26 "
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii i.
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii i.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
491.
"
lib. 2. , Hist. Scot. "
appended,
sicut additur in notis, et citatur
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 333
Utoentp-tbfra JBap of August
ARTICLE I. —ST. EOGAN OR EUGENE, BISHOP OF ARDSTRAW, AND PATRON OF DERRY.
[FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES. -]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ACTS OF ST. EUGENE AND AUTHORITIES FOR HIS LIFE—HIS FAMILY AND BIRTH—HIS DOUBLE CAPTIVITY—EDUCATION IN BRITAIN—HIS RETURN TO IRELAND—HE FOUNDS THE MONASTERY OF KILNAMANAGH IN LEINSTER—ST. EUGENE GOES TO THE NORTH OF IRELAND AND FOUNDS A MONASTERY AT ARDSRATHA—HE BECOMES THE FIRST BISHOP OF THAT EARLY SEE—HIS MANNER OF LIVING WHILE THERE—HE ENJOYS PROPHETIC GIFTS.
the ceaseless labours of blessed Patrick, Ireland soon became
UNDER
a favoured in the
when sainted
of the
like the Apostles of old, left all things at his preaching to follow Christ.
were crowding to the cells of Brigid—the Mary of Erin—and consecrating their lives to the service of God and of His poor. Those were truly the ages of faith, when churches and monasteries rose as if by magic on every moun- tain and in every valley ; when the music of sacred hymns and of Divine psalmody was borne on every breeze, and when that golden era foretold in burning words by Isaiah of old seemed to be fully realized in this Island. M The land that was desolate and impassable, shall be glad, and the wilder- ness shall rejoice, and nourish like the lily. " Whether viewed in a political or religious aspect, Derry is a spot dear to the heart of the annalist, for hallowed reminiscences cluster round it, and the golden glory of bygone days sheds still their lustre on the See of Eugene and the city of Columkille. From immemorial
spot
vineyard
Church,
men,
Princes and nobles were not ashamed to lay aside the pomps of royalty, and to put on the humbler garb of the Christian missionary. Tender virgins
the" oftheoaks"wassacred forhere,eventhe ages, place ;
Article i. —Chapter i. —*
Uiao becrtA £eil ©ogam <*irvo fnAcViA.
" At the passion of Fortunatus, with whom went warriors, on one festival—a world's talk—the Feast of Eogan of Ard Sratha. "— "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
held, had one of their most famous ——
1 From
The festival of St. Eogan or Eugene dates from a very early period in the Irish Church, and it was held on this date. 8 The learned hagiologist,
it is
the Holy Island for such formerly Derry was went forth the royal poets, the sage legislators, the learned astronomers, and the well-instructed annal- ists. There the mystic rites of Druidism were once studied, and there in after times the young aspirant to the priestly dignity underwent his long and arduous novitiate.
Druids,
traditionally
colleges.
According Critical History of the Celtic Religion and Learning : contain- ing an Account of the Druids," &c. First
Letter, pp. 44, 45, note 1.
2 Thus in the " Feilire " of St. ^Engus, in
the Leabhar Breac copy, we have the following entry, the English translation beingsuppliedbyWhitleyStokes,LL. D. :—
LApAir puncmAci imatUnv tin cacIia
£ot\Aenlich
to John Toland, in his
"
On
3 See "Catalogus Actuum Sanctorum quae Ms. habentur, ordine Mensium et Die- rum. "
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. theCalendarofOengus,p. cxxv.
334 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
Colgan, had intended to publish the Acts of St. Eugene, at the 23rd of August, as may be inferred from his list of unedited Manuscripts. 3 However,
these Acts of St. Eugenius, bishop of Ardsrata, are preserved in the Burgun- dian Library at Bruxelles. * They have since been edited and published s by Carolus de Smedt and Joseph de Backer, Bollandist Fathers, under the auspices of the Right Hon. John Patrick, Marquis of Bute. At the 23rd of
6
August,theBollandists presentuswithActsofSt. Eugene,bysomeanony-
mous writer. ? A previous commentary 8 is added, with several notes, by Father William Cuper, S. J. These Acts were composed as a panegyric on the saint, and evidently they were intended to serve as a sermon for his
ro
The Rev. Alban Butler has a short article in reference to him at this same
11 12 1 date, as likewise the Rev. S. Baring-Gould, and the Petits Bollandistes. *
The Life and Acts of St. Eugene are involved in much obscurity, since the most ancient memoir we possess seems to have been written centuries after his period, and it abounds in legends. Still, it must be observed, there are certain coincidences that correspond or are not irreconcilable with synchronous persons, times and places, as gleaned from independent records.
Eugene belonged to a Leinster family, on the paternal side. He sprung from the race of Laeghaire Lore, son to Ugaine Mdr, from whom the
1
Leinstermen are descended, according to the O'Clerys. * The scholiast on
""
the Feilire of ^Engus *9 has a remark, that as learned persons reported,
Eogan was the son of Bishop Ere of Slane l6 but he adds, and that is the ;
Deacon who to Cluain in Leix. 1* he Mochua, belonged However, appears
more reconciled to the following paternity. We are informed, that Cainnech
of Leinster was father of Eugenius, while his mother is named Muindecha,
and she belonged by race to the territory of Mugdarnia,18 in the present
* In a volume, classed xxii. , at fol. 216. u See "The Martyrology of Donegal,' s In a work intituled " Acta Sanctorum with the Irish text, translated by John
festival. * Briefly, too, does Bishop Challoner enter his record at this day.
of Down. The illustrious St. Kevin ot J 9 was a near Glendalough
county
relative. The relationship between St. Kevin and Eugene seems to have been that of first cousins ; our saint, however, being in the first degree, nearer to their common stem. Eugene was the sixtieth in descent from Miledh or Milesius. Kevinwasthesixty-first,hismotherCaemellhavingbeenmarried to Coemloga, son to Coemfada, the brother of Cainech, father to St. Eugene. Now, Cainech is said to have been the son of Cuirp, son to Fergus Lamderg,
Hibernise," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 915 10924.
6 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au- gusti xxiii. De S. Eugenio vel Eogaino Episcopo Ardsrathensi, pp. 624 to 627.
' These are in sixteen paragraphs, and
taken from a vellum Manuscript belonging
to their Library, classed P. Ms. . 11, "a folio.
21 verso. "
£
In six paragraphs.
9 This may safely be concluded from the
sentence with which they end.
O'Donovan, LL. D. , M. R. I. A. , and edited
by Rev. Dr. James Henthorn Todd and by
Rev. Dr. William Reeves, pp. 226, 227.
10
See "Britannia Sancta," part ii. ,
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar «f Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxii.
,6
His festival occurs at the 2nd day of November, where some account of him may be found.
'7 Among the many saints of this name, found in the Irish Calendar, it is not easy to determine if any one among them can be
p. 95- ""
See Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and identified . with the Deacon Mochua here other principal Saints," vol. viii. , August mentioned,
xxiii.
,a See " The Lives of the Saints," vol.
viii. , p. 251.
13 See "Les Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
xxiii* Jour d'Aout, p. 135.
l8
See the "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
"
*S In the " Leabhar Breac " See copy.
ex Codice Salmanticensi, Acta Sancti
Eugenii, num. 1, col. 915.
*9 See his Life, at the 3rd of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art i.
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 335
son of Fothad, son to Eochaidh Lamdoit, son to Fothadh, son of Eochaid Lamderg, son to Messincorb, son of Cucorb, son of Mogh Corb, son to
Conchobar Abraidhruadh, son of Finn File, son to Rosa Ruadh, son of Fergus Fairghe, son to Nuada Nect, son of Sedna Siothbac, who was the
afterwards of bishop
Coleraine,
companions,
captivity brought Brittany supposed
of
History Ireland,"
sect, iii. , p. 190.
vol.
Ecclesiastical ii. , chap, xii. ,
"
in descent from Miledh, or Milesius, of 20 Such is King Spain.
forty-fourth
the regal and distinguished line through which our saint's ancestry has been traced.
It seems probable, that towards the close of the fifth century, Eugene was born ; or at least, his nativity may be referred to the early part ot the
sixth. 21 It has been stated
2
23 that was one of St. Patrick's Eugene
by Colgan,
this statement rests on no
3
same writer elsewhere has named him 24 among the disciples of St. Finian of Clonard. *5 However, his account of the Abbot Monenus being the master of Eugene in Britain a6 accords with ancient Acts, which we deem it better to follow.
While yet of tender years, Eugene, with a great number of other boys and
3
girls, received his early education with the youthful Tighernach, 7 in the
school at Clones. From that place, the child was carried away captive to
and
disciples ;
but,
good authority. Moreover,
the
Britain
We are informed, that the holy and wise Neunyo,29 also called Maucenus,3°
by marauding pirates,
Tighernach
and who was in Rosnat 1 their liberation from the monastery^ procured
King of Britain. Afterwards, he took charge of their religious training, and he found them to be docile students. For some years, they were under the of St. Ninnian, with a named 2 who was
tutelage
together holy youth
Corpre,3
— with his time, Eugene,
in Ireland. A second as carried into and to
w—
See the Genealogical Tables illustra- work, Art. i.
to be in Gaul 33 as the pirates were from this latter country. They were detained as slaves in Armorica, by a Gallic King, who obliged them to work inamill. Thepassionforreadingwasstillstrongwiththethreeholyyouths, Tighernach, Eugene and Corpre ; but one day, while thus engaged, the mill- ing business appears to have been suspended, when the king's steward surprisedthestudents,androughlyorderedtheworktoproceed. Whenhe
20
" 28 ting Loca Patriciana," No. iv. , as com-
piled by the Rev. John F. Shearman, for " The Journal of the Royal Historical and
Archaeological Association of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , fourth series, No. 1 6, p. 544.
See further particulars, regarding Tighernach's captivity, in chap, i. , ibid.
3 » Identical with St. Nennius, Abbot of Candida Casa, whose feast occurs at the 1 6th of September, where notices of him may be found.
3° the mistake of a scribe for Probably
Mansenus. He is said to have been the master of St. Endeus of Aran, venerated on the 21st of March,
3I This was only another name for Can- dida Casa or Whitethorn, in Scotland. This identification both of Nennyo and of Rosnat, as found in the text, renders what has been
21 " See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
23 See the Life of St. Patrick, at 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
24 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," regarded as doubtful, in the Life of St.
xxiii. Februarii, Appendix ad Vitam S. Finniani, cap. iii. , p. 406.
25 Notices of him may be found in the
Second Volume of this work, at the 23rd of
Tighernach, at the 4th of April, sufficiently clear, as he and our present saint had one and the same master in Britain.
32 The festival of St. Coirpre, bishop of Cuil-Raithin, or Coleraine, occurs on the 1 1 th of November, where some notices of him may be found.
33 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
Sancta," part ii. , p. 95.
34 The compiler of our saint's Acts writes :
February, as also at the 1 2th of December.
26 "
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii i. De S. Moinenno sive Mon- nennio Episcopo Cluanfertensi, p. 458.
27 See his Life, at the 4th April, the day for his feast, in the Fourth Volume of this
also shared this 28 captivity.
336 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
left, the youths piously besought the Almighty, to give them a respite from labour, and an opportunity for reading. Instantly, the Angels of God
appeared, and kept the mill-wheel revolving, while the youths were reading. When the king was informed about this circumstance, he declared that they should return to Rosnat monastery to continue their studies. Having thus recovered miraculously their freedom, they were again restored to their belovedmaster,givingthankstoGodforthefavoursbestowedonthem. After
obtaining his liberty from the king, Eugene studied for some years in the monastery of Rosnat. At length, with the earnest recommendation and prayers of his monks, Nennius was induced to sail for Ireland, with both of hisdisciples,TighernachandEugene. Theyfoundedmonasteriesafterwards in the territory of Lagenia, now Leinster.
It was on this occasion, that Eugene established the monastery of Kilna-
——
managh,34 in Cualann 35 the modern district of Wicklow and he there led
a life of sanctity, mortification and prayer. Over that house he presided as Abbot, for fifteen years, enjoying a character without stain or reproach. There, too, he moulded the minds of many most illustrious prelates and saints, of whom not the least distinguished is said to have been his nephew, Coemghen or Kevin,*6 who, for his singular and unearthly beauty, was stated by the legend to have been baptized by an angel. 3 ?
In obedience to a Divine admonition, Eugene set out for the north to
preach the Gospel. Still, it was with some degree of regret; especially as his monks sorrowfully asked him who should be their Abbot, if he departed fromthem. Their "Leteachoneof become
holy superior replied : you
Abbot, and prior, and minister ; I, although absent in the body, shall be
with you in spirit. I shall hear what you say, even when spoken in whisper, and still more when you speak aloud. " 38 About the same time, St. Tigher-
nach left Leinster, and in conjunction with St. Eugene, he founded a
celebrated monastery at Clones, otherwise denominated Gaballiunense 3^ ;
while another religious domicile was founded at a place, the Latin equivalent of which is Sylva hu? nilis. <° Both of those holy prelates continued that tender affection and firm friendship they had early formed as school-fellows ; and as their respective places were not very far apart, they often enjoyed each other's society, and formed a spiritual alliance in their companionship. Seeking a suitable place to fix his own residence, Eugene, the son of Cainech, inobediencetoordersreceived,establishedamonasteryatArdstraw. This is at present the name of an extensive rural parish, and it is merely an anglicized form of the ancient Ard-straha/1 which means the height by or
"Eugenius quidem in regione Cualand Vir admirabilis in Ardstratensi monasterio, locumsanctum,quiCellaMonachorumvo quodmultispassuummillibusabaliodistat,
quasi in aurem dicerentur, audiebat. "
3? According to tho old Acts of our
saint,
40 This cannot be identified such . place by
a name. Perhaps the Irish equivalent might
"
the little wood. "
4I Most of all the places in the parish have retained their old Irish appellations. How- an angel, but by St. Cronan, who said on ever, Newtownstewart is an exception. Its
catur, construxit," &c.
3s The territory of Cualann lay along the
east coast in the present county of Wick- low.
36 See the Life of St. Coemghen or Kevin,
Abbot of Glendalough, at the 3rd of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
be Kylebeg, or
37 Kevin, however, was not baptized by
the occasion, " He shall be called what he
is, Coemghen, that is fair bom, for he shall
be exceedingly comely.
3* The Acts then state : u Quod veraciter
ancient name, according to- Lewis, was Lislas, but this is evidently a mistake for Lis-glas, which means Green Fort. This will appear the more probable from a num-
completum est : non solum enim cantus, sed ber of other forts or raths being scattered
et voces quamvis parvas, quas illi in cella through the immediate neighbourhood, and monachorum peccata confitendo proferebant, from some of them still retaining their dis-
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 337
nearthebankoftheriver. *' Thisexplanationthoroughlyaccordswithits situation ; for near the little River Derg, and on a considerable elevation, are to be traced some ecclesiastical remain? , where a road leading to Urney cuts a cemetery into two distinct parts. Both of these are largely availed of for interments. <3 While one cemetery is used for Catholic burials, the other is used for Protestants. The small village near it is now called Ardstraw- Bridge, and the parish itself is partly in the barony of Omagh, but chiefly in that of Strabane, in the County of Tyrone. " The scenery of this parish is
Cemeteries at Ardstraw, County of Tyrone.
diversified and of strongly-featured contour, so as to be rich in the number, and not poor in the character, of its landscapes. 4 * There, too, it is believed, that St. Eugene established a primitive See, after he had been consecrated
a Bishop.
Considerable doubt exists as to the precise year of his coming to Tyrone ;
for while some represent him as having been the disciple of St. Patrick, others with more probability assert, that he was the contemporary of St. Colum-
6 St.
tinctive appellations of White Fort, Grey Bishop of Derry. It is written with great
Kevin,
Fort, &c. That Lis-glas must have been very ancient and a considerably important
appears
care and ability, as also by an adept deeply learned on the subject of Ireland s history
and antiquities.
43 The accompanying illustration, from a
kille,*
place appears from the many castles or strongholds that were built around it, and
—even in com- paratively late times—where there was a bridge leading from all the districts of Mun-
from its being the only place
sketch the by
on the 10th of
terloney and beyond it to Derry.
4a Much of this local information is taken
from a very interesting communication inti-
tuled
"
Newtownstewart and its neighbour-
hood ;" a historical sketch which appeared
in the Londonderry Journal of August 30th,
1871. It was written by Rev. John Keys O'Doherty, P. P. , of that place, and since
and St. Canice. 4? This
the more from certain,
writer,
1879, represents their respective situations,
from the valley to the river. That sketch has been drawn by William F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
44 See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 57, 58.
4s See the " Parliamentary Gazetteer of
Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 65, 66.
46 See his Life, at the 9th of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
Y
June,
338 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
the date of his death, which the Irish authorities fix at a late period in the sixth century; while the year 617, or 618, of the Christian era, has even been stated for that event, by some of our annalists. The ancient parish of Ardstraw possesses peculiar interest for students of cur early Church history. That place Eugene selected for his residence, and like many bishops of the period, he wielded episcopal as well as abbatial jurisdiction, according to the prevailing opinion. It is somewhat remarkable, however, that in the old panegyric of Eugene, as published, he is not styled Episcopus^ nor is there any express mention of his having governed a see. However, the epithets, applied -both to him and to St. Tighernach as sancti ponificcs, appear to warrant such assumption. While distinguished for his great virtues and embracing a monastic life, Eogan founded or helped to found various monasteriesinIreland,afterreturningfromGaul. WhileSt. Tigernachand St. Eugene were sojourning at the Little Wood, when the latter was about to depart for Ardstraw, they both took a ramble towards a small eminence, wheresittingdowntheyenteredonacourseofpiousconversation. # Then having separated, a minister of Eugene recollected that he had left behind a small vessel, from which it was his custom to sprinkle infirm persons with holy water. The next day, Eugene and his minister returned to that same place, when to their great surprise, a fox was found dead, with the vessel
belonging to Eugene near him, and which he had attempted to gnaw. It was perfectly preserved, however, owing to the saint's merits. Even a thong of leather attached was found uninjured between the animal's teeth. Another time, when both of those holy prelates were on a customary visita-
8
tion of a small nunnery, denominated Rosscay,-* in the territory of Meath,
they found the minister of the Abbess Mossera and of her nuns dead.
However, St. Tigernach desired Eugene to place his baculus on the body of thedeceased, Agreatmiraclefollowed,whenthatservantcametolife,and he was restored to his former state of health.
In the monastery at Ardstraw, Eogan led a most holy life, being distin- guishedforhismiraclesandforaspiritofprophecy. Instancesofthelatter gift are furnished, in the case of a wicked Gentile prince, named Amalgid, who had ordered a spear having five points on it to be made, and with this he resolved on immolating innocent victims, in accordance with some pagan custom or superstition, which held possession of his mind. On hearing about such intent, the charitable Abbot went to him, entreating that he should not put it into execution ; nevertheless*, the cruel tyrant would not be diverted from his purpose. The saint declared, that should he do so, on the third day after the evil deed had been committed, the prince himself must die pierced by that same spear. Such prediction was accordingly fulfilled.
This primitive saint is said to have foretold, likewise, that but a few years should elapse before the coming of St. Columkille into this world. 4* Already havewerelatedthecircumstances,* underwhichsuchaprophecyhadbeen pronounced, in the Life of that saint, by Prince O'Donnell. In all essential particulars, the narrative contained in the old Acts of St. Eogan is corrobo- rative, but more detailed in some matters. One Lugid,51 with his son Fiachne, visited his monastery, and the latter killed one of the monks, at the
47 His feast occurs at the nth of October, where his Acts may be seen.
48 The exact locality is not known.
4> See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Quinta S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xiii. , p. 391.
5° See the Sixth, Volume of this work, at
''
Secneii filio," another form for Sethna, the brother of Fcdhlimid, who was father to the great St. Columba. Consequently the latter was cousin-german on the father's side to this
Lugid .
the 9th of June, Art. L, Chap. i. SI In our saint's Acts he is called
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 339
door of the oratory in Ardstraw, his father approving that base act. The murderer died nine days after the deed, according to our saint's prophecy, nor were more than five of his posterity destined to survive him. In peni- tence for that deed, Lugid declared he should bestow a scruple of silver every third year on the church of Ardstraw, and that gift should also be binding on his posterity. This was to accrue to Eogan and to his successors
there. s2 We are led to the varies from a. d. 518 to 522.
that such incidents must have taken place early in the sixth century, as the date set down for St. Columba's birth
calculation,
CHAPTER II.
VARIOUS MIRACLES OF ST. EUGENE—HIS LAST ILLNESS AND EDIFYING DEATH—HIS COMMEMORATION IN THE IRISH CALENDARS—ANTIQUITY OF ARDSTRAW AS AN EPISCOPAL SEE—A MONASTERY CONTINUED THERE TO A MUCH LATER PERIOD —TRANSFER OF THE SEE AT ARDSTRAW TO RATHLURY, AND FINALLY ITS INCORPORATION WITH DERRY DIOCESE IN THE TWELFTH CENTURY—NOTICES OF THE LATTER SEE, OF WHICH ST. EUGENE IS CHIEF PATRON—CATHEDRAL OF ST. EUGENE IN DERRY—CONCLUSION.
Owing to the circumstance, that St. Patrick, the great Apostle of Ireland, had a disciple named Eugene, and connected with the northern parts of Ireland, some writers have too hastily concluded, that he was identical with
the present saint. However, it is expressly mentioned in his Tripartite Life, 1
that Eugene was placed over a church, founded at Dun-cruthen, otherwise
2
Dunbo, with which our saint does not appear to have had any special
connection. 3 It is generally admitted, moreover, that about the year 540,
St. Eoghan or Eugene, of Ardstraw, flourished. * Various of his miracles are
related in the old Acts ; but, as some of those marvels are of a legendary
character, they may be passed over as not worthy of being here recorded.
It is told, that in a certain town named Lettach,s one hundred persons of
bothsexeshadbeensurroundedbypirates; but,havingsentwordtothe
holy man, that they were likely to be captured or in danger of perishing, he
passed unnoticed through the enemy's camp, and having baptized them, all
were brought away unseen by the pirates and were thus saved. Again, it is
stated, that while Eugene was travelling through a great wood, which
stretched for thousand 6 the River he met a miserable sixty paces along Bann,?
52 The Acts of our saint add, Eogan had p. 146, and nn. 187, 188, 189, pp. 18 J,
declared, also, that none of Lugid's posterity
should reign in his principality, but when
182.
* Ussher states, that he was contempo-
Lugid complained on this score, he received ""
for reply, Thy posterity shall be councillors
and judges there, but no one of thy family
shall rule in thy sept, unless with their per-
mission. " Wearetold,moreover,thatsuch
prediction was —fulfilled. identified.
•6 Chapter ii. This denomination may
be Anglicized, "the Fort of the Cruith- neans," a tribe very powerful in the North of Ireland, in the time of St. Patrick.
2 Now a parish in the diocese and county
of Derry, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, raine, including its expansion of Lough
and about forty miles distant from Aid- straw.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars ii. , cap. cxxv. ,
raneous with St. Comgall of Banchor and
with St. Canice of Achadh-bo. See
Bri- tannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
xvii. , pp. 495,496. 5Underthisform,theplacehasnotbeen
Representing sixty miles. In point of fact, the whole course of the River Bann, upper and lower, from its rise in the Mourne Mountains, County of Down, to its embou- chure into the Atlantic Ocean near Cole-
Neagh, measures considerably more than 80 "
miles. See Parliamentary Gazetteer of
Ireland," vol. i. , p. 216.
* There can be no question, but that the
340 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
pauper,whowasaleper,ontheway. Asacharity,hebestowedthetwo chariot horses he used on that poor mendicant. Such self-sacrificing act was made known by a revelation to St. Corpre, Bishop ofColeraine, who sent two other horses to supply the place of those which had been given away. Atanothertime,ontheapproachofEaster,CorpreborrowedaBook of Gospels from Eugene, as Eastertide approached, and when the latter wanted it, on the very night of that festival, the Angels of God left it once more on his altar. While the holy Bishop was journeying through a wood called Croibeth,8 in company with a boy, he recited the fifty Psalms, and
"
The boy then answered Amen, when an extraordinary echo resounded those
concluding words throughout the forest.
On a certain occasion, the holy man, with his retinue, was uncourteously
treated at a town,9 where he arrived towards evening, and where fifty persons of both sexes were assembled at a banquet. There he was denied hospitality, so that he was obliged to remain in the open air all night. He spent it awake, and while fasting he prayed. However, he predicted, that for the future, such a feast should not there take place, nor should the land about it prove fertile. His prophecy was fulfilled, even to that time when the saint's eulogy had been pronounced. However, on the day following, one of the feasters named Caitne, and whose wife is called Brig, invited him and his companions to their house, where dinner had been prepared for their labourers. This dinner consisted of beef and swine's flesh, with beer for their drink. Of such viands, Eugene and his companions partook, having blessed them before and after partaking of their meal. Afterwards, the saint blessed that house, and the cellars of his kind entertainers. He predicted, moreover, that such food and drink should serve their household, so long as no irreverent remark was made regarding them. Thisconditionwasobserved,onlyfromtheKalendsofNovemberto the Pentecost 10 The
afterwards the Lord's Prayer, so far as the words,
sed libera nos a malo. "
succeeding.
his account of the miracles Eugene wrought during life, that he only re- counted a few of those merits, with which the subject of his discourse was
11
so remarkably favoured by the Almighty.
It is stated, that Eugene was living, about the year 570. " Having
attained a mature term of years, and a full measure of merit in the sight of God, he was happily called out of this world, some time in the sixth cen-
tury.
"
lib. 2. , Hist. Scot. "
appended,
sicut additur in notis, et citatur
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 333
Utoentp-tbfra JBap of August
ARTICLE I. —ST. EOGAN OR EUGENE, BISHOP OF ARDSTRAW, AND PATRON OF DERRY.
[FIFTH AND SIXTH CENTURIES. -]
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION—ACTS OF ST. EUGENE AND AUTHORITIES FOR HIS LIFE—HIS FAMILY AND BIRTH—HIS DOUBLE CAPTIVITY—EDUCATION IN BRITAIN—HIS RETURN TO IRELAND—HE FOUNDS THE MONASTERY OF KILNAMANAGH IN LEINSTER—ST. EUGENE GOES TO THE NORTH OF IRELAND AND FOUNDS A MONASTERY AT ARDSRATHA—HE BECOMES THE FIRST BISHOP OF THAT EARLY SEE—HIS MANNER OF LIVING WHILE THERE—HE ENJOYS PROPHETIC GIFTS.
the ceaseless labours of blessed Patrick, Ireland soon became
UNDER
a favoured in the
when sainted
of the
like the Apostles of old, left all things at his preaching to follow Christ.
were crowding to the cells of Brigid—the Mary of Erin—and consecrating their lives to the service of God and of His poor. Those were truly the ages of faith, when churches and monasteries rose as if by magic on every moun- tain and in every valley ; when the music of sacred hymns and of Divine psalmody was borne on every breeze, and when that golden era foretold in burning words by Isaiah of old seemed to be fully realized in this Island. M The land that was desolate and impassable, shall be glad, and the wilder- ness shall rejoice, and nourish like the lily. " Whether viewed in a political or religious aspect, Derry is a spot dear to the heart of the annalist, for hallowed reminiscences cluster round it, and the golden glory of bygone days sheds still their lustre on the See of Eugene and the city of Columkille. From immemorial
spot
vineyard
Church,
men,
Princes and nobles were not ashamed to lay aside the pomps of royalty, and to put on the humbler garb of the Christian missionary. Tender virgins
the" oftheoaks"wassacred forhere,eventhe ages, place ;
Article i. —Chapter i. —*
Uiao becrtA £eil ©ogam <*irvo fnAcViA.
" At the passion of Fortunatus, with whom went warriors, on one festival—a world's talk—the Feast of Eogan of Ard Sratha. "— "Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy,"
held, had one of their most famous ——
1 From
The festival of St. Eogan or Eugene dates from a very early period in the Irish Church, and it was held on this date. 8 The learned hagiologist,
it is
the Holy Island for such formerly Derry was went forth the royal poets, the sage legislators, the learned astronomers, and the well-instructed annal- ists. There the mystic rites of Druidism were once studied, and there in after times the young aspirant to the priestly dignity underwent his long and arduous novitiate.
Druids,
traditionally
colleges.
According Critical History of the Celtic Religion and Learning : contain- ing an Account of the Druids," &c. First
Letter, pp. 44, 45, note 1.
2 Thus in the " Feilire " of St. ^Engus, in
the Leabhar Breac copy, we have the following entry, the English translation beingsuppliedbyWhitleyStokes,LL. D. :—
LApAir puncmAci imatUnv tin cacIia
£ot\Aenlich
to John Toland, in his
"
On
3 See "Catalogus Actuum Sanctorum quae Ms. habentur, ordine Mensium et Die- rum. "
Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. theCalendarofOengus,p. cxxv.
334 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
Colgan, had intended to publish the Acts of St. Eugene, at the 23rd of August, as may be inferred from his list of unedited Manuscripts. 3 However,
these Acts of St. Eugenius, bishop of Ardsrata, are preserved in the Burgun- dian Library at Bruxelles. * They have since been edited and published s by Carolus de Smedt and Joseph de Backer, Bollandist Fathers, under the auspices of the Right Hon. John Patrick, Marquis of Bute. At the 23rd of
6
August,theBollandists presentuswithActsofSt. Eugene,bysomeanony-
mous writer. ? A previous commentary 8 is added, with several notes, by Father William Cuper, S. J. These Acts were composed as a panegyric on the saint, and evidently they were intended to serve as a sermon for his
ro
The Rev. Alban Butler has a short article in reference to him at this same
11 12 1 date, as likewise the Rev. S. Baring-Gould, and the Petits Bollandistes. *
The Life and Acts of St. Eugene are involved in much obscurity, since the most ancient memoir we possess seems to have been written centuries after his period, and it abounds in legends. Still, it must be observed, there are certain coincidences that correspond or are not irreconcilable with synchronous persons, times and places, as gleaned from independent records.
Eugene belonged to a Leinster family, on the paternal side. He sprung from the race of Laeghaire Lore, son to Ugaine Mdr, from whom the
1
Leinstermen are descended, according to the O'Clerys. * The scholiast on
""
the Feilire of ^Engus *9 has a remark, that as learned persons reported,
Eogan was the son of Bishop Ere of Slane l6 but he adds, and that is the ;
Deacon who to Cluain in Leix. 1* he Mochua, belonged However, appears
more reconciled to the following paternity. We are informed, that Cainnech
of Leinster was father of Eugenius, while his mother is named Muindecha,
and she belonged by race to the territory of Mugdarnia,18 in the present
* In a volume, classed xxii. , at fol. 216. u See "The Martyrology of Donegal,' s In a work intituled " Acta Sanctorum with the Irish text, translated by John
festival. * Briefly, too, does Bishop Challoner enter his record at this day.
of Down. The illustrious St. Kevin ot J 9 was a near Glendalough
county
relative. The relationship between St. Kevin and Eugene seems to have been that of first cousins ; our saint, however, being in the first degree, nearer to their common stem. Eugene was the sixtieth in descent from Miledh or Milesius. Kevinwasthesixty-first,hismotherCaemellhavingbeenmarried to Coemloga, son to Coemfada, the brother of Cainech, father to St. Eugene. Now, Cainech is said to have been the son of Cuirp, son to Fergus Lamderg,
Hibernise," ex Codice Salmanticensi, &c. See cols. 915 10924.
6 See "Acta Sanctorum," tomus iv. , Au- gusti xxiii. De S. Eugenio vel Eogaino Episcopo Ardsrathensi, pp. 624 to 627.
' These are in sixteen paragraphs, and
taken from a vellum Manuscript belonging
to their Library, classed P. Ms. . 11, "a folio.
21 verso. "
£
In six paragraphs.
9 This may safely be concluded from the
sentence with which they end.
O'Donovan, LL. D. , M. R. I. A. , and edited
by Rev. Dr. James Henthorn Todd and by
Rev. Dr. William Reeves, pp. 226, 227.
10
See "Britannia Sancta," part ii. ,
Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy," Irish Manuscript Series, vol. i. , part i. On the Calendar «f Oengus. By Whitley Stokes, LL. D. , p. cxxxii.
,6
His festival occurs at the 2nd day of November, where some account of him may be found.
'7 Among the many saints of this name, found in the Irish Calendar, it is not easy to determine if any one among them can be
p. 95- ""
See Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and identified . with the Deacon Mochua here other principal Saints," vol. viii. , August mentioned,
xxiii.
,a See " The Lives of the Saints," vol.
viii. , p. 251.
13 See "Les Vies des Saints," tome x. ,
xxiii* Jour d'Aout, p. 135.
l8
See the "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise,"
"
*S In the " Leabhar Breac " See copy.
ex Codice Salmanticensi, Acta Sancti
Eugenii, num. 1, col. 915.
*9 See his Life, at the 3rd of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art i.
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 335
son of Fothad, son to Eochaidh Lamdoit, son to Fothadh, son of Eochaid Lamderg, son to Messincorb, son of Cucorb, son of Mogh Corb, son to
Conchobar Abraidhruadh, son of Finn File, son to Rosa Ruadh, son of Fergus Fairghe, son to Nuada Nect, son of Sedna Siothbac, who was the
afterwards of bishop
Coleraine,
companions,
captivity brought Brittany supposed
of
History Ireland,"
sect, iii. , p. 190.
vol.
Ecclesiastical ii. , chap, xii. ,
"
in descent from Miledh, or Milesius, of 20 Such is King Spain.
forty-fourth
the regal and distinguished line through which our saint's ancestry has been traced.
It seems probable, that towards the close of the fifth century, Eugene was born ; or at least, his nativity may be referred to the early part ot the
sixth. 21 It has been stated
2
23 that was one of St. Patrick's Eugene
by Colgan,
this statement rests on no
3
same writer elsewhere has named him 24 among the disciples of St. Finian of Clonard. *5 However, his account of the Abbot Monenus being the master of Eugene in Britain a6 accords with ancient Acts, which we deem it better to follow.
While yet of tender years, Eugene, with a great number of other boys and
3
girls, received his early education with the youthful Tighernach, 7 in the
school at Clones. From that place, the child was carried away captive to
and
disciples ;
but,
good authority. Moreover,
the
Britain
We are informed, that the holy and wise Neunyo,29 also called Maucenus,3°
by marauding pirates,
Tighernach
and who was in Rosnat 1 their liberation from the monastery^ procured
King of Britain. Afterwards, he took charge of their religious training, and he found them to be docile students. For some years, they were under the of St. Ninnian, with a named 2 who was
tutelage
together holy youth
Corpre,3
— with his time, Eugene,
in Ireland. A second as carried into and to
w—
See the Genealogical Tables illustra- work, Art. i.
to be in Gaul 33 as the pirates were from this latter country. They were detained as slaves in Armorica, by a Gallic King, who obliged them to work inamill. Thepassionforreadingwasstillstrongwiththethreeholyyouths, Tighernach, Eugene and Corpre ; but one day, while thus engaged, the mill- ing business appears to have been suspended, when the king's steward surprisedthestudents,androughlyorderedtheworktoproceed. Whenhe
20
" 28 ting Loca Patriciana," No. iv. , as com-
piled by the Rev. John F. Shearman, for " The Journal of the Royal Historical and
Archaeological Association of Ireland,"
vol. ii. , fourth series, No. 1 6, p. 544.
See further particulars, regarding Tighernach's captivity, in chap, i. , ibid.
3 » Identical with St. Nennius, Abbot of Candida Casa, whose feast occurs at the 1 6th of September, where notices of him may be found.
3° the mistake of a scribe for Probably
Mansenus. He is said to have been the master of St. Endeus of Aran, venerated on the 21st of March,
3I This was only another name for Can- dida Casa or Whitethorn, in Scotland. This identification both of Nennyo and of Rosnat, as found in the text, renders what has been
21 " See Rev. Dr. Lanigan's
See "Trias Thaumaturga," Quinta Appendix ad Acta S. Patricii, cap. xxiii. , p. 269.
23 See the Life of St. Patrick, at 17th of March, in the Third Volume of this work, Art. i.
24 See "Acta Sanctorum Hibernise," regarded as doubtful, in the Life of St.
xxiii. Februarii, Appendix ad Vitam S. Finniani, cap. iii. , p. 406.
25 Notices of him may be found in the
Second Volume of this work, at the 23rd of
Tighernach, at the 4th of April, sufficiently clear, as he and our present saint had one and the same master in Britain.
32 The festival of St. Coirpre, bishop of Cuil-Raithin, or Coleraine, occurs on the 1 1 th of November, where some notices of him may be found.
33 See Bishop Challoner's "Britannia
Sancta," part ii. , p. 95.
34 The compiler of our saint's Acts writes :
February, as also at the 1 2th of December.
26 "
See Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiber- nise," Martii i. De S. Moinenno sive Mon- nennio Episcopo Cluanfertensi, p. 458.
27 See his Life, at the 4th April, the day for his feast, in the Fourth Volume of this
also shared this 28 captivity.
336 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
left, the youths piously besought the Almighty, to give them a respite from labour, and an opportunity for reading. Instantly, the Angels of God
appeared, and kept the mill-wheel revolving, while the youths were reading. When the king was informed about this circumstance, he declared that they should return to Rosnat monastery to continue their studies. Having thus recovered miraculously their freedom, they were again restored to their belovedmaster,givingthankstoGodforthefavoursbestowedonthem. After
obtaining his liberty from the king, Eugene studied for some years in the monastery of Rosnat. At length, with the earnest recommendation and prayers of his monks, Nennius was induced to sail for Ireland, with both of hisdisciples,TighernachandEugene. Theyfoundedmonasteriesafterwards in the territory of Lagenia, now Leinster.
It was on this occasion, that Eugene established the monastery of Kilna-
——
managh,34 in Cualann 35 the modern district of Wicklow and he there led
a life of sanctity, mortification and prayer. Over that house he presided as Abbot, for fifteen years, enjoying a character without stain or reproach. There, too, he moulded the minds of many most illustrious prelates and saints, of whom not the least distinguished is said to have been his nephew, Coemghen or Kevin,*6 who, for his singular and unearthly beauty, was stated by the legend to have been baptized by an angel. 3 ?
In obedience to a Divine admonition, Eugene set out for the north to
preach the Gospel. Still, it was with some degree of regret; especially as his monks sorrowfully asked him who should be their Abbot, if he departed fromthem. Their "Leteachoneof become
holy superior replied : you
Abbot, and prior, and minister ; I, although absent in the body, shall be
with you in spirit. I shall hear what you say, even when spoken in whisper, and still more when you speak aloud. " 38 About the same time, St. Tigher-
nach left Leinster, and in conjunction with St. Eugene, he founded a
celebrated monastery at Clones, otherwise denominated Gaballiunense 3^ ;
while another religious domicile was founded at a place, the Latin equivalent of which is Sylva hu? nilis. <° Both of those holy prelates continued that tender affection and firm friendship they had early formed as school-fellows ; and as their respective places were not very far apart, they often enjoyed each other's society, and formed a spiritual alliance in their companionship. Seeking a suitable place to fix his own residence, Eugene, the son of Cainech, inobediencetoordersreceived,establishedamonasteryatArdstraw. This is at present the name of an extensive rural parish, and it is merely an anglicized form of the ancient Ard-straha/1 which means the height by or
"Eugenius quidem in regione Cualand Vir admirabilis in Ardstratensi monasterio, locumsanctum,quiCellaMonachorumvo quodmultispassuummillibusabaliodistat,
quasi in aurem dicerentur, audiebat. "
3? According to tho old Acts of our
saint,
40 This cannot be identified such . place by
a name. Perhaps the Irish equivalent might
"
the little wood. "
4I Most of all the places in the parish have retained their old Irish appellations. How- an angel, but by St. Cronan, who said on ever, Newtownstewart is an exception. Its
catur, construxit," &c.
3s The territory of Cualann lay along the
east coast in the present county of Wick- low.
36 See the Life of St. Coemghen or Kevin,
Abbot of Glendalough, at the 3rd of June, in the Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
be Kylebeg, or
37 Kevin, however, was not baptized by
the occasion, " He shall be called what he
is, Coemghen, that is fair bom, for he shall
be exceedingly comely.
3* The Acts then state : u Quod veraciter
ancient name, according to- Lewis, was Lislas, but this is evidently a mistake for Lis-glas, which means Green Fort. This will appear the more probable from a num-
completum est : non solum enim cantus, sed ber of other forts or raths being scattered
et voces quamvis parvas, quas illi in cella through the immediate neighbourhood, and monachorum peccata confitendo proferebant, from some of them still retaining their dis-
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 337
nearthebankoftheriver. *' Thisexplanationthoroughlyaccordswithits situation ; for near the little River Derg, and on a considerable elevation, are to be traced some ecclesiastical remain? , where a road leading to Urney cuts a cemetery into two distinct parts. Both of these are largely availed of for interments. <3 While one cemetery is used for Catholic burials, the other is used for Protestants. The small village near it is now called Ardstraw- Bridge, and the parish itself is partly in the barony of Omagh, but chiefly in that of Strabane, in the County of Tyrone. " The scenery of this parish is
Cemeteries at Ardstraw, County of Tyrone.
diversified and of strongly-featured contour, so as to be rich in the number, and not poor in the character, of its landscapes. 4 * There, too, it is believed, that St. Eugene established a primitive See, after he had been consecrated
a Bishop.
Considerable doubt exists as to the precise year of his coming to Tyrone ;
for while some represent him as having been the disciple of St. Patrick, others with more probability assert, that he was the contemporary of St. Colum-
6 St.
tinctive appellations of White Fort, Grey Bishop of Derry. It is written with great
Kevin,
Fort, &c. That Lis-glas must have been very ancient and a considerably important
appears
care and ability, as also by an adept deeply learned on the subject of Ireland s history
and antiquities.
43 The accompanying illustration, from a
kille,*
place appears from the many castles or strongholds that were built around it, and
—even in com- paratively late times—where there was a bridge leading from all the districts of Mun-
from its being the only place
sketch the by
on the 10th of
terloney and beyond it to Derry.
4a Much of this local information is taken
from a very interesting communication inti-
tuled
"
Newtownstewart and its neighbour-
hood ;" a historical sketch which appeared
in the Londonderry Journal of August 30th,
1871. It was written by Rev. John Keys O'Doherty, P. P. , of that place, and since
and St. Canice. 4? This
the more from certain,
writer,
1879, represents their respective situations,
from the valley to the river. That sketch has been drawn by William F. Wakeman on the wood, engraved by Mrs. Millard.
44 See Lewis' "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 57, 58.
4s See the " Parliamentary Gazetteer of
Ireland," vol. i. , pp. 65, 66.
46 See his Life, at the 9th of June, in the
Sixth Volume of this work, Art. i.
Y
June,
338 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
the date of his death, which the Irish authorities fix at a late period in the sixth century; while the year 617, or 618, of the Christian era, has even been stated for that event, by some of our annalists. The ancient parish of Ardstraw possesses peculiar interest for students of cur early Church history. That place Eugene selected for his residence, and like many bishops of the period, he wielded episcopal as well as abbatial jurisdiction, according to the prevailing opinion. It is somewhat remarkable, however, that in the old panegyric of Eugene, as published, he is not styled Episcopus^ nor is there any express mention of his having governed a see. However, the epithets, applied -both to him and to St. Tighernach as sancti ponificcs, appear to warrant such assumption. While distinguished for his great virtues and embracing a monastic life, Eogan founded or helped to found various monasteriesinIreland,afterreturningfromGaul. WhileSt. Tigernachand St. Eugene were sojourning at the Little Wood, when the latter was about to depart for Ardstraw, they both took a ramble towards a small eminence, wheresittingdowntheyenteredonacourseofpiousconversation. # Then having separated, a minister of Eugene recollected that he had left behind a small vessel, from which it was his custom to sprinkle infirm persons with holy water. The next day, Eugene and his minister returned to that same place, when to their great surprise, a fox was found dead, with the vessel
belonging to Eugene near him, and which he had attempted to gnaw. It was perfectly preserved, however, owing to the saint's merits. Even a thong of leather attached was found uninjured between the animal's teeth. Another time, when both of those holy prelates were on a customary visita-
8
tion of a small nunnery, denominated Rosscay,-* in the territory of Meath,
they found the minister of the Abbess Mossera and of her nuns dead.
However, St. Tigernach desired Eugene to place his baculus on the body of thedeceased, Agreatmiraclefollowed,whenthatservantcametolife,and he was restored to his former state of health.
In the monastery at Ardstraw, Eogan led a most holy life, being distin- guishedforhismiraclesandforaspiritofprophecy. Instancesofthelatter gift are furnished, in the case of a wicked Gentile prince, named Amalgid, who had ordered a spear having five points on it to be made, and with this he resolved on immolating innocent victims, in accordance with some pagan custom or superstition, which held possession of his mind. On hearing about such intent, the charitable Abbot went to him, entreating that he should not put it into execution ; nevertheless*, the cruel tyrant would not be diverted from his purpose. The saint declared, that should he do so, on the third day after the evil deed had been committed, the prince himself must die pierced by that same spear. Such prediction was accordingly fulfilled.
This primitive saint is said to have foretold, likewise, that but a few years should elapse before the coming of St. Columkille into this world. 4* Already havewerelatedthecircumstances,* underwhichsuchaprophecyhadbeen pronounced, in the Life of that saint, by Prince O'Donnell. In all essential particulars, the narrative contained in the old Acts of St. Eogan is corrobo- rative, but more detailed in some matters. One Lugid,51 with his son Fiachne, visited his monastery, and the latter killed one of the monks, at the
47 His feast occurs at the nth of October, where his Acts may be seen.
48 The exact locality is not known.
4> See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Vita Quinta S. Columbse, lib. i. , cap. xiii. , p. 391.
5° See the Sixth, Volume of this work, at
''
Secneii filio," another form for Sethna, the brother of Fcdhlimid, who was father to the great St. Columba. Consequently the latter was cousin-german on the father's side to this
Lugid .
the 9th of June, Art. L, Chap. i. SI In our saint's Acts he is called
August 23. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 339
door of the oratory in Ardstraw, his father approving that base act. The murderer died nine days after the deed, according to our saint's prophecy, nor were more than five of his posterity destined to survive him. In peni- tence for that deed, Lugid declared he should bestow a scruple of silver every third year on the church of Ardstraw, and that gift should also be binding on his posterity. This was to accrue to Eogan and to his successors
there. s2 We are led to the varies from a. d. 518 to 522.
that such incidents must have taken place early in the sixth century, as the date set down for St. Columba's birth
calculation,
CHAPTER II.
VARIOUS MIRACLES OF ST. EUGENE—HIS LAST ILLNESS AND EDIFYING DEATH—HIS COMMEMORATION IN THE IRISH CALENDARS—ANTIQUITY OF ARDSTRAW AS AN EPISCOPAL SEE—A MONASTERY CONTINUED THERE TO A MUCH LATER PERIOD —TRANSFER OF THE SEE AT ARDSTRAW TO RATHLURY, AND FINALLY ITS INCORPORATION WITH DERRY DIOCESE IN THE TWELFTH CENTURY—NOTICES OF THE LATTER SEE, OF WHICH ST. EUGENE IS CHIEF PATRON—CATHEDRAL OF ST. EUGENE IN DERRY—CONCLUSION.
Owing to the circumstance, that St. Patrick, the great Apostle of Ireland, had a disciple named Eugene, and connected with the northern parts of Ireland, some writers have too hastily concluded, that he was identical with
the present saint. However, it is expressly mentioned in his Tripartite Life, 1
that Eugene was placed over a church, founded at Dun-cruthen, otherwise
2
Dunbo, with which our saint does not appear to have had any special
connection. 3 It is generally admitted, moreover, that about the year 540,
St. Eoghan or Eugene, of Ardstraw, flourished. * Various of his miracles are
related in the old Acts ; but, as some of those marvels are of a legendary
character, they may be passed over as not worthy of being here recorded.
It is told, that in a certain town named Lettach,s one hundred persons of
bothsexeshadbeensurroundedbypirates; but,havingsentwordtothe
holy man, that they were likely to be captured or in danger of perishing, he
passed unnoticed through the enemy's camp, and having baptized them, all
were brought away unseen by the pirates and were thus saved. Again, it is
stated, that while Eugene was travelling through a great wood, which
stretched for thousand 6 the River he met a miserable sixty paces along Bann,?
52 The Acts of our saint add, Eogan had p. 146, and nn. 187, 188, 189, pp. 18 J,
declared, also, that none of Lugid's posterity
should reign in his principality, but when
182.
* Ussher states, that he was contempo-
Lugid complained on this score, he received ""
for reply, Thy posterity shall be councillors
and judges there, but no one of thy family
shall rule in thy sept, unless with their per-
mission. " Wearetold,moreover,thatsuch
prediction was —fulfilled. identified.
•6 Chapter ii. This denomination may
be Anglicized, "the Fort of the Cruith- neans," a tribe very powerful in the North of Ireland, in the time of St. Patrick.
2 Now a parish in the diocese and county
of Derry, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, raine, including its expansion of Lough
and about forty miles distant from Aid- straw.
3 See Colgan's "Trias Thaumaturga," Septima Vita S. Patricii, pars ii. , cap. cxxv. ,
raneous with St. Comgall of Banchor and
with St. Canice of Achadh-bo. See
Bri- tannicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap.
xvii. , pp. 495,496. 5Underthisform,theplacehasnotbeen
Representing sixty miles. In point of fact, the whole course of the River Bann, upper and lower, from its rise in the Mourne Mountains, County of Down, to its embou- chure into the Atlantic Ocean near Cole-
Neagh, measures considerably more than 80 "
miles. See Parliamentary Gazetteer of
Ireland," vol. i. , p. 216.
* There can be no question, but that the
340 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 23.
pauper,whowasaleper,ontheway. Asacharity,hebestowedthetwo chariot horses he used on that poor mendicant. Such self-sacrificing act was made known by a revelation to St. Corpre, Bishop ofColeraine, who sent two other horses to supply the place of those which had been given away. Atanothertime,ontheapproachofEaster,CorpreborrowedaBook of Gospels from Eugene, as Eastertide approached, and when the latter wanted it, on the very night of that festival, the Angels of God left it once more on his altar. While the holy Bishop was journeying through a wood called Croibeth,8 in company with a boy, he recited the fifty Psalms, and
"
The boy then answered Amen, when an extraordinary echo resounded those
concluding words throughout the forest.
On a certain occasion, the holy man, with his retinue, was uncourteously
treated at a town,9 where he arrived towards evening, and where fifty persons of both sexes were assembled at a banquet. There he was denied hospitality, so that he was obliged to remain in the open air all night. He spent it awake, and while fasting he prayed. However, he predicted, that for the future, such a feast should not there take place, nor should the land about it prove fertile. His prophecy was fulfilled, even to that time when the saint's eulogy had been pronounced. However, on the day following, one of the feasters named Caitne, and whose wife is called Brig, invited him and his companions to their house, where dinner had been prepared for their labourers. This dinner consisted of beef and swine's flesh, with beer for their drink. Of such viands, Eugene and his companions partook, having blessed them before and after partaking of their meal. Afterwards, the saint blessed that house, and the cellars of his kind entertainers. He predicted, moreover, that such food and drink should serve their household, so long as no irreverent remark was made regarding them. Thisconditionwasobserved,onlyfromtheKalendsofNovemberto the Pentecost 10 The
afterwards the Lord's Prayer, so far as the words,
sed libera nos a malo. "
succeeding.
his account of the miracles Eugene wrought during life, that he only re- counted a few of those merits, with which the subject of his discourse was
11
so remarkably favoured by the Almighty.
It is stated, that Eugene was living, about the year 570. " Having
attained a mature term of years, and a full measure of merit in the sight of God, he was happily called out of this world, some time in the sixth cen-
tury.
