioU Molt,'9 son of Dathi,^° sometimes called David, son to Fiachra Follsi. athach,^'' son. to Eochaidh Muighmeadhoin. His castle ^^ was built on an Island, lying in Lough Mask, and from him, it has since been called Inis Eoghain. ^3 it lies on the east side of the Lough, and the denomination is now written Inish Owen. ^'t It
comprises over twenty-nine acres in extent of surface. '^s
The date of our saint's birth must been referred to about the year 520,
according to the most probable opinion. He was the eldest son of his father, who selected for him a renowned and holy teacher. The young j)rince Ceal- lach was placed at an early age, under the tutelage of St. Kieran, Abbot of Clonmacnoise. ^^ Charmed with the exercises of religious life, Ceallach re- solved to embrace the monastic profession, and there he lived as a monk.
ster, 1726, fol
5 Not ad verting to the identity of name, in
hisedition of Ware, Walter Harris calls him "the son of Doghan, or as some say, of Owen Bel, King of Connaught. "—Vol. i. , " Bis- hops of Killala," p. 650.
'° In the valuable Genealogical Table,
narrating the principal descendants of and, by Dr. Svlvester O'Halloran, he is said
Eochaidh Muighmheadhoin, which is found in Mr. O'Donovan's translation of the " Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- Fiachrach," p. 476, St. Ceallach and his brother Cuchoingeltare placed in the seventh generation from their famed ancestor.
*° For tvventy-threeyeais, he was sovereign over Ireland, and he was struck dead by " -See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus i. , Maii lightning, in the Alps, A. D. 428. See
i. , Vita S. Kellaci, sect, i. , p. 104.
'^ He reigned from A. D. 358 to A. D.
Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee's " Popular History
365. See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of the Four
of Ireland," vol. i. , Book 19.
i. , chap,
ii. , p,
Masters," vol. i. , pp. 124, 125.
'5 From him, are descended the Hy- land, and Amalgaidh, King over Connaught.
Brien of Connaught.
"• From him, descend the Hy-Fiachra of
Connaught.
'5 From him, the territory of Tirolioll, in
See Colgan's "Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," Februarii iii. , Appendix ad Acta S. Colmani, vulgo Macduach, cap. i. . p. 248.
^- There is a curious little poem, quoted by Sligo, had its denomination. See Roderick Duald Mac Firbis in his large genealogical O'Flaherty's " Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. work, describing the residence of King
Ixxix. , p. 374.
'* Dr. Sylvester O'Halloran calls her a
princess of the Saxon nation ; but, the Saxons at that period had no settlement in England. See "General History of Ire- land," vol. i. , Book vi. , chap, v. , p. 288.
'' Roderick O'Flaherty remarks, that the Saxons, in conjunction with the Scots, Picts and Attacots, had frequently invaded Bri- tain, before the period of the Anglo-Saxon
Eoghan Beul.
^3 On it. Dr. John O'Donovan "saw dis-
tinct traces of its earthen ramparts, in the year 183S. ''—Addenda Q to " Genealogies, Tribes and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach," p, 473-
-
.
^* See thd. Explanatory Index to the Map, p. 492.
^5 It is in the p. irish of Ballinchalla, and in the barony of Kilmaine, as shown, on the
Conquest. See "Ogygia," pars, iii. , cap. Ixxix. , pp. 376 to 378.
'^ Called Kellan, in that pedigree, given by Culgan, in " Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae," Februarii iii. , Appendix ad Acta S. Col- mani, vulgo Macduach, cap. ii. , p. 248.
to have been the first Irish sovereign to es- tablish Christianity by decree in Ireland. Sec "General History of Ireland," vol. ii. , Bookvii. , chap, v. , pp. 33, 34.
'9 He ruled for twenty years over Ireland,
" He had two sons, Dathi, King of Ire-
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [May i.
Meantime, during the stormy period of his father's reign,=7 Eoghan Beul was obliged to defend his principaHty by force of arms, from the attacks of turbu- lent and powerful tribes surrounding him. His principahty was often invaded, but he usually repelled the invaders and scored a victory. However, a great confederacy of the people belonging to Tyrone and Tyrconnell, with other Ulster tribes, under the leadership of Ferguss and Donald,^^ made an irrup- tion into Connaught, and penetrated so far as the River Moy, carrying devas- tation along their course. This obliged Eoghan Beul to collect the forces of his province, and soon the rival armies came to blows. About the year of our Lord 537,"' a battle was fought at Sligo, and it was fiercely contested. 3° The Northern army, however, gained a victory over the Connacians, who were obliged to yield, after an obstinate engagement. In it, Eoghan Beul received his death-wound, and he was borne from the field by his soldiers, who crossed their spears and lances, to support his body, and to serve the pur- pose of a litter. However, our saint's father survived the battle of Sligo—in which he was mortally wounded—for three days ^3' or, according to other accounts, for a week. Soon, afterwards, Guaire asserted his pretentions to rule over Connaught. 3' At Clonmacnoise, Ceallach remained, until the disas- trous issue of that battle 33 had called him forth from his retirement on the Shannon. The Connaught chiefs, and especially these belonging to Hy- Fyachrach, deprecating the calamities which were likely to ensue for their province, held frequent interviews with their dying king, to ascertain his wishes in reference to a successor, and most likely to avert the crisis now approaching.
During that interval which elapsed, after receiving his wound, and before his death took place, it is said, that Eoghan persuaded the tribe of Hy-Fiachrach, to elect his elder son as King of Connaught. 3+ His other son, Cuchoingelt, orMuireadhach,hadnotyetattainedhismajority. 35 Inaccordancewiththis request of the dying monarch, messengers were despatched to Clonmacnoise, and to announce the result of that Sligo battle, with Ceallach's consequent promotion. Thesedelegateswereinstructed,torepresentthedesperatestate of their affairs to St. Kieran. The latter received them very hospitably, but he refused acceding to their wishes, as he deemed the monastic rules could not be dispensed with, in the case of Ceallach. However, the delegates re-
" Ordnance Survey Townland Maps for the County of Mayo," sheet 117.
"^ He founded Clonmacnoise, it is said, A. D. 548, and died A. D. 549, according to the chronolo<^y of Ussher, in "Britannicaium Ecclesiarum Atitiquitates. " Inde. x. See his Life, at the 9th of September.
=7 He is said to have lived for thirty-six years, according to the Vita S. Kellaci, sect. i.
** These reigned one year over Ireland, according to the Ulster Annals, A. D. 565. See Archbishop Ussher's '• Britannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvii. , p. 947.
"9 The Annals of Innisfallen place this
event, at A. I). 536 ; the Annals of Tigernach
have it, A. D. 543; while the Annals of chap, iv. , p. 135.
Ulster have it, at A. D. 542, and they again '5 The king had also ordered, that he enter it, at A. D. 546. See Rev. Dr. should be interred in an upright position,
O'Conor's " Rerum Hibernicarum Scrip- tores," tomus ii. , pp. 6, 137, and tomus i v. , pp. 17, 18.
30 See Dr. O'Donovan's "Annals of" the Four Masters," vol. i. , pp. 178 to 181.
3 1 According to the Life of our Saint, a copy of wliich remained in posses-ion of Messrs. Hodges and Smith, the publishers to the University 01 Dublin,
3=TheAnnalsofInnisfallenrecord thedeath of Guaire Ai'ihne, at653. Aijain, the " An- nalesUitonienses" place hisde. ith, attheyear 662, which does not well accord with the statements in St. Kellach's Lite. See Rev. Dr. OConor's " Rerum Hilieinicarum Scriptores," tomus ii. , p. 15 ; also, tomus iv. , p. 55.
33 'fhis statement appears to conflict, with the date assigned for the battle, and with that given f. >r the death of St. Kieran.
with his red javelin in his hand, and with his face turned towards Ulster, as if fighting with his enemies. See John O'Donovan's " Gencalo^^ies, Tribes and Customs of Hy- Fiachrach," Addenda Q, p. 472.
3* See Major Wood- Martin's " History of Sligo, County and Town," &c. , Book ii. ,
May I. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS.
mained tlierefor two days, and on the last night, they urged upon Keallach those arguments, which caused him to resolve on leaving Clonmacnoise. He was told, that lie had been chosen unanimously by chiefs and people, to succeed his father on the throne of Connaught, and accordingly, the young prince accepted their nomination. Without communicating his intention to the saint, under whose guardianship he was placed, Kellach prepared to depart. For this apparent insubordination, St. Kieran is said to have pronounced a maledic- tion, which was thought to have been prophetic of his future fate. ^^
With the usual ceremonies of inauguration,37 Kellach was elected King of theHy-Fiachrach. 3^ Aftersometime,however,theKingofHy-Fiachrach Aidhne 39 revolted, as probably, feeling desirous to obtain the first distinction inthatprovince. Theisolatedpositionofhisdistrict4°itwouldseemafforded him means and opportunity for insurrection. A public convention was held by the subordinate chiefs and people, in order to effect some terms of agree- ment. Great numbers of partisans on both sides were present. A treaty of reconciliation was arranged ; and to this Keallach adhered in good faith, but his opponent was more wily and insincere. He invited Keallach to his for- tress, and the latter accepted this invitation. He went thither, accompanied by a train of guards and followers. Notwithstanding, treachery seems to have been practised, for some of these were killed, while Keallach and twenty- seven of his followers saved themselves by flight. While revolving in vexation of mmd a mode to be revenged on the perfidious king, a better thought at last presented itself to Kellach ; for, recollecting the judgment denounced against him by St. Kieran, he resolved to quit once more the ambitious views and high station to which he had been drawn. 4' Soon, therefore, lie retired to a desert place, in the midst of woods, and then like another Peter, he wept tears of sorrow for deserting his Divine INlaster. ^^ Here, too, he remained for a year: and then, taking with him the twenty-seven companions, who were savedfromdeath,KellachresolvedonreturningtoClonmacnoise. Yet,he remained without this city, for a time ; because, he felt a diffidence and reproach of conscience, at the presence of St. Kieran. There he waited ad- mission, until some of the monks met and recognised him. They exchanged
with him the kiss of peace, and promised to prepare the Abbot for an inter- view with his prodigal son, who had been dead to them, but who came to life again, who was lost and yet who had been found. ''3 He appears to have conciliated the favour of his former instructor, however, and the Abbot felt
3* These foregoing and subsequent parti- culars, in reference to our saint, are briefly and elegantly narrated in Mrs. M. C. Fergu- son's " Story of the Irish before the Con- quest," chap, v. , pp. 161 to 163.
37 For a poetic inspiration on this subject, the reader is referred to Thomas Davis' "National and Historical Ballads, Songs, and Poems," part iii. The True Irish King, pp. 103 to 106.
